In this world, many view God as an absolute mystery, hidden behind a forbidding and impenetrable iron curtain, seen as something to be rationalized by the mind of men. This great mystery is perceived as real or imagined, hands-on or hands-off, fearsome or affable, self-serving or subject to the limits of a deteriorating or expanding universe, unjust and unreasonable, or absolutely merciful and swayed by human whims. Driven by carnal nature and the spirit of this world, God is often regarded as an overwhelming, powerful force that must be dealt with rationally, akin to a formidable power driven by duplicitous interests. Yet, for those called by Him, God should not be absolutely mysterious, as His revelation has moved beyond creation to the indwelling mind of the Creator Himself, requiring tender care and continuous cultivation with reverential awe, learning and living the very life of Christ together. He has given us more so we can change, and we must treasure and expand this revelation of Himself that He has bestowed upon us. We have been carefully selected as a precious treasure unto Him, with every thought, word, and action being judged as to whether they reflect an abiding respect and fear of our holy and revealed God. Maintaining a clear picture of Him can only be continued within an intimate relationship with Jesus Christ, connecting with those called into His body, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, but exhorting one another in the fear of the Lord. We greatly fear Him, not because He is an ominously powerful mystery hidden behind an iron curtain, but because we do know Him, submitting to Him and to one another in whom Jesus Christ dwells with reverence. We can continue to grow in grace and knowledge only as we live as He lives in us, striving to live the Word of God in every aspect of our lives. Our intimate knowledge of what others see as an absolute mystery should be precious and tenderly cultivated in relationship with our brethren, lest we become as blind and befuddled as the world around us.

Knowledge of God is paramount for those who have entered into a covenant with Him. Seeking after Him does not truly begin until He reveals Himself to us and we make the covenant with Him, becoming the main occupation for a Christian during the sanctification process. Despite having made the covenant, many fail to translate what they know about Him into everyday living or becoming like Him, often just drifting along with the times. God urges us to seek Him repeatedly, emphasizing that this seeking is vital for life, not merely endless existence, but a quality of life. A shallow knowledge of Him, demonstrating that He is unimportant to us, can lead to serious misdirection in life. Conduct is motivated by a person's conceptions or misconceptions of Him, making it vital that one's conception of Him be as close as possible to what is absolutely true. A poor perception of what He is truly like can be the source of spiritual collapse. Many are woefully ignorant of what He has revealed about Himself, often basing their ideas on vague or external influences rather than seeking Him through His words. God seeks out those with whom He desires to make the covenant, and at that time, their understanding of Him is in broad terms. They are then required to seek out intimate details regarding His nature, purpose, and character. A basic, foundational understanding of Him is available to virtually everyone, yet failing to honor Him by conducting oneself according to this knowledge leads to futile thoughts and darkened hearts. The knowledge of Him and His purpose is by far the most important glory for man, surpassing any human, material riches. When His people sincerely sought Him, things went well, but when their seeking relaxed and eventually stopped, sin increased, morality decreased, and contact with Him ceased. The power of a covenant people to keep their side of the agreement lies in their relationship with Him.

