They know not the thoughts of the LORD

Micah 4:12

But they know not the thoughts of the LORD, neither understand they his counsel: for he shall gather them as the sheaves into the floor.

Israel has, over the centuries, been the brunt of many nations and their hatred against the ways of God and the people of God. It has often been their ignoble plight. And many have thought that they could eradicate the nation of Israel and the people of God. Many even this day are attempting to do this very thing—to wipe off the map of the world the one nation that has an eternal covenant with God. This nation shall never be successful destroyed! As this verse and others so clearly indicate, all nations will come against Jerusalem one day, thinking they will defile and decimate it forever. But they are wrong. Dead wrong! For they know not the thoughts of the Lord! Neither understand they his counsel! They do not know that Christ Himself will come to Jerusalem, and from that holy place, rule over the whole world! They do not know that the kingdom shall come to the daughter of Jerusalem! They know not! It hasn’t come into their minds! They are ignorant, knowing nothing! They are not anticipating the great victory that Christ will enact for His people.

And, my dear friends, the same is true with all of us. No one knows the thoughts of the Lord. Things may look bleak or unfortunate. Things may seem to point to an ignoble end. But we know not the thoughts of the Lord! We do not understand His counsel! It would be rather foolish for us to try to determine it all and lay it all out. We could never know it in its entirely. Does He not say, “No man can find out the work that God maketh from beginning to end”? Yes! No man! We know not His thoughts. As the heaven is higher than the earth, so are his ways higher than our ways, and His thoughts higher than our thoughts. We cannot know it all! Let God reign, and do not seek to reign yourself. May the Lord teach all of us this! The counsel of the Lord standeth for ever, the thoughts of his heart to all generations! Whatsoever the Lord does, nothing can be put to it, nor anything taken from it. His thoughts will stand! His counsel will stand! Trust in Him! Be not afraid of any evil tidings! Let your heart be fixed, trusting in the Lord! And do not be concerned with understanding all that He is doing. We must simply obey Him and follow His commands, and He shall line up all the rest.

“Father, we thank you for an encouraging and faithful reminder to all of us. We know that all things are in your hands, and directed by your divine purposes. May we not seek to compute and conclude all of your will at this time, but let us be obedient to you. May we trust in the promise here and in other places, that your thoughts are on us for good, to give us an expected end. And we shall truly praise you for it. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”