the revelation of God

A Light to Our Path

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Mem

97 Oh how I love your law!
    It is my meditation all the day.
98 Your commandment makes me wiser than my enemies,
    for it is ever with me.
99 I have more understanding than all my teachers,
    for your testimonies are my meditation.
100 I understand more than the aged,
    for I keep your precepts.
101 I hold back my feet from every evil way,
    in order to keep your word.
102 I do not turn aside from your rules,
    for you have taught me.
103 How sweet are your words to my taste,
    sweeter than honey to my mouth!
104 Through your precepts I get understanding;
    therefore I hate every false way.

Nun

105 Your word is a lamp to my feet
    and a light to my path.
106 I have sworn an oath and confirmed it,
    to keep your righteous rules.
107 I am severely afflicted;
    give me life, O LORD, according to your word!
108 Accept my freewill offerings of praise, O LORD,
    and teach me your rules.
109 I hold my life in my hand continually,
    but I do not forget your law.
110 The wicked have laid a snare for me,
    but I do not stray from your precepts.
111 Your testimonies are my heritage forever,
    for they are the joy of my heart.
112 I incline my heart to perform your statutes
    forever, to the end.

Samekh

113 I hate the double-minded,
    but I love your law.
114 You are my hiding place and my shield;
    I hope in your word.
115 Depart from me, you evildoers,
    that I may keep the commandments of my God.
116 Uphold me according to your promise, that I may live,
    and let me not be put to shame in my hope!
117 Hold me up, that I may be safe
    and have regard for your statutes continually!
118 You spurn all who go astray from your statutes,
    for their cunning is in vain.
119 All the wicked of the earth you discard like dross,
    therefore I love your testimonies.
120 My flesh trembles for fear of you,
    and I am afraid of your judgments. – Psalm 119:97-120 ESV

The psalmist isn’t adept at concealing his emotions. You might say he wears them on his sleeve, and they flow freely from his mouth. Whether he is discussing his suffering or declaring his affection for his sovereign LORD, he is blunt, bold, and unapologetic.

Oh how I love your law! – vs 97

How sweet are your words to my taste,
    sweeter than honey to my mouth! – vs 103

I am severely afflicted. – vs 107

The wicked have laid a snare for me. – vs 110

Your testimonies…are the joy of my heart. – vs 111

I love your law. – vs 113

I love your testimonies. – vs 119

This is a man of deep emotions who has found his relationship with Yahweh to be a roller-coaster existence full of ups and downs and twists and turns. Things haven’t always turned out how he expected, and his life has not always been easy or explicable. Yet, he has found Yahweh to be a consistent presence and a constant source of hope and help in the good and bad times. Yahweh has always been there because He is faithful, trustworthy, and a covenant-keeping God who keeps His word and fulfills all His promises.

When the psalmist considers all of Yahweh’s revealed word as revealed in the Hebrew Scriptures, he is encouraged and energized by the wisdom and insight they contain. Through his study and application of God’s law, he discovered it to be not just a codified list of moral and ethical rules of conduct, but an expression of Yahweh’s character and life-transformative power.

When he took the time to meditate on God’s commands, he became wiser than his enemies. He gained an advantage over his adversaries by deeply reflecting on the insights found in God’s commands rather than simply obeying them. The wisdom permeating God’s law gave him a new perspective and a greater understanding of God’s will. In time, his knowledge of God’s revealed will and ways surpassed that of his teachers. This is not a prideful boast on his part, but a testimony to the life-transforming power of God’s word.

The psalmist confessed, “Your commandments give me understanding” (Psalm 119:104 NLT), and that understanding produced life change.

I have refused to walk on any evil path,
    so that I may remain obedient to your word. – Psalm 119:101 NLT

Your commandments give me understanding;
    no wonder I hate every false way of life. – Psalm 119:104 NLT

No wonder I love to obey your laws! – Psalm 119:119 NLT

He hadn’t just committed God’s laws to memory and attempted to keep them; he had been transformed by them. Once he understood God’s heart behind them, they became a source of hope (vs 114), his treasure and delight (vs 111), and sweeter than honey (vs 103). They were pleasant rather than onerous because they became more than rules to keep; they were expressions of God’s manifold wisdom.

