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by
Doug Ward |
After God rescued the children of Israel from slavery in Egypt, he
brought them "on eagles' wings" to Mt. Sinai in order to establish a
loving covenant relationship with them (Exod 19:3-6).
The covenant was ratified in a special ceremony in which the Israelites agreed,
in response to God's gracious deliverance, to follow the commandments he had
given them (Exod 24:1-8). The ceremony culminated in
a memorable covenant meal attended by seventy four Israelites, including Moses,
Aaron and his sons Nadab and Abihu,
and seventy elders of Israel (vv. 9-11).
A
seventy-fifth personage was also present. As we read in Exodus 24:10, the
participants "saw the God of Israel." Verse 11 adds that "they
beheld God, and ate and drank." The text does not describe exactly what
they saw, but it does say that "a pavement of sapphire stone, like the
very heaven for clearness" was located underneath God's "feet."
Two
other biblical passages, Ezek 1:26 and 10:1, also
refer to God's presence appearing above a sapphire structure. Ezekiel's vision
included "a likeness with a human appearance" with "the
appearance of fire" and "brightness all around." Ezekiel
identified his vision as "the appearance of the likeness of the glory of
the Lord" (Ezek 1:26-28).
If
God's appearance at Sinai was similar to what Ezekiel saw, then the men at
Sinai may have seen a bright but indistinct shape, sufficient to convey the
idea that they were making their covenant with an actual person who was present
with them at the meal. Sharing a meal together implied mutual acceptance, so
God's presence at the meal sent the message that the Israelites enjoyed divine
favor. Forgiveness of the sins of the Israelites was also symbolized by the
blood sprinkled as part of the covenant ceremony.
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Moses:
Face to Face with God |
The Israelite leaders on the mountain had the great privilege of sharing a meal
in God's intimate presence. One of them, Moses, enjoyed the even greater
privilege of climbing Mt. Sinai to receive further revelation from God (Exod 24:12-18). He grew closer to God over the ensuing
weeks and months, and he came to be known for this close relationship. Exod 33:11 notes that "the Lord used to speak to Moses
face to face, as a man speaks to his friend." (See Num
12:6-8 and Deut 34:10 for similar statements.)
Speaking "face to face" connotes direct communication with no use of
intermediaries.
Along
with face to face verbal communication, Moses' experience of God had a visual
component that was less direct. "He beholds the form of the Lord" is
the way God described it later to Aaron and Miriam (Num
12:8). As time went on Moses sought a greater visual revelation. "Please
show me your glory," he requested (Exod 33:18).
God honored Moses' request, but he placed limitations on what he would show
Moses, explaining that "you cannot see my face, for man shall not see me
and live" (v. 20). God would cover Moses' face with his "hand"
while his glory was passing by, then allow Moses to see his "back" (vv.
22-23).
Since
God is spirit (John 4:24), he does not have physical hands, face, or back, so
we understand God to be speaking by analogy in these verses. As Dr. David H. Wenkel puts it, God was telling Moses about "his
ability to reveal himself in shades or degrees of intensity." In this
analogy God's face corresponds to his "most intense relational
presence."1
Commentators have interpreted God's "back" as a kind of afterglow
remaining in a place that God has just visited. Even experiencing this much of
God's presence must have been the thrill of a lifetime for Moses.
|
Explaining
New Testament Statements |
Further questions arise about what Moses and the elders of Israel saw when we
read in 1 John 4:12 that "no one has ever seen God." Other New
Testament passages speak of God as "invisible." For example, 1 Tim
1:17 praises "the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only
God." Similarly, Paul in Col 1:15 describes Jesus as "the image of
the invisible God."
Since
it is specifically God the Father who is described in this way (John 1:18;
6:46), one possible conclusion is that the appearances of God to the patriarchs
and prophets actually were appearances of God the Son before his incarnation.
Such appearances are known as "christophanies."
This idea arose early in Christian history, beginning with Justin Martyr in the
the second century A.D., and it is still popular
today. 2 It accords well with New Testament
statements that the preexistent Christ acted as God's agent in the creation of
the universe (John 1:1-3; Col 1:15-17). Since the preincarnate
Christ was involved in creation, he also may have acted in other capacities.
However,
the conclusion that all the theophanies (appearances
of God) in the Hebrew Scriptures are christophanies
is not required by the New Testament passages in question. It turns out that
the Greek word for "invisible" used in 1 Tim 1:17 and Col 1:15 does
not necessarily imply that something cannot be seen. Instead, it is often used
for things that are not ordinarily seen. As a result, verses that state God is
invisible or has not been seen may simply be saying that God sovereignly
chooses when, how, and to whom to appear, as is the case in Exod
33:18-23.
Moreover,
when the New Testament speaks of God being seen, it often is a reference to God
being understood or accepted rather than a reference to physical eyesight.
Think, for example, of Jesus' statement that "whoever has seen me has seen
the Father" (John 14:9). So verses like John 1:18 are about Jesus making
God more fully understood rather than about God never having been manifested
visually.3
Whatever
the precise nature of God's appearances to Moses and the elders of Israel, the
Bible is clear about God's desire for close interaction with his children. We
also look forward to closer communion with him in the future. As it is written
is 1 John 3:2, "We know that when he appears we shall be like him, because
we shall see him as he is."
1Shining Like the
Sun: A Biblical Theology of Meeting God Face to Face, Weaver Book Company,
Wooster, Ohio, 2016, p. 35.
2For further
discussion, see for example Christ in the Old Testament by James A.
Borland, Moody Press, Chicago, 1978. Justin's arguments appear in Dialogue
with Trypho, chapters 56-60, 126-129.
3On
these points see "The
invisibility of God: a survey of a misunderstood phenomenon" by Andrew
S. Malone, Evangelical Quarterly 79 (2007), pp. 311-329.
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