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The simple reason why Israel’s God doesn’t want the believer to think He is any man
The Hebrew “image” [or “concept”] of God is unlike that of any other holy book [including the Qur’an and
the New Testament].
Why? Simply because, although at first glance Hebrew Scripture depicts a God who not only seems to have
human attributes (eyes, mouth, arms, ears, hands), but even suffers from human defects and limitations (He
rests, repents, gets angry, vengeful, jealous, and covets human praise and recognition), the truth is that
ancient Hebrew believers knew this was just an anthropomorphism; human attributes used to describe the
several non human messengers (angels) who, throughout the Bible spoke on God’s behalf.
But Hebrew believers knew none of these attributes really applied to the One true God- He who is so infinite
and self sufficient that the whole universe isn’t big enough to contain it; the God who is so morally perfect,
that He is beyond any moral imperfection; the God so glorious and exalted that no man can see His face
(directly interacting with Him) and live to talk about it.
And how did they know the whole universe isn’t big enough for God? From the verse that goes on to say:
“So will God really dwell on the earth? Behold, heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain You!”- 1
Kings 8:27, Tree of Life Bible ).
And how did they know God is morally perfect? From the verse that reads, “The Rock—blameless is His
work. Indeed, all His ways are just. God of faithfulness without iniquity, righteous and upright is He. Did it
corrupt Him? No! The blemish is His children’s”- Deut. 32:4-5, Tree of Life Bible.
Finally, from whence did they know there were angels [and not God Himself] who appeared to them? They
knew it from, “You cannot see My face, for no man can see Me and live”- Exodus 33:20, Tree of Life Bible.
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Thus, Hebrew believers knew God was perfect, happy, and complete, not having any human need nor
limitation.
In other words, God doesn’t really need our love, our faith, our obedience nor our worship. But you may ask,
“if God has no body, and no human need or limitation, why is it that He asks to be loved (‘Love The Lord
your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength’- Deuteronomy 6:5)?
How could you love such an abstract God? Can you hug Him? comfort Him? make him merry? Offer Him
something to drink or eat?”. And the answer to this question is quite simple- We cannot love Him directly.
In fact, if God forbids our making any human depiction of Him, it’s precisely because He doesn’t want us to
try loving Him directly [as He doesn’t need our love!]. How then does He expects us to fulfill the command
to love Him? By loving those who have been created in His own image! (“So God created man in his own
image, in the image of God created he him...”- Genesis 1:27, KJV).
Thus, when we love our fellow human beings, we are thereby “killing two birds with a single stone”.
In short, God doesn’t want us to think He has any human limitation, let alone that He is any human being
(“God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent...”- Numbers 23:19,
KJV).
If God asks His children to obey His commandments, it’s only because such obedience will bring upon us the
peace and blessing promised by His messengers (angels). As it is written:
“And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe and
to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the Lord thy God will set thee on high
above all nations of the earth: And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt
hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God.
Blessed shalt thou be in the city, and blessed shalt thou be in the field. Blessed shall be the fruit of thy body,
and the fruit of thy ground, and the fruit of thy cattle, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep.
Blessed shall be thy basket and thy store. Blessed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and blessed shalt thou
be when thou goest out.
The Lord shall cause thine enemies that rise up against thee to be smitten before thy face: they shall come out
against thee one way, and flee before thee seven ways. The Lord shall command the blessing upon thee in thy
storehouses, and in all that thou settest thine hand unto; and he shall bless thee in the land which the Lord thy
God giveth thee. The Lord shall establish thee an holy people unto himself, as he hath sworn unto thee, if
thou shalt keep the commandments of the Lord thy God, and walk in his ways.
And all people of the earth shall see that thou art called by the name of the Lord; and they shall be afraid of
thee. And the Lord shall make thee plenteous in goods, in the fruit of thy body, and in the fruit of thy cattle,
and in the fruit of thy ground, in the land which the Lord sware unto thy fathers to give thee. The Lord shall
open unto thee his good treasure, the heaven to give the rain unto thy land in his season, and to bless all the
work of thine hand: and thou shalt lend unto many nations, and thou shalt not borrow.
And the Lord shall make thee the head, and not the tail; and thou shalt be above only, and thou shalt not be
beneath; if that thou hearken unto the commandments of the Lord thy God, which I command thee this day,
to observe and to do them: And thou shalt not go aside from any of the words which I command thee this
day, to the right hand, or to the left, to go after other gods to serve them”- Deut. 28:1-14, KJV.
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