There are some pretty "heady" names attributed to our Great God. Holy. Just. Almighty. All-Powerful. Omnipotent. Sovereign.
Yet, do we really know this God we are referencing? He bears some strong characteristics in His names, but what is His name? Who is this God who is so amazing there is no way to contain Him with words? Can we ever even begin to understand this Awesome God who is above all; the One for whom there is no equal?
I think we'd better at least give it a try.
All throughout scripture we catch glimpses of who God is. The trouble is, you need the whole of scripture and history to even begin shaping a complete picture of this mysterious and awesome God. This is not only a daunting task, it is an impossibility in our limited and finite minds. Not to mention, it would take eternity to completely accomplish.
So, let's see if we can do our best to both honor God's word and glorify His name in the story of three significant Old Testament characters.
1.) Abraham.
From the very beginning we see the picture of a very powerful and engaging God. Take for example, the calling of Abraham (known first as Abram).
Here's the paraphrased story in a nutshell: Abram has been promised descendants in Genesis Chapter 11, and again in Chapter 15. In fact, God promises Abram his descendants will be as many as there are stars in the sky (Genesis 15:5). Years later, though, this promise has still not been fulfilled. So, naturally, Abram took things into his own hands...and royally messed things up! He winds up having a son (Ishmael) with a maidservant (Hagar)...and then has to face a very unhappy and very disgruntled wife (Sarai) who blames him for the mess, even though technically it was her idea in the first place.
Talk about a broken home and a messed up family!
So, God shows up onto the scene and...
Wait.
Just think about that for a moment. God shows up. That in and of itself is pretty incredible, don't you think? That God Almighty would take the trouble to show up and engage a messed up situation is astounding. That He makes something amazing from the broken pieces is even more incredible.
He shows up!
But, not in the way and not at the time you might expect. You see, it has been 13 years since the Abram-Hagar-Ishmael debacle. And, all scripture actually says is "the Lord appeared." Just like that He is on the scene and in the midst of these very fragile relationships. We don't know how He appeared to Abram, but materialize He did. You can find the story in Genesis 17.
God appears, and He gives us His name. "I am El-Shaddai," (which means God-Almighty).
How awesome is that?!?
It seems to me, though, "God Almighty" could be anywhere doing anything, yet He chooses to enter the scene of this Abram and Sarai. These people didn't trust Him enough to wait for His leading, took matters into their own hands, messed up pretty incredibly, and God the Almighty shows up. He re-names them Abraham and Sarah. He blesses them and promises a son. He enters into a covenant-relationship with these two dingbats who haven't exactly been the pinnacle of trust, intimacy, and obedience with this Holy God.
Fascinating.
This story gives us an interesting glimpse at the character of God. He tells Abram (right before He changes his name) to "serve me (God) and live a blameless life." The covenant comes after these instructions. God is basically saying, live for me and me alone...and I will make you into a great nation.
Now, it is no secret that Abraham did in fact have countless descendants. What astonishes me in this encounter with God is first that God waits so long. (I mean, a child was promised, Abraham did his own thing and bore the consequences for over two decades) before we are told God appears again on the scene. Only in God's timing and only according to His plan does He operate.
Incredible.
And, when He does appear, God names Himself the Almighty One. Meaning, the One who can do anything. The One without limits. The One whom the story is really about in the first place. God appears, not when it is convenient or expected mind you, and He fulfills the promise He had made (but not forgotten) many many years before.
Maybe God is not exactly what we would suspect. You might assume the Almighty One to be a God of power and authority. You would not be wrong. But, here in this instance this Almighty ruler uses His supremacy to...fulfill a promise, start a nation, and engage a relationship with the least likely of people. Power meets feeble, and turns an impossibility into a legend.
2.) Moses
In Exodus Chapter 3 we read of Moses encountering God in a burning bush. Kind of crazy, and seriously cool. One moment the bush was just a normal plant, the next moment it had spontaneously combusted into a ball of fire. An angel appears to Moses from the fire, and when he goes to take a closer look, God speaks to Moses and calls him by name. God then names Himself "I AM who I AM." Simple. Mysterious. Complete. Profound.
What other being can be named the "I AM." This God is powerful. He is eternal. Yes, He is mysterious, and enthralling, and to some extent He is indescribable; and yet He is far from staying anonymous.
He meets Moses in a bush of fire for crying out loud! It's crazy, but it is also seriously amazing. God definitely got Moses' attention that day, and He certainly marked that holy moment in a very significant way. And, once again, He came at a time Moses least expected it. God showed up, amidst some routine shepherding - the monotonous and rather ordinary life of a shepherd in the wilderness - and infused life into a bush. God then called this fearful man who stuttered and never quite knew what to say, to lead God's people out of slavery.
Pretty astounding.
