Yada, yada, yada ∙∙

Yada, yada, yada ∙∙

You know me, O LORD; You see me, and You examine my heart’s attitude toward You. – Jeremiah 12:3

Psalms 139:1-7

 1 O LORD, you have examined my heart and know everything about me.

 2 You know when I sit down or stand up. You know my thoughts even when I’m far away.

 3 You see me when I travel and when I rest at home. You know everything I do.

 4 You know what I am going to say even before I say it, LORD.

 5 You go before me and follow me. You place your hand of blessing on my head.

 6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too great for me to understand!

 7 I can never escape from your Spirit! I can never get away from your presence!

On April 24, 1997, the popular TV sitcom “Seinfeld” aired an episode called “The Yada Yada.” In this particular episode, the character George Costanza expresses his frustration with his girlfriend’s habit of abbreviating her stories and omitting important details, simply replacing them with the phrase “Yada, Yada, Yada.”

“Yada, Yada, Yada” has become deeply ingrained in popular American culture and continues to resonate today. It has become a cliché used as a disparaging remark. It is often used to dismiss or belittle something that is perceived as dull, boring, or monotonous. It serves as a contemporary equivalent of saying “blah, blah, blah” or sarcastically rolling one’s eyes. This interjection signifies a predictable, repetitive, or simply common knowledge, providing a shortcut to bypass or gloss over unnecessary details. When something can be skipped over, “Yada, Yada, Yada” is interjected in its place.

There has been much discussion regarding its origin. It is not that difficult to get to the bottom of it. The term, yada, is the transliteration of a Hebrew verb that means “to know.” When something is common knowledge, “Yada, Yada, Yada” is interjected, meaning “You know.” “You know?”

Psalm 139 exudes David’s deep and affectionate bond with the Father, enveloping the reader in a sense of divine intimacy. David eloquently portrays the Father’s complete understanding of all things and all individuals.

This poetic masterpiece can be seen as a heartfelt love letter from David to the Father. It overflows with adoration, love, loyalty, devotion, and awe. This is Theology 101 regarding God’s omniscience, omnipresence, and omnipotence expressed as a love song, a poem, rather than some cold, abstract theological treatise.

Psalms 139:1-3

1 O LORD, you have examined my heart and know everything about me.

The Hebrew word translated as examined is chaqar and connotes a deliberate search and thorough exploration to learn people’s sentiments and expose their weaknesses. The Hebrew word translated know is yada. It means to know, observe, realize, care, understand, and express concern.

The Father does not merely know about us; He knows us.

 2 You know when I sit down or stand up. You know my thoughts even when I’m far away.

The Hebrew word rendered as know in this verse is bin. It denotes to understand, perceive, comprehend, consider, care for, and bring insight.

You know everything I do.

The Hebrew word translated as scrutinize or search out is zarah. Zarah originally meant to winnow or scatter, disperse. It came to mean to have an explicit knowledge of a person.

The Father’s presence is intimate and all-encompassing, as He actively and intimately envelops us, discerns our innermost being, and explores the depths of our minds and hearts with a depth surpassing our self-awareness. His omniscience extends to every aspect of existence. He never learns new things because He has always known and continually knows everything.

The Father knows each of us deeply and completely. He has pierced all of our defensive fortifications. It is as though, He gets inside our minds and hearts and knows our thoughts, emotions, needs, dreams, aspirations, and fears with unparalleled clarity.

And David loves the intimacy and immediacy of being known. He craves it; he pleads for it. Yet at the same time, such intimate and expansive knowledge overwhelms his mind and confounds him.

“God’s infinite knowledge boggles the mind. Our human brains strain under the weight of the idea. It is too exalted for us to comprehend. But when we come to the frontier of our capacity to understand and can go no farther, we can still bow in worship at the immensity of the knowledge of God!” (MacDonald).

One can easily be frightened and troubled by the Father’s omniscience. Yet the recognition that omniscience is coupled with His lovingkindness alleviates all concerns.

REFLECT & PRAY

The omniscience of God is awe-inspiring and overwhelming; yet, it also brings comfort and assurance to our hearts. It is a short hop from being afraid that we cannot get away from Him to being concerned that we could.

Father thank You that You know me intimately at the deepest level. None of my personal faults are repugnant to You, and Your response to them is even greater love.

INSIGHT

Psalms 139:6-7

 6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too great for me to understand!

 7 I can never escape from your Spirit! I can never get away from your presence!

In David’s day, the pagans worshiped local and limited gods: the sea, the sky, the harvest, and the underworld. So it is with polytheists. But not with the Father. He had no such limitations. The Father’s presence is everywhere. He is all-seeing and perceives all things in all places.

Hebrews 4:13 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.

David does not wish to hide and evade the Father; instead, he embraces Him. David acknowledges that his ability to comprehend the Father’s omniscience is beyond his grasp. He realizes that the Father’s knowledge and guidance are his protection. The Father keeps him safe.

The Father is truly amazing, awe-inspiring, and wonderful. David knows he can never fully get his arms around it. He is not equal to it. He realizes he can never fully grasp the depths of the Father’s greatness. Trying to comprehend the incomprehensible is hurting his brain. David gives up trying to understand the inscrutable. He shifts his focus instead to adoration and worship. David reveres, honors, and worships the Father for who He is, what He does, and what He has done for him.

Romans 11:33 Oh, how great are God’s riches and wisdom and knowledge! How impossible it is for us to understand his decisions and his ways!

Yada!

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© Dr. H 2023