The Attributes of God as Seen in the Old Testament

The Attributes of God as Seen in the Old Testament

“Essence of God” is a term used to refer to God’s personal characteristics or the facets of His personality. These facets cannot be completely communicated to man. They can be described to a degree, but they cannot be fully defined because finite man cannot comprehend the infinite. The Bible is the Word of God, and it reveals those facts about the Creator that He has seen fit to reveal about himself.

Man assumes that God thinks like a man. We think God wants revenge, because when we’re insulted, we want revenge. When we are cheated, we want immediate justice and so we expect that God feels the same way. But God does not. God approaches every issue from the basis of His perfect character. His character and attributes are the subject of this study.

God approaches every issue regarding humans with His love for all men and takes all of His attributes into consideration when dealing with them – but Love is always present. God has revealed something of what He is in the Word. We must rely on the Bible for understanding of what God is like.

Because of the difference between God's supreme nature and man's weak nature, all revelation on God's part involves accommodation to man's level of understanding. Therefore, in the Bible, God is described in human terms.

Anthropomorphism

ANTHROPOMORPHISM - The practice of describing God in human terms, as if He has feet, hands, a face, a heart, and so forth. Although the Old and New Testaments deny any literal similarity of form between God and His creatures, the Bible frequently uses such human language to affirm that God is personal and active in His creation.

Scripture speaks of God's eyes, fingers, and hands; He is a God who sees and touches His creation. He is also portrayed with such emotions as jealousy and anger. This is the Bible's way of declaring that He is a God who feels and responds to His creatures.

We attribute to God the most valuable traits we are aware of as humans; those possessed by ourselves. (Nelson's Illustrated Bible Dictionary, 1986) The most dramatic example of anthropomorphism is when Jacob wrestles with God. This particular example can be considered a theophany too.

Some examples of Anthropomorphism:

Gen 3:8

8 And they heard the voice of Jehovah God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of Jehovah God amongst the trees of the garden.

Ps 37:13

13 The Lord will laugh at him; for he seeth that his day is coming.

It is important that we do not take anthropomorphisms literally. These expressions are to help us gain understanding of the incomprehensible. On the other hand, it is important that we do not dismiss these ideas either. God made man in His image, so it is not a coincidence that God’s attributes and actions can be described in this way. We have mouths with which we communicate because God is a communicator; our mouths are part of the way in which we are made in God’s image. Our mouths, arms, and hands reflect attributes of God in whose image we were made. (The Nature and Attributes of God)

Theophany

It is clear from the Scriptures that no human can see God face to face and survive, but there are many places in the Bible where men did see the LORD and live. For example, Jacob wrestled with God and did not die. (The Memra, 2001) God revealed himself in the Old Testament and dealt with man on man’s level through the use of theophanies.

THEOPHANY - any direct, visual manifestation of the presence of God. The key word is visual, since God makes His presence and power known throughout the Bible in a variety of ways. But even in a theophany a person does not actually see God Himself. What a person sees are the effects of God's unmediated presence.

Theophanies are most common in the books of Genesis and Exodus; but they also occur in the writings of the prophets. The most frequent visible manifestation of God's presence in the Old Testament is the "Angel of the Lord."

Examples of Theophanies:

Ex 3:2

2 And the angel of Jehovah appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed.

Ex 13:21-22

21 And Jehovah went before them by