Reflections: Know about God, or know God?

The current First5 Bible study is in the Old Testament book of Hosea, and as often happens, the study topics and discussion coincide with other avenues God uses to send a similar message. 

Hosea is one of 12 “Minor Prophets.” So termed because their writings are fairly short and not because they are less important, they spoke at various times in Israel’s history. Hosea primarily wrote to the northern kingdom, referred to as Israel or Ephraim, following the split with the southern kingdom, Judah. Using the sad example of a wayward spouse, Hosea’s word from the Lord addressed Israel’s failure to remain faithful to God, truly know Him, and do his will. 

They were going through the motions—priests, places of worship, etc., but the sad reality was that those motions were combined with pagan worship. The prophet describes feasts and rituals where the people supposedly called out to God but did not truly know or exalt Him in their hearts or acknowledge the blessings they had received from Him: “There is no truth, no loving devotion, and no knowledge of God in the land! My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I will also reject you as my priests” (4:1,6). 

Episode No. 347 of Jennifer Rothschild’s podcast gave a similar caution. Her guest shared cautionary research about how too much information about God can over-develop the left-brained response, causing us to categorize God alongside everything else, as opposed to truly knowing Him. 

The good news is that God will welcome a repentant heart back into close fellowship. Hosea’s prophecy warns that because Israel did not know God, they would experience consequences: the covenant God made with his people was a conditional one, requiring obedience, but God’s faithfulness didn’t change. Hosea’s prophecy assured Israel that as they returned to God, He would welcome them. 

It’s tempting to fall in the “busy-ness” rut, with church or Bible reading just something to check off the list. I’ve been feeling the Holy Spirit’s nudge to spend less time listening to multiple voices re-describing problems in our culture, and instead dedicate more time to knowing Him through worship, reading the Bible, and productive discussion with other believers with similar goals. 

Coincidentally (or not!), during some recent cleaning and sorting, I found a notebook of older worship choruses. Right in the middle of a busy day, I sat down at the piano. It was so refreshing to sing “Oh God, You are my God, and I will seek you earnestly” (Psalm 63) and other Scripture choruses, and also to update a couple of songs I wrote years ago. Also, last week I joined other members from the Evangelical Press Association convention in attending Sight & Sound Theater’s “David” show. It does an excellent job portraying David allowing the demands of the kingship to undermine his time playing and singing before the Lord, with disastrous results. 

As we navigate busy lives and an even more chaotic surrounding culture, join me in renewed commitment to truly seek and know God, not just know about Him.