Know

2 Samuel 7:17-20 – Nathan reported to David all the words of this entire revelation. Then King David went in and sat before the Lord, and he said: “Who am I, Sovereign Lord, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far? And as if this were not enough in your sight, Sovereign Lord, you have also spoken about the future of the house of your servant—and this decree, Sovereign Lord, is for a mere human! “What more can David say to you? For you know your servant, Sovereign Lord.

1 Samuel 4:21 – She named the boy Ichabod, saying, “The Glory has departed from Israel”—because of the capture of the ark of God and the deaths of her father-in-law and her husband.

1 Samuel 16:7 – But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

Exodus 6:3 – I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob as God Almighty, but by my name the Lord I did not make myself fully known to them.

Hosea 6:6 – For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings.

Amos 3:1-2 – Hear this word, people of Israel, the word the Lord has spoken against you—against the whole family I brought up out of Egypt: “You only have I chosen of all the families of the earth; therefore I will punish you for all your sins.”

Application:

• ·         The ark was the symbol of God’s presence with His people.
• ·         The Lord is concerned with a person’s inner disposition and character.
• ·         The patriarchs may not have been totally ignorant of the name Yahweh, but they did not understand its full implications as the name of the One who would redeem His people. That fact could be comprehended by the Israelites who were to experience the exodus, and by their descendants.
• ·         Sacrifice apart from faithfulness to the Lord’s will is wholly unacceptable to Him
• ·         Israel’s strength and prosperity gave rise to complacency about her privileged status as the Lord’s chosen people. She was reminded of the long-forgotten responsibilities her privileges entailed.

All Scripture verses taken from NIV