Awesome God
By Bermie Dizon
Mindoro is one of the islands of the Philippines that holds much promise. It is green and heavily forested. It has a lot of potential for growth. In fact, a number of our church members have migrated to Mindoro to live there. Then, a strong earthquake came, intensity #7. The ground began to move and shake. The roads started cracking. Bridges fell. Then the tsunami, or huge tidal waves, hit the shores of some towns. People, especially children, were drowned. Watching the television broadcast on the news made me feel sick. It also made me remember the powerful earthquake that hit Luzon back in 1990 and the volcano explosion in ’91.
When our lives begin to shake, when the very foundations of where we are standing seem unsure, we human beings can be thrown into confusion. Many of our countrymen are wondering where they would cling in such troubled times. Nothing seems to be safe anymore. Even the earth we are standing on seems to be unsafe at times. The government, despite its efforts, cannot be depended on.
Times like these remind us more forcefully than ever that the church of God needs a more realistic view of God. Many times, when troubles come to our lives, our God becomes too small in our views. Probably because we are too overwhelmed with the horrendous problems that hit us. God seems very far. We tend to look at God in a narrow view where he sits on his throne so far away in the third heavens. Probably with gray hair and looking rather old and ancient. Is that our image of God? I think so. Many of us grew up without having a clear idea of what is God’s nature. If we have such a limited view of God, it can be very discouraging when we are affected by intense and powerful problems of this life.
Today let us have a glimpse of our Incomparably Great God. I said, "glimpse" because that is really the truth. With our finite and limited minds, how can we fully comprehend an infinite eternal mind?
Through the prophet Isaiah, God spoke to his people about himself. We will now go through these verses. In a troubled society about to collapse, with a king who is very wicked, Jerusalem’s future was bleak; with people wavering and doubting about their safety; with the people of God looking for other gods to save them, God thundered to the people who He really is.
ISA 40:9 O Zion, that bringest good tidings, get thee up into the high mountain; O Jerusalem, that bringest good tidings, lift up thy voice with strength; lift it up, be not afraid; say unto the cities of Judah, Behold your God! :10 Behold, the Lord GOD will come with strong hand, and his arm shall rule for him: behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him. :11 He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young. :12 Who hath measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, and meted out heaven with the span, and comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance?
The largest seas in the world, Pacific Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, Indian Ocean, Arctic Ocean, Antartic Ocean, Mediterranean Sea are nothing but a handful of water in God’s hands. Yet have you tried riding a ship or boat into the seas where you cannot see the land in any direction? You feel so small and so helpless. If the ship sinks, the smaller you will feel. To God, all those seas are like water in our palm.
The distance between the planets and stars is very far in our perspective. How far are galaxies from other galaxies? If you are traveling with the speed of light, you won’t reach the other end of the universe in your lifetime. But the Bible tells us that God measures the diameter of the universe with the span of his fingers. Yet God can even count the number of dust on earth. Whenever we go up a mountain, we are overwhelmed by its majesty and its bigness. But with God, even the tallest mountain is very insignificant in size. Nothing in nature is a threat to God. There is no tidal wave, a volcano or typhoon that can intimidate our great God.
:13 Who hath directed the Spirit of the LORD, or being his counsellor hath taught him? :14 With whom took he counsel, and who instructed him, and taught him in the path of judgment, and taught him knowledge, and shewed to him the way of understanding?
These verses tell us of God’s omniscience—all-knowing God. Where did God get his knowledge? Sometimes we marvel with meeting people who are doctors or Ph.D’s. We marvel at people with a genius mind... whose IQs are more than 200. God’s IQ is infinite. And here we are trying to get to know more of God. It is just impossible for us finite minds to comprehend infinite minds. If one would put all computers together, hook them up and so forth, they still cannot compare with the unlimited mind of God. Yet, many times we fear people who know more than us. We fear scientists and scholars. To God, their knowledge is nothing.
:15 Behold, the nations are as a drop of a bucket, and are counted as the small dust of the balance: behold, he taketh up the isles as a very little thing.
Some of us are overwhelmed at nations and the power that they have. We shake in fear of nations having nuclear power and military strength. We submit to those whose economies control ours. Yet, the Scriptures tell us that God is the governor of all nations. In comparison to the greatness of God, they are just like drops of water. What is a drop of water to a bucket? Nothing in comparison.
