This song by Ron Hamilton I’m reposting to start my new year. I wanted to give a few minutes of study to the song and the history and perhaps a deeper revelation to the words of this song.
This song has given me much encouragement in my life, although I’m an unlearned singer, I’ve attempted to share the heart of the song’s author, with my voice and my life of trials, failures, and victories. But the victories are only His fruit not of mine, though the fruit is little because of my lack of faith from time to time it is still His fruit. I hope you enjoy at least the lyrics.
Ron Hamilton had cancer in his eye. This was quite a trial for him to understand God’s will. Why would God do this to him? He was a faithful man and raising a family. Why would God give him this to save his life he needed to give up his eye. This song came from his thoughts and prayer to the Lord. It also gave inspiration for a series of books and videos called “Patch the Pirate” for child evangelism.
However, this song gave me pause to think about a mystery that is in the all-knowing God. Why doesn’t he know everything?
Now for the reader for thousands of years, there has been much explanation of why God does, or did, this or that. Some things man has tried to explain God who he is and what he is. But, sometimes in our human exercise to explain God in our human mind is like a child trying to explain how cars move or the wind blows. Children come up with some quite imaginary fantasies. When I was lying in the back seat of my parents’ Chevy Malibu traveling back from my aunt’s house, I noticed that the light from the street lights would travel like a beam starting at the front of the car and stay fixed on the car even as we traveled under it and past it. I therefore theorized that these beams of light must be attaching themselves to the car and pulling and then pushing the car creating propulsion. Wow, I figured out how cars work.
During the Arian debates, the discussion was how could God be one if he was three(Father, Son, and Holy Spirit). And Jews, and polytheists alike questioned this new religion that claimed to be serving one God but served three. To Jews Christians were polytheists, and to the polytheists Christians were just like them. How to resolve these things became important in the 300s. So ministers and bishops came up with theories and then developed a word theology. Which might mean “theory of religion” Unfortunately these ministers owned these theories, and wanted to defend them. They lost the thought of theory, just like evolutionist today have lost the theory and established it as fact. In doing this they created endless debates and divisions. What I find interesting is that before 300 AD and Constantine’s power over the church, believers didn’t need any creeds they just believed. This simple belief might have been strongest when those who knew the apostles were preaching and teaching. So, what I share is just theory, maybe not theology, just some thoughts that don’t need agreement just how I have answered why God doesn’t know everything.
He said, "Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me" (Genesis 22:12).
They built the high places of Baal in the valley of the son of Hinnom, to offer up their sons and daughters to Molech, though I did not command them, nor did it enter my mind that they should do this abomination, causing Judah to sin (Jeremiah 32:35).
In the Ron Hamilton song, there is a lyric “God knows the end of each path that I take” That intrigued me and gave me some direction as I looked into the question above. Some say that God chooses not to know. For our benefit, but he did choose to look through the end of time and found “non righteous no not one” In that it reveals our need of him, not that he needs us but he voluntarily loves not because of need but solely out of desire. From the beginning of time, he knew we needed a savior. He knew he needed to withdraw the Holy Spirit from man for 400 years before Christ. To deliver again only to those who believe in him. Which perhaps is the way it has always been to receive the Holy Spirit to only those who believe. It is said that the Holy Spirit draws man to God through Christ. That might be a way He works it might be his task. Then when one now believes a connection is created by embedding this same spirit that groans for our souls’ condition and either comforts us when we do right or rebukes us when we do wrong. But, we will know it is the Holy Spirit communicating with us because Jesus said He will bear witness of Him(Jesus). So the absurdities we hear, The Holy Spirit told me not to eat anymore and to die, doesn’t bear witness to Jesus but rather bears witness to the evil one, because he wants a separation between God and man. But the Holy Spirit wants to increase our relationship with Jesus and the Father. Because all three are one. When you know one you know all three. There are those in the time and times past who knew about God But didn’t know God. The stoics are like that. They knew about God but never knew Him. So they could reflect an image of godliness but, lacking the power. They had power but failed in that very power because self-preservation kept them from coming to the full knowledge of God. We too could turn our backs on the knowledge of Christ for order and reconciliation, but, not motivated by love. Therefore we could become like the stoics knowing all but not bringing ourselves to the altar of grace and asking Christ to pay the price of sin in our lives. But, the beauty in God, is this thing called free will. This is another evidence of the Holy Spirit that he won’t compel you as satan will. He will ask of you, but won’t compell. True Christian faith is based on this principle. The only God that does allow free will is God. Or Christian faith. That’s why this question of “Does God know the future”, can be a debate that divides because we want people to believe what we have studied and are convinced about God. I would like to propose that it is difficult for us to see and understand our creator other than what he has revealed in his word, which is Christ. But, what this foreknowledge I’m embarking on is only a suggestion that came from meditation on this song. I have no way to prove it. But, I will ask that you dis-prove the following. And to disagree is fine. I’m not suggesting that my limited view on this subject is the answer. But, it is the only one I can understand as a human. But in the end does my proposal witness Christ and what His word reveals about Him?
