A man gets pulled over by a sheriff’s deputy. He thinks that he is smarter than the deputy because he is a lawyer from New York City and is certain that he has a better education than any cop from small town Texas. He decides to prove this by having some fun at the deputy’s expense.
The deputy says, “License and registration, please.” “What for?” says the lawyer. The deputy says, “You didn’t come to a complete stop at the stop sign.” Then the lawyer says, “I slowed down, and no one was coming.” “You still didn’t come to a complete stop,” says the deputy. “License and registration, please!”
The lawyer says, “What’s the difference?” “The difference is you have to come to complete stop, that’s the law, license and registration, please!” the deputy says. The lawyer says, “If you can show me the legal difference between slow down and stop, I’ll give you my license and registration; and you give me the ticket. If not, you let me go without a ticket.”
The deputy says, “That sounds fair. Please exit your vehicle, sir.” Then the deputy takes out his nightstick and starts beating the daylights out of the lawyer and says, “Do you want me to stop, or just slow down?”

            There is at least one repulsively arrogant “know-it-all” in every crowd! A know-it-all is a person who obnoxiously purports an expansive knowledge of a topic or situation, when in reality, his or her comprehension is inaccurate or limited. Like this lawyer, do you remember that student in school who would ask the teacher “show-off” questions? They weren’t really interested in an answer, but they just wanted to show how smart they were. Do you have a classmate, coworker, or an acquaintance who is a know-it-all? Yes, there is at least one know-it-all in every crowd! (Ladies, why are you looking at your husband’s?)

            The reason why a know-it-all is so insufferable is that they are hypocritical by their very nature. We inherently know that it is impossible for any human being to know everything about anything. Thankfully, most people humbly accept the fact that their knowledge and understanding of the world is limited and they don’t pretend to know-it-all.

            Knowledge is one of the key attributes that separates the Creator from his creation. The Bible tells us that, unlike us, God is omniscient (which is a fancy word that means “all-knowing”). God’s knowledge, wisdom, and understanding are infinite; our knowledge, wisdom, and understanding are finite. He knows himself and all other things perfectly from all eternity, whether they be actual or merely possible, whether they be past present or future. He knows things immediately, simultaneously, exhaustively, and truly. God is the only real know-it-all! In today’s sermon, we will reflect on the omniscience of God.

God is Omniscient

            There are many places throughout the Bible where God’s omniscience is affirmed, but let me highlight three of the clearest examples for you. First, in Psalm 139:1-6, King David proclaims God’s omniscience in beautiful poetic form:

                        O LORD, you have searched me and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O LORD. You hem me in– behind and before; you have laid your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain.

In these verses, David observes that since God is his divine Creator, he knows everything about him. God sees all of his outward actions and all of his inward thoughts. He knows every word that David will speak before it exits his mouth. In the last sentence, David recognizes that God is omniscient and that he is not.

            Second, Proverbs 15:3 asserts, “The eyes of the LORD are everywhere, keeping watch on the wicked and the good.” The “eyes of the Lord” is a metaphor for his omniscience—his ability to see and know everything that happens in the world, whether it is good or evil.

            Third, in Isaiah 46:9-10, God speaks through the prophet and says, “Remember the former things, those of long ago; I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me. I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say: My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.” Only God can know everything because he is eternal and not bound by time. He has always been and always will be—therefore, he knows everything in the past, present, and future.

            How amazing it is to pause and ponder the Divine Being who knows everything that there is to know? Have you ever thought about the fact that God is never surprised, stunned, shocked, or staggered? Have you ever considered that God is never confused, confounded, puzzled, perplexed, bewildered, bemused, or befuddled? He knows everything about himself, us, everyone, and everything. But when we reflect upon God’s omniscience, it should be a source of great comfort and a cause for great alarm!

God’s Omniscience is a Source of Great Comfort

            There are two passages in the Gospel of Matthew where Jesus underscores God’s omniscience as a source of great comfort for his people. In his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus teaches his disciples that they should not babble on in their prayers like the pagans, but instead they should humbly ask God to meet their needs as a father would ask his/her father. Jesus says, in Matthew 6:8, “Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.” It is a great comfort to know that God keeps such a close watch on his children that he already knows what they need before they ask.

