Those who know God have confidence in his character. Life is full of trials; in a fallen world there is no escape from pain. Scripture does not cover up that pain. Rather, it says, My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him. For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives (Heb 12:5-6). Yet, the prophet Hosea points to a growing knowledge of God as the salve for heart-wrenching pain.

In Jeremiah 9, God has some words for his people about boasting, and they re not, “Don’t brag.” Rather he says to his covenant people, Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, THAT HE UNDERSTANDS AND KNOWS ME, that I am the LORD who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things, I delight (Jer 9:23-25). What is it about knowing God that causes him to tell us that knowing him is of greater worth than wisdom, might, and riches? What does the rest of Scripture say about the benefits to us of knowing God? These are the questions we seek to answer in this episode.

As you know, this podcast/blog focuses on our mission as men. In Genesis 2:15 we see that God placed Adam in the Garden of Eden to work it. Men are designed to have impact, to rearrange the “stuff “of creation, to get the project done. No wonder every third commercial when watching the NFL is for a pickup truck, the perfect tool for getting most jobs done. Because God created men to be doers, we have an intuitive sense that getting a job done requires some assets—three in particular, which happen to be the same three mentioned in Jeremiah 9. The first is expertise. Every team member doesn’t need an MBA or PhD; but getting the job done requires wisdom, good old-fashioned know-how. Second, success requires the strength to overcome the obstacles we encounter to completing our mission. No goal worth pursuing comes easily, so the might to persevere is required. The third asset required is money. Obtaining the material resources and labor we need requires wealth.

In our Home Depot world where doers get more done, successful men understand the value of these three assets, wisdom, might, and riches to accomplish almost any project we undertake in our vocation or at home. So, as men called to be doers, it should get our attention that the primary assets that preoccupy our thinking to accomplish any mission i.e. wisdom, might, and riches are NOT the keys to our success. They are not what we should depend upon nor boast about. “Rather,” says God, “your boast should be that you understand and know me.” But, practically speaking, what is God saying? Let’s dig into the meaning of the word boast for some clues.

A. Boasting, according to Webster, is rooted in “an awareness of one’s excellence.” In one sense, being aware of our own excellence is a good thing. Acknowledging our own strengths is not pride; boasting about them is. However, an awareness of one’s excellence can apply to someone else. Knowing God leads to an awareness of God’s excellence. God is saying through Jeremiah—I want you aware of MY EXCELLENCE and boasting about that.

B. Boasting means to display proudly. My shirts and jerseys display proudly that I am a Penn State, Baltimore Ravens, and now, repentant Washington Commanders fan. It is amazing how profoundly humans identify with their college or professional sports team, as if we are exalted somehow by their success. It is also surprising how common it is to name drop—i.e. mention some kind of connection we have to a famous player or celebrity as if who we know will enhance our worth in others’ eyes. In Jeremiah 9, God is saying, “If you want to name drop, boast about knowing ME.” God just happens to be the most fantastic being in the universe and knowing him (because he changed my darkened heart) is the greatest privilege in the entire world.

C. “Boasting” in context in Jeremiah 9 probably refers primarily to where one’s confidence lies. This is the meaning in Jeremiah’s other two uses of the word boast. (48:30 and 49:4). Though our masculine call (AVAD) is to be a doer, to transform the world including through our prayer and influence even the hearts of our loved ones, God reminds us that our greatest asset is not our wisdom, our powerful determination, or our riches. It is understanding and knowing God.

D. Boasting in this text is linked not only to understanding and knowing God but specifically to knowing what God delights in. God goes on to tell us what that is, i.e. the practices of steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. The strong implication of God is that the more we know him, the more we will pursue the things in which he delights. There seems to be a link between the moral energy that comes from knowing God and pursing what pleases him. That gets my attention because we are all looking for more motivation. Last week I was talking with a believer who is doing an exceptional job of raising his son and daughter. But he lamented, “Gary, the problem is not that I don’t know what I should be doing as a spiritual leader—it’s that I just don’t do it.” We all need more motivation.

E. Boasting about knowing God will be easier, says Jeremiah, under the New Covenant. One of the major themes of Jeremiah is the failure of God’s people under the Old Covenant to live up to their covenant obligations while giving hope to Israel about a New Covenant to come. The following words from Jeremiah 31 are directly quoted in Hebrews 8:8-12 as being fulfilled in Christ through the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost.  Notice the emphasis on better knowing God.

Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the Lord. For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will PUT MY LAW WITHIN THEM, and I WILL WRITE IT ON THEIR HEARTS. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ FOR THEY SHALL ALL KNOW ME, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.

Under the New Covenant, the Holy Spirit is poured out 1) to indwell us, giving us the reality of Christ’s presence with us every moment and 2) to apply the Word of God to our hearts (See John 14:25-26). At the core of the New Covenant is boasting that we can now know the Lord personally through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit and through the Word of God personally applied to our hearts.

Seven Further Benefits of Growing in The Knowledge of God

A. Those who know God have great energy for God. In one of the prophetic chapters of Daniel, we read, the people who know their God will be strong and take action (11:32). J. I. Packer writes, “In this context, the statement is introduced by ‘but’ and set in contrast to the vile person who corrupts by flattering talk those whose loyalty to God’s covenant has failed. This shows us that the action taken by those who know God is their reaction to the anti-God trends which they see operating around them.” (Knowing God p 23).

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