:16 And Lebanon is not sufficient to burn, nor the beasts thereof sufficient for a burnt offering. :17 All nations before him are as nothing; and they are counted to him less than nothing, and vanity.
Our God governs the world. Therefore, we must be careful not to exalt nations and the persons who govern them. Some people elevate their leaders or governments to the level of God. But the Scriptures tell us that governments and nations are like dust in a scale. Sometimes our scales can get dusty. Do the dust make a difference? No.
Lebanon used to be known for its cedars and good timber. It was also known in the ancient world for its pastures and cattle. That is why the Scriptures used it as an example. All these trees and cattle are inadequate in worshipping God. Even if we cut all the trees of the rain forest to make for a burnt offering, it still won’t be enough to show how great God is.
God, however, is more than force or power. The next verses tell us that God is not matter. He is a living Being. And a very personal one. King David understood this very well. The Philistines recognized gods as made of stone or wood. The Israelites had forgotten about God. But to David, the great God is alive!
1Samuel 17:36 Thy servant slew both the lion and the bear: and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be as one of them, seeing he hath defied the armies of the living God.
The idea that God is real and alive has not entered the minds of the Philistines and most of Israel. They were worshipping some other gods.
:18 To whom then will ye liken God? or what likeness will ye compare unto him? :19 The workman melteth a graven image, and the goldsmith spreadeth it over with gold, and casteth silver chains. :20 He that is so impoverished that he hath no oblation chooseth a tree that will not rot; he seeketh unto him a cunning workman to prepare a graven image, that shall not be moved.
We may say that we don’t see Christians do these things. How weird for 20th-century people to get something man-made like a refrigerator and see them praying before it. Or get something from the refrigerator and offer it to some stone on the backyard. But Isaiah 17:18-20 is ancient Israel idolatry. There is a different kind of 20th-century idolatry. Anytime you or I make any person, any goal, any institution or anything else equal to or higher than the living God in our loyalties and priorities, we are committing idolatry. That is what idolatry is all about: Giving to anyone or anything else the loyalty and devotion we should render to God. Men and women are all born worshippers. Even so-called atheists are worshippers. They may claim to the world that they worship no god. But in God’s eyes these people worship themselves or their human reasoning.
Isaiah in some ways is a humorous prophet. Verse 20 says, "Well some of you are poor and you say that you may have not gold to cover your idol, well be careful of the wood you choose! Your god may be eated by termites. Then he said, "Nail your gods, they may fall and break!"
Well, my friends, God cannot be described with any physical object. God is real and a living Being. Anything we put ahead of him is as ridiculous as the dumb and deaf idols of ancient times. But we do have problems this 20th century. We tend to put material things ahead of God. Everytime we give first place to our jobs, our leisure activities, our life goals, our worries, or our friends, we show that our view and estimation of God are inadequate.
:21 Have ye not known? have ye not heard? hath it not been told you from the beginning? have ye not understood from the foundations of the earth? :22 It is he that sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in: :23 That bringeth the princes to nothing; he maketh the judges of the earth as vanity. :24 Yea, they shall not be planted; yea, they shall not be sown: yea, their stock shall not take root in the earth: and he shall also blow upon them, and they shall wither, and the whirlwind shall take them away as stubble.
God is not only incomparably great compared to idols but he is incomparably great in his relation to the rulers of this world. Even the greatest leaders of this world cannot escape what is common to all men – death. Verse 24 tells us that leaders are just like plants. They easily are blown away by the hot wind. The authority of God is superior over presidents, kings, generals, and dictators.
25 To whom then will ye liken me, or shall I be equal? saith the Holy One.
Once more, the question is asked of us: Who is this Great God? To whom can he be likened?
:26 Lift up your eyes on high, and behold who hath created these things, that bringeth out their host by number: he calleth them all by names by the greatness of his might, for that he is strong in power; not one faileth.
