HOW WELL DO YOU KNOW GOD?
You thought that I was just like you; I will reprove you, and state the case in order before your eyes.
Psalm 50:21
I was defending a friend of mine one day who was being accused of some horrendous actions. I said, “I know that guy, and I can’t imagine him doing those things he is being accused of doing.” One of those who wholeheartedly believed the awful accusations said to me, “You don’t really know him. You only know the person you think he is.”
It is true that it can be difficult to really know a person. It is also true that godly people can do some extremely ungodly things. I believe King David, a man after God’s own heart, gives testimony to this very fact. David committed adultery with a married woman … and then committed murder—having her husband killed—to cover up the adultery. Those who knew David found it shocking to learn that he would do these things. But he did. The best of men is not immune to sin.
As we switch gears from man to God, how well do you know Him?
Oftentimes we hear people accuse God of gross unfairness and injustice. Skeptics will point to different passages in the Bible—the devastating flood of Noah’s day or the extermination of the Amalekites—to try to prove that God has a dark side and can be extremely cruel, brutal, and unjust. Nothing could be further from the truth. The apostle John says, “And this is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is light, and in Him there is no darkness at all” (1 John 1:4).
The Bible says of God, “Truly He is good, truly His lovingkindness is everlasting” (2 Chronicles 7:3). Foolish is the man who evaluates the heart of God through the actions of God, rather than evaluating the actions of God through the heart of God. The bloody cross of Jesus Christ is incontrovertible proof that His love has no limits, and His grace has no measure.
DON’T BE DECEIVED
Does God sometimes act in a manner that is hard for us to understand? Yes. Does it sometimes appear as if God is harsh and capricious? Yes—just ask Anaias and Saphira from Acts 5.
Here is the key truth: anytime God acts in a manner that seems out of character, we must remember that we do not know the full picture that precipitated His actions. Mortal man is ignorant about many things. Eternal God is ignorant about nothing and knows “the end from the beginning” (Isaiah 46:10). Sinful man judges with imperfect motives and limited understanding. Holy God judges with perfect motives and infinite understanding. Man sees the outward, but God sees the heart.
Let me encourage you to spend quality time with God. Get to know Him, not just know about Him. Draw near to Him, and He will draw near to you. Open your heart to Him, and He will open His heart to you. As you spend time with God, you will not find hidden flaws, you will only find hidden beauties. Moses spent time with God, and the glory of the Lord radiated from his face! May the same be said of you and me!
Pastor Jeff Schreve,
From His Heart Ministries
