6.8.25 ~ Are You in the Know?
Good morning!
Today, we will leave dear people here in Ft. Walton Beach, Florida, after 8 great days of study, prayer, and health related instructions :-)! On this 8th day of counting towards the first fruit of the wine, we continue our journey on how to intimately abide in the True Vine (Jn. 15:1-8). This morning I want to share with you a very familiar verse in Hosea 4:6 to continue our theme. Over the years I have heard the first half of this verse quoted, but 99% of the time I have never heard the second half of the verse quoted.
"My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge/da'at (1st part).
Because you have rejected/maas knowledge/da'at, I also will reject/maas you from being priest for Me; Because you have forgotten the law/torah of your God, I will also forget you." (Hos. 4:6)
How often have you heard this verse quoted in a plea for renewed diligence toward the things of God? The quotation is usually followed by an enumeration of our lack of Bible study, church attendance, daily devotion or some other missing element in the quest to understand God’s ways. But what if the verse doesn’t really say anything about our scarcity of divine information? What if it’s about something that has nothing to do with mental cognition? Would that change our actions?
This Hebrew word knowledge/da’at comes from the word yada. Of course, yada is not just about factual information. It covers the range from knowing that 2 + 2 = 4 to Adam knowing his honey bunny intimately. In its application to God, it’s not about information. It’s about relationships in action. Why are God’s people destroyed (actually, the word means “cut off”)? It’s because they lack an intimate, working, covenantal relationship with Him (Ex. 24:3, 7). They have plenty of information, but they lack the desire to apply it, which leads to zero intimacy. We would have seen this immediately if we had just continued to read within the verse and we learn one of the consequences:
“Because you have rejected knowledge/da'at, I also rejected you from being priest to Me. Since you have forgotten the law of your God, I will forget your sons.” Ouch and scary!
What does it mean to lack knowledge? It means to forget God’s instructions. Knowledge of God is the practical application of His Torah. The people God rejects, the ones He forgets, are the ones who no longer practice His commandments. They don’t lack systematic theologies, liturgies or rituals. They lack compassion, mercy and forgiveness. Doesn’t that sound like something Yeshua said about the weightier matters of the law (Matt. 23:23)?
Quoting Hosea is important, especially today in 2025. But we must never think that Hosea’s verse is about Bible study, sermons or Sunday school. We must never imagine that Hosea was telling us to get back to school, study more or earn another theological degree. God speaks through Hosea calling His people to action. DO WHAT I SAY! That’s what it means to have knowledge/da'at.
Now we can easily see how much we know. Just look at our actions. Are we in conformity with God’s directions? Do we share His concerns? Do we follow His instructions? What do you eat? When do you celebrate His holidays? What do you give to His kingdom? How do you interact with the people of His concern? How do you treat your enemies?
Did you notice the result of lack of knowledge? The people are no longer suitable as priests (Ex. 19:3-7; 1 Pet. 2:5-9). You can’t fulfill God’s mission in the world if you aren’t living according to His direction. You can, of course, do a lot of noble, wonderful, illuminated, altruistic work, but it won’t be useful to God. You might win the Peace Prize or the accolades of the church, but God will have to forget you. You see, there is only one way to be useful to God and that’s to do it His way. That’s why knowledge is practical application. It shows up in the way we live, move and have our being (Acts 17:28). It’s not what’s in my head. It’s what’s in my hands and how I use it for His glory.
Shalom!
Alan
Shabbat morning's zoom call: 'You can't judge a book by its cover'; so...why do we (Num. 5, 6, 7)?
"My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge/da'at (1st part).
Because you have rejected/maas knowledge/da'at, I also will reject/maas you from being priest for Me; Because you have forgotten the law/torah of your God, I will also forget you." (Hos. 4:6)
How often have you heard this verse quoted in a plea for renewed diligence toward the things of God? The quotation is usually followed by an enumeration of our lack of Bible study, church attendance, daily devotion or some other missing element in the quest to understand God’s ways. But what if the verse doesn’t really say anything about our scarcity of divine information? What if it’s about something that has nothing to do with mental cognition? Would that change our actions?
This Hebrew word knowledge/da’at comes from the word yada. Of course, yada is not just about factual information. It covers the range from knowing that 2 + 2 = 4 to Adam knowing his honey bunny intimately. In its application to God, it’s not about information. It’s about relationships in action. Why are God’s people destroyed (actually, the word means “cut off”)? It’s because they lack an intimate, working, covenantal relationship with Him (Ex. 24:3, 7). They have plenty of information, but they lack the desire to apply it, which leads to zero intimacy. We would have seen this immediately if we had just continued to read within the verse and we learn one of the consequences:
“Because you have rejected knowledge/da'at, I also rejected you from being priest to Me. Since you have forgotten the law of your God, I will forget your sons.” Ouch and scary!
What does it mean to lack knowledge? It means to forget God’s instructions. Knowledge of God is the practical application of His Torah. The people God rejects, the ones He forgets, are the ones who no longer practice His commandments. They don’t lack systematic theologies, liturgies or rituals. They lack compassion, mercy and forgiveness. Doesn’t that sound like something Yeshua said about the weightier matters of the law (Matt. 23:23)?
Quoting Hosea is important, especially today in 2025. But we must never think that Hosea’s verse is about Bible study, sermons or Sunday school. We must never imagine that Hosea was telling us to get back to school, study more or earn another theological degree. God speaks through Hosea calling His people to action. DO WHAT I SAY! That’s what it means to have knowledge/da'at.
Now we can easily see how much we know. Just look at our actions. Are we in conformity with God’s directions? Do we share His concerns? Do we follow His instructions? What do you eat? When do you celebrate His holidays? What do you give to His kingdom? How do you interact with the people of His concern? How do you treat your enemies?
Did you notice the result of lack of knowledge? The people are no longer suitable as priests (Ex. 19:3-7; 1 Pet. 2:5-9). You can’t fulfill God’s mission in the world if you aren’t living according to His direction. You can, of course, do a lot of noble, wonderful, illuminated, altruistic work, but it won’t be useful to God. You might win the Peace Prize or the accolades of the church, but God will have to forget you. You see, there is only one way to be useful to God and that’s to do it His way. That’s why knowledge is practical application. It shows up in the way we live, move and have our being (Acts 17:28). It’s not what’s in my head. It’s what’s in my hands and how I use it for His glory.
Shalom!
Alan
Shabbat morning's zoom call: 'You can't judge a book by its cover'; so...why do we (Num. 5, 6, 7)?
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