Pr Joshua Yong

Ps 147:5 – “Great is our Lord, and of great power: his understanding is infinite.”

There is so much to learn about all the different subjects of this world. I once saw an illustration which tried to depict human learning and the acquiring of knowledge. By the time we finish primary and secondary school, we would have acquired a basic understanding of various core subjects such as various languages, mathematics, science, history, geography, the arts and various practical skills. When a person pursues a degree, he gains a specialty. With a master’s degree he deepens that specialty. In pursuing a doctoral degree, a person attempts to push the edge of human knowledge and with all the research the person has done, and in pushing boundaries, he has merely created a small dent in one area of human knowledge.

This illustration shows us how limited and finite our human understanding really is. As we try to acquire more and more knowledge, it only shows us how little our human minds can contain and how little we actually know – information overload is something that all of us have experienced at one point or another in our lives.

We cannot think about God’s knowledge the same way we would think about man’s knowledge. God is omniscient, which means that God knows all things and He has perfect knowledge of all things.

1)  The Meaning of the Omniscience of God

Psalm 147:5 declares, “Great is our Lord, and of great power: his understanding is infinite.” This means that God’s understanding is without measure, and it is unsearchable. The Westminster Shorter Catechism in question 4 regarding God’s omniscience states that “God is infinite, eternal, and unchangeable in His…wisdom.”

This means: “(1) that God is all-knowing, (2) that His omniscience has always been His and always will be His, (3) that He knows all things without exception, and no one can add to or subtract from His knowledge” (Timothy Tow and Jeffrey Khoo, Theology For Every Christian, pg 15)

Therefore, when we speak of the omniscience of God, we are saying that God knows all things all at the same time with a full and perfect knowledge. God’s knowledge is without measure or comparison. God’s perfect knowledge is not something which God acquired at any time, but that which He possesses from eternity past unto eternity future. His perfect knowledge is of everything that has existed, that exists and that will exist in the future. God’s knowledge is unchangeable which means that there is no addition or subtracting from His knowledge. 

2)  The Extent of the Omniscience of God

Psalm 147:5 describes the omniscience of God in relation to His omnipotence – “Great is our Lord, and of great power: his understanding is infinite.” God as the Creator is the designer and the maker of everything. As such, God is the one who perfectly knows everything and how everything works and functions together. This Psalm not only declares the truth of God’s omniscience, it also describes the extent of God’s omniscience. Verse 4 tells us that “He telleth the number of the stars; he calleth them all by their names.” Do you know how many stars there are in the universe? Some scientists estimate that there are about 70 septillion stars in the universe, that is, 7 followed by 23 zeros. Based on this estimation, astronomers think that there are roughly 10,000 stars for every grain of sand in the earth. The problem with these numbers is that these are man’s estimation and merely what scientists have been able to speculate. There could very well be many more stars than what these scientists have speculated. How vast is this universe, yet it is not beyond God’s knowledge, for God knoweth all things. God is the only one who truly knows the number of the stars, for God is the one who created them all.

God even knows each of these stars by name. A name is a personal detail and information that a person or an object has. That God knows the names of these stars tells us that God has knowledge of the intricate details of this whole universe. God’s omniscience does not only extend to the vastness of the universe, it also includes the minutest details of all things. Matthew 10:29, 30 declare – “Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.” The number of hairs on our head changes every day – we shed about 50-100 hairs a day. These are small and ever-changing details that are often ignored by man, yet God has perfect knowledge of all these constant changes all at the same time. This is the extent of God’s knowledge. God knows all things at all times; His knowledge is infinite.

3)  The Application of the Omniscience of God

The truth that God is our omniscient God is a very personal and precious truth. God’s perfect knowledge includes His knowledge of His children. Ps 139:1, 2 - “O LORD, thou hast searched me, and known me. Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off.” 

I recently experienced for myself how wonderful this truth is when my son, Jeremiah, was hospitalised because of fever. The most uncertain part was waiting for three tests results. Was it a urinary tract infection, blood infection or brain infection? During the time of waiting, no one knew what the outcome would be, but we knew that God knows and that He is sovereign and that all things work together for good. The results finally came back that it was a urinary tract infection that could be easily treated, and we are thankful that we were able to learn the lesson of faith and patience.

This covid pandemic has been a time of great uncertainty. We do not know when this pandemic will end or if there is even an end. Scientists and doctors are still trying to determine the origin of this pandemic, and while the search continues, we know that God already knows the beginning and the end of this pandemic. He knows how long this pandemic will last and He also knows what each one of us may be going through in the midst of this pandemic.

Because God knows all things, we must trust in Him, for we also know that He is in control of all things.

It is so comforting to know that God knows and that things are not really in a state of flux or unrest. What we need to do is to trust God, to cling on to Him and to pray. The omniscience of God is one of the most meaningful reasons for prayer. When we pray we must pray knowing that our God knows all things and He will lovingly answer according to what is best for His children. Knowing that God knows is never a hindrance to prayer, but it encourages prayer, for we know that we are communing with our God who not only knows but who cares for us personally and intimately.