Go! And Know the Lord: Reject Ignorance and Return to the Knowledge of God
Hosea 4:6 (NLT) — “My people are being destroyed because they don’t know me. Since you priests refuse to know me, I refuse to recognise you as my priests. Since you have forgotten the laws of your God, I will forget to bless your children.”
Introduction: The Tragedy of Forgetting God
Imagine a nation once built on faith, now drowning in spiritual ignorance. Imagine a people who once worshipped the living God but now worship their own desires. Imagine priests — spiritual leaders — who have turned from proclaiming God’s Word to promoting their own opinions.
Friends, that is not just ancient Israel. That is our world today.
Hosea 4:6 is not just a verse from history — it is a mirror to our present age. God’s people were destroyed not by the strength of their enemies, not by political failure, but by spiritual ignorance: “My people are being destroyed because they don’t know me.”
This is God’s heartbreak. His people no longer knew Him. They had information about religion but no intimacy with their Redeemer.
The same danger faces the 21st-century Church. We have more access to Bibles, sermons, podcasts, and theology than ever before — and yet, many Christians do not truly know the Lord.
This morning, the Lord calls us: “Go! And Know the Lord. Reject Ignorance. Return to the Knowledge of God.”
Point 1: The Knowledge That Saves — Knowing About God Is Not the Same as Knowing God
The Hebrew word used here for “know” is yada‘ — it means intimate, experiential knowledge. It’s not academic awareness; it’s relational connection. The same word is used in Genesis 4:1: “Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived.”
God isn’t lamenting that His people failed a theology test. He’s lamenting that His people lost relationship with Him.
They had religion, rituals, and rules — but no relationship. They knew about God, but they did not know God.
Philippians 3:10 (NLT): “I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead.”
Paul uses the Greek word ginosko — experiential knowing — the same deep intimacy. The greatest apostle’s desire wasn’t just to serve Christ, but to know Him.
Charles Stanley once said, “You will never be satisfied with religion when what your heart truly craves is relationship.”
And that’s the heart of Hosea’s message. When we settle for religion without relationship, knowledge without obedience, truth without transformation — destruction follows.
In our modern context, many say, “I believe in God,” but live as if He doesn’t exist. We’ve become consumers of Christianity rather than disciples of Christ. We download sermons, but rarely open our Bibles. We attend services, but fail to seek His face.
If you want to truly know the Lord, you must spend time in His presence — in prayer, in His Word, in obedience.
The Forgotten Map
A traveller once set out on a long journey through mountains. He had a perfect map but left it folded in his pocket. When storms came, he became lost. Only later did he remember the map he had never opened.
Many believers live the same way. God’s Word — the map of life — sits unopened while we try to navigate storms on our own. Then we wonder why we feel lost.
The Lord says today: “Come back to Me. Open the map. Know Me.”
Point 2: The Danger of Rejecting God’s Knowledge
Hosea continues, “Since you priests refuse to know me, I refuse to recognise you as my priests. Since you have forgotten the laws of your God, I will forget to bless your children.”
The tragedy of ignorance becomes a cycle of rejection — when we reject God’s truth, we are rejected from the blessing of His presence.
The Hebrew word translated “refuse” is ma’as — it means “to despise, to reject with disdain.” Israel didn’t merely forget accidentally; they chose to ignore God.
Romans 1:28 (NLT): “Since they thought it foolish to acknowledge God, he abandoned them to their foolish thinking and let them do things that should never be done.”
When a society deliberately removes God from its thoughts, schools, and laws, destruction is inevitable.
Tim Keller once wrote, “If your god never disagrees with you, you might just be worshipping an idealised version of yourself.”
Israel’s priests redefined God to fit their desires — and today, many do the same. We reimagine truth to justify sin, redefine morality to suit comfort, and rebrand holiness as intolerance. But the Lord remains holy, righteous, and true.
We must not reshape God to suit our age — we must let His Word reshape us. Knowledge of God requires submission to God.
Proverbs 1:7 (NLT): “Fear of the Lord is the foundation of true knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.”