Eternal life, as Jesus states in John 17:3, is to know God, reflecting the quality of life that He Himself lives, the best way of thinking and acting. The only way to truly come to know Him is through a close, personal relationship, living and acting in the same manner as He does. Merely believing in His existence will never foster closeness or promote a desire to love and submit to Him based on His character and personality. To know Him requires seeking Him, as urged in Isaiah 55, by studying His Word to learn His will and putting it into practice. Without living by faith and seeking Him, we will never truly come to know Him, as we will not be hearing His voice. This relationship demands effort, a cost in terms of how we live our lives, becoming a living sacrifice as described in Romans 12, nourished spiritually by ingesting His Word. Hearing His Word, whether through sermons or personal study, is essential to knowing Him, as faith comes by hearing, leading to understanding and salvation. This hearing is not merely auditory but involves grasping and understanding His truth, which transforms us to conduct ourselves as Jesus Christ would. The focus on Christ as the living Word emphasizes His role as our Savior, High Priest, and primary contact with the God family, urging us to seek Him through His teachings and person. Knowing Him produces intimacy not otherwise possible, fostering a reverence and desire to remain in His presence, never wanting to disappoint Him. This relationship bears fruit in the fear of God, a worshipful admiration of His intelligence, creativity, generosity, wisdom, kindness, patience, and mercy, qualities recognized only through an abiding relationship and shared experiences with Him. Without such closeness, we cannot truly know Him or receive His gifts. The fear of the Lord, not natural to man, must be learned within a relationship given to those called and converted, impelling us toward Him and His way, submitting to His every wish as expressed in His Word. This fear, combined with humility, arises from comparing our lives to His greatness, drawing us closer to Him rather than repelling us in terror. As we come to know Him through living by faith and studying His Word, we develop a vision of Him in our mind's eye, producing humility and a desire to be with Him, not wanting to displease Him in anything. Ultimately, the fear of the Lord is the beginning of the knowledge of God, opening the pathway to understanding His sovereignty. As He becomes greater in our understanding, it removes barriers to the growth of godly fear and humility, essential for truly knowing Him and living according to His purpose.

A degree of knowing Him is required to rightly fear Him. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of true knowledge, that is, knowledge that has to do with God's purpose and will. The fear of the Lord is the key that unlocks the knowledge of God. God's people were destroyed for a lack of knowledge. If it is the beginning of knowledge then there must be more knowledge after we begin to understand about the knowledge of God that leads us on into even more. In order for there to be fear for somebody respect for them or in the case of God, reverence for Him, you have to know Him. Just knowing about Him is not enough. We have to know Him as our Father, as Sovereign Ruler, as Healer, as Forgiver, as the Provider. We have to know Him in every facet of life in order to come to the proper respect. The fear of the Lord is directly tied to knowing God. We do not know Him before He initiates the relationship. That is why we must learn the fear of the Lord. Christianity is experiential. It requires living it to know it and understand it. It is not something that can be learned from a book. God has to be sought out, and lived with as a part of our lives for us to know Him as well. They did not recognize Him because they did not know Him. Their fear toward Me is taught by the commandment of men. That is why He was not recognized. None of us has really known God. Thus, we must come to fear Him, and we will come to fear Him as we come to know Him. Any conception of God that is not drawn from actual contact with Him is going to be an idol. The precepts of men keep interfering. God becomes reduced to a concept of animals, or other men, and they gave the honor to that. They do not fear God. They do not know Him. Mankind is without excuse for knowing a great deal about Him, and standing in fear of Him. Because, what He has made is so obvious, and so awesome, that we cannot avoid it. It builds within us a respect of what He is, of what He has done, of what He is doing, and of what He is going to do. Those things are made by Him to demonstrate to you and me the capacity or some of the capacity of His mind, of His brilliance, of His intelligence, and we could go on to His love, and so forth. Do we ever look into the things He has made for the express purpose of coming to know His awesome mind better? Yet, this is the foundation of fear of God. It is the very thing that He points to Himself that will begin to build in us a respect for what He is. This is why God says that mankind is without excuse for knowing a great deal about Him, and standing in fear of Him. The universe that God has created is so immense, but it is that very immensity that is intended by Him to help us to understand how big He thinks. How far in the future He is thinking, how powerful this One, who has made all these things, placed these things in the heavens where they are, and knows the name of every single one of them. This is the God we get down on our knees to pray to. He intends that we appreciate the kind of mind that He has, and the fact that the focus of His attention is not on the far reaches of the galaxy, but is on you and me. There is nothing that He does not know. There is nothing that He is not aware of that is going on in His creation. We need to get that burned into our minds. There is nobody like God. He is separate. He is apart. He is different. There is no conception of Him that we can come up with that could come close to what He really is. And, it takes a lifetime for us to just barely scratch the surface. How great is this God we serve, who is our Father. This is just a tiny, tiny piece of the mind of God that we come before in prayer, or at services, or in our marriage, or on the job, or when we shop, when we talk, when we study. There is not only power here, but there is infinite tenderness as well. There is no man smart enough to do that. Is it beginning to come clear why Jesus said they teach using the precepts of men. And why He was so affronted and offend