You Can’t Fool Jehovah

(Prov 15:11 GW) If Sheol and Abaddon lie open in front of the LORD how much more the human heart!

This morning we continue our series, In the last few verses Solomon has been admonishing us to avoid sin and satan altogether. He has made it clear that if we sow bad seed we will reap a bad harvest and since the Father wants us to have and enjoy life in Him, He desperately wants us to cooperate with Him as we live our lives. Jehovah wants to operate in our lives, but He needs us to cooperate with Him.

When we fail to cooperate with God’s purposes we literally tie His hands and hinder Him from blessing us.

In this verse Solomon wants to make it very clear that we cannot possibly fool God. He provides a warning for all those who think they can get away with something where God is concerned.

Solomon tells us that both sheol and abbadon lie open before the Lord. Other translations say, “Hell and destruction lie open before the Lord.” I chose a translation that actually uses the direct translation of the original Hebrew words used in the text. The Hebrew word sheol appears 65 times in the Bible. It is primarily translated as “hell,” but it is almost as often translated as “grave.” It is a reference to the underworld.

The word abbadon only appears five times in the Bible and it is primarily a reference to a place of destruction and ruin. Interesting enough, however, one of the five times this word is used in the Bible is in Revelations 9:11 where John tells us that this is one of satan’s names. John said, “Their king is the angel from the bottomless pit; his name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in Greek, Apollyon—the Destroyer.” So abbadon is not just a place of destruction, but also “Abbadon—the destroyer,” the originator of destruction himself.

So why would Solomon choose these words? What’s the message Solomon is trying to get across? I believe Solomon is driving home the omniscience of God. Solomon’s father David told us that God knows our thoughts before we think them (Ps 139:2). But here Solomon is letting us know that God’s knowledge is not just limited to the earth realm. Jehovah knows it all. Alive or dead; past, present or future, godly or evil, light or dark, there is nothing hidden before God. The writer of Hebrews said,

“Nothing in all creation is hidden from God. Everything is naked and exposed before His eyes, and He is the One to whom we are accountable” (4:13). Job said, “The underworld is naked in God's presence. The place of destruction is uncovered” (26:6).

Everything, everywhere, and everyone are and will be accountable to God. Even Abaddon (satan himself) will have to give account for his actions. Not even satan can escape the knowledge and the judgment of Jehovah.

So what does this mean to you ? A few things:

1. Our God, Jehovah, is the only true God. He reigns over everything and all shall be accountable to Him.

2. You can’t fool Jehovah. You may be able to fool man, but you will never be able to fool God. The Message Bible version of our text reads: “Even hell holds no secrets from GOD—do you think he can't read human hearts?”

3. The proper response is worship: After acknowledging the fact that Jehovah sits on the circle of the earth (Is 40:22) and that He knows all things (past, present, and future), the only proper response is worship. Jehovah alone is deity and He alone is worthy to be praised and worshipped. Worship Him today with your lips and your actions.

Father, I declare, by faith, that You alone are the Most High, You alone are the King of Kings, You alone are the Lord of Lords. You sit on the circle of the earth and You have all things under Your feet. There is not only no other god like Jehovah, there is no other god BUT Jehovah! You search everyone and everyplace. Even satan himself is subject to You. Therefore, I declare, that I will worship You today and every day. I worship You with my lips and with my actions. I will do all I do to bring glory to Your name! In Jesus’ name. Amen!