#130: God Omniscient
And one of his servants said, “None my Lord, O King; but Elisha, the prophet who is in Israel, tells the king of Israel the words that you speak in your bedroom.
II Kings 6:12 NKJV
What can a servant of an ancient Syrian king teach us about God? While King Ben-Hadad was hunting for a spy within his own camp, one of his servants came forward to tell him the truth. There were no spies in the Syrian camp but rather there was a prophet, Elisha, who told the King of Israel the words that Ben-Hadad spoke in his bedroom. Elisha wasn’t sneaking into the King’s bedroom to listen to his conversations, rather this servant shows us that the God of Israel, and our God, knew what Ben-Hadad said and revealed it to Elisha. God is omniscient. God is all knowing.
“Great is our Lord, and mighty in power; His understanding is infinite” (Psalm 147:5). One of the great attributes of God is His omniscience. He knows all things. His wisdom and knowledge is perfect. He knows the heart of man, the needs of man, the sin of man, the concerns of man. He declares “the end from the beginning and from ancient times things that are not yet done” (Isaiah 46:10). He has no teachers or counselors for none compare unto Him. “His understanding is unsearchable” (Isaiah 40:28).
Because God is all knowing is it a great thing to consider His ability to reveal the words of King Ben-Hadad to the prophet Elisha? Certainly this is well within God’s power and might to accomplish and the servant of the king knew this.
Some have speculated that perhaps the servant was general Naaman. While it could be we must also remember that many Syrians were with Naaman when he went to Israel and met Elisha. Many Syrians were with king Ben-Hadad when he gave Naaman leave to go to Israel and when Naaman returned and presented himself free of leprosy. Ban-Hadad and his servants were no novices when it came to the power of the Lord God of Israel and the revelation of His knowledge to His servant Elisha.
The omniscience of God brings tremendous fear upon the wicked. They desire to be deceitful and cunning and He thwarts their ways and lays bare their wicked plans and deeds. They will continue to work against Him and will perish in their sin without ever accomplishing that which they set out to do for the Lord restrains the ways of the wicked.
The omniscience of God should bring great joy and increase the faith of the Christian. Though all the world plot against us we need not fear for God knows the plans of the wicked and He is able to deliver us. More than forty men made a conspiracy against Paul in Acts 23. They would not eat or drink until they had killed him. The Lord used a young boy to warn the chief captain of the plot who in turn kept Paul out of their hands. Haman built great gallows on which to hang Mordecai and it was on those gallows Haman was hung. The wicked thought they could destroy Jesus once and for all by nailing Him to a tree and killing Him. But He who laid down His life had the power to raise up His life and did so on the third day completing and accomplishing salvation for His people.
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