Well, why doesn't God know what's in my heart?

That's the question today, because Pastor John, there's a trio of texts in the Old Testament that seemed to raise this very question.

In Deuteronomy 8, 2, Moses writes that God led the Israelites through the wilderness, quote, to humble and test you in order

to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commandments, in quote.

Likewise, Deuteronomy 133 says God is testing you to find out whether you love him with all your

heart and with all your soul.

Also perplexing, Second Chronicles 3231 says God left Hezekiah to be tested to know everything that was in his heart.

These three texts and others seem to present a fundamental contradiction.

How can an omniscient God who knows everything

need to test in order to find out what's inside someone's heart? Doesn't he already know

what's inside of us to begin with? So, Second Chronicles 32, God tested Hezekiah to know all that was in his heart.

Deuteronomy 8, 2. God tested Israel in the wilderness to know what was in your heart.

Deuteronomy 13.3, God grants a false prophet to succeed in foretelling the future,

to know whether you love the Lord your God. Judges 3, verse 4, God leaves some pagan nations in the

promised land of Israel to know whether Israel would obey. In other words,

God tested them in all these situations to bring out of their hearts, words, behaviors

that God could see in actual lived-out reality and know.

And the question is, how do those passages fit together with these?

First Chronicles 28-9.

The Lord searches all hearts and understands every plan and thought.

1. Kings 839, render to each, O Lord, whose heart you know, according to all his ways,

for you, you only know the hearts of all the children of mankind.

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