What Does it Mean to "Know" the Lord?
Vine & Fig Tree has received criticisms from some who believe that we spend too much time talking about "law" and "politics." They say that they are not interested in law and politics, but only about "knowing
God" or "the knowledge of God."
"I just want to know the Lord," they say.
But the Bible -- all 31,102 verses -- is mostly about justice in society, not individual piety. "The Kingdom of God." Introspection is no substitute for defending the poor against emperors and other pirates, and calling on false
gods, false lords, and false kings to repent -- to "know the Lord." (Notice also many postmillennial prophecies of a future of expanded "knowledge" of the Lord. This means future world-wide obedience to His Law, e.g., Micah 4:1-5.)
The Bible says that to "know" God is to obey His Law.
Jeremiah 22:16
16 He judged the cause of the poor and needy;
Then it was well.
Was not this knowing Me?” says the LORD.
1 John 2:3-5
3 Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. 4 He who says, “I know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. 5 But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him.
By this we know that we are in Him.
- "Keeps His Word"
- All of God's Word is to be "kept," that is, obeyed.
Every Word of the Sovereign is "Law" to the servant/vassal.
Obeying the Law-Word of God
Hosea 4:1-2,6
1 Hear the word of the LORD,
You children of Israel,
For the LORD brings a charge against the inhabitants of the land:
“ There is no truth or mercy
Or knowledge of God in the land.
2 By swearing and lying,
Killing and stealing and committing adultery,
They break all restraint,
With bloodshed upon bloodshed.
6 My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.
Because you have rejected knowledge,
I also will reject you from being priest for Me;
Because you have forgotten the law of your God,
I also will forget your children.
Psalm 78:6-7
6 That the generation to come might know them,
The children who would be born,
That they may arise and declare them to their children,
7 That they may set their hope in God,
And not forget the works of God,
But keep His commandments;
Deuteronomy 4:39-40
39 Therefore know this day, and consider it in your heart, that the LORD Himself is God in heaven above and on the earth beneath; there is no other. 40 You shall therefore keep His statutes and His commandments which I command you today, that it may go well with you and with your children after
you, and that you may prolong your days in the land which the LORD your God is giving you for all time.”
Deuteronomy 7:9-11
9 “Therefore know that the LORD your God, He is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and mercy for a thousand generations with those who love Him and keep His commandments; 10 and He repays those who hate Him to their face, to destroy them. He will not be slack with him who hates Him; He
will repay him to his face. 11 Therefore you shall keep the commandment, the statutes, and the judgments which I command you today, to observe them.
1 Chronicles 28:9
9 “As for you, my son Solomon, know the God of your father, and serve Him with a loyal heart and with a willing mind; for the LORD searches all hearts and understands all the intent of the thoughts. If you seek Him, He will be found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will cast you off forever.
Judges 2:10
10 When all that generation had been gathered to their fathers, another generation arose after them who did not know the LORD nor the work which He had done for Israel.
Jeremiah 8:8-9
8 “ How can you say, ‘We are wise,
And the law of the LORD is with us’?
Look, the false pen of the scribe certainly works falsehood.
9 The wise men are ashamed,
They are dismayed and taken.
Behold, they have rejected the word of the LORD;
So what wisdom do they have?
Jeremiah 9:3
3 “ And like their bow they have bent their tongues for lies.
They are not valiant for the truth on the earth.
For they proceed from evil to evil,
And they do not know Me,” says the LORD.
Jeremiah 24:7
7 Then I will give them a heart to know Me, that I am the LORD; and they shall be My people, and I will be their God, for they shall return to Me with their whole heart. (See Jeremiah 31:33-34 below)
Deuteronomy 4:1-6
5 Behold, I have taught you statutes and judgments, 6 Therefore be careful to observe them; for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples who will hear all these statutes, and say, ‘Surely this great nation is a wise and
understanding people.’
Jeremiah 31:33-34
33 But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put My Torah in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. 34 No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, ‘Know
the LORD,’ for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.”
Exodus 5:2
2 And Pharaoh said, “Who is the LORD, that I should obey His voice to let Israel go? I do not know the LORD, nor will I let Israel go.”
Deuteronomy 13:13
13 ‘Corrupt men have gone out from among you and enticed the inhabitants of their city, saying, “Let us go and serve other gods”’—which you have not known—
1 Samuel 2:12
12 Now the sons of Eli were sons of Belial; they did not know the LORD.
1 Samuel 2:17
17 Therefore the sin of the young men was very great before the LORD, for men abhorred the offering of the LORD.
Deuteronomy 11:28
28 and the curse, if you do not obey the commandments of the LORD your God, but turn aside from the way which I command you today, to go after other gods which you have not known.
Titus 1:1
1 Paul, a bondservant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God’s elect and the acknowledgment of the truth which accords with godliness,
Titus 1:16
16 They profess to know God, but in works they deny Him, being abominable, disobedient, and disqualified for every good work.
Galatians 3:1
1 O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you that you should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed among you as crucified?
2 Thessalonians 1:8
8 in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Isaiah 19:21
21 Then the LORD will be known to Egypt, and the Egyptians will know the LORD in that day, and will make sacrifice and offering; yes, they will make a vow to the LORD and perform it.
