Additional Texts: Exodus 6:6, 20:4-6; Psalm 23:1, 27:1, 78:35, 80:1, 99:1, 102:2, 107:2, 119:105, 145:1; Proverbs 6:23; Isaiah 41:21, 44:6, 60:19; Daniel 7:9-10; Matthew 4:17, 23; Mark 8:34; John 10:11; Acts 26:18; 2 Corinthians 4:4; 1 Peter 1:18-19; 2 Peter 1:4; 1 John 1:5; Revelation 19:11-16.
We have come to the end of our quest to answer the questions, “Who is God, and what is He like? Rather than depending on popular thinking or human reasoning, we have consulted God’s inspired Word to discover what God has revealed to us about Himself. C. S. Lewis used to tell the story about a school boy who was asked what he thought God was like. The boy said that, as far as he could determine, God was the sort of person who is always snooping round to see if anyone is enjoying himself and then trying to stop it. There are others, like this boy, who have incorrect understandings about God and only the Bible can set the record straight.
We began with four of God’s names as revealed in Scripture. Yahweh, often written only with the letters YHWH, and is God’s personal name, declares that He is the eternal, self-existent One. God has no beginning and no ending; He is absolutely and infinitely eternal. He has no creator; He exists only in Himself. His name, Yahweh, clearly affirms these truths. Elohim, another name found in Scripture for God means that He is the Creator of all things and that He is the Supreme Majesty with unlimited strength and power. Elohim, the Creator, began everything, creating the heavens and the earth, separating light from the darkness, water from dry land, and filling the earth with life.
God’s third name is Adonai, which means Lord, Master, and owner. This name conveys the idea of His absolute authority. This name tells us that God possesses supreme sovereignty and ultimate authority over all things external to Himself. When a believer in Jesus Christ recognizes God as Lord and Master, he or she surrenders every aspect of their lives to Him. We concluded with Ab, which is the Hebrew word for Father. This name emphasizes relationship. First, God the Father has an eternal relationship with Jesus, God the Son, and the Holy Spirit. In addition, when someone receives the Lord Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, they enter into an eternal relationship with God as their Father. In fact, the Bible says, “Because you are children, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, "Abba! Father!” (Galatians 4:6).
We followed our discovery of God’s names by searching the Bible for God’s attributes which describe His divine nature. I chose sixteen of God’s attributes to bring before you. We found that the Lord our God is spirit, almighty, omnipresent, omniscient, sovereign, all-wise, love, immutable, holy, truth, faithful, eternal, gracious, merciful, righteous, and glorious. These declare the infinite magnificence of God and create a sense of worship from those who trust in Him. As Christians, we can rejoice in God’s eternal attributes because, as the Apostle Peter tells us, “For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature” (2 Peter 1:4). By grace, believers can share in His attributes.
Today, I will complete our investigation of who God is and what He is like by examining four portraits of God given to us in the Bible. These are words that we understand because they are familiar to us and in this case, they are applied to God. They are King, Shepherd, Redeemer, and Light. We will begin with the Lord God who is the King.
GOD IS KING. (Psalm 145:1)
Portraits of God. In speaking about the portraits of God, I must begin with an explanation. God has expressly forbidden the construction and worship of images. I am sure you recall from the Ten Commandments, that God said, “You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth. You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing lovingkindness to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments” (Exodus 20:4-6).
God’s hatred of the worship of idols is a major theme in the Bible. It was because the people Israel could not apply the spiritual discipline to completely abstain from worshiping idols that God sent them into exile, temporarily setting them aside. We are not to worship pictures, statues or other icons: we are to worship only the living God. True believers bow to no image to worship or to serve. Remember, however, that God made man in His image, and image that was corrupted by sin when man and woman rebelled against God. Also recall, that the Lord Jesus is the image of God, befitting His divine nature and His perfect humanity. The Apostle Paul wrote, “The god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God” (2 Corinthians 4:4). There are pictures in the Bible that reveal God’s nature that will bring us to worshiping our Lord.
God Is King of Israel. The Hebrew and Greek words for king are used over two thousand, eight hundred times in the Bible, showing that the ideas of king and kingship are pervasive in the Bible. These references include human kings and the divine King. That God is King is made abundantly clear in Scripture. Psalm 99 begins, “The Lord reigns, let the peoples tremble; He is enthroned above the cherubim, let the earth shake!” Psalm 97 echoes this reality, “The Lord reigns, let the earth rejoice.” Throughout the Old Testament, God is seen as the King over all Creation. God is King over Israel. Isaiah calls God the King of Jacob (Isaiah 41:21) and reveals that “Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel, and His Redeemer, the Lord of hosts: I am the first and I am the last, and there is no God besides Me” (Isaiah 44:6). Israel’s great king, David, confessed that God was the King over him and that he was under God’s kingly authority, “I will extol You, my God, O King, and I will bless Your name forever and ever” (Psalm 145:1).
