Those who know their God shall be strong...

"And such as do wickedly against the covenant shall he corrupt by flatteries; But the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits"(Dan 11:32).

There is difference between knowing God and knowing about Him. One can know great theology but have very little intimacy with God. Although you can have great knowledge about God and not really know God you can't have one without the other. We need a correct theology of God but not as an end in itself but as a means to growing in intimacy with God. Daniel writes, "but the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits." Concerning this passage J. I. Packer writes, "In context, this statement is introduced by "but" and set in contrasts to the activity of the contemptible person" (v.21)who sets up "the abomination that causes desolation" and corrupts by smooth and flattering talk those whose loyalty to God's covenant has failed (vv. 31-32). This shows that the action taken by those who know God is their reaction to the anti-God trends which they see operating around them. While their God is being defied or disregarded, they cannot rest; they feel they must do something; the dishonor done to God's name goads them into action." Like Daniel, those who truly know God don't just talk theology in a safe environment, they are willing to stand and preach the the life changing gospel of Jesus Christ in the face of a hostile society. "Those who know their God are sensitive to situations in which God's truth and honor are being directly or tacitly jeopardize, and rather than let the matter go by default will force the issue on men's attention and seek thereby to compel a change of heart about it--even at personal risk" (J.I. Packer).

Those who know God and not just truths about God are truly the ones who make a difference even in a corrupt and wicked society. In the light of these truths how do we turn our knowledge about God into knowledge of God? "The rule for doing this is simple but demanding. It is that we turn each truth that we learn about God into matter for meditation before God, leading to prayer and praise to God." What is meditation? "It is often a matter of arguing with oneself about God out of moods of doubt, into a clear apprehension of God's power and grace" (J.I. Packer).