Knowing God is the basis for righteous living
Knowing or not knowing God is what determines how people live their lives. It is written, “Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. He who says, “I know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in Him. He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.” 1 John 2:3-6. God is righteous and Holy and He calls on all of His creatures to be holy and righteous, not to pervert justice and walk blamelessly before Him. 1 Peter 1:16 says "'but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.” And if you call on the Father, who without partiality judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear; '" I Peter 1:15-17. No one is entitle to do as he pleases, God will hold all accountable. However, if someone does not know God he may think he can do as he wishes.
Psalm 10:11-13 says, "'He has said in his heart, “God has forgotten; He hides His face; He will never see.” Arise, O Lord ! O God, lift up Your hand! Do not forget the humble. Why do the wicked renounce God? He has said in his heart, “You will not require an account. ”' Notice this person says in his heart "God has forgotten, He Hides His face, He will never see, God will not repay me for my sins." It's obvious from these words that this person doesn't know God and he has been living his life lawlessly; hence, the Psalmist called him, "wicked". If someone doesn’t know God, he will leave his life anyway he wants; however, if someone knows God, he ought to obey God’s commandments, live as Christ lived. If someone doesn’t do it, yet claims to know God, he is a liar.
Jesus said, “... by their fruits you will know them,” (Matthew 7:20). People’s lives are a reflection of what they know or what they believe. For instance, Psalm 53:1 says, “The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, and have done abominable iniquity; There is none who does good.” Psalms 53:1 NKJV. Because this person whom the bible calls a fool believes there is no God, he committed all sorts of abominable iniquity or sins. Likewise, Psalm 94, 7 describes the actions of a man that believes that God does not see; therefore, He also commits all kinds of sin. it is written, “They utter speech, and speak insolent things; All the workers of iniquity boast in themselves. They break in pieces Your people, O Lord , And afflict Your heritage. They slay the widow and the stranger, And murder the fatherless. Yet they say, “The Lord does not see, Nor does the God of Jacob understand.” Psalms 94:4-7.
In addition, concerning people who ignore the knowledge of God, the bible says in the book of Romans, “because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man—and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things. Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature. Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due.” Romans 1:21-27.
What people know about God matters. It determines their lifestyle. Again, someone who does not regard God is doomed to commit all sorts of iniquity and eat of the fruit of his sin because God will let them have the sinful lives they want, will give them to their desires. Look around you, how many things were prohibited before and the government thought by legalizing it would incentivize people to consume, use, or do less? Instead the opposite scenario became the norm, people sought for more and more. For God to let you do as you wish to believe, it’s not a good thing, neither for you nor for your neighbor. Know God and be changed.
Having in mind that the lives of people affect the society they live in, thus, knowing or not knowing God is also what determines how a society will be. It’s written, “For a long time Israel has been without the true God, without a teaching priest, and without law; but when in their trouble they turned to the Lord God of Israel, and sought Him, He was found by them. And in those times there was no peace to the one who went out, nor to the one who came in, but great turmoil was on all the inhabitants of the lands. So nation was destroyed by nation, and city by city, for God troubled them with every adversity.” II Chronicles 15:3-6. Notice that Israel was without the The true God because they did not have a teaching priest to teach them the law, which they ended also being without.
Hosea 4:6 says, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you from being priest for Me; Because you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children.” Again, Pay attention to the progression found in II Chronicles 15:3-6, the lack of someone to teach the law, led the people not to have the knowledge of The True God, and led them to be without Him, and to be without the law, therefore, everyone did as they pleased. As a consequence, they were troubled in everything, society was in turmoil, because God who was able to protect them, did not protect them since they did not seek Him; hence, adversity was their portion. However, in their affliction they sought the Lord, and He answered them. So, there is hope for any society provided they repent and go back to God and keep His laws. Any society will only rise to the degree of their knowledge of God, for good or bad.
In Judges 2:8-12,14-15 it’s written, “Now Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the Lord , died when he was one hundred and ten years old. And they buried him within the border of his inheritance at Timnath Heres, in the mountains of Ephraim, on the north side of Mount Gaash. When all that generation had been gathered to their fathers, another generation arose after them who did not know the Lord nor the work which He had done for Israel. Then the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord , and served the Baals; and they forsook the Lord God of their fathers, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt; and they followed other gods from among the gods of the people who were all around them, and they bowed down to them; and they provoked the Lord to anger. And the anger of the Lord was hot against Israel. So He delivered them into the hands of plunderers who despoiled them; and He sold them into the hands of their enemies all around, so that they could no longer stand before their enemies. Wherever they went out, the hand of the Lord was against them for calamity, as the Lord had said, and as the Lord had sworn to them. And they were greatly distressed.”
The reason the people of Israel did evil and caused the society to be in turmoil and have God as their enemy is because, the generation that came after the generation of Joshua did not know God, neither His works. Look at the society around you; the only reason it is full of hatred, murder, robbery, scandals, uncertainties, and etc., is because its inhabitants don’t know God. Every society who doesn’t know God pays the price for their ignorance, on the other hand, of a nation that fears God the bible says they are blessed. It’s written “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord , The people He has chosen as His own inheritance.” Psalms 33:12. Knowing God is important and crucial for societal advancement and wellbeing. It matters if God is known in a society or not.