Two-and-a-half years ago, I authored a post discussing The Imperative to Know God. The message was a simple one: Spiritual ignorance makes one ripe for worldly pursuits and the poor decisions that follow.

We were made by God to know God. He desires that we grow in our knowledge of Him and His purpose for us. In so doing, we not only nurture our love for Him but we come to know the peace and the joy that such knowledge begets.

This post recently came to mind as I was reading through the book of Isaiah, specifically verse 5:13:

“Therefore my people go into exile for lack of knowledge;
their honored men go hungry,
and their multitude is parched with thirst.”

This verse is a vital component of the larger prophetic message of Isaiah 5 in which the prophet delivers God’s judgment against Israel’s southern kingdom, Judah. It conveys a strong warning regarding the consequences of spiritual and moral failure.

Such failure is a consequence of intellectual and spiritual ignorance. As noted in my earlier post, I have been there. This ignorance made me incapable of understanding God’s will for me, His love of me, and the consequences of my disobedience.

Those consequences stem from God’s judgment. As Isaiah makes clear in 5:13, divine judgment is forthcoming for all of us. Judah’s disobedience would precipitate exile and deprivation – a deprivation that is symbolic of both physical need and spiritual emptiness.

Disobedience to God stems from illiteracy of His word and His will. As documented in the Bible’s Old Testament, Judah rejected His wisdom and truth. It abandoned God’s ways and was subjected to His judgment of exile to Babylon, just as the Lord had cautioned through His prophets.

I offer my thoughts below on two critical questions:

1. What is the application of Isaiah 5:13 today?
2. How do we cultivate our knowledge of God?

Regarding the first, this verse is a wake-up call to the importance of seeking and valuing God’s truth. It further warns about the consequences of moral and spiritual apathy, especially among leaders of men. Perhaps most importantly, it is an encouragement to cultivate a deep, living relationship with God, not simply a cursory acknowledgement of His existence.

So, how do we make that happen?

A pastor friend of mine wisely advised that one cannot have a relationship with God without an understanding of scripture. This does not simply mean memorizing key Bible verses or studying the big stories that many of us were exposed to in Sunday school. It means comprehending the Bible’s overall narrative, seeing that it is not a tethering of unrelated anecdotes but a single, awesome and loving rendering of God’s “creation-to-salvation” plan for the restoration of man.

Certainly, this undertaking may, at times, seem overwhelming – particularly in the midst of Leviticus. But the rewards of perseverance are considerable (more below).

Two suggestions: first, set aside time each day for worship, prayer and Bible study – ideally upon waking. Second, get help and/or inspiration. Two of my favorite sources for doing so are The Bible Project (the animated overviews of each chapter are very enlightening} and The Bible Recap offering a daily summation and interpretation of each day’s reading. Links to these and selected resources are available HERE.

The benefits to knowing God are profound. I made reference earlier to the peace and joy that such knowledge engenders. In a previous post, I argued that the Bible validates God’s existence. I believe that a diligent, thoughtful study of scripture could lead to no other conclusion. And as God has Himself reminded us through His prophet Isaiah, knowledge and obedience to His will prepares each of us for the divine judgment we will inevitably face.