Isaiah 5
4 What more could have been done to My vineyard
That I have not done in it?
Why then, when I expected it to bring forth good grapes,
Did it bring forth wild grapes?
8 Woe to those who join house to house;
They add field to field,
Till there is no place
Where they may dwell alone in the midst of the land!
11 Woe to those who rise early in the morning,
That they may follow intoxicating drink;
Who continue until night, till wine inflames them!
12 The harp and the strings,
The tambourine and flute,
And wine are in their feasts;
But they do not regard the work of the LORD,
Nor consider the operation of His hands.
13 Therefore my people have gone into captivity,
Because they have no knowledge;
- Jeremiah 22:13-17
- Woe unto him that buildeth his house by unrighteousness, and his chambers by wrong; that useth his neighbour's service without wages, and giveth him not for his work; That saith, I will build me a wide house and large chambers, and cutteth him out windows; and it is cieled with cedar, and painted with vermilion.
Shalt thou reign, because thou closest thyself in cedar? did not thy father eat and drink, and do judgment and justice, and then it was well with him? He judged the cause of the poor and needy; then it was well with him: was not this to know
Me? saith the LORD. But thine eyes and thine heart are not but for thy covetousness, and for to shed innocent blood, and for oppression, and for violence, to do it.
Of course, giving to the poor for the sole purpose of obtaining social recognition and status does not count as "knowing the Lord."
Matthew 6:1-4
1 “Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them. Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven. 2 Therefore, when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that
they may have glory from men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. 3 But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly.
The Rebellious will still "Know" the Lord
There is a small minority of orthodox Jews who are every bit as genocidal as ISIS. They await a day when all Gentiles will be obliterated and Jews will enjoy peace. They may wait (for now) for the Messiah to accomplish this genocidal task, but they take their hope from many verses in the Bible which speak of Gentiles coming to "know the Lord" as they are
being destroyed. (The Jews also "know the Lord" in a greater degree by seeing this genocide.)
Unfortunately for this theory, the threat of "knowledge by destruction" applies equally to the Jews themselves.
- Ezekiel 6 (read the entire chapter - "know the Lord" occurs 4x
- 7 The slain shall fall in your midst, and you shall know that I am the LORD. 10 And they shall know that I am the LORD; I have not said in vain
that I would bring this calamity upon them.” 11 ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Pound your fists and stamp your feet, and say, ‘Alas, for all the evil abominations of the house of Israel! For they shall fall by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence. 12 He
who is far off shall die by the pestilence, he who is near shall fall by the sword, and he who remains and is besieged shall die by the famine. Thus will I spend My fury upon them. 13 Then you shall know that I am the LORD, when
their slain are among their idols all around their altars, on every high hill, on all the mountaintops, under every green tree, and under every thick oak, wherever they offered sweet incense to all their idols. 14 So I will stretch out My hand against them and make
the land desolate, yes, more desolate than the wilderness toward Diblah, in all their dwelling places. Then they shall know that I am the LORD.’”’”
- Ezekiel 7:4
- My eye will not spare you, Nor will I have pity; But I will repay your ways, And your abominations will be in your midst; Then you shall know that I am the Lord!’
- Ezekiel 7:9
- ‘My eye will not spare, Nor will I have pity; I will repay you according to your ways, And your abominations will be in your midst. Then you shall know that I am the Lord who strikes.
- Ezekiel 7:27
- ‘The king will mourn, The prince will be clothed with desolation, And the hands of the common people will tremble. I will do to them according to their way, And according to what they deserve I will judge them; Then they shall know that I am the Lord!’”
- Ezekiel 11:10
- You shall fall by the sword. I will judge you at the border of Israel. Then you shall know that I am the Lord.
- Ezekiel 11:12
- I will judge you at the border of Israel. 12 And you shall know that I am the LORD; for you have not walked in My statutes nor executed My judgments, but have done according to the
customs of the Gentiles which are all around you.”’”
- Ezekiel 12:15
- “Then they shall know that I am the Lord, when I scatter them among the nations and disperse them throughout the countries.
- Ezekiel 12:16
- But I will spare a few of their men from the sword, from famine, and from pestilence, that they may declare all their abominations among the Gentiles wherever they go. Then they shall know that I am the Lord.”
- Ezekiel 12:20
- Then the cities that are inhabited shall be laid waste, and the land shall become desolate; and you shall know that I am the Lord.”’”
- Ezekiel 13:9
- “My hand will be against the prophets who envision futility and who divine lies; they shall not be in the assembly of My people, nor be written in the record of the house of Israel, nor shall they enter into the land of Israel. Then you shall know that I am the Lord God.
- Ezekiel 13:14
- So I will break down the wall you have plastered with untempered mortar, and bring it down to the ground, so that its foundation will be uncovered; it will fall, and you shall be consumed in the midst of it. Then you shall know that I am the Lord.
- Ezekiel 13:21
- I will also tear off your veils and deliver My people out of your hand, and they shall no longer be as prey in your hand. Then you shall know that I am the Lord.
