The unknown God.
 

God is basically unknown , but what else is unknown, is that he wants it that way. Job 36:26 , " God is great, we know him not!" A very short powerful statement. We want to know him, we think we known him , we claim all the time that we know him ; yet here it states that we don't.; and I believe that. I know that I don't know God ; he is a very enigmatic being.

God does not want to be known now.

And that's why we all run around creating our own images of God ; because he has not released his true ways and being.

Its also why you see so many mixed up views of God, because he has not taught us what to think about him. There was a time in the past that he choose a people, but all they did was continually disobey him ; Israel. And God knew that before he choose them . They were disobedient, but he saved them any way! God did that to show what he will do to the whole world of created mankind! They were an example of God planning to save disobedient humanity. We just don't know this.


That's why you see thread after thread in this section, opinion after opinion, here a little there a little. I often come here to see if any truth has slipped into someone , if they have spit out any nuggets that are worth something. Because now we see through a shield; a type of wall; notice Paul in 1 Corinth. 13:12, "For now we see through a glass darkly., but then face to face. I know only parts." So even his chosen leaders did not know much about God.

Maybe it depends upon our concept of God.
All the major religions of the world have essentially "The Golden Rule" (do unto others as you would have them do unto you). This rule is unconditional love. Problem is, instead of practicing that rule, people try to define God, determine what it is that this God wants of us when the answer is simple. The Golden Rule. Anything that violates that rule is not of "God", and there are no exceptions. If the majority truly practiced that rule I'm sure we'd come to "know" God.

Well I agree , if everyone had and expressed unconditional love , I am sure we would come to know God, because I think that is how God is. I think we are on a pre set pattern that God designed, and he actually placed us all in ignorance, so its not our fault. Notice closely in Ecclesiastes 7:13, " Consider the work of God; for who can straighten what he has bent?" This means that God will " Bend" Humans , put them into situations in life that they can't get out of! And nobody can help them get out of it!

This is incredible! Look at Lamentations 3:31-32, " For the Lord will not cast off forever , but though he " Cause Grief", he will have compassion. Many people do not know and would never believe that God would cause suffering; yet he does, and this is a hard thing to learn about God. But its all in the bible, as in Job 42:12, " Jobs friends comforted him over all the " Evil that THE Lord had brought on him!"

God is actually using evil and suffering on us all. Exposing us to it on his purpose!

I have enough sense to key in on my own " Senses", and understand that there is more to life than what science, religion, education and here say are saying; and I sense there may well be a God. And I am not saying that I disagree with how he has unfolded human life and seemingly left us to ourselves , I am just admitting that I don't understand it.

I don't get it.

I don't know this mysterious God.

the problem is, we as a people are all about what we like, getting what we want; and conversely trying to avoid things we don't like or driving them to extinction.

We value those things so highly that we won't question our desire in those regards. We wont be objective with regards to our likes and dislikes, because the fact of liking or disliking takes precedence over everything else. So we cannot evaluate why God might have said that the specific things we like or dislike are bad for us or good for us. And then we say nonetheless that we have done the evaluation in the proper way, because that makes us feel good.

We rationalize the statements about likes and dislikes depending on whether we 'feel' agreement or disagreement in the touchy-feely sense rather than from any sense of true understanding of what might be going on behind the scenes and then do things like skew the science to back up our ready-made conclusions. Then we vainly say we don't do that so we can feel good about what we are doing and since everyone else agrees we can let it go. Later we come to dislike our original conclusions and go about slanting the science a different way to back up the opposite view, and everyone goes along with it so again all is good. And thus we often miss the point of things entirely.

So we can't see beyond getting our desires or genocide for our dislikes. I think God can see the things we refuse to look at, and that more than anything is why we don't understand him.

I'm sorry, mickiel....I could not disagree more! :hug3:

The Creator/ Father/God/ Lord/All That Is is easy to know and
wants to be known...
with yearning and great burning desire.

How else could one 1000s of year ago then understand the words,
"Delight in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart",
if he could not be known and delighted in?
How could anyone understand , Acknowledge the Lord and he will make straight your path...how can you
acknowledge anything or anyone that you can not 'know', my friend?

I will say this...You can be as close to the Lord as you want to be ...it all depends on how much time you want to put into it.

I know the Lord intimately...there is no mystery about 'Him'...Who has no gender.

If you would like me to tell you about Him I will.
(From Him directly , from what He has revealed to me, by Grace...not from any book.)
But, it will never replace you knowing him directly, up-close and personally, for yourself.

And you know what that takes? Preparing a place in your heart for Him...as
you would prepare any room for a visit from your lover. :love9:

[quote=FallingLeaves]the problem is, we as a people are all about what we like, getting what we want; and conversely trying to avoid things we don't like or driving them to extinction.

We value those things so highly that we won't question our desire in those regards.


You have given a stunning evaluation here, and I certainly agree. Truly stunning observation!

[quote=Miss Hepburn]I'm sorry, mickiel....I could not disagree more! :hug3:

The Creator/ Father/God/ Lord/All That Is is easy to know and
wants to be known...
with yearning and great burning desire.]


Well I am happy for you ; I do not deny that God has gotten close to some humans, that is in scripture, I am just not one of them. I don't know God and I am not close to him. God is most definitely mysterious to me. And I view him as basically unknown to humanity. In Isaiah 45:15 God is described as " Hiding himself"; I see nothing that has happened in life that has changed that.

But that's just me. And I go by what I see, not what others say and see.

EXCELLENT! :smile:
I say all the time 'seeing is believing'.
I always understand agnostics/atheists...I mean
why believe something until you have directly experienced it for yourself.
I'm with you.
However, it was 'someone else' that said he was hiding!...hahaha... :biggrin:
I'll tell ya He is not...it's like tweeking your eyes for one of those 3D paintings.
His Divine Presence can be felt.
BUT, don't believe me...see for yourself, yes!