Knowing God

1 Chronicles 28:9-10

English Standard Version (ESV)

David's Charge to Solomon

⁹ “And you, Solomon my son, know the God of your father and serve him with a whole heart and with a willing mind, for the Lord searches all hearts and understands every plan and thought. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will cast you off forever. ¹⁰ Be careful now, for the Lord has chosen you to build a house for the sanctuary; be strong and do it.”

Over and over last week, I kept coming back to these verses. They are full of application. Let's delve into them together and see what the LORD has for us. We won't worry about finishing the whole passage today. In David's charge to his son regarding building the temple, he first instructs Solomon to "know the God of your father." Let's see what the New Testament says about knowing God...

In John 10:14-15, Jesus says "I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for my sheep." 

Then in John 17:3, Jesus says "And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent."  Let's look closely...Jesus is shepherd, Jesus knows His sheep and they know Him. Eternal life is to know God and Jesus Christ, his Son. Therefore, I must know Jesus to know God. How do we come to know Jesus? You know where we are going...John 3:16, say it with me, "For God so loved the world that he sent his only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life." Believe in Him in such a way that we entrust our lives to Him. That is how we acquire eternal life. We surrender our lives. He gives us eternal life. It's free! (but that's a study for another day). 

Just to be clear here, the Hebrew word for "know" in 1 Chronicles doesn't mean to know in a casual way or to know about. It means to know and understand intimately. When we truly know Him, His Holy Spirit lives inside us. From then on we can cultivate our love and understanding of Him more and more.

What should we take away with us today?  

1. Do you know Jesus Christ as your Savior? Have you believed in Him as the one and only Son of God who came and died on the cross to pay the penalty for your sins? This is an issue so many have never settled. Maybe you walked an aisle and said a prayer, but did you truly surrender. Or maybe you did truly surrender, but the enemy continues to hold a particular sin over your head as being too bad for the Lord to forgive. Whatever the case, I pray that today you will settle your salvation issue beyond any doubt. 

2. For those of us in Christ, are we putting forth the effort to know Him intimately? What should we do? It's pretty much the same as developing a relationship with anyone else. We can know Jesus better by spending time with Him on a regular basis in His Word, prayer, worship and with other believers. If it's been a long time since you've done these things, today is a great day to begin again.

You are always welcome to comment. If you need prayer regarding the certainty of your salvation, please let me know in the comment section and I will honor your privacy by not posting it to the blog.  Stick with me...the Lord has much for us to discover in these 2 verses!