Who do you imagine God Almighty to be? The common view of God is that He is an old man with a long, flowing white beard in long robes; and if you thought of that, congratulations, you just thought of Zeus from Greek mythology. The modern-day version of God in the public consciousness is a representation given to us by the Greeks and their influence on Christian iconography in antiquity. The first truth we must know about the Almighty is that He is not a man. Numbers 23:19, “God is not a man, that He should lie, Nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?” He is not bound by the same inadequacies that we are bound by. He is not bound by any human limit. Mark 10:27, “But Jesus looked at them and said, ‘With men it is impossible, but not with God; for with God all things are possible.” God is above human ability in every way. 1 Corinthians 1:25, “Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.” This concept is something we must understand if we are to be able to stand against men who would confound us and ultimately against the devil. Now we see God’s power in reference to men and women. Now, we must ask who and of what is God?
In actuality, God is spirit. John 4:24 says as much, “God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” Well, what constitutes spirit? You might ask. Let’s see what Jesus Christ has to say on the subject. In John 1:18, He says, “No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.” This verse actually brings up a great truth about God during the creation of man. Genesis 1:26, “Then God said, ‘Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” What is in the image of God? Well, we learned in John 4:24 that God is spirit; so, the image of God must mean “spirit.” Looking at both these verse together, we can piece together that God originally created man to be an organism capable of carrying spirit life which Adam lost when he sinned against God.
In addition to spirit, God is known by many other names and titles in His Word. He is Lord highlighted in Deuteronomy 6:4, among thousands of other verses: “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one!” Now, we have probably heard that the God is Lord many times, but what does the term, “Lord,” actually mean? Random House Dictionary defines the word “lord” as “A person who has authority, control, or power over others; a master, chief, or ruler.” Thus, by definition, God is our Ruler, Chief, and Master. This leads to God’s next title as our Shepherd as mentioned in one of the most well known passages in His Word, Psalm 23. “The Lord is our Shepherd…” Again we will look at the Random House definition of “shepherd,” which is, “A person who herds, tends, or guards sheep.”
The Lord God is not only our Ruler and Master, but is a supremely beneficent ruler Who tends to us and guards us. Many verses in Psalms refer to God as our Protector in many different ways. Psalm 91:2, “I will say of the LORD, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust.” Psalm 18:30, “As for God, His way is perfect; The word of the LORD is proven; He is a shield to all who trust in Him.” Psalm 18:2, “The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; My God, my strength, in whom I will trust; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.”
Many verses in Psalms show that God tends to us as well. Psalm 103: 2-3, “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits: who forgives all your iniquities,
who heals all your diseases…” Psalm 40:11, “Do not withhold Your tender mercies from me, O LORD; Let Your lovingkindness and Your truth continually preserve me.” Psalm 119:156, “Great are Your tender mercies, O LORD; Revive me according to Your judgments.” As we see in the book of Psalms, many examples exist as to why God is a good and gracious Lord and Shepherd toward us.
[…] Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 […]