The Scriptures claim that God’s earthly throne is the Ark of the Covenant and that it was at the “ark of the covenant of the Lord of hosts who sits above the cherubim” (1 Samuel 4:4). Psalm 80 repeats this saying, “You are enthroned about the cherubim.” As the Lord, the King controls His realm and speaks with authority. He stands with His people to protect and defend them and to provide justice and mercy. God rules as sovereign King over all the nations of the earth and His kingdom is eternal. God is not an absentee King, He is always present with His people. Daniel portrayed God as King in this way, “I kept looking until thrones were set up, and the Ancient of Days took His seat; His vesture was like white snow and the hair of His head like pure wool. His throne was ablaze with flames, its wheels were a burning fire. A river of fire was flowing and coming out from before Him; thousands upon thousands were attending Him, and myriads upon myriads were standing before Him" (Daniel 7:9-10).
The Christian and God the King. The New Testament also presents God the Son, Jesus Christ as King. Matthew’s gospel tells us that Jesus’ message was, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand,” and “Jesus was going throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom” (Matthew 4:17, 23). We know that the Apostle Paul recognized that Jesus was King because he wrote, “Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen” (1 Timothy 1:17). And, certainly, you know that King Jesus will soon return. The Bible says, “And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sat on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and wages war. His eyes are a flame of fire, and on His head are many diadems; and He has a name written on Him which no one knows except Himself. He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses. From His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty. And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, "King of Kings, and Lord of Lords” (Revelation 19:11-16). What should be the Christian’s response to King Jesus? Total surrender – we must yield all to our Lord: “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me” (Mark 8:34).
GOD IS SHEPHERD. (Psalm 23:1)
The Lord Is My Shepherd. One of the most familiar verses in the Bible is Psalm 23:1, “The Lord is my shepherd.” There is a close analogy between the portraits of God as King and God as Shepherd. The first verse of Psalm 80 tells us that God is the “Shepherd of Israel.” Many of Israel’s greatest leaders, including, Moses and David, spent years of their lives as shepherds. God the Shepherd rules with His rod and staff in the image of a ruler. As Shepherd God rules not only by power and authority but by His nurturing care for His flock. He has mercy and heals His sheep and with great compassion seeks and rescues His lost sheep. When God is our Shepherd, we have need of nothing. He leads us and directs us to the right paths. His presence calms our fears even of death itself. He invites us to His feast and to receive His anointing. His goodness and mercy follow us eternally and, in His grace, we will dwell in His house forever.
Jesus: The Good Shepherd. The divine portrait of the shepherd has its fulfillment in the Lord Jesus Christ. In John 10:11, Jesus said, “I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.” In that great passage of John 10:11-16, Jesus also revealed that because He is the Good Shepherd, Jesus cares for the sheep and provides for His sheep, even to the point of providing them with everlasting life by laying down His own life for the sheep. Jesus said He knows His sheep and His sheep know Him. His sheep know His voice and they follow where He leads them.
Jesus is also called the Great Shepherd. In focusing on the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, the writer of Hebrews wrote, “Now the God of peace, who brought up from the dead the great Shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the eternal covenant, even Jesus our Lord” (Hebrews 13:20). As the Apostle Peter wrote about the Second Coming of Jesus who will bring His rewards with Him, we find that “When the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory” (1 Peter 5:4). Jesus always uses all of His divine resources as the Good Shepherd, the Great Shepherd, and the Chief Shepherd in caring and providing for His sheep.
GOD IS REDEEMER. (Psalm 78:35)
God the Redeemer. Years ago, the pen of the hymn writer composed, “Redeemed, how I love to proclaim it, redeemed by the blood of the Lamb.” These words pointed generations of believers to an unforgettable fact, every true believer has been redeemed by the precious blood of Jesus Christ. To redeem means to rescue or deliver from bondage or slavery by paying a price. Psalm 78:35 tells us, “And they (that is Israel) remembered that God was their rock, and the Most High God their Redeemer.” In Exodus 6, God told Moses, “Say, therefore, to the sons of Israel, I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the burden of the Egyptians, and I will deliver you from their bondage. I will also redeem you with and outstretched arm and with great judgments” (Exodus 6:6).
