God's Omniscience and Sovereign Care in Theology
God's omniscience refers to His perfect and complete knowledge of all things, past, present, and future, actual and possible [7]. This attribute is foundational to understanding God's sovereign care, as His ability to know everything enables Him to govern and provide for His creation. The psalmist in Psalm 139 meditates extensively on God's omniscience, acknowledging that God has "searched me, and known me" [7]. This knowledge extends to every aspect of an individual's life, from their thoughts to their actions [3].
The doctrine of God's omniscience is asserted in various biblical texts. For instance, Proverbs 15:3 states, "The eyes of the Lord are in every place," which John Gill interprets as an expression of God's omniscience, indicating His full, clear, distinct, and perfect knowledge of all creatures and things [8]. This knowledge means that nothing is hidden from Him; all is open and manifest to Him [8]. Matthew Henry, in his commentary on Psalm 139, emphasizes that this doctrine should fill believers with devotion and wonder [3].
God's omniscience is intrinsically linked to His omnipresence; because God is everywhere, He knows all things [3]. This is not merely a passive awareness but an active, searching knowledge, as suggested by the phrase "thou hast searched me" in Psalm 139:1 [7]. This comprehensive knowledge is a source of comfort for the godly, as it assures them of God's constant awareness and care [5]. The psalmist applies this doctrine to acknowledge God's continuous care throughout his life, recognizing that God's thoughts towards him were "thoughts of love, thought of good, and not of evil" [2]. God's omniscience, which could potentially be used to harm, is instead employed for the good of His people [2].
The concept of God's sovereign care flows directly from His omniscience. Sovereignty, in the context of God, refers to His absolute right to act according to His own good pleasure [1]. This includes His ability to govern all things, as seen in passages like Daniel 4:25, 35 and Romans 9:15-23 [1]. The fact that God knows everything allows Him to exercise His sovereign will effectively, ensuring that His purposes are fulfilled. The "fulness" of God, encompassing all divine excellence, is said to dwell in Christ, indicating the comprehensive nature of God's being and power [6]. This "fulness" includes His omniscience and His capacity for sovereign rule.
The unity of God is also a related concept, as there is "One God and Father of all" [4]. This singularity implies that there is only one eternal, infinite, omnipotent, and all-sufficient Being who is the first cause of all things [4]. This singular, all-knowing God is the one who exercises sovereign care over His creation. The providence of God, which is also connected to His omniscience, extends to all persons generally and to His own people particularly, reaching everywhere due to His infinite and omnipresent nature [8].
Sources
- Easton's Bible Dictionary “Easton's Bible Dictionary: Sovereignty — Of God, his absolute right to do all things according to his own good pleasure (Dan. 4:25, 35; Rom. 9:15-23; 1 Tim. 6:15; Rev. 4:11).”
- Psalms (Nonconformist/Puritan) “Matthew Henry on Psalms 139:17: Here the psalmist makes application of the doctrine of God's omniscience, divers ways. I. He acknowledges, with wonder and thankfulness, the care God had taken of him all his days, Psa 139:17, Psa 139:18. God, who knew him, thought of him, and his thoughts towards him were thoughts of love, thought of good, and not of evil, Jer 29:11. God's omniscience, which might justly have watched over us to do us hurt, has been employed for us, and has watched over us to do us good, Jer 31:28. God's counsels concerning us and our welfare have been, 1. Precious to admiration”
- Psalms (Nonconformist/Puritan) “Matthew Henry on Psalms 139 (introduction): Some of the Jewish doctors are of opinion that this is the most excellent of all the psalms of David; and a very pious devout meditation it is upon the doctrine of God's omniscience, which we should therefore have our hearts fixed upon and filled with in singing this psalm. I. This doctrine is here asserted, and fully laid down (Psa 139:1-6). II. It is confirmed by two arguments: - 1. God is every where present; therefore he knows all (Psa 139:7-12). 2. He made us, therefore he knows us (Psa 139:13-16). III. Some inferences are drawn from this doctri”
- Ephesians (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Ephesians 4:6: One God and Father of all,.... That there is but one God is the voice of nature and of revelation; and may be concluded from the perfections of deity, for there can be but one eternal, infinite, immense, omnipotent, all-sufficient, perfect, and independent Being; and from one first cause of all things, and the relations he stands in to his creatures: there is but one God, who is truly, and really, and properly God, in opposition to all nominal and figurative deities, and which are not gods by nature, and to the fictitious deities and idols of the nations; and there ”
- Psalms (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Psalms 139:3: 139:3-6 The Lord’s omniscience and omnipotence provide comfort to the godly, but they imprison the hearts of the wicked (2:3).”
- Colossians (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on Colossians 1:19: Greek, "(God) was well pleased," &c. in him--that is, in the Son (Mat 3:17). all fulness--rather as Greek, "all the fulness," namely, of God, whatever divine excellence is in God the Father (Col 2:9; Eph 3:19; compare Joh 1:16; Joh 3:34). The Gnostics used the term "fulness," for the assemblage of emanations, or angelic powers, coming from God. The Spirit presciently by Paul warns the Church, that the true "fulness" dwells in Christ alone. This assigns the reason why Christ takes precedence of every creature (Col 1:15). For two reasons Christ i”
- Psalms (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Psalms 139:1: O Lord, thou hast searched me, and known me. The omniscience of God reaches to all persons and things; but the psalmist only takes notice of it as respecting himself. God knows all men in general, and whatever belongs to them; he knows his own people in a special manner; and he knows their particular persons, as David and others: and this knowledge of God is considered after the manner of men, as if it was the fruit of search, to denote the exquisiteness of it; as a judge searches out a cause, a physician the nature of a disease, a philosopher the reason of things; w”
- Proverbs (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Proverbs 15:3: The eyes of the Lord are in every place,.... Which are expressive of his omniscience, of the full, clear, distinct, and perfect knowledge, which he has of all creatures and things; so that nothing is hid from him, but all open and manifest to him; as they are to Christ the essential Word, Heb 4:13; and also of the providence of God with respect to all persons in general, and to his own people in particular; and as he is infinite and immense, omnipresent and in all places of the world, so his omniscience and providence reach everywhere, to places most distant and sec”