When the psalmist states, “Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path” (Psalm 119:105 NLT), he confessed the power of God’s word to change the trajectory of his life. In a world marred by spiritual darkness and an age before the advent of electricity, light was more than a luxury; it was a necessity. For the psalmist, the illuminating power of God’s word was just as vital as an oil lamp to light one’s path in the darkness. He had discovered that the Scriptures, including the Mosaic Law, the writings of the prophets, and the historical books, were indispensable for navigating life. These Spirit-inspired works were the revelation of God and provided invaluable insight into His character and His redemptive plan for sinful humanity. 

When the psalmist read God’s word, it dispelled the darkness around him because “God is light, and there is no darkness in him at all” (1 John 1:5 NLT). He discovered the truth found in Psalm 27:1: “The Lord is my light and my salvation—so why should I be afraid?” He understood what Isaiah the prophet meant when he wrote: “The LORD your God will be your everlasting light, and your God will be your glory” (Isaiah 60:19 NLT) and “Let us walk in the light of the LORD” (Isaiah 2:5 NLT).

God’s word could not only reveal the right path to take, but also illuminate the way. In keeping God’s commands, the psalmist understood he was walking with the LORD. The light of God’s word was pointing the way and guiding his steps. The Scriptures are a form of God’s presence. In His word, He has revealed Himself to mankind. As we study and meditate on His revealed word, we see more of Him. We get a glimpse into His nature and insights into His divine character. The stories of the Bible reveal His glory, power, and holiness, as well as His grace, mercy, compassion, and forgiveness. 

It is interesting to note that when God gave Moses the instructions for making the Ark of the Covenant, He also commanded what was to go inside it. According to the Book of Hebrews, “This ark contained the gold jar of manna, Aaron’s staff that had budded, and the stone tablets of the covenant” (Hebrews 9:4 NLT). The manna served as a constant reminder of God’s power to provide for all their needs. Aaron’s staff symbolized God’s power to deliver because it was used to part the waters of the Red Sea. It also served as a sign of God’s blessing on the Levitical priesthood. The stone tablets were engraved with the Ten Commandments, a black and white testimony to God’s irrefutable requirement of holiness among His people. 

“You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy.” – Leviticus 19:2 ESV 

It was over the Ark of the Covenant that the glory of God was said to dwell. His Shekinah glory, in the form of a pillar of cloud and a pillar of fire, hovered over the Mercy Seat that served as the lid of the Ark of the Covenant. It was that glorious presence of God that led the people of Israel during their years wandering through the wilderness.

The LORD went ahead of them. He guided them during the day with a pillar of cloud, and he provided light at night with a pillar of fire. This allowed them to travel by day or by night. And the LORD did not remove the pillar of cloud or pillar of fire from its place in front of the people. – Exodus 13:21-22 NLT

In the same way, God’s word guides and directs His people today, just as it did the psalmist. His word reveals His will, displays His character, demonstrates His power, and gives evidence of His gracious provision. The psalmist had learned to trust in God’s word and rely upon His unchanging character. It directed and sustained him, encouraged and enlightened him, and convicted and comforted him. That is why he could say, “You are my refuge and my shield; your word is my source of hope” (Psalm 119:114 NLT).

Father, Your word is far more than an ancient book filled with stories from the past. It is a revelation of who You are and how You interface with those You have made in Your likeness. It is a constant reminder of Your power, holiness, and greatness. It provides insight into humanity’s sinfulness and declares its well-deserved declaration of judgment. But Your word also reveals Your plan of redemption. It displays Your patience, compassion, and longsuffering nature. In Your word, we see your holy expectations of mankind as well as Your gracious provision of a sacrificial system and, ultimately, the unblemished Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world (John 1:29). I want to love Your word because it reveals Your love for us. I want to obey Your word because it expresses Your righteous will for us. Like the pillar of cloud and the pillar of fire, Your word guides, directs, illuminates, and illustrates Your presence among us. Help me keep my eyes fixed on Your word because it reveals who You are and all that You are doing. Amen.