Then, later in Exodus Chapter 33 and 34 we read another encounter of Moses with God. This time Moses is a little more empowered and bold as he approaches God. He basically persuades God into showing His glory. But God says (and this is paraphrased), "I'll let my glory pass before you, but I must hide you in the rock until I pass. You can see me from behind, but no one can see my face and live."
Frightening.
This God of wonder is also a God who could kill us. Literally, you and I could not stand to be in His presence. We would die. He is that holy. He is that righteous. He is that awesome.
When I read this story I wonder how many times I have taken God for granted, treated Him as "just another" duty or obligation, or turned away from Him because it was easier or more fun to do something else instead.
Russian Roulette would be safer.
You can read the story for yourself. It's pretty amazing. God's goodness passes before Moses, and Moses is forever altered by this encounter. We learn here that God has named Himself "Yahweh. The Lord. The God of compassion and mercy."
So many remarkable things are happening in this story, it is hard to catch them all.
- First, this Almighty God is having a conversation with Moses. Moses is speaking, and we read God's actual answer.
- If that weren't crazy enough, then you have Moses somewhat controlling the conversation. God is God. He is God Almighty, and yet He is allowing Moses to make demands of Him. That's a little twisted.
- Thirdly, God grants Moses his request, but keeps him from being harmed in the process. He protects Moses, even as He is bending to Moses' inclination. Moses can't see God and live. God knows this. So, he hides Moses in the cleft of the rock and passes before Him singing His own praises.
So, what does Moses do? The only thing he can do. Moses immediately falls down to worship this amazing and incredible being he has just miraculously encountered.
When is the last time you could not not worship? When was the last time you encountered something so dynamic you literally fell on your face in fear and reverence? That is what happens to Moses. God then gives him some instructions which Moses carries down to the people. He doesn't even realize his (Moses') face has become so radiant that others can't stand to look at him.
Aren't you a little intrigued at this? First with Abraham (the Almighty) uses His power to start a family. Then with Moses, God (the I AM) inhabits a bush to call a leader (who was a convicted murderer, and basically a runaway hiding in the wilderness) back into His service. Now God (Yahweh - the God of compassion and mercy) meets with his servant and so dynamically changes his physiological appearance, his friends can’t bear to look directly at him.
This is like no other God I have ever imagined.
Throughout scripture there are countless encounters of God revealing Himself. This seems to be a God who wants to be known, a God who longs for relationship, a God who shows up so that we can meet him face-to-face. Several times He names Himself. Often, He remains mysteriously vague. And then, there is the time He meets with one of the most profoundly dynamic prophets of the Old Testament.
Let's see how this Eternal Other presents himself to His special and anointed servant.
3.) Elijah
The story is found in 1 Kings Chapter 19. Elijah was God's man. He was a prophet unlike any other in Israel's history. Elijah is significant for many reasons. This particular event comes at a time when Elijah is literally running for his life from a very evil kingdom. He is so depressed he asks God to end his life. God denies his request. He is fed miraculously by an "angel of the Lord," and then the "word of the Lord" appeared to him.
Once again, we'll probably not understand the total and complete meanings of this encounter until we ourselves come face-to-face with the One who was there. In the meantime, here is what scripture says happened.
The "word of the Lord" asks Elijah what he is doing, and Elijah answers. The Lord invites Elijah to stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord because the Lord's presence is about to pass by.
Elijah follows the instructions, and the Lord comes. First there is a devastating wind, but the Lord was not in the wind. Then there is an earthquake, and then a fire, but God was not in either of those. And then, there was a gentle whisper. And that's where Elijah meets God. In the sweetest of places.
This passage affirms God is God Almighty (Elijah confirms it as he's answering the whisper), but it is more significant than that. God, the all-powerful, the great I AM, El Shaddai Himself is so powerful and amazing His presence stirs up wind, earthquake and fire. But, His essence is shown in the gentle whisper to the heart.
The unexpected to be sure.
At this point, Elijah himself has called down fire from heaven, and Moses was at the helm of the catastrophic plagues on the Egyptians and the parting of the red sea; and then there was that time that God struck down the city of Sodom and Gomorrah because of its corruption...this God Almighty knows how to get His business accomplished!
Yet here He pauses. He waits. He whispers.
If you're looking for God in the amazingly miraculous, the "showy," and/or the definitive expositions of power, you may wind up missing Him. Because, He's also found in the mundane. Remember the stable and the manger filled with hay. Remember the lowly shepherds given first row admittance to the climax of history. Remember that things are not always what they appear. And, remember...this God is the God of the unexpected.
His name is Yahweh. He is the Almighty God indeed. He is a God full of mercy, grace, and truth. He is also the indescribable one. Just when you think He couldn't be more fascinating or awe-inspiring, He will wow you again by stunning you with silence and gently whispering your name.
Maybe it isn't as important a task to name this great God. Maybe, instead we should bow in reverence to the One who was and is and is to come, to the only God, who holds the world in His hands. Whether with trumpet sound, or in the stillness of a whisper, He comes.
And, His name...IS.