Not only did God create the stars, but he maintains them as well. At night looking at the stars always give me goose bumps. Or when I fly on the plane and I look down and see the earth, how small buildings are. Cars are like moving ants. From the sky above looking down, we certainly look very insignificant. The universe is so big. It has more than 200 billion galaxies. And each galaxy has around 200 billion stars. Yet God knows each by name. If God is so detailed and so meticulous knowing the names of all those billions and billions of stars, and if one disappears, he knows it also, then how can we ever think that he is so far away and so far removed from us that in our littleness we are beyond his concern?
:27 Why sayest thou, O Jacob, and speakest, O Israel, My way is hid from the LORD, and my judgment is passed over from my God?
This is how people at those times think. They thought God was unfair. Not knowing how things are going down here. Not knowing our difficulties. Well, God is not that way. He is very concerned to how his people feel. Notice God’s answer to their questions. Notice God’s reply to their doubts.
:28 Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding. :29 He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. :30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: :31 But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.
God’s shepherding and loving care for us exceeds in strength the boundless energy of those who are in their prime of life. God is not overcome by the fainting and weariness known to mortals. He never tires from neglect to take food. He doesn’t get tired of his work. The young children who seem to have boundless energy will soon fall exhausted. The Scriptures assure us that our Great God never grows weary or weak. He is changeless and eternal. And he is never tiring in his compassion towards those who are faint and weak.
Let us quickly summarize in three points what was discussed:
The outline is in verse 10 and 11: Verses 10 and 11 gives us a brief summary of who God is: This verse was written in a poetic form:
1. God is all Powerful, All knowing and everywhere: "His arm rules for him." shows God’s might and power. He is omnipotent.
2. God is a very personal living Being. "His reward is with him." shows that God is a very personal God. He relates with us.
3. God is like a loving Shepherd. "He tends his flock like a shepherd." shows that God is a powerful but tender shepherd.
PSA 34:18 The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. :19 A righteous man may have many troubles, but the LORD delivers him from them all;
How encouraging to know that the very presence of the King - the Creator of all heaven and earth - hovers near those who are wounded and discouraged. If you could fully comprehend how deeply you are loved, you would never feel alone again. Once again King David wrote:
PSA 103:11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him;
Isaiah 55:9 "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts."
And our reply to God should be: LUK 22:42 "Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done."
God thinks very differently. We humans tend to measure life based on the life we live at this present time. Our perspective is so limited to this lifetime. When we see someone suffering this lifetime, we ask questions. When little children die, we ask questions, because we feel that they have lost much from this lifetime. But God is God. He is eternal. He is not bound by time. As the scripture says, "His thoughts are much higher than ours."
God looks at humanity from the point of view of eternity. His decisions are for the eternal destiny. Those children who die are not lost in God’s eyesight. They will live again. Those who are disabled and weakened among us will bear witness of God’s strength. And those people who suffer are just being made closer to perfection. It is like one sculptor looking at a big chunk of marble or stone. Every hit of the hammer on the chisel and on the stone means the creation is being made perfect. The sculptor will not stop chiseling until all the imperfections are removed.
God is our sculptor, chiseling away all ugly traits, creating a more perfect person.
There is another way for us to understand God. A way that can tear down those walls of doubts between us and God. A way to reconcile us with Him. You see, before we can reflect the light, before we can reconcile with others, we must first be reconciled with God. The way is Jesus Christ. We need to see God as revealed to us in the person of Jesus Christ. Outside of Jesus Christ, God can indeed be an infinitely unknown factor. Sometimes it can be very disorienting to those who study the nature of God.
Sometimes on a starry night, I find myself struck with the awesome reality of God. When I look at the billions of stars, galaxies and solar systems above me, I cannot help but think, "What manner of being is it who created all this? And how is it that such an infinite, incomprehensible power can be interested in my life?" I tell you it sends a chill down my spine, until I think of Jesus Christ, and then I realize that the great being who created all of this is none other than the God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who sent his Son into the world, not to condemn us, but to bring us all to salvation. That can send another chill down my spine, and it can also warm my heart.
The way to understand the mind and heart of the Great God, then, is through the lens of our Lord Jesus’ life on earth. As Jesus said to Philip, "If you have seen me, you have seen the Father."
