“Know the God of your father, and serve Him with a loyal heart and with a willing mind; for the LORD searches all hearts and understands all the intent of the thoughts. If you seek Him, He will be found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will cast you off forever.” (1 Chronicles 28:9)

What an amazing Old Testament verse! It aligns perfectly with the New Testament Gospel and the journey of spiritual maturity toward Christlikeness.

Historical Background

At the end of King David’s reign, he prepared for the smooth transition of power to his son, Solomon. Included in that effort were his instructions for the building of the first Temple. David wanted to build it, yet God prohibited it because David had been a “man of war” (1 Chronicles 28:3). David had obeyed God, was a man after God’s own heart (1 Samuel 13:14), and had a passionate desire to build the Temple for God. Yet even with all those fantastic qualifications, God still chose Solomon to build it instead of David.

So David did what he could. He accumulated all the materials and plans for the construction. He made alliances with neighboring countries for the required resources. And, most importantly, he gave Solomon incredible spiritual advice—advice that is still meaningful for us today.

The instruction as a whole is wonderful. But the hidden, subtle meanings embedded within keywords reveal its richness. Breaking them down identifies the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the journey of spiritual maturity into Christlikeness—all in one verse!

Know God

The Hebrew word translated as “know” (yada) means more than the accumulation or appreciation of knowledge. It means to know and be known intimately. Scriptures uses this word euphemistically for sexual intimacy and interaction between a husband and wife. For example, “ Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain” (Genesis 4:1). Such intimacy goes beyond mere head knowledge and reaches the heart—the private, inner, core of each person.

Jesus alluded to this intimacy when He said, “I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own” (John 10:14). His usage of the Greek word translated “know” also indicates a relational, experiential, intimate knowledge that supersedes superficial head knowledge. It’s the difference between knowing about God and knowing Him personally and intimately.

Such knowing is a shared openness, experience, and trust in the pursuit of mutual intimacy. Don’t settle for mere knowledge about God or a superficial engagement with Him. Go deeper. Open your heart, mind, soul, and will to intimately know Him and become known of Him. This knowing begins with spiritual rebirth. Jesus said this supernatural miracle happens when a person is “born from above” (John 3:3, 7).

 Nate’s book, Called to Christlikeness, not Christianity – Purchase here.

This is an updated edition of a post originally published on Nate Stevens.

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About the Author

A lifelong student of Scripture, Nate Stevens has also enjoyed a banking career in a variety of leadership roles. He is the author of Matched 4 Life and Deck Time with Jesus as well as a contributing author on several of the Moments Books (Billy Graham Moments, Divine Moments, Spoken Moments, Christmas Moments, Stupid Moments, Cool-inary Moments, etc.). He writes online devotionals for ChristianDevotions.us and SingleMatters.com as well as articles for several other publications. Additionally, he leads Fusion, a Christian singles ministry he co-founded. A popular speaker and teacher at conferences, seminars and Bible study groups, he speaks on a wide variety of topics. He currently lives near Charlotte, North Carolina, with his beautiful wife, Karen, and is a proud dad of two awesome kids, Melissa and Mitchell.

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