“Fear thou not for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee, yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of My righteousness.” Isaiah 41:10
When the Creator and Redeemer of all men declares Himself to be “…The Lord, the Lord God….” (Ex. 34:6) what is He seeking to communicate to us? And how does it apply in the practical living of the believer? To understand in part the matter of the meaning of “God,” let’s trace our steps. It is in revealing to us directly, and indirectly, His invisible attributes, and His working in the hearts and lives of men, that He unveils to us Himself as God, the one and only God.
First, the Lord God instructs Israel to not fear. Here the Lord is dealing with a nation of sheep. David essentially declares this in Psalm 23, for we “are the sheep of His pasture.” As sheep, we are helpless before our enemies. The wolf, bear, and the lion, which exceed in strength and will, have but one purpose, to kill and to destroy. So, how is the sheep not to fear since it is so very limited in its capacity to escape that which can destroy it so easily? It is very important for us to consider and grasp, in the measure that we can, that God IS God. He is not a man; He is God. Even the Lord Jesus taught this, saying: “God is spirit, and those that worship HIm must worship Him in Spirit and truth.” (John 4:24) This is not to say that the Lord Jesus is not the perfect man, for God the Father gave Him a physical body. (Heb. 10:5) Christ’s perfection as God in the flesh was revealed in the perfect Life in a physical body on this earth, accomplishing a perfect work that only a man could accomplish. However, Christ is God, and as such, possesses all the attributes of God. For example, when the disciples were caught in a storm at sea, and Jesus was asleep, they came to him in their moment of peril to awaken Him. The Lord Jesus then arises, rebukes the wind and the raging of the water, “…and they ceased, and there was a great calm.” (Luke 8:24) Here you have a boat of disciples, absolutely helpless in the face of a storm which could destroy them. However, there is One in the boat who is completely different from them, not so much in his physical appearance, but in His possession of a power and authority over the destructive power of the wind and sea. Here is God in the flesh, and yet, He is presented to the disciples as the perfect man, the Son of God, excercising the sovereign dominance of God over that which is humanly overwhelming. Though the disciples would respond in this situation by saying, “What manner of man is this,” they were confronted with the fact that “He commandeth even the winds and water, and they obey Him.” There stood the Lord Jesus as a man, and yet, they were faced with God, Almighty God, sovereign in power and authority over all of nature. God revealed to them that day that there was more to be grasped than just being saved from the perilous sea. They had been brought face to face with God, their Maker, Sustainer, and Keeper.
So, God commanded Israel to not fear, for One greater and more powerful than Israel was present, and was “for” them. The Lord goes on to command them, “…be not dismayed.” How can He say this to men whose resources and capacities are so limited in the face of difficulties and oppostion on this earth, sometimes with regard to life itself? It is because of the promise: “…for I AM thy God.” Not only is God Almighty perpetually sovereign in power and authority, but He has declared Himself to be presently the God of the Israelites, committed to be for them, with them, always a very present help.
Dear Father, Enable us to behold our God. In Jesus’ name, Amen.