Intimate Knowledge

“Accept, I beseech thee, the freewill offerings of my mouth, O LORD, and teach me thy judgments.” (Ps 119:108 AV)

The request of the psalmist is not a idle one.  It is not written for mere poetry.  This request is one of sincere passion.  The writer is not asking because he is curious.  He is not asking in passing.  He does not write because he needs to fill lines.  What this writer is asking is to understand who and what God is.  He does not ask for simple theology.  He is seeking the depths of who and what God is.  The first part of the verse is the humility needed to gain the answer.  He is opening his mind and heart for the LORD to fill it.  What is he asking for?  The word ‘judgment’ is the workings of truth.  It is the way and purpose for all that God does.  When the psalmist is asking to better understand the judgments of God, he is seeking a deeper knowledge of why God does what He does and how He does what He does.  This intimate knowledge of God is the heartbeat of the psalmist.  He knows the best way in which to know the God who created Him is by reading His word and observing His hand.

Most children desire to know their father.  Some wish to know who his or hor father is.  Those growing up in a stable home want to know the person of their father.  My father was a bit of an enigma.  His history was not well known.  We had to ask specific questions if we wanted to learn of his childhood and early adult life.  Knowing about our father was different than truly knowing our father.  Our dad was a typical German male.  He was complicated and guarded.  But there were times he let his guard down.  Usually, these times came in the context of camping or Boy Scouts.  There were several times my father, and I had such moments.  There were weekends entailing camping and scouting.  At those times, I got to know my father a bit more than I had known him before.  Whether it was a stroll from the parade grounds to the mess hall, a few minutes fishing in a lake, or sitting by a campfire with guitar in hand, there were moments I understood who he was.  Knowing him deep down took private time, words of exchange, and observations from the eyes of admiration.

God is no different.  Perhaps our biggest hurdle is our blind eyes.  We can read about the LORD in His word.  If we read of Him as a historical figure and not a living God, we miss out on who God is.  Reading about Him is one thing.  Praying to Him is another.  But watching as He interacts with His creation is to truly know Him.  Knowing His judgments reveals His character.  Watching Him work out His perfect plan despite the actions of His creation is nothing short of incomprehension.  Our God is indeed great.  But He is not aloof.  He wants us to know Him.  The LORD wants us to love Him in knowledge and in truth.  The LORD wants us to know Him as we are known of Him.  The psalmist is looking for that knowledge, and his prayer is sincere.  One has to wonder how much of a request like this would be the first thing from our lips.  To know God is the meaning of our existence.  Until we make that our passion, we never will have the joy and meaning of life as we could have.