So, each of us takes paths in life these are our own choices we make emotionally or logically, or by some other method. It’s still our choice. A psychologist one time said that we make choices and make justification for those choices. That could be true. But these paths, lead us to make more choices, because of rewards or consequences. This is in each of our lives. So in this song, it says God knows the “end of each path we take”
When we have children, we notice that they make the same mistakes we made. We can see the choices they are making are going to lead them down a path of pain or joy. Why because we have lived life. We are like a man standing on a tall building looking down into traffic. We see the car four blocks away before an intersection. We see the policeman sitting in his car with a radar gun. We see the person ready to walk across the street legally, and we see all the “j” walkers. So we can see the future of the car four blocks away based upon his choice. That is how we know that if our children make a choice one way that path will lead to one thing or another. Similarly, our Father would be seeing our lives. Like the man on the building who sees all. He only becomes all-knowing by the choices those driving the car make.
For instance, if the car that is four blocks away, doesn’t go straight at each block on the thoroughfare, and let us say he takes a right at the first block he comes to, then he will not encounter the “j” walker crossing the street and won’t hit him. But, he will now encounter another problem. It could be men working in a manhole. and the traffic is stopped. Then this man needs to make another choice—anger or decision making—logic or emotion. God isn’t in control. We are. He sees the end of each choice we make because time doesn’t limit him neither does emotion or logic. And even the bad choice can be rectified or redeemed by making another choice. So, the car is blocked in by traffic, now sees an opening to take a left turn, he does and then sees he can take another left, and which will put him back on the main thoroughfare. He will be back on the path that God wants him on. So, perhaps it’s like the old decision trees we would use before computers. If I do this, I get this if I do that I get that.
This is a simple one.
A more complicated decision tree is our life whereby God influences us by adding to our knowledge of comfort, and reproof. When he does this it influences us to follow that direction despite our failures in life. So, while I can’t attempt to draw it or find one so complicated on the internet, I will let you know in words what I mean. Let us say all decisions to the right take you toward a closer walk with God or in which you are in communion with Him. Now take the left as ones that draw you from being used by God and being influenced by other than God’s best intentions for you and Him.
So you take a step and take a left. You feel a rebuke, then you take a right. you feel a comfort. I won’t get into the type of comfort or rebuke just understand some are driven by self, and those that are driven by the Holy Spirit. Daniel gives some examples to go by. As you make the right decisions you will enjoy humility and trials, you will still have peace in those trials and not in self-justification but, comfort that God is in control of your life, and you are at rest that even if you have made left turns from time to time that the trials aren’t always because of a wrong turn but so you can know yourself better and in your obedience or disobedience God can see the next trial you will encounter based upon the decision you made. So he will know how to influence you to accomplish His will in your life. So now a person that makes all left turns in life, God doesn’t forsake him. “No man can pluck him from my hand” That left-handed man will still be under the influence of the Holy Spirit, and can turn right at any point! That’s the beauty of the free will of man, that God has given us. We are free to make our choices and live with our consequences. However again the left-handed (by the way I’m left-handed, and have made many left-handed choices) that when he starts making right-handed choices he also finds peace, despite all the consequences he has brought upon himself. The joy he has now is he can now endure these consequences because he has stopped blaming God and is just happy to have his name written in the lamb’s book of life. He too although was a harlot has a promise in heaven. The right-handed man still faces his trials, wealth or rank, or lineage, which can draw him to the left although he thinks he is courageous and right. He can know this isn’t a witness of Jesus. A symptom of self-righteousness is how you treat others; Lukewarmness is also how you treat your neighbor.
So, in all, I would have to say there is quite a bit of value in the song. It could express how God is all-knowing but needs to see our choices in life to help us along. So the only need God has from us, is for us, to step out in faith and trust him as did Abraham. So God can see the next test in life he will need to help provide a way of escape if need be. Be keen to the Holy Spirit friend. It is how we are sealed until the day of redemption
Now since you loved me enough to forgive my untrained voice I will give you a treat to hear this song how it was intended.
Enjoy
jmacwrites
Share this post