Commentaries:
How does God get knowledge? God tests the hearts and the minds. He creates circumstances and puts people to the test.
In I Peter 2:12, Peter speaks about people glorifying God in the day of visitation, which means "inspection," that is, their inspection by God. Why does a person inspect something? Because he wants to find out about it.
When a person goes to buy a car, he inspects and evaluates it. He will look at the tires, the engine, the interior, and condition of the body. He will test-drive it to find out what it will do so he can decide whether to buy it. We do the same with clothing, a house, and every major decision in life. We gather information so that we will know what to do with our lives.
God does the same thing. Now we can better understand what the ramifications of this are. There are times that God does not know for sure what people will do! He puts people to the test and watches to see how they respond.
John W. Ritenbaugh
Image and Likeness of God (Part Five)