True knowledge begins with reverence — with a heart that bows before His authority.
Point 3: The Call to Return — Knowing the Lord Again
Later, Hosea calls the people to repentance in Hosea 6:3 (NLT): “Oh, that we might know the Lord! Let us press on to know him. He will respond to us as surely as the arrival of dawn.”
What grace! Even after rebellion, the Lord invites them to return. The same God whose heart broke over their ignorance now opens His arms in mercy.
The Hebrew word for “press on” — radaf — means to pursue eagerly, to chase with purpose. This isn’t a passive knowing; it’s passionate pursuit.
John Piper says, “God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him.”
When we pursue knowing God above all else, our hearts find their true satisfaction.
Jeremiah 9:23–24 (NLT): “Don’t let the wise boast in their wisdom... But those who wish to boast should boast in this alone: that they truly know me and understand that I am the Lord who demonstrates unfailing love.”
Return to a life centred on knowing God. Turn off the noise of the world. Rebuild your altar of prayer. Open your Bible not to find principles, but to encounter the Person of Jesus Christ.
Illustration 2: The Lost Connection
A mobile phone with full signal can still lose connection if it’s switched off. The network is available — but the device is disconnected.
In the same way, God’s presence surrounds us, His Word speaks, His Spirit moves — but if our hearts are switched off, we miss His voice.
Friend, it’s time to reconnect. Turn your heart back on. The line is open. He’s waiting.
Point 4: The Knowledge of God Revealed in Jesus Christ
All of Scripture points to this: to truly know God, we must know Jesus.
John 14:7 (NLT): “If you had really known me, you would know who my Father is. From now on, you do know him and have seen him!”
Jesus is the full revelation of the God Hosea longed for Israel to know. The knowledge of God is not found in religion, but in relationship with Jesus Christ.
The Greek word epignosis — used in the New Testament — means “full, complete knowledge.” That’s what we receive in Christ.
Colossians 2:2–3 (NLT): “God’s secret plan… is Christ himself. In him lie hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.”
R.T. Kendall once wrote, “To know the Word without knowing the Author is like reading love letters from someone you never intend to meet.”
Jesus is not only the Author — He is the Living Word. Through His death, burial, and resurrection, He opened the way for us to know God personally.
The Gospel: From Ignorance to Intimacy
At the cross, Jesus bore the destruction our ignorance deserved.
He who knew no sin became sin for us. He was forsaken so we could be forgiven.
When He rose again, He defeated death — not only to give us eternal life, but to restore us to relationship with the Father.
Friend, you can know about Jesus and still be lost — but when you know Him personally, you are saved.
John 17:3 (NLT): “And this is the way to have eternal life—to know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, the one you sent to earth.”
Eternal life is not just a destination — it’s a relationship.
Call to Action: Go! And Know the Lord
Reject ignorance. Open the Word daily. Seek truth, not trends.
Return to intimacy. Pray like someone who’s in love with God, not merely loyal to duty.
Renew your mind. Let God’s truth shape your thoughts, words, and actions.
Reach others. Share the knowledge of Christ with a world perishing in ignorance.
Max Lucado once said, “The maker of the stars would rather die for you than live without you.”
That is the heart of the Gospel — a God who longs to be known.
Invitation to Salvation:
If today you realise that you have heard about God but never truly known Him — come to Jesus. Repent of your sin. Believe that He died for you and rose again. Surrender your life to Him.
He is not far away. The moment you call on His name, He will meet you where you are.
Romans 10:9 (NLT): “If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”
Conclusion:
Friends, the call of Hosea echoes through the centuries:
“My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.”
But today, God offers restoration:
“Oh, that we might know the Lord! Let us press on to know Him.”
Go, therefore, and know the Lord.
Reject ignorance. Return to intimacy.
Live not as the world lives, but as those who truly know their Redeemer.
Benediction:
May the Lord bless you with revelation knowledge of His truth.
May the Holy Spirit deepen your intimacy with Jesus Christ.
And may your life reflect the glory of the One you now truly know —
To Him be glory forever and ever. Amen.