- Ezekiel 13:23
- Therefore you shall no longer envision futility nor practice divination; for I will deliver My people out of your hand, and you shall know that I am the Lord.”’”
- Ezekiel 14:8
- I will set My face against that man and make him a sign and a proverb, and I will cut him off from the midst of My people. Then you shall know that I am the Lord.
- Ezekiel 15:7
- and I will set My face against them. They will go out from one fire, but another fire shall devour them. Then you shall know that I am the Lord, when I set My face against them.
- Ezekiel 16:62
- And I will establish My covenant with you. Then you shall know that I am the Lord,
- Ezekiel 17:21
- All his fugitives with all his troops shall fall by the sword, and those who remain shall be scattered to every wind; and you shall know that I, the Lord, have spoken.”
- Ezekiel 17:24
- And all the trees of the field shall know that I, the Lord, have brought down the high tree and exalted the low tree, dried up the green tree and made the dry tree flourish; I, the Lord, have spoken and have done it.”
- Jeremiah 16:21
- “Therefore behold, I will this once cause them to know, I will cause them to know My hand and My might; And they shall know that My name is the Lord.
- Jeremiah 31:34
- No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.”
- Jeremiah 44:29
- And this shall be a sign to you,’ says the Lord, ‘that I will punish you in this place, that you may know that My words will surely stand against you for adversity.’
- Isaiah 11:9
- They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain, For the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord As the waters cover the sea.
- Isaiah 12:5
- Sing to the Lord, For He has done excellent things; This is known in all the earth.
- Isaiah 19:21
- Then the Lord will be known to Egypt, and the Egyptians will know the Lord in that day, and will make sacrifice and offering; yes, they will make a vow to the Lord and perform it.
- Isaiah 37:20
- Now therefore, O Lord our God, save us from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that You are the Lord, You alone.”
- Isaiah 41:20
- That they may see and know, And consider and understand together, That the hand of the Lord has done this, And the Holy One of Israel has created it.
- Isaiah 45:6
- That they may know from the rising of the sun to its setting That there is none besides Me. I am the Lord, and there is no other;
- Isaiah 49:23
- Kings shall be your foster fathers, And their queens your nursing mothers; They shall bow down to you with their faces to the earth, And lick up the dust of your feet. Then you will know that I am the Lord, For they shall not be ashamed who wait for Me.”
- Isaiah 49:26
- I will feed those who oppress you with their own flesh, And they shall be drunk with their own blood as with sweet wine. All flesh shall know That I, the Lord, am your Savior, And your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.”
- Isaiah 60:16
- You shall drink the milk of the Gentiles, And milk the breast of kings; You shall know that I, the Lord, am your Savior And your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.
- Isaiah 61:9
- Their descendants shall be known among the Gentiles, And their offspring among the people. All who see them shall acknowledge them, That they are the posterity whom the Lord has blessed.”
- Isaiah 66:14
- [ The Reign and Indignation of God ] When you see this, your heart shall rejoice, And your bones shall flourish like grass; The hand of the Lord shall be known to His servants, And His indignation to His enemies.
- Psalm 9:16
- The Lord is known by the judgment He executes; The wicked is snared in the work of his own hands. Meditation. Selah
- Psalm 83:18
- That they may know that You, whose name alone is the Lord, Are the Most High over all the earth.
- 2 Kings 19:19
- Now therefore, O Lord our God, I pray, save us from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that You are the Lord God, You alone.”
- 1 Kings 8:60
- that all the peoples of the earth may know that the Lord is God; there is no other.
- 1 Samuel 17:46-47
- This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you and take your head from you. And this day I will give the carcasses of the camp of the Philistines to the birds of the air and the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel.
- 1 Samuel 17:47
- Then all this assembly shall know that the Lord does not save with sword and spear; for the battle is the Lord’s, and He will give you into our hands.”
- Judges 2:10
- When all that generation had been gathered to their fathers, another generation arose after them who did not know the Lord nor the work which He had done for Israel.
- Joshua 2:9
- and said to the men: “I know that the Lord has given you the land, that the terror of you has fallen on us, and that all the inhabitants of the land are fainthearted because of you.
- Joshua 4:24
- that all the peoples of the earth may know the hand of the Lord, that it is mighty, that you may fear the Lord your God forever.”
- Exodus 7:5
- And the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I stretch out My hand on Egypt and bring out the children of Israel from among them.”
- Exodus 7:17
- Thus says the Lord: “By this you shall know that I am the Lord. Behold, I will strike the waters which are in the river with the rod that is in my hand, and they shall be turned to blood.
- Exodus 9:29
- So Moses said to him, “As soon as I have gone out of the city, I will spread out my hands to the Lord; the thunder will cease, and there will be no more hail, that you may know that the earth is the Lord’s.
- Exodus 14:4
- Then I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, so that he will pursue them; and I will gain honor over Pharaoh and over all his army, that the Egyptians may know that I am the Lord.” And they did so.
- Exodus 14:18
- Then the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I have gained honor for Myself over Pharaoh, his chariots, and his horsemen.”
- Exodus 18:11
- Now I know that the Lord is greater than all the gods; for in the very thing in which they behaved proudly, He was above them.”