Jacob then named the place Peniel, “for I have seen God face to face,” he said, “yet my life has been spared.”
Genesis 32: 30 (HCSB)
Scripture: Judges 13
We sometimes question how we can seek God if we can’t see Him. We read what we see as conflicting statements in the Bible about people who have actually seen God and how they wouldn’t live if they did. That begs the question, can we see God? This begins a series of devotions that will look at this and try to figure out the answer. This devotion will look at the conflicting statements about seeing God and people who have claimed to see Him.
God revealing Himself to man is called theophany. This temporary occurrence can be either a physical form or personal event.
God can and will use several methods to reveal Himself to His creation. This is verified in Numbers 12: 6-8: “Then He said, ‘Hear now My words: If there is a prophet among you, I, the Lord, make Myself known to him in a vision; I speak to him in a dream. Not so with My servant Moses; He is faithful in all My house. I speak with him face to face, Even plainly, and not in dark sayings; And he sees the form of the Lord. Why then were you not afraid To speak against My servant Moses?’” (NKJV). God does also use other forms than these.
Contradicting Verses
Hold on a minute. This verse seems like it contradicts other verses in the Bible that say we cannot see God. God told Moses that “I will not let you see my face, because no one can see me and stay alive” (Ex. 33: 20 GNT). God would be lying if He told that to Moses but had and was going to appear to people — even to Moses Himself!
We have to look at this realizing God cannot lie. Hebrews 6: 18 says, “God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope set before us may be greatly encouraged” (NIV). Titus 1: 2 says, “in hope of eternal life which God, who cannot lie, promised before time began” (NKJV). We can believe what God says in His Word.
So, how can God have His cake and eat it, too? How can He appear to people but not appear to them? First, let’s talk today about who has seen God.
Who Has Seen God?
Genesis 32: 20 is just one verse that says people saw God. Exodus 33: 11 says, “The LORD spoke with Moses face to face, just as a man speaks with his friend …” (HCSB). Whoever wrote the book of Hebrews noted Moses’ faith: “By faith he left Egypt behind, not being afraid of the king’s anger, for Moses persevered as one who sees Him who is invisible” (Heb. 11: 27 HCSB). But “as one who sees Him” is a little more wishy-washy than just saying Moses saw God, but we have the verses in Exodus and Numbers that are more definitive.
God also appeared to a group of Israelites. Exodus 24: 9-10 says, “Then Moses went up, also Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel, and they saw the God of Israel …” (NKJV). So, we can’t say it was just one person dreaming.
Abraham also was attributed to seeing God. “Then the LORD appeared to Abraham at the oaks of Mamre while he was sitting in the entrance of his tent during the heat of the day” (Gen. 18: 1 HCSB).
Several prophets also wrote that they saw God. “In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple” (Is. 6: 1 ESV). “As I kept watching, thrones were set in place, and the Ancient of Days took His seat …” (Dan. 7: 9 HCSB). “I saw the Lord standing by the altar …” (Amos 9: 1 GNT). This happened over several years.
The Bible even says ordinary people saw God. Look at Judges 13: 22. Samson’s dad recounted he and his wife seeing God. “And Manoah said to his wife, ‘We shall surely die, because we have seen God!’” (Jud. 13: 22 NKJV). Wow, God shows Himself to regular humans!
So, if all these people said they saw God, He does appear to people. But can we take this literally?
Sometimes when we laugh really hard, we say we are dying laughing. Yes, we start dying the minute we are born, but we probably are not going to keel over that precise moment. We still say we are dying.
Maybe this is what happened — they actually saw God. Maybe they are talking figuratively. We’ll have to ask God when we get to heaven.
What we need to recognize is that, whether or not these people actually saw God, they were in the Presence of God. God came to them.
God will come to us. The next devotion will look at some of the different forms He has used.
Father. “What is man that You are mindful of him, And the son of man that You visit him? For You have made him a little lower than the angels, And You have crowned him with glory and honor” (Ps. 8: 4-5 NKJV). We stand in awe that the great Sovereign Lord would come to us. Lord, we feel so unworthy to be in Your Presence. We are by ourselves, but with Christ in us, we are made worthy. Thank You for coming to us to establish and mend our relationship with You. Help us to seek You and recognize when You do come to us. Amen.
What do you think? How would you explain to a seeker Bible verses that seen to contradict other verses? Leave me a comment below (about this or anything else) or head over to my Facebook group for some interactive discussion.
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Interesting subject and thoughts, Elaine. I’ve often wondered about this very issue. I struggle to accept the accounts of those who claim to have died and seen Jesus, only to be brought back from the clutches of death. I know God can do whatever He wants and there may be explanations for these sightings. So you’ve given me a bit more to ponder and consider on the subject! Thanks and I’ll be pinning!
Thanks, Beth! I may not have all the answers, but if I get you seeking God for the answers you are looking for, I have done my job. Thanks for the pin.
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