Bible Explanations
5. Know the Lord
Know the Lord
This phrase
occurs six times in the Bible:
1 Samuel 3:7 - "Now Samuel did
not
yet know the LORD, neither was the word of the LORD yet revealed
unto him."
Isaiah 19:21 - "And the LORD shall be known
to Egypt, and the
Egyptians shall know the LORD in that day, and shall do sacrifice
and oblation; yea, they shall vow a vow unto the LORD, and perform
it."
Jeremiah 31:34 - "And they shall teach no
more every man his
neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for
they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest
of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and
I will remember their sin no more."
Hosea 2:20 - "I will even betroth thee
unto me in faithfulness:
and thou shalt know the LORD."
Hosea 6:3 - "Then shall we know, if we
follow on to
know the LORD: his going forth is prepared as the morning; and
he shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter and
former
rain unto the earth."
Hebrews 8:11 - "And they shall not teach
every man his neighbour,
and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall
know me, from the least to the greatest."
In all these passages, the phrase
means the knowing
of the Lord savingly. Note that in Jeremiah
31:34,the Old Covenant
taught that people should "know the Lord." This
was
their duty. Only if they embraced the New Covenant would any of them
come to know God truly.
Know that I am the
Lord
This phrase
occurs 77 times in the Bible,
and relates to God showing Himself in His power either in saving His
people OR in judgment. e.g.:
Exodus 6:7 - "And I will take you
to me for a people, and I will be to you a God: and ye shall know
that I am the LORD your God, which bringeth you out
from
under the burdens of the Egyptians."
Exodus 7:5 - "And the Egyptians shall
know that I am
the LORD, when I stretch forth mine hand upon Egypt, and bring
out the children of Israel from among them."
Exodus 14:18 - "And the Egyptians shall
know that I am
the LORD, when I have gotten me honour upon Pharaoh, upon his
chariots, and upon his horsemen."