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

The Transcendence of God

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Studying the attributes of God is a noble and worthy task but it must be acknowledged that man’s capacity to understand the greatness of God is limited by his inherent finiteness. The apostle Paul eloquently stated humanity’s dilemma.

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

For who can know the Lord’s thoughts?
    Who knows enough to give him advice?
And who has given him so much
    that he needs to pay it back?

For everything comes from him and exists by his power and is intended for his glory. All glory to him forever! Amen. – Romans 11:33-36 NLT

Paul makes it clear that the human mind is incapable of fully comprehending the greatness of God. This all-powerful and incomparable Being is Invisible to the human eye and incomprehensible to the human mind and must choose to make Himself known if He is to be recognized at all. As Paul stated in the opening chapter of Romans, God displayed certain aspects of His divine nature through creation.

For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God. – Romans 1:20 NLT

The universe reveals His power, majesty, creativity, and sovereign control over all things. While we can’t physically see God, we can witness the work of His hands and begin to grasp the awesome nature of His power and transcendence. David was blown away by the indisputable evidence of God found in the natural world. He could see the proof of God’s existence everywhere he looked.

The heavens proclaim the glory of God.
    The skies display his craftsmanship.
Day after day they continue to speak;
    night after night they make him known.
They speak without a sound or word;
    their voice is never heard.
Yet their message has gone throughout the earth,
    and their words to all the world. – Psalm 19:1-14 NLT

Creation declares the glory of God but it will never fully mirror the majesty of its Maker, and David seemed to understand that fact. When he became king of Israel, David voiced his growing awareness of God’s unlimited power and sovereignty over all things. God didn’t just make the universe, He ruled over it with unrivaled authority that made David’s royal power pale in comparison.

“O Lord, the God of our ancestor Israel, may you be praised forever and ever! Yours, O Lord, is the greatness, the power, the glory, the victory, and the majesty. Everything in the heavens and on earth is yours, O Lord, and this is your kingdom. We adore you as the one who is over all things. Wealth and honor come from you alone, for you rule over everything. Power and might are in your hand, and at your discretion people are made great and given strength.” – 1 Chronicles 29:10-12 NLT

To say that God is transcendent is to confess His otherness. In other words, it is an admission that God is not like us. He is not a slightly improved version of man; a human being on steroids. According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, transcendent means “being beyond the limits of all possible experience and knowledge” (“Transcendent.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/transcendent. Accessed 15 Aug. 2024). God is beyond our comprehension. He exists outside our scope of understanding. He is not only invisible but unknowable and, yet, He has chosen to make Himself known.

God desires for us to know Him, not just cognitively but personally and intimately. The Bible is the record of God’s revelation of Himself to man. It all began in the garden where God developed an ongoing relationship with the first man and woman. In that pristine and perfect environment, Adam and Eve enjoyed the presence of the transcendent God. He spoke to them and made His presence known to them. They couldn’t see Him but they knew He was there. When they eventually disobeyed His command concerning the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, they attempted to hide from Him.

When the cool evening breezes were blowing, the man and his wife heard the Lord God walking about in the garden. So they hid from the Lord God among the trees. – Genesis 3:8 NLT

Their sin resulted in their banishment from the garden and the loss of their intimacy with God. From that point forward, mankind began its unrelenting trajectory away from God. It was not that God was somehow relegated to the garden and their travels took them further from His presence. Distance didn’t determine their separation from God, it was the spiritual state of their hearts. But the further they went, the weaker their awareness of God became. In time, they forgot about Him altogether, and the Book of Genesis records the sad result of their faithlessness and forgetfulness.

The Lord observed the extent of human wickedness on the earth, and he saw that everything they thought or imagined was consistently and totally evil. – Genesis 6:5 NLT

Humanity had been allowed to know and experience the transcendent God of the universe but had chosen to walk away from Him. So God started over, revealing Himself to a man named Noah. Once again, the invisible, all-powerful God made Himself known and knowable. He spoke with Noah and provided him with a plan to repopulate the world and reboot the system. The flood destroyed the rest of humanity but Noah and his family were preserved by God. They were given the privilege of salvation and the responsibility to be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth. 