            Likewise, in Matthew 10:28-30, Jesus praises the Father for such an intimate knowledge of his creation that not even a simple sparrow can fall to the ground without him knowing about it and that he has every hair on every person’s head individually numbered.

            Now I don’t know how many of you have ever tried to count the hairs on your head, but that would be an incredible feat for most human beings (except we do have a number of church members here today where counting the hairs on your head wouldn’t be all that difficult.) God knows us completely! Isn’t it comforting to know that God knows all of our aches & pains, our insecurities & inconsistencies, and our fears, frustrations, and failures?

            The Christian writer A.W. Tozer, in his excellent book The Knowledge of the Holy, elaborates on God’s omniscience as a source of great comfort:

                        And to us who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope that is set before us in the gospel, how utterly sweet is the knowledge that our Heavenly Father knows us completely. No talebearer can inform on us, no enemy can make an accusation stick, no forgotten skeleton can come tumbling out of some hidden closet to abash us or expose our past; no unsuspected weakness in our character can come to light to turn God away from us, since he knew us utterly before we knew him and called us to himself in the full knowledge of everything that was against us.” (57)

God’s Omniscience is a Cause for Great Alarm

            Yes, God’s omniscience is a source of great comfort, but the flipside of this is that his omniscience is also a cause for great alarm. Most of you have heard the famous biblical story David and Bathsheba: where he saw the beauty bathing on the roof, called her into his bed-chamber, and they both engaged in sin of adultery against their spouses. They both thought that it was just a simple one night love affair. They rationalized it to themselves, thinking, “It was only one time; no one will ever find about it; it won’t hurt anyone.” But their illicit secret went up in smoke when Bathsheba discovered that she was pregnant. And as their cover-up began to unravel, David murdered Bathsheba’s husband to cover up the scandal. Even though they kept it all out of the public limelight, notice how the story ends in II Samuel 11:27—“After the time of mourning was over, David had her brought to his house, and she became his wife and bore him a son. But the thing David had done displeased the LORD.”

            Neither King David nor anyone else can hide anything from God! The New Testament Book of Hebrews makes this truth explicit: “Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.” (Heb. 4:13) He sees and knows everything, and that is a cause for great alarm!

            A small town prosecuting attorney called his first witness to the stand in a trial–an elderly grandmother. He approached her and asked, “Mrs. Jones, do you know me?”
She responded, “Why, yes, I do know you Mr. Williams. I’ve known you since you were a young boy. And frankly, you’ve been a big disappointment to me. You lie, you cheat on your wife, you manipulate people, and you talk about them behind their backs. You think you’re a rising big shot but you haven’t the brains to realize you never will amount to anything more than a two-bit paper pusher. Yes, I know you.”
The lawyer was stunned. Not knowing what else to do, he pointed across the room and asked, “Mrs. Jones, do you know the defense attorney?”
She again replied, “Why, yes I do. I’ve known Mr. Bradley since he was a youngster, too. I used to babysit him for his parents. And he, too, has been a real disappointment to me. He’s lazy, bigoted, and he has a drinking problem. The man can’t build a normal relationship with anyone and his law practice is one of the shoddiest in the entire state. Yes, I know him.”
At this point, the judge called both counselors to the bench. He whispered, “If either of you asks her if she knows me, you’ll be in jail for contempt within 5 minutes!”

            God knows everything about us! Even when we are able to hide our sinful thoughts, words, and deeds from others, God still sees. Does this fact alarm you? It ought to make us think twice before we make sinful decisions. And even when we do sin, it ought to make us confess, repent, and run to Jesus more quickly. How would your daily life change if you were more aware of God’s omniscience?

            Allow me to conclude today’s sermon with a poem written by a woman named Sara Fielder. She wrote it after an argument she had with her husband.

How does it feel to know it all?
I’m curious, do tell
To be so arrogant enough
The rest can go to hell

It must be nice up on your throne
You intellectual snob
To think the world’s so black and white
And we are but it’s dogs.

When others bow and kiss your feet
The hem that trims your robe
Does your huge ego jump for joy
On top but all alone?

And drink the bitter gall
We’ll just sit back as best we can
Obligingly and nod
Yes, yes, you’re right, of course you are
Let’s not forget you’re God.