“…I am the Lord, exercising lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth” (Jeremiah 9:24b).
“Can you search out the deep things of God? Can you find out the limits of the Almighty?
8 They are higher than heaven—what can you do? Deeper than Sheol—what can you know?
9 Their measure is longer than the earth and broader than the sea” (Job 11:7-9).
How can we know about the God who created us and desires an intimate relationship with us? He has revealed Himself through the written Word, the Bible; and through the Living Word, His Son Jesus Christ.
One of the most helpful attributes of God is knowing that He is the Creator of all things; and so we, being the created, can only know what He chooses to reveal. “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord.9 “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:8-9).
Throughout the Bible God reveals many things about His character as He works with mankind in our fallen condition, and in the process He reveals His redemptive plan. Because God is a relational God, and our fallen condition has made us dull to the knowledge of Him who is invisible, He doesn’t reveal everything about Himself all at once, but through our willingness to know Him, He reveals Himself progressively.
In the Old Testament, you can see from the beginning how Cain and his lineage went their evil ways, while the lineage of his surviving brother, Seth, began to call upon the name of the Lord, “And Adam knew his wife again, and she bore a son and named him Seth, “For God has appointed another seed for me instead of Abel, whom Cain killed.” 26 And as for Seth, to him also a son was born; and he named him Enosh. Then men began to call on the name of the Lord. (Genesis 4:25-26).
The nature of our fallen condition is so powerful over us that there eventually came a point in time when there was only the small family of Noah who desired to worship God. Through the lineage of Noah’s son Shem, Abraham was born, and through him God developed the nation of Israel, a chosen race to be a physical demonstration to the world the revelation of God and His ways, and what He requires of us. This involved God revealing His holy character to them through maintaining the tabernacle, the earthly dwelling place of God; the development of the ceremonial laws and ordinances; and the celebration of the feasts of the Lord that commemorate the Lord’s gracious provision and foreshadow the future coming of the Messiah. As the Holiness of God was being revealed through these things, their fallen condition was being exposed, showing them the need for their salvation.
Through this period of trial and error we learn many things about God’s character. Through all of their shortcomings He never gave up on the Israelites and always followed through with fulfilling His covenant promises to them unconditionally.
Some of the characteristics of God revealed through the recorded history of the ancient Israelites are that He is the only living God (Jer. 10:10;), the most high God (Dan. 4:2; Ps. 57:2) , holy (Lev. 11:44;) and righteous (Jer. 9:24; Ps. 119:137), longsuffering (Exod. 34:6; 1 Kings 21:29;), compassionate (Deut. 4:31), unchanging (Mal. 3:6;), just and fair (Deut. 10:17-18; 32:3-4; Neh. 9:33), slow to anger ( Nah. 1:3), patient (Gen. 6:3; Exod. 34:6), true (Jer. 10:10;), faithful (Deut. 7:9; Ps. 36:5;), all powerful (Ps. 62:11; 147:5; ), eternal (Ps. 90:2;), and the God who saves (Is. 12:2).
These characteristics are also evident through the revelation of God in the life of His Son Jesus Christ, the Living Word, when He walked the earth in the form of man as He preached and taught the Word of Truth, the way to everlasting life; and by displaying the invisible kingdom of God, showing mercy and compassion through healing the sick, opening the eyes of the blind, delivering the demon possessed, and ultimately revealing the unconditional love for all sinners through the sacrificial atonement of bearing our punishment for us when He was crucified on the cross as the sinless Lamb of God, and in doing so provided justice and everlasting life for all who believe in Him.
Ever since the Lord’s resurrection from the dead and being seated at the right hand of the Father, our restored relationship with Him can be sealed and active by receiving His presence through the Holy Spirit to dwell inside of us. This will give us the incentive, motivation and love to allow Him to use our mind, heart and hands to display His attributes through us as we grow daily in our relationship with Him. As we learn to trust Him we will leave our self-centered ways behind, giving to God all glory, honor and praise as it was meant to be.