He Knows Us That We May Know Him

HE KNOWS US THAT WE MAY KNOW HIM

I have this deep desire to be known... By God... by others... and even by my own self. I want people to know the joys and the sorrows, ponderings and frustrations, and everything in between. Well, the more I read, pray and sit with the Lord, the more I am coming to see how much He does know me fully. I'm also coming to see how much He too has the same desire, even more deep and passionate than my own, to be known by us. I've been reading a few things lately that I have found fascinating and life giving along this journey He has me on to be known and know Him. So, I wanted to share with you.

Hebrew - yada

“The definition of the Hebrew word yada is “to know, to be known, to be deeply respected. What an amazing thing God thought about sex. That it is to be something that causes us to deeply know another. Without alluding directly to the physical act of sexuality, this word points to the deep emotional quenching I yearn for in the act of sex. I’m not alone. Almost every female I’ve spoken to about this admits she isn’t really yearning for a physical touch in her sexual encounters but is seeking a deep emotional caressing. We want to find our guy looking at and studying us. We want to hear our name whispered. We need him to listen to our words with all his heart. We want to ‘be known.’” (c)

Genesis 4:25 - "Adam lay [yada] with his wife again, and she gave birth to a son and named him Seth." (b)

Genesis 24:16 - "[Rebekah] was very beautiful, a virgin; no man had ever lain [yada] with her." (b)

Psalm 46:10 - "Be still, and know [yada] that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!" (b)

Psalm 139:1, 29 - "O Lord, you have searched me, and You know [yada] me... Search me, O God, and know [yada] my heart." (b)


Greek – ginosko 

• to learn to know, come to know, get a knowledge of perceive, feel
• to become known
• to know, understand, perceive, have knowledge ofto understand
• to know
• Jewish idiom for sexual intercourse between a man and a woman
• to become acquainted with, to know (e)

“The Complete Word Study New Testament, by Greek scholar Spiro Zodhiates, defines the

ginosko as “to know experientially.” Interestingly, the same word “ginosko” is also

used for the word “know” in Luke 1:34, where the young virgin Mary informs the angel

Gabriel that she has never “known” a man in the sexual sense. In other words, the use of

this word “ginosko” in John 17:3 describes a very personal way of knowing a person.

Obviously, it is not in referring to knowing Jesus in a sexual sense, but it is definitely in an

intimate sense, and much more than just a general knowledge.” (d)


“While studying God’s word is something all Christians are called to do, knowing Jesus and

receiving eternal life does not come through intellectual assent alone, or even through Bible

studies. Jesus calls us to place our faith in him alone and to trust that what he did on the

cross is totally sufficient to save us. The Bible also assures us that we can know for certain 

that we know Him. Consider Romans 8:16-17, which says, “The Spirit himself testifies with 

our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow

heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him.”

His spirit testifies with our spirit to assure us that we know him personally, not just with

head knowledge or intellectual knowledge gained through numerous Bible studies.” (d)


Luke 1:30-35 - Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.”

Then Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I do not know a man?”

And the angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God. (b)

John 17:3 - “And this is eternal life, that they may know [ginosko] You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.” (b)


How beautiful is that?!! Jesus desires an intimate, mutual respect and honor between a man and woman in coming together in a relationship and sex to point us to the oneness He wants with us. So many times in John 14-17, Jesus discusses His desire for us to know Him and the Father, to be with Him where He is, for the same love in Him to be in us, to abide in Him as He abides in us... Elsewhere in Colossians it talks about "...Christ in us, the hope of glory." He knew us before we were ever created by Him. He knew Adam and walked with Him in the garden.

I truly believe the Lord is out to convince us how much He loves us, knows us, wants us to know Him and be with Him. He's made a way through Himself for us to be together once again. He knows us that we may know Him.

Do you want to know [yada/ginosko] Him?


Sources:

a) Him

b) The Bible

c) What Are You Waiting For? by Dannah Gresh – p.17, 23-25

d) http://www.newlightministries.com/Can_We_Really_Know_God.html

e) http://www.biblestudytools.com/lexicons/greek/nas/ginosko.html