God’s Knowledge

Psalms 139:4

Even before there is a word on my tongue, Behold, O LORD, Thou dost know it all. NAS

Knowledge

God knows everything. Because God is the source of all things, making everything from nothing, He is therefore the source of all knowledge and wisdom. Let us examine a definition of Omniscience to try and understand how complete God’s Knowledge is…AW Tozer writes.…

“God knows all that can be known. And this He knows instantly and with a fullness of perfection that includes every possible item of knowledge concerning everything that exists or could have existed anywhere in the universe at any time in the past or that may exist in the centuries or ages yet unborn.”

We could add to this that God knows all of the data of every possible cause and effect, feeling and desire, creature, event, and every other thing that can be named. His knowledge is complete and eternal. The Scripture plainly declares that God knows everything….

1 John 3:20 – 20 in whatever our heart condemns us; for God is greater than our heart, and

knows all things. NASB

Isaiah 40:28 – 28 Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth Does not become weary or tired. His understanding is inscrutable. NASB

Psalm 147:5 – 5 Great is our Lord, and abundant in strength; His understanding is infinite. NASB

Rarely would someone argue that God does not know the past, but what about the future. Does God know the future? The Scripture plainly declares that God knows the record of the future, in fact the future is the outworking of God’s decrees made from before He created the world. He knew in eternity past the entire record of history for all eternity. Predictive prophecy proves this again and again. God speaks about future events before they come to pass. Consider how many prophecies in the Bible have already been fulfilled!

Isaiah 46:9-10 – 9 "Remember the former things long past, For I am God, and there is no

other; I am God, and there is no one like Me, 10 Declaring the end from the beginning

And from ancient times things which have not been done, Saying, ‘My purpose will be established, And I will accomplish all My good pleasure’; NAS

Isaiah 44:7-8 – Who then is like me? Let him proclaim it. Let him declare and lay out before me what has happened since I established my ancient people, and what is yet to come– yes, let him foretell what will come. 8 Do not tremble, do not be afraid. Did I not proclaim this and foretell it long ago? You are my witnesses. Is there any God besides me? No, there is no other Rock; I know not one." NASB

In Psalm 139 the Scripture speaks of God knowing our thoughts and words “before there is a word on our tongue.”

Psalms 139:2-4 – 2 Thou dost know when I sit down and when I rise up; Thou dost understand my thought from afar. 3 Thou dost scrutinize my path and my lying down, And art intimately acquainted with all my ways. 4 Even before there is a word on my tongue, Behold, O LORD, Thou dost know it all. NAS

There is nothing that escapes His notice, and nothing can be hidden from Him. He is aware of the events of the past, present, and future as if they were all laid out before Him. As His being is perfect, so is His knowledge. Being perfect in knowledge, He is therefore all-knowing and never confused, misled or surprised.

Hebrews 4:13 – 13 And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do. NASB

Nothing escapes the attention of God. He see all things even the inner thoughts of man. Jesus said that “all of the hairs of our head where numbered,” (Luke 12:7) and that not a sparrow falls to the ground apart from His attention (Matt 10:29). Our very thoughts and intentions of our hearts are “open and laid bare before the Lord.” He knows our thoughts(Eze 11:5) before we even express them. Indeed there is no place where we can hide from God, He sees every hidden thing in full view, and He even understands the intentions of our hearts better than we do. He is God!

1 Kings 8:39- 39 then hear Thou in heaven Thy dwelling place, and forgive and act and render to each according to all his ways, whose heart Thou knowest, for Thou alone dost know the hearts of all the sons of men, NASB

1 Chronicles 28:9 – 9 "As for you, my son Solomon, know the God of your father, and serve Him with a whole heart and a willing mind; for the LORD searches all hearts, and understands every intent of the thoughts. If you seek Him, He will let you find Him; but if you forsake Him, He will reject you forever. NA

Proverbs 5:21 – 21 For the ways of a man are before the eyes of the LORD, And He watches all his paths. NASB

AW Pink writes of God’s knowledge of our sins;

“Neither the darkness of night, the closest curtains, nor the deepest dungeon can hide any sinner from the eyes of Omniscience. The trees of the garden were not able to conceal our first parents. No human eye beheld Cain murder his brother, but his maker witnessed his crime! Sarah might laugh derisively in the seclusion of her tent, yet was it heard by Jehovah. Achan stole a wedge of gold and carefully hid it in the earth, but God brought it to light. David was at much pains to cover up his wickedness, but ere long the all-seeing God sent one of His servants to say to him, “You are the man!” And to writer and reader is also said, “Be sure your sin will find you out.” (Numbers 32:23)

Proverbs 15:3 – The eyes of the LORD are in every place, Watching the evil and the good. NAS

             Job 34:21-22 – 21 "For His eyes are upon the ways of a man, And He sees all his steps. 22 "There

is no darkness or deep shadow Where the workers of iniquity may hide themselves. NASB

Psalms 90:8 – 8 Thou hast placed our iniquities before Thee, Our secret sins in the light of Thy presence.

NASB

S Lewis Johnson summarizes God’s knowledge like this…..

·   Intuitive –  God knows everything by default, His knowledge exists within Himself

·   Simultaneous – God knows everything in one simple act, instantaneously, not gradually

·   Independent – God knows everything apart from any learning, He cannot learn, because He knows all things from eternity, His knowledge comes from Himself

·   Distinct – God knows everything clearly, without ambiguity, specifically not generally, absolute

·   Infallible – God’s knowledge is unfailing, certain, accurate in every detail

·   Immutable – God’s knowledge never changes because He learned a new fact, it is not subject to anything outside of Himself

·   Complete – God’s knowledge is infinite, the scope or extent of it is exhaustive, He knows all things actual and possible, all events, all creatures of the past, present and future

Consider how God’s knowledge is related to His Sovereignty. If God be All-Knowing, than nothing can escape His attention or somehow surprise Him. He is intimately aware of everything at all times, knowing it all from before He ever created the world. God knows everything FREELY because He has willed them to be and has providentially brought them about.

Ephesians 1:11 – 11 also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will, NASB

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