For the last three devotions, we have looked at examples of how God appeared to people. He has taken different forms to accomplish that. He had to, didn’t He? He is a spirit, after all. This daily devotional looks at how God uses His spirit and glory among other things to appear to people.
Nuggets
- Part of the reason we can’t see God is because He is a spirit.
- We can see God’s glory when He chooses to show it to us.
- God has many names.
- God isn’t limited in the number of ways He can reveal Himself to us.
To read devotions in the How Do We See God? series, click the button below.
We started this series of devotions off with the statement that we sometimes question how we can seek God if we can’t see Him. One reason we can’t see God is because He is a spirit. Scriptures tell us, however, that God uses His spirit and glory, among other things, to appear to people.
Let's Put It into Context
Here is a running list of nuggets for the series.
God as Spirit
God is not human, that he should lie, not a human being, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill? (Num. 23: 19 NIV)
Part of the reason we can’t see God is because He is a spirit.
“God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth” (Jn. 4: 24 ESV). Even though we are made in His image (Gen. 2: 27), God doesn’t have an earthly body like ours.
God reveals Himself to us through the Holy Spirit by using our conscience. Our conscience is the part of our nature that impacts our moral decisions as it points us to what is right and gives us pain or pleasure depending on the choice.
Romans 2: 14-15 says, “For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law. They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them” (ESV).
Believers and non-believers alike are made in God’s image. It is after conversion that God sanctifies us to become even more like Him.
Conversion is the product of repentance, when we turn away from our sins and return to God, that secures salvation.
- Repentance is acknowledging our separation from God and expressing sorrow for breaking God’s laws and commandments by making the commitment to change our sinful ways to ways of righteousness through obedience.
- Sin is not believing that Jesus is our Savior to save us from our actions by humans that disobey God and break one of His reasonable, holy, and righteous laws and commandments, goes against a purpose He has for us, or follows Satan’s promptings.
- Holy means to be set apart — because of our devotion to God — to become perfect, and morally pure while possessing all virtues.
- Perfection means we reach a state of maturity because the combination of the spiritual graces form, when all are present, spiritual wholeness or completeness — holy, sanctified, and righteous.
- Spiritual graces are worldly morals that have been submitted to God to further His kingdom instead of enhancing this world.
- Sanctified means to be set free from sin.
- Righteous means we are free from sin because we are following God’s moral laws.
- Pure means not being sinful or having the stain of sin.
- Virtues are standards of moral excellence.
- Perfection means we reach a state of maturity because the combination of the spiritual graces form, when all are present, spiritual wholeness or completeness — holy, sanctified, and righteous.
- Holy means to be set apart — because of our devotion to God — to become perfect, and morally pure while possessing all virtues.
- Obedience means submitting ourselves to the will of God as it is presented to us and living our lives accordingly.
- Sin is not believing that Jesus is our Savior to save us from our actions by humans that disobey God and break one of His reasonable, holy, and righteous laws and commandments, goes against a purpose He has for us, or follows Satan’s promptings.
Sanctification is the transformation of mind, body, and soul, which begins with regeneration; gradually changes our nature and morals through the promptings of the Holy Spirit; and ends with perfected state of spiritual wholeness or completeness.
Glossary
God revealed Himself to Balaam several times. In several, it doesn’t say the form that He took, just that God did come to him (Num. 22: 9, 20; 23: 4, 16). Numbers 24: 2 says, “… the Spirit of God came upon him” (NKJV). I would think “came upon him” would have to mean something internally.
God’s Glory
We can see God’s glory when He chooses to show it to us.
“As Aaron was speaking to the entire Israelite community, they turned toward the wilderness, and there in a cloud the LORD’s glory appeared” (Ex. 16: 10 HCSB). “When Moses entered the tent, the pillar of cloud would descend and stand at the entrance of the tent, and the LORD would speak with Moses” (Ex 33: 9 ESV). Numbers 12: 5 says God revealed Himself in a cloud when He came down to deal with sibling squabbling.
In Ezekiel’s vision, he saw the glory of the Lord. “And the glory of the Lord went up from the cherub to the threshold of the house, and the house was filled with the cloud, and the court was filled with the brightness of the glory of the Lord” (Ezek. 10:4 ESV). Notice that His glory is not described.
This was not the only time God’s glory appeared in a cloud. Exodus 13:21 says, “And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead them along the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, that they might travel by day and by night” (ESV). God’s glory was in the cloud and fire.
So, maybe God does still appear to us, but we don’t see? I wonder if there are times He appears to us but we don’t catch that it is really Him.
I can see us so caught up in this world that we miss Him. But I really think that, if God is really going to appear to us, we will know. He isn’t going to be in total stealth mode.
His Name
God has many names.
All of God’s name show us something different about Him. Still, His revealing Himself through His name may be a little harder to understand.
Moses asked God what His name was. God replied, “… I AM WHO I AM…” (Ex. 3: 14 ESV). This means more than just I am me. It means He was not created by another.
The name Jehovah also shows us who God is. It means that He is eternal. It also speaks to His self-existence.
Deuteronomy 12: 5 says, “But you shall seek the place that the Lord your God will choose out of all your tribes to put his name and make his habitation there. There you shall go” (ESV). We would interpret this to mean God’s church. God will meet us at His place of worship.
Other Ways to See God
God isn’t limited in the number of ways He can reveal Himself to us.
There are examples where people saw God in other ways. We talked earlier about God’s glory in the fire.
It had to have been in the fire at the burning bush (Ex. 3: 2). Scriptures say that God’s glory was evident at Horeb. Exodus 24: 17 says, “To the Israelites the glory of the Lord looked like a consuming fire on top of the mountain” (NIV).
This would correlate with Ezekiel’s vision of God. “And upward from what had the appearance of his waist I saw as it were gleaming metal, like the appearance of fire enclosed all around. And downward from what had the appearance of his waist I saw as it were the appearance of fire, and there was brightness around him” (Ezek. 1: 27 ESV). This also puts Leviticus 9: 22-24 and 2 Chronicles 7: 1-3 into perspective.
Nature reflects God. “And one called to another and said: ‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!’” (Isa. 6: 3 HCSB). It is also used to illustrate Him.
- “Like the appearance of a rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the radiance around him” (Ezek. 1: 28 NIV).
- “And behold, the glory of the God of Israel was coming from the east. And the sound of his coming was like the sound of many waters, and the earth shone with his glory” (Ezek. 43: 2 ESV).
God will use the best way for us to recognize Him.
Making the Connections
Humans can’t stand to see God in His full majesty and glory after the expulsion from the Garden of Eden. But that doesn’t stop Him from revealing Himself to us.
God knows that any relationship can’t be one-sided. He loves us enough to communicate with us.
How Do We Apply This?
We need to keep focused on God so that, when He does reveal Himself to us, we recognize it.
Yes, God is wanting to talk to us. No, He isn’t going to force us to do that.
We have to put our relationship with God as our top priority.
Father God. You did not want the Garden of Eden to be the end of Your relationship with man. To ensure it wasn’t, You sent Your Son to die for us. You still today seek to establish an grow a relationship with us. Help us to grow closer to You. Amen.
What do you think?
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