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What is our purpose on earth? The Bible gives many overlapping answers to this question: We are to do all things for the glory of God (1 Cor. 10:31). All things are to be done in love for each other (1 Cor. 16:14). We do all things to advance the gospel (1 Cor. 9:23). The Westminster Catechism suggests it is to “glorify God and enjoy him forever.” But I want to focus on the imperative given to the prophet Jeremiah:
Thus says the Lord, “Let not a wise man boast of his wisdom, and let not the mighty man boast of his might, let not a rich man boast of his riches; but let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the Lord who exercises lovingkindness, justice and righteousness on earth; for I delight in these things,” declares the Lord. (Jer. 9:23–24, NASB95)
Our greatest glory, says God, is to know him.
We often confuse knowing God with knowing things about God. We know that he is all-mighty, all-knowing, holy, righteous, wise, creative, and loving. But we ought all to ask ourselves – are these things we know about God, or are these aspects of our knowing God?
Experiential goodness
Imagine I gathered several married couples and asked them a couple of questions:
- Do you know that your spouse is a kind person? Most of those who are married will nod and dutifully say, “Indeed.”
- Do you remember the last time you were unkind to your spouse, and instead of responding in the same way they went out of their way to be kind and gentle toward you? Most of those who are married will smile and nod.
We often confuse knowing God with knowing things about God.
The difference between the responses to the two questions is that the first response simply acknowledges a fact—your spouse is kind. But the other response remembers with joy the proof of your spouse’s kindness in your personal relationship. This is the way it ought to be with God. We ought not to say, “God is good,” without remembering his personal goodness toward us. If it is taking the Lord’s name in vain to speak of him without considering who he is (as in a selfish prayer in the Lord’s name, a hasty oath, or in swear words), then it is also wrong to say, “God is good” without remembering his personal goodness.
We ought to formulate what we know about God not simply in terms of cognitive knowledge, but in terms of our relationship with him. Our idea of God’s goodness should be interwoven with our experience of God’s goodness—if indeed we thank him for all things from day to day and remember that every good and perfect gift is from him. Likewise, if our greatest boast on Earth is to know him relationally, the things we know about him should be the very things we enjoy in our relationship with him.
Therefore we must ask ourselves: Do we in our Bible reading, sermon preparation and listening, and daily living, focus on getting to know things about God or on knowing God himself? In reading that we are to sing and make melody in our hearts to the Lord (Eph. 5: 19–20), are you content merely thinking about how you obey the command itself, or do you also rejoice that God would be so good and creative as to give us music to better express our exultation in him? In going on a Wikipedia rabbit trail about Cyrus the Great, are you content learning interesting facts that better help you understand the Bible, or do you take time to be amazed at how God determines every facet of history for the good of his people—and praise Him for it?
It might seem like I’m simply talking about having emotional reactions to God. But that isn’t the case. A man who smiles when he thinks about his wife isn’t simply relating to her on an emotional level, but emotions are a healthy and helpful reaction to the thoughts he has about her. Similarly, any emotions in our relationship with God rightly come from the relationship itself and are, in this sense, evidence of a relationship that we are affected by.
Our emotional God
It might be helpful at this point to be reminded of God’s emotions. He experiences joy at our repentance (Matt. 18:13–14), sorrow at our sin (Eph. 4:30), and frustration at our stubbornness (Ex. 4:14). Consider Jesus’ emotional responses as you read the gospels and remember that God’s emotions are just and good. The doctrine of divine impassibility, properly taught, tells us that no creature has power over the creator to limit or affect him—so these emotions show God’s great love and condescension in choosing to be so affected by his small and rebellious creations. And since God has manifested himself to us in this way, it is good for us to get to know him not only in how he thinks, but in his good and just emotions.
When we are legitimately frustrated with our children, we ought to be instinctively reminded of how our sin frustrates God. We can remember how God deals with us and imitate him (Eph. 5:1–2). It’s truly astounding when we sit back and consider how privileged we are—God lets us understand him by letting us experience the same kind of emotion he himself experiences and to know him better by following his example! When you’re awake in the night with a child, sacrificing your sleep, reflect on how Christ did the same for his disciple. Reflect on what you learn experientially about Jesus’ self-sacrifice and patience—and remember his faithfulness in taking care of you in the same way you take care of your child. When you have sinned, reflect on how others’ sin against you aggravates you, and praise God for his forgiveness, patience, and care for you. When you are worried about finances, remember that your greatest boast is not wealth but knowing God, and be thankful that he is putting you in humanly difficult situations to develop your relationship with him and rely more fully on him alone. Pray often for big and small things, remember answers to prayer and thank God often for them. Get to know the Lord better by hearing about his work in the lives of others, too. And of course, read his word, through which he makes himself known to you.
Knowing God in every way
Time and space fail me in explaining how the principles of Jeremiah 9:23–24 pervade both Scripture and the Christian life. I encourage the reader to keep reflecting on how you in every situation, in every scripture, in every prayer, in every failure, in every problem, can get to know God better.
We ought to formulate what we know about God not simply in terms of cognitive knowledge, but in terms of our relationship with him.
I have Jeremiah 9:23–24 hanging in big letters above my windowsill as an encouragement, a reminder, and an oft-needed kick in the pants. It has often comforted me and directed my focus upward, and its words daily help me to be a better shepherd of both my church and my family.
Thus says the Lord, “Let not a wise man boast of his wisdom, and let not the mighty man boast of his might, let not a rich man boast of his riches; but let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the Lord who exercises lovingkindness, justice and righteousness on earth; for I delight in these things,” declares the Lord.
