And they say, How doth God know? and is there knowledge in the most High?
The verse records the arrogant, defiant speech of the wicked against heaven, asking how God knows and whether there is knowledge in the Most High, denying that He knows, sees, acts, or takes account of human actions. In its setting it reflects David's temptation when he saw wicked people prosper while he himself struggled, questioning whether God knew or even existed. That doubt came not from God abandoning him but from his separating himself from God, for God does not separate the soul from Himself.
This questioning denial is what Satan puts into human hearts to make men forget that God is watching over them. It was publicly echoed in revolutionary France, where those who hated God's law rejoiced when its reproof was silenced and challenged heaven, denying divine knowledge and authority. It describes those who, emboldened by God's long forbearance, trample His authority and oppress His people, acting as if He does not see their deeds and business dealings while the wicked around them seem prospered in their way.
In truth God does know and there is knowledge with the Most High; He is our God and we are His people, seeing every person wherever they are and hearing every word uttered, acquainted with every business transaction, with holy angels weighing motives and listening to words, and reward will be according to works. God has not overlooked wrongdoing but keeps account of it, and will expose evildoers' deeds and set them before them, calling those who harm others to answer for it. Judgment may be long deferred and apparent impunity may continue, but God's patience and mercy have limits; vengeance will come when He intervenes to vindicate His honor, deliver His people, and restrain unrighteousness.
Forgetting God even for an hour or a moment puts a person on a dangerous path whose perils are not realized until one wrong act breaks down the barrier and habit like an iron band holds them in subjection to the evil tampered with, until prevarication and dishonesty become fixed habit and the person cannot be trusted. Hearts spotted and stained with sin, fair without but corrupt to the core like whited sepulchers, stand so recorded in the heavenly courts, and if weighed in the balances of the sanctuary and pronounced wanting, God despises that course and His blessing will not attend it; only those whose hearts are garrisoned with pure principles and who keep quietly and firmly in the path of rectitude are safe. The verse therefore calls to serve the Lord and receive His blessings in order to bestow them upon others, by providing workers and freewill offerings for destitute mission fields so souls shall not perish but have everlasting life. A person must choose to abide in Christ and place the soul in God's keeping.
The verse records the arrogant, defiant speech of the wicked against heaven, asking how God knows and whether there is knowledge in the Most High, denying that He knows, sees, acts, or takes account of human actions. In its setting it reflects David's temptation when he saw wicked people prosper while he himself struggled, questioning whether God knew or even existed. That doubt came not from God abandoning him but from his separating himself from God, for God does not separate the soul from Himself.
This questioning denial is what Satan puts into human hearts to make men forget that God is watching over them. It was publicly echoed in revolutionary France, where those who hated God's law rejoiced when its reproof was silenced and challenged heaven, denying divine knowledge and authority. It describes those who, emboldened by God's long forbearance, trample His authority and oppress His people, acting as if He does not see their deeds and business dealings while the wicked around them seem prospered in their way.
In truth God does know and there is knowledge with the Most High; He is our God and we are His people, seeing every person wherever they are and hearing every word uttered, acquainted with every business transaction, with holy angels weighing motives and listening to words, and reward will be according to works. God has not overlooked wrongdoing but keeps account of it, and will expose evildoers' deeds and set them before them, calling those who harm others to answer for it. Judgment may be long deferred and apparent impunity may continue, but God's patience and mercy have limits; vengeance will come when He intervenes to vindicate His honor, deliver His people, and restrain unrighteousness.
Forgetting God even for an hour or a moment puts a person on a dangerous path whose perils are not realized until one wrong act breaks down the barrier and habit like an iron band holds them in subjection to the evil tampered with, until prevarication and dishonesty become fixed habit and the person cannot be trusted. Hearts spotted and stained with sin, fair without but corrupt to the core like whited sepulchers, stand so recorded in the heavenly courts, and if weighed in the balances of the sanctuary and pronounced wanting, God despises that course and His blessing will not attend it; only those whose hearts are garrisoned with pure principles and who keep quietly and firmly in the path of rectitude are safe. The verse therefore calls to serve the Lord and receive His blessings in order to bestow them upon others, by providing workers and freewill offerings for destitute mission fields so souls shall not perish but have everlasting life. A person must choose to abide in Christ and place the soul in God's keeping.