The thoughts constantly impressed upon the people of Israel were that they were a people who belonged to Yahweh, that He redeemed them and that Canaan, the Promised Land, with all it might produce was the gift from God their Redeemer. They were supposed to rejoice in their redemption as the psalmist declared, “Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom He has redeemed from the hand of the adversary” (Psalm 107:2).
The Cost of Redemption. Redemption pictures a person in great debt and completely unable to repay that debt. All they have has been taken and they are destitute and completely impoverished. Some were even sold into slavery. Redemption called upon someone to come along and pay off the debt and release or redeem the one in such great debt. Redemption in the Bible required three steps. First, this was a family obligation. Someone who was a relative had the right to redeem and therefore could take upon themselves the responsibility of redemption.
Second, since the redemption often included monetary debts and the surrender of family property and land, the redeemer had to have adequate resources. All of the debt had to be paid. Family members who were themselves financially challenged would not be qualified to redeem. Third, redemption required decisive voluntary action. A relative had to have willing resolve to pay the redemption price. It was necessary to take the personal and legal steps to pay the redemption price and free the debtor from bondage.
Christ the Redeemer. In the New Testament, the Lord Jesus is the Redeemer. He, and only He, met all the requirements of a Redeemer. First, He had to be a relative. As such, He chose to become human through His incarnation at His birth at Bethlehem. Because of His virgin birth, Jesus the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. He was born of a woman and became human and in so doing became a relative of every one of us, thus meeting the first qualification. Second, only He had the resources necessary to provide for our redemption – and that resource was His own precious blood, “Knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ” (1 Peter 1:18-19). His blood is the purchase price for our debt of sin and only He can pay it. Thus, Jesus met the second qualification.
Finally, He had the resolve to redeem us. Mark’s gospel tells us that He “did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45). And the Lord proclaimed that His mission on earth was “to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10). Having met all three qualifications, only the Lord Jesus can redeem your soul. Is Jesus your Redeemer?
GOD IS LIGHT. (Psalm 27:1)
My Light and My Salvation. God is King, Shepherd, and Redeemer. He is also Light. David says quite clearly that “The Lord is my light and my salvation.” Among the inanimate objects in the universe, light is the most common and most theologically important portrait of God. God is the Creator of light, in fact, light was His first creation. The psalmist says God “covers Himself with light as a cloak” (Psalm 104:2). His nearness and presence were indicated by light. Isaiah revealed, “No longer will you have the sun for light by day, nor for brightness will the moon give you light; but you will have the Lord for an everlasting light, and your God for your glory” (Isaiah 60:19).
Since God is light, turning to Him means salvation because it is a turning from darkness to His light. The Word of God is light, so says Psalm 119:105, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” People enter into an experience of God’s saving and keeping power when they open their hearts to the light of God’s Word, “For the commandment is a lamp and the teaching is light” (Proverbs 6:23). Only when enlightened by God’s light do we comprehend the nature of reality.
Jesus Is the Light of the World. The Lord Jesus was at one of Israel’s great feasts when He said, “I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (John 8:12). The world was dark in sin and corruption until Jesus came and brought His brilliant and splendid light into the world. He is the true light who illumines every person with the truth of His salvation. If a person receives Christ, His light is placed within them, if they reject Christ they remain in eternal darkness.
John declared that the mission of the apostles was to proclaim that God is light: “This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is Light and in Him there is no darkness at all” (1 John 1:5). In portraying that God is Light, John was undoubtedly thinking of God as the Revealer of His holiness. As Light, God exposes mankind’s sinfulness and condemns it. Since God is Light, believers are called to walk in the Light as He Himself in in the Light. Thus, true fellowship with God is living in the light of the truth of who God is. God’s light empowers believers to live in His light with Him.
Turning from darkness to light is the message of salvation. The Lord Jesus told the Apostle Paul that he was “to open [the eyes of the Jews and Gentiles] so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the dominion of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in Me” (Acts 26:18). Turning by faith to receive Jesus as Lord means to turn from darkness to light and brings immediate forgiveness of sins.
In addition to God’s names and attributes, we now know four of God’s portraits of Himself revealed in the Bible. He is King, Shepherd, Redeemer, and Light. Have you turned by faith to the Lord Jesus Christ? Are your sins forgiven? Right now, turn to Jesus the Light! He came to save you.
