How does the Bible describe God? part 1

Most people’s knowledge about God is very shallow. This is because they never read the Bible in order to understand what it says about God. Instead, they leave this critical matter to their pastor, whom they expect to read and interpret the Bible for them. As a result, many believers and non-believers alike have fallen victim to scriptural manipulations propagated by false teachers of the word.

This should not be your story. All you need to do is commit to a private Bible study program to help you know who God really is and what He requires from you. To help you achieve this goal, we have penned a series of seven articles that discuss how the Bible describes God. So, let’s get started.

The Bible describes God in the following ways:

• God is a consuming fire (Deuteronomy 4:24)
• God is a jealous God (Exodus 20:4-6)
• God is a just judge (Psalm 89:14; Psalm 7:11; Deuteronomy 32:3–4)
• God is a merciful God (Deuteronomy 4:31)
• God is a revealer of secrets (Daniel 2:22)
• God is a sun to His people (Psalm 84:11)
• God is a shield for His people (Psalm 84:11)
• God is faithful (1 Corinthians 1:9; 1 Corinthians 10:13)
• God is God of gods (Deuteronomy 10:17; Daniel 2:47)
• God is good (Psalm 145:9; Psalm 34:8)
• God is gracious (2 Chronicles 30:9; Psalm 116:5)
• God is holy (Psalm 99:9)
• God is light (1 John 1:5)
• God is Lord of lords (Deuteronomy 10:17)
• God is love (1 John 4:8)
• God is mighty (Deuteronomy 10:17; Job 36:5)
• God is omnipotent (Jeremiah 32:17)
• God is omnipresent (Jeremiah 23:24)
• God is omniscient (1 John 3:20)
• God is righteous (Daniel 9:14)
• God is Spirit (John 4:24)
• God is the God of salvation (Psalm 68:20)
• God is the God of the living (Matthew 22:32)
• God is the great God (Psalm 96:4-5)
• God is a God who demotes and promotes (Psalm 75:7)
• God is the King of all the earth (Psalm 47:7-8; Zechariah 14:9)
• God is the salvation of Israel (Jeremiah 3:23)
• God is the strength of my heart (Psalm 73:26)
• God is wise in heart (Job 9:4)
• God is with the generation of the righteous (Psalm 14:5)
• God is with us (Isaiah 8:10; Joshua 1:9)
• God is our refuge (Psalm 46:1; Deuteronomy 33:27; Psalm 62:8)
• God loves a cheerful giver (2 Corinthians 9:7)
• God does not lie (Numbers 23:19)
• God is a rewarder (Hebrews 11:6; Psalm 58:11)
• God is the Ancient of Days (Daniel 7:9, 13, 22)
• God does not forget our good works (Hebrews 6:10)
• God is a giver (John 3:16)
• God is a God of vengeance (Deuteronomy 32:35; 2 Samuel 22:48; Psalm 18:47; Romans 12:19–21)
• God hates a proud look (Proverbs 6:17)
• God hates a lying tongue (Proverbs 6:17)
• God hates hands that shed innocent blood (Proverbs 6:17)
• God hates a heart that devises wickedness (Proverbs 6:18)
• God hates feet that are swift in running to evil (Proverbs 6:18)
• God hates a false witness (Proverbs 6:19)
• God hates one who sows discord among brethren (Proverbs 6:19)
• God hates divorce (Malachi 2:16)
• God hates a sacred pillar (Deuteronomy 16:22)
• The LORD of hosts (Isaiah 1:24)
• The Holy One of Israel (Isaiah 41:14)

In this article, we shall discuss seven ways in which the Bible describes God. Let’s get started.

1. The Bible describes God as a consuming fire

Deuteronomy 4:24 says

“For the LORD your God is A Consuming Fire, a Jealous God.”

When the Bible tells us that God is a consuming fire, it means that He cannot tolerate sin. In other words, we cannot lead a sinful lifestyle and expect to go unpunished. The Bible teaches that when we do good deeds, God rewards us promptly. On the other hand, when we engage in sin, He punishes us accordingly. This punishment takes the form of afflictions, whose aim is to reconcile us back to God. This, in fact, is the message of the Bible, from Genesis all the way to Revelation. Reward for good works and punishment for evil deeds.

In Deuteronomy 4:15–31, Moses told the children of Israel that God would bless them as long as they kept His commandments. On the other hand, failure to observe the commandments would attract punishment. Specifically, God said that He would consume them through famines, pestilences, sicknesses, diseases, and the sword until they repented of their sin and turned back to Him.

To this date, man has continued to rebel against God’s commandments by committing every manner of evil. As a result, God has allowed calamities to consume different parts of the world in the form of droughts, famine, hunger, earthquakes, floods, cyclones, typhoons, incurable diseases, pestilences, and wars, among many others. Unfortunately, this state of affairs will continue as long as man refuses to renounce his evil ways and return to God in true repentance.

