Hosea 6:3

The quest of Divine knowledge.

In the Old Testament prominence is given to the intellectual as well as to the practical side of religion. To the Hebrew, religion was no mere matter of routine and ceremony; it consisted in an acquaintance with the character and will of the Supreme, and in a practical obedience. In this the authority of Old Testament Scripture is very apparent. True religion as distinguished from human superstition is based upon an appeal to the intelligence.

I. THE AIM . This is, "to know the Lord." Such knowledge was opposed to the idolatry into which Israel had been tempted; it involved recovery to the worship and service of Jehovah. Revelation has made an extended knowledge of God possible to man. And in his Son Jesus Christ, our heavenly Father has made himself more fully known than even by the Law and the prophets. We may know God by the way of discovery, by the way of experimental acquaintance, and still more fully by the way of voluntary conformity.

II. THE MEANS . This is by "following on," an expression which implies that it is not by a single effort, but by sustained endeavor, that we are to come to the knowledge of our God and Savior. This quest of Divine knowledge must be undertaken and carried on urgently and strenuously, in the right direction, under Divine guidance, perseveringly and persistently, and without discouragement.

III. THE PROMISE . "Then shall we know." Or, if this be not an exact translation, it may be said to represent the spirit and tenor of the passage. "Let us know," i . e . we may if we will, and if we will aright. In the quest of other kinds of knowledge we may be disappointed. It may be too high for us; our powers may be too feeble. In the pursuit of some knowledge success may be a curse. But this is a sure, a precious, a gracious promise. For "this is life eternal, to know the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom he has sent."—T.