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Deeply Known yet Deeply Loved
“The spirit of man is the lamp of the Lord,
searching all his innermost parts” (Proverbs 20:27).
Proverbs are often very straightforward to interpret. Sometimes, however, they are less clear. This is especially because sometimes the context does not offer a lot of clues as to the meaning.
Second, often other passages in the Bible shed light on other Scriptures. I think 1 Corinthians 2:10–11 is helpful in connection with this verse. It says, “the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. For who knows a person’s thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God” (v. 10b-11).
So, the Spirit searches everything. It’s sometimes hard to know our own thoughts and feelings and what’s really going on deep inside of us (see Prov. 20:5). But to the Lord, our spirit is like a light, it reveals what’s going on inside the core of us. The Lord sees all of it, even the innermost recesses of our hearts (see also Prov. 21:2; 24:12; Lk. 16:15). And the Lord will “bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart” (1 Cor. 4:5). That is a rather scary prospect.
That gets us to our third insight to consider. Although none is truly pure in their hearts (see Prov. 20:9)—“none is righteous, no not one” (Rom. 3:10)—whosoever will trust in Jesus, the perfectly pure one, will be cleansed of their sin and will be given clothes of righteousness and a new heart, a heart that beats to do the Lord’s will.
How good to know that God knows us through and through, better than we even know ourselves. And yet, through Jesus, He still loves us through and through.
We are thoroughly known and yet, through Jesus, thoroughly loved too.
I’m amazed and thankful for that.
in X 