In trying to understand the knowledge of God, I realize for Him there is no past, present, or future; only now! He lives above, beyond, outside of time. His view of history is an ability to see all of it at the same time. For Him, one day is as a thousand years and a thousand years is as one day. This is a bit difficult to grasp and only directly mentioned in a few NT Bible passages. The OT gives hints. Here are a few examples:
1 Chronicles 28:9. “And you, Solomon my son, know the God of your father and serve him with a whole heart and with a willing mind, for the Lord searches all hearts and understands every plan and thought . . . .”
Proverbs 5:21. For a man’s ways are before the eyes of the Lord, and he ponders all his paths.
Isaiah 42:9. Behold, the former things have come to pass, and new things I now declare; before they spring forth, I tell you of them.”
Jeremiah 1:5. “Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you, and before you were born, I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.”
There are similar hints in the NT such as mentions of only God knowing when Christ will return. The more direct verses use words like FOREKNOWLEDGE. However, the original language uses a few different versions of that word and they are translated in various ways.
For example, one definition means to “foreknow personally, to befriend or be acquainted with someone in a familiar way ahead of time or before meeting; implying an exclusivity of choice relative to those not befriended.” This comes from Romans 11:2 and is speaking of the Israelites: “God has not rejected his people whom he foreknew . . . .”
Another related word means “to choose beforehand, to select in advance.” This word is translated “provided” but can also mean “to decide in advance” and that suggests the wonder of how He provides at just the right time according to what I need. Speaking of OT believers in Hebrews 11:39–40, His Word says,
“And all these, though commended through their faith, did not receive what was promised, since God had provided something better for us, that apart from us they should not be made perfect.”
This idea of knowing ahead of time also describes God’s decision of my destiny as His child. Romans 8:28-29 says He uses all things for my good because: “For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son . . . .” This can mean chosen beforehand or known beforehand. Either way, I’m in the care and plan of God and everything in my life has meaning!
Another related word carries the idea of “planning or plotting in advance of acting.” This one tells how David “foresaw and spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption” in Acts 2:31.
It can also mean “to know about something prior to some temporal reference point, to know about an event before it happens, to have foreknowledge.” This is used of people who witnessed a prior event but can also mean “chosen beforehand” as in 1 Peter 1:20: “(Jesus) was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you” and in Acts 2:23. “This Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men.”
GAZE INTO HIS GLORY. Whether foreknowledge means choosing beforehand or knowing what will happen, the ability of God to know all things, even what I will say before I say it (Psalm 139:4) is far too wonderful for me, and a comfort. Nothing surprises Him or takes Him off guard. If I need something, anything, tomorrow or next week, He provides it. Every morning I ask for my ‘daily bread’ — meaning daily care but also nourishment from His Word — and He gives it, every morning for more than fifty years. This is my God who knows me, my past, present, and future and is intimately involved in my life. Now is the time to worship!
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