This royal reboot allowed Noah and his family to experience the personal presence of the transcendent God. He sealed them in the ark and protected them during the days of the flood. He graciously preserved them and mercifully released them to begin the process of filling the world with more of their kind. But the rest of the Book of Genesis records the less-than-stellar results of their post-flood experience. It didn’t take long for Humanity 2.0 to succumb to the same internal bugs that doomed the previous model.

But all along the way, God continued to make Himself known. He revealed Himself to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He displayed His glory to Moses. He showed up in a light show on the peak of Mount Sinai, displaying His majestic power to the people of Israel cowering in the valley. He gave them His Law, designed to be a further revelation of His holiness and righteousness. He provided them with the Tabernacle and the sacrificial system to accentuate His set-apartness and to ensure their own holiness. The invisible, unknowable, inaccessible God continued to make Himself known. He had made them His own people, His chosen possession. He gave them a land as their inheritance. He provided them with kings. He blessed them and prospered them. But in return, they turned their back on Him

“When Israel was a child, I loved him,
    and I called my son out of Egypt.
But the more I called to him,
    the farther he moved from me,
offering sacrifices to the images of Baal
    and burning incense to idols.
I myself taught Israel how to walk,
    leading him along by the hand.
But he doesn’t know or even care
    that it was I who took care of him.
I led Israel along
    with my ropes of kindness and love.
I lifted the yoke from his neck,
    and I myself stooped to feed him.” – Hosea 11:1-4 NLT

The more the transcendent God made Himself known, the more comfortable and complacent the people of God became. They lost their awareness of His greatness. Their awe and wonder diminished over time. His blessings became rote and expected. They took His power for granted. Eventually, God chose to remove His hand of blessing and allow His people to experience the loss of His presence. They had lost their wonder and appreciation for God. Their undeserved access to and intimacy with Him lost its value. His persistent presence robbed them of their appreciation for His transcendence.

And so the Lord says,
    “These people say they are mine.
They honor me with their lips,
    but their hearts are far from me.
And their worship of me
    is nothing but man-made rules learned by rote.
Because of this, I will once again astound these hypocrites
    with amazing wonders.
The wisdom of the wise will pass away,
    and the intelligence of the intelligent will disappear.” – Isaiah 29:13-14 NLT

For centuries, the people of Israel would lose their privileged position as God’s chosen people. Their Temple would be destroyed. The sacrificial system would be eliminated. Tens of thousands of Israelites would spend their lives living in exile in foreign lands, far from their homeland and separated from their God. They say that distance makes the heart grow fonder, but that was not the case for the Israelites. Even after their return to the land of Israel, they failed to reestablish their wonder and awe for God. Their hearts remained far from Him. But the transcendent God was not done revealing Himself to His people.

But when the right time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, subject to the law. God sent him to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that he could adopt us as his very own children. – Galatians 4:4-5 NLT

God sent His Son, and this staggering event would prove to be the greatest revelation of God that man has ever experienced. The apostle John reminds us of the staggering nature of Jesus’ incarnation.

No one has ever seen God. But the unique One, who is himself God, is near to the Father’s heart. He has revealed God to us. – John 1:18 NLT

Jesus, the Son of God, made the invisible God visible, a fact the apostle Paul makes abundantly clear.

Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation… – Colossians 15 NLT

The unknowable, unapproachable, invisible God of the universe wants to be known. He desires to have a relationship with fallen humanity. As Paul makes clear, no one is seeking a relationship with God. The reality of indwelling sin makes the pursuit of God impossible for all men.

“No one is righteous—
    not even one.
No one is truly wise;
    no one is seeking God.
All have turned away;
    all have become useless.
No one does good,
    not a single one.” – Romans 3:10-12 NLT

But God sought us out. He sent His Son to make Himself known and knowable. The transcendent God condescended to take on human flesh and make the fulness of the Godhead visible to fallen mankind. This fact should not only astound us but cause us to rejoice in the greatness and goodness of our gracious God.

“He is far away, in one sense, but in another He is as near as your heartbeat, for the cross has bridged the gulf. Let the blood of Jesus cleanse us from all sin. He who is God the Transcendent One says, ‘Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.’” – A. W. Tozer, The Attributes of God

English Standard Version (ESV)
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT)
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.