Jesus, praying to the Father said, “…this is eternal life, that THEY MAY KNOW YOU (ginōskō: to have an intimate relationship with, Jewish idiom for sexual relations between a man and wife.), the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.” (John 17:3) We don’t really know Him until we ACCEPT and RECEIVE the promise of Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross. In order to truly know God, we must first RECEIVE HIM INTO OUR LIVES. “As many as received Him, to them He gave the right TO BECOME CHILDREN OF GOD, even to those who BELIEVE in His name” (John 1:12)
Nothing is of greater importance than understanding THIS TRUTH when it comes to knowing God. Jesus makes it clear that HE ALONE is the way to heaven and to a personal intimate knowledge of God: “I AM the way, and the truth, and the life; NO ONE comes to the Father, but THROUGH ME“ (John 14:6).
How did people have a relationship with God in the old testament? God spoke to Jeremiah, “Before I formed you in the womb I KNEW (yada`: to reveal oneself, this is an intimate knowing) YOU; Before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations.” (Jer. 1:5) I think one of the more interesting man-God relationships was God calling Moses. Moses was born a Jew but was raised by the Pharaoh Seti I’s daughter. This pharaoh was very cruel and tried to kill Moses twice once at his birth and again when Moses was 40 years old.
“…the angel of the LORD appeared to Moses in a blazing fire from the middle of a bush…” (Exo. 3:2) But NOT EVEN HEARING the voice of God coming from a supernatural burning bush was enough to get Moses PSYCHED UP ABOUT THE ASSIGNMENT. He said NO and pushed back with five weak excuses as to why he wasn’t the man for the job. There was no bible and most of the children of the Lord didn’t want to leave the bondage they were in and Moses fought with them all along the way, so Moses said to God, “Now therefore, I pray, if I have found grace in Your sight, SHOW ME now Your way, that I may know You and that I may find grace in Your sight. And consider that this nation is Your people…Moses said, “Please, show me Your glory.” (Exo. 33:13, 18) So, the Lord said to Moses, “I will make all My goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before you. I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.” But He said, “You cannot see My face; for no man shall see Me, and live.” And the LORD said, “Here is a place by Me, and you shall stand on the rock. So it shall be, while My glory passes by, that I will put you in the cleft of the rock, and will cover you with My hand while I pass by. Then I will take away My hand, and YOU SHALL SEE MY BACK; but My face shall not be seen.” (Exo. 33:19-23) When this happened for the FIRST TIME, “Moses immediately threw himself to the ground and WORSHIPED.” (Exo. 34:8)
Just what we should do…
-Bill Stockham