"But this is the covenant that I will make ... I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. 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.
~ Jeremiah 31:33-34 (NKJV)
"I will betroth you to Me forever;
Yes, I will betroth you to Me In righteousness and justice,
In lovingkindness and mercy; I will betroth you to Me in faithfulness,
And you shall know the LORD."
~ Hosea 2:19-20 (NKJV)
"I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own... My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me."
~ John 10:14,27 (NKJV)
It is reported that the best shepherds know their sheep well enough to identify the name of each one in the dark by their feel and voice. When several flocks share a sheep pen, the shepherd calls out his own sheep, and only those sheep who know his voice will respond to his call. Pet owners likely appreciate such tender intimacy.
The Lord not only calls Himself "Shepherd," but boldly describes His intimacy with His people on a whole other level. He beckons throughout Scripture, "Know the Lord." Both the Hebrew yada and the Greek ginosko (an intensive word form) mean "to know," and define the physical intimacy between man and wife.
It doesn't get any more intimate than this.
The use of "to know" in such a context is not mere metaphor. To know the Lord is to surrender ourselves to Him. It is to come to a place of knowledge from which there is no going back. It is to feel His Spirit's presence within us and know joy in the experience. It is to receive the seed of His Word and bear Him fruit.
Know the Lord.
Beloved Bridegroom, how humbled we are by the bride price of blood You paid to obtain us as Your own. How majestic are the sweet whispers of Your Spirit to us. What a wonderful God You are to not only create us so fearfully, not only save us so mercifully, but to allow us to know You so intimately.
Your feedback is appreciated. Post to BuildingHisBody.com "Comments" or e-mail to BuildingHisBody@gmail.com. Copyright 2009, Anne Lang Bundy, all rights reserved.
I love knowing Him, praise God.
ReplyDeleteSweet whispers!
ReplyDeleteI am going to enjoy thinking about what the word *know* means today-thank you once again!
~ Wendy
I love how you say "there is no going back" to truly know him this is absolute!
ReplyDeleteMissed your blog while I was on vacation! I'll have to backtrack and read your posts.
Denise, I never fail to marvel at the privilege.
ReplyDeleteWendy, His whispers are like this: "Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth—For your love is better than wine." (Song of Solomon 1:2 NKJV)
T. Anne, who would WANT to go back? (I've missed you! I was just this morning thinking of sending an email to go looking for you but then got too busy. So glad to hear from you.)