Do You Know God?

Listen to the word of the Lord, O sons of Israel, for the Lord has a case against the inhabitants of the land, because there is no faithfulness or kindness or knowledge of God in the land.  Hosea 4:1  NASB

Knowledge of God – “Hosea’s central complaint against the people is that they do not know God.  He employs the verb ‘to know’ with striking frequency, and coins the expression daath elohim, usually rendered as ‘knowledge of God.’  The verb yada does not always mean simply ‘to know,’ ‘to be acquainted with.’  In most Semitic languages it signifies sexual union as well as mental and spiritual activity.  In Hebrew yada means more than the possession of abstract concepts.  Knowledge compasses inner appropriation, feeling, a reception into the soul. . . . an act involving concern, inner engagement, dedication, or attachment to a person.  It also means to have sympathy, pity, or affection from someone.”[1]

Heschel’s description of daath elohim makes God’s accusation against Israel during the time of Hosea even more striking.  It’s not just a matter of obedience.  Compliance is not a marriage.  Oh, husband and wife can get along.  They can follow the rules, perform their roles and present themselves as an undisturbed union, but it won’t be true unless there is a passion for each other.  In biblical terms, marriage is not an economic, reproductive, social contract.  It is a desire for the other’s shalom, a willingness to suspend personal agenda for the sake of the other’s flourishing.  Heschel notes that the symbolism of Hosea is precisely about this deep commitment to the other’s personality:

“The relationship between God and Israel, conceived by Hosea in terms of marital love, desertion, and the hope of new betrothal, calls not only for right action, but also for a feeling for each other on the part of those involved.  It implies not only legal obligations, but also inner attitudes. . . . The words daath elohim mean sympathy for God.”[2]

Marriage is sympathy for the other person.  Just as God describes His “marriage” to Israel, so He sets the standard for our marriages, and, at the same time, for our spiritual union with Him.  So, we ask the question of ourselves: “Do we really know God?”  Do we sympathize with Him?

Perhaps even that question is a bit too academic, too stale for us to really grasp.  Let me offer some other ways to look at it.

Do you feel sad about the things that make God sad?

Are you remorseful in the way that He is remorseful about His choices?

Do you feel hurt over the things that hurt Him?

Are you angry about the things that violate His honor, that castigate His character?

Are you skeptical about those who seem too anxious to please Him?

Are you bewildered by Him despite your commitment to Him?

Do you feel anxious for His well-being, His reputation, His “safety”?

Are you excited to encounter Him?

Are you cheerful in His presence?

Do you feel creative about your involvement with Him?

Are you optimistic about your relationship with Him?

Are you confident?

Do you feel worthwhile?  Do you make Him feel worthwhile?

Are you thankful for Him?

Do you make Him feel secure?

Are you thoughtful about your time with Him?

Can He trust you?  Do you trust Him?

Is He important, or as Heschel would say, “God is of no importance unless He is of supreme importance.”

Topical Index:  daath elohim, knowledge of God, sympathy, Hosea 4:1

[1] Abraham Heschel, The Prophets (Hendrickson Publishers, 1962), Vol 1, p. 57.

[2] Ibid., p. 59.