And so if we are having difficulty trying to understand God’s love, then open our Bibles and behold the Savior. Behold his words, for his words are God’s words. Behold his acts, for his acts are God’s acts. Behold his love and compassion, for those are also God’s. See him as loving even his enemies. See him filled with compassion healing the multitudes. See him weep. See him pray. See him like the good shepherd, seeking and saving the lost. See him hanging on the stake or the cross bearing all the pain, the sorrow and the humiliation to save you.
And see him who promised to dwell within each of us.
For people who think that God is so far away from helping, for those people who think that God is always on their backs like a policeman, ...... instead think of God dwelling in your heart and not at your back or some distant galaxy. The good news of the gospel is that our hearts can be temples of God, indwelt by the Holy Spirit. This is the greatest gift that God can give us. There is no joy and happiness in religion as long as we feel far from God. There is no joy in religion even when we attend church, as long as we keep on doubting God’s goodness. For as long as we are separated from God, we cannot reach out to this world, we cannot proclaim His name nor can we reflect well his light. God loves you. And God loves all humanity. You are too precious for God to lose.
Just how real is God to you? You don’t have to answer by words. We must answer from our hearts expressed through our actions. For how easy it is to say, "Yes, I worship the great God." But our actions show just the reality. Yes, just how should we worship our Great God? Let us see what our Lord Jesus Christ has to teach us about worship.
He was most probably tired walking from a long distance. The disciples and Christ went to Samaria. Now the Samaritans are viewed by Jews as worse than other gentiles. It was forbidden for them to mingle with them.
JOH 4:5 Then cometh he to a city of Samaria, which is called Sychar, near to the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph.
JOH 4:7 There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water: Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink. :8 (For his disciples were gone away unto the city to buy meat.) :9 Then saith the woman of Samaria unto him, How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? for the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans. :10 Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water. :11 The woman saith unto him, Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep: from whence then hast thou that living water? :12 Art thou greater than our father Jacob, which gave us the well, and drank thereof himself, and his children, and his cattle? :13 Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: :14 But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life. :15 The woman saith unto him, Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw.
JOH 4:20 Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship. :21 Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father. :22 Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews. :23 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. :24 God is a Spirit(by Spirit, it means not matter. Not bound by space and time. Meaning God is everywhere and eternal): and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.
The verses tell us how people of the olden days worshipped God. They go to either Jerusalem or Mt. Gerizim (for Samaritans) to worship God. As if to imply that God is very limited in presence. Christ introduced something profound and significant. He said that the time has come for God’s people to worship in spirit and in truth. First of all, God is spirit. He is everywhere. We cannot localize God. Jesus implied that to the Samaritan woman. That must be unsettling to the woman. To tell her that worshipping God is not just going to some holy place. What Christ was saying is that the place is not very important. What is important is the attitude. What is in the heart. You see, God is everywhere.
What Jesus Christ is teaching us is that we should not be bound by a place or a building or an altar. Yes, we assemble together ourselves for services and worship. But assemblying by itself is not enough for worship. Worshipping is of the spirit. Some people may be in the physical place of worship but if their hearts are not spiritual and if they are not true in their intentions, God is not going to be with them.
When Jesus told her, "You worship ye know not what..." That is very unsettling, isn’t it? If God will look into our hearts today, What will he say? Do we know what we worship? What is our image of God? History shows how people worship in ignorance. When they saw the power of the sun, they worship it. When they saw the majesty of a mountain, they worship it. Remember what Jesus said? "In vain do they worship me..." But the true worshippers worship God the Father in spirit and in truth. True worship is not shown outwardly but inwardly. It’s of the heart. Not just the bowing down or the kneeling or the knees. But the humble contrite spirit is what is acceptable.
Not just the nice dress we wear, but the wearing of righteousness. In reality, worshipping God is to bring our spirit into immediate contact with God’s Spirit. It is a union together of spirit to spirit.
And when we say we worship in truth, there must be no pretense. God can see in us sincerity and humility of heart.
God’s church is a spiritual organization. It is composed of physical human beings but it is spiritual in nature. We don’t know exactly what the future holds for us individuals. Problems, trials, calamities and whatever may come. We don’t worry. Our God is the most powerful Being. He is everywhere, omnipotent, and omniscient. He is very personal in his relationship with us. And he loves and cares for us as his children. We have God’s assurances. God is with us anytime and anywhere. Let us all worship him in spirit and in truth.
