There is no faithfulness or steadfast love, and no knowledge of God in the land…. My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge; because you have rejected knowledge…. Hosea 4:1, 6
In case you missed it, here’s a news flash. We live in the Information Age. It began in the early 1970s and it is stronger than ever.
Consider this, in the next 60 seconds these consumer-initiated data and information-related transactions will occur: *
- 5.9 million Google searches will be made.
- 66,000 photos will be shared on Instagram.
- 1.7 million Facebook users will post new content.
- 231.4 million emails will be sent.
- YouTubers will upload 500 hours of videos.
- 4.3 million snaps will be sent via Snapchat.
- 347,200 posts will be made on X (formerly known as Twitter).
- 16 million texts will be sent.
- $437,600 will be transferred through Venmo.
- $443,000 will be spent by Amazon shoppers.*
Note: this doesn’t begin to scratch the surface of the volumes of data created and stored by small businesses, corporations, health-science-geopolitical-economic institutions, and the list continues.
Here are two more quick data tidbits:
More than 2.5 quintillion (that’s 18 zeroes!) of data are created every 24 hours.
It would take more than 180 million years for an internet user to download all the as-of-today data from the web.*
* “How Big is Big? 85+ big Data Statistics You Should Know in 2023,” Soundarya Jayaraman, 2-9-2023, https:/www.g2.com/articles/big-data-statistics
Today, we have access to more information than we could ever use in a million lifetimes. Is it any wonder that we claim to “know” so much? The information is at our fingertips – literally as close as our phone. We certainly feel smart!
That is until we lose our phone or lose internet connectivity. Without our online dictionaries, Google Maps, Alexa or Siri to answer questions, calculator, phone directory, search engines, book reading apps, and the myriad other apps that inform our lives, we are lost. All the information and knowledge-based capabilities that we thought were ours are gone. We’ve grown more than a little dependent on an artificial brain. Suddenly, we don’t feel quite so smart.
We think we know until we’re put on the spot without our favorite “A.B.” (artificial brain) and we realize that we don’t know at all. Perhaps our easy access to information has made our brains a little lazy. Why memorize phone numbers or multiplication tables or any number of things, when in seconds you can look it up?
And most of the time, maybe that easy information access is not such a bad thing.
The problem is when we begin to treat heart-transformative information the same way that we treat brain-file-utilitarian information.
To become effective, heart-transformative information can’t be stored in a remote device. It must first take up residency in the mind of the individual. Once settled, it can then begin the 18-inch trip from head to heart, where the transformative work takes root and begins to grow.
During the days of the prophet Hosea, Israel had fallen into gross idol worship, sexual debauchery, and rampant violation of God’s Laws. Hosea’s message of coming judgment, repentance, and return to God was preached to all the people of Israel. But the brunt of the blame fell on the priests for their failure to teach the people of God and enforce the law of God.
The people did not have easy access to the Word of God, so it was the job of the priests to inform, educate, and provide spiritual leadership for the people. The priests had failed the people of Israel miserably, but that didn’t excuse Israel’s rebellious, wanton behavior. God’s judgment would come to both – the priests and the people.
Hosea’s prophetic warnings stirred a reaction from the people, but it didn’t result in true repentance. The people gave lip service to God, but their hearts remained anchored in their sins. The people knew in their heads what God expected, it wasn’t a secret to them. The problem was that the information never made the 18-inch trip to their hearts.
“I would redeem them, but they speak lies against Me. They do not cry to Me from the heart…they rebel against Me.”
Hosea 7:13b-14
In Hosea 8:1-14, God said the people cried out to Him, “My God, we – Israel – know you.” In the following verses, God in essence says, “No, you don’t. You’ve forgotten your Maker.”
In recounting the sins of Israel, God pauses to say,
“For they sow the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind.”
Hosea 8:7
Today, I fear that many who claim the name of Christ are walking around with only a shallow head-knowledge of God.
They know about God like I would say that I know my neighbors. I know their names and which house they live in. I know the types of cars they drive, the number of kids they have, the way they maintain their lawn, the name of their dog, and lots of other general information. I know my neighbors. And based on what I know, I believe they are well-intentioned, good people. They’re good neighbors.
But I don’t know my neighbors like I know my husband of forty-eight years. I know that man inside and out. I know what he likes and what he doesn’t like. I know things about him that no one else in the world knows. He can still surprise me by revealing something new about himself, but that’s rare. I know him. I know that I can trust him. I know that he loves me. I know that I love that sweet guy with all my heart.
The knowledge that I have of my husband began many years ago with head knowledge. He was the lovesick guy still “mooning” over the one who got away when he was assigned to the same dinner table in the campus dining hall as I was. It wasn’t long before we began to get to know one another. And soon after, the head knowledge began its trip to my heart.
That’s what I’m talking about when it comes to having a real relationship with God. It’s not just having general information about Him filed away in your head, knowing that you can pull out your phone and your Bible app to look up more detailed info if you need something. Or in a real pinch, you can get online and search out a multitude of sources to find answers to God-specific questions.
There’s lots of information, and tons of data available – some excellent and reliable, others not at all. But still, it’s knowledge that will only sit in your head, if you don’t intentionally and deliberately allow it to make its way to your heart.
Come, let us return to the LORD; for He has torn us, that He may heal us; He has struck us down, and He will bind us up. …
Let us know; let us press on to know the LORD; His going out is sure as the dawn; He will come to us as the showers, as the spring rains that water the earth.” …
For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.
Hos 6:1, 3, 6 ESV
Hosea gives Israel the remedy for their situation in Chapter Six of Hosea:
- Return to the Lord, recognize that the work He is doing in your life and situation is for your ultimate healing.
- “Press on,” that is to pursue ardently, and aim eagerly to secure or gain real knowledge about God, not shallow generalities or details from a third-party source. Chase after or aim for a real relationship with God.
- Understand that God desires and deserves our steadfast love. He wants us to know Him in our heart of hearts.
If you’ve been walking closely with God for many years, praise God for His sustaining power and grace in your life. I encourage you to continue your faithful pursuit of God. Continue to grow in your knowledge of Him and your love for Him. Let your life be a walking, talking testimony for your Savior and God
If you are still in that “getting acquainted period” with God, or maybe you’ve had a casual, shallow “let’s be friendly neighbors” kind of relationship, I urge you to press on and press into a real and meaningful relationship with the God Who loves you and gave His Only Son to pay the ransom for your sins. He knows you and He desires more than anything that you will surrender yourself whole-heartedly to love and serve Him.
It’s not a question of what you know.
The real question is this, “Who do you know?”
Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!
Romans 11:33 ESV