“But they know not the thoughts of the LORD, neither understand they his counsel …” (Micah 4:12)
People are so often an enigma to us. What they do, how they think – we just don’t understand. It is often just best to not try to figure them out.
Because others are so often such a mystery, we turn our attention to ourselves. Surely, we can know ourselves. But this journey at self-discovery is as futile as our attempt to solve the riddle of another’s soul. Although Job was sure that his friends didn’t really know him, he was unsure he knew himself. “Though I were perfect, yet would I not know my soul …” (Job 9:21)
What fuels our itch to know? The Gnostics believed that the gaining of knowledge was the key to salvation. Men believe that wholeness is only a revelation (or two or three) away. When they know the truth they will be free. But sadly, instead of seeking to know God’s truth, they set about to know their truth. They become enamored with their own thoughts, instead of making God’s thoughts the study of their life.
Despite how much “wisdom” men believe they have gained through their introspection, the Lord has already passed His verdict: “And again, The Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain.” (1 Cor. 3:20) There is One we can know, better than we know ourselves, or any other. His thoughts are far more worthy of investigation than our own. Knowing Him is life eternal. (John 17:3)