Lesson for us: Even at a personal level, we cannot play games with God and not expect to be consumed by His fire! Whenever we sin and refuse to repent, God allows ‘His fire’, in the form of afflictions, to consume us in order to draw us back to Himself. These afflictions may manifest in the form of sicknesses and diseases, financial hardships, marital problems, rebellious children, hostile workmates, unproductive ventures, and many more. What we need to do when afflicted is retreat to a quiet place, reexamine our ways, and make amends where necessary. By so doing, the Bible guarantees us the mercies of God that will restore us accordingly.

2. The Bible describes God as a Jealous God

This means that God is provoked to anger when we choose to worship and serve idols instead of Him. This is because, as our creator, He is the only one entitled to our worship. Simply put, God wants us only for himself. He loves us so much that He cannot share us with ‘other gods’. He therefore does not expect us to show love to these gods by worshipping them instead of Him. When we do so, we make Him jealous and provoke Him to anger. This makes Him turn His back on us, leaving us vulnerable to all manner of attacks from the kingdom of darkness.

This is well captured in Isaiah 42:8, which says

“I am the LORD; that is My name; and My glory I will not give to another, Nor my praise to carved images.”

God strictly warned the children of Israel against idol worship. In fact, He compares idol worship to harlotry. In the book of Exodus 20:4-6, we read

“You shall not make for yourself a carved image—any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; YOU SHALL NOT BOW DOWN TO THEM NOR SERVE THEM. For I, the LORD your God, AM A JEALOUS God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.”

From this passage, we learn that those who fail to observe this commandment suffer consequences, which, by the way, happen to last for four good generations.

God’s jealousy may be minimally equated to the jealousy felt by a spouse who has been cheated on by his or her partner. The feeling is too painful to be expressed in words. It includes a mixture of anger, betrayal, bitterness, disappointment, hatred, rage, and revenge, to name but a few. Somehow, this is how you make God feel when you go after idols.

Lesson for us: Idolatry can be equated with cheating on God. When we worship idols instead of God, we are, in essence, glorifying creation over The Creator. When we choose to serve idols instead of God, the consequences of this choice will be felt by our third and fourth generations. On the other hand, if we stick with God, we are assured of His mercies, which run through a thousand generations. So let’s strictly reserve our worship for the one and only true God, the creator of heaven and earth.

3. The Bible describes God as a just judge

To God, justice is everything. In fact, the Bible tells us that God’s throne is built upon two main foundations, namely, RIGHTEOUSNESS and JUSTICE. This is recorded in Psalms 89:14 as follows:

“Righteousness and JUSTICE are the foundation of Your throne; Mercy and truth go before Your face.”

This implies that God is a promoter of what is right and what is JUST.

When He renders judgment, He does it with justice in mind. This is recorded in Psalm 7:11 as follows:

“God is a just judge, and God is angry with the wicked every day.”

This scripture tells us that one sure way to make God angry is to subvert the cause of justice.

These sentiments are also echoed in Deuteronomy 32:3–4, as follows:

“For I proclaim the name of the LORD; Ascribe greatness to our God. He is the Rock; His work is perfect; For all His WAYS ARE justice; a God of truth and WITHOUT INJUSTICE; righteous and upright is He.”

For this reason, God disapproves of individuals who subvert the cause of justice for monetary or material gain.  God calls such people ‘wicked’. This is recorded in Proverbs 17:23 as follows:

“A WICKED MAN ACCEPTS a BRIBE behind the back to PERVERT the WAYS OF JUSTICE.”

God strictly charged those appointed to serve as judicial officers over the children of Israel to render justice to all without showing partiality. He instructed them never to take a bribe in order to favor a particular party in cases brought before them. These instructions are contained in Deuteronomy 16:18–20, which says

“You shall appoint Judges and officers in all your gates, which the LORD your God gives you, according to your tribes, and THEY SHALL JUDGE THE PEOPLE WITH JUST JUDGMENT. You SHALL NOT PERVERT JUSTICE; YOU SHALL NOT SHOW PARTIALITY, NOR TAKE A BRIBE, for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and twists the words of the righteous. You shall follow what is altogether JUST, that you may live and inherit the land which the LORD your God is giving you.”

So God expected the judges to be JUST, IMPARTIAL, and INCORRUPTIBLE. He still holds the same expectation for all who serve as judicial officers in our present-day judicial systems. Therefore, corrupt judicial officers have no part in God because they have chosen to rebel against God’s standards of Justice.

Lesson for us: God loves justice because He is a just judge. In all our dealings and transactions with men, we must choose to exercise justice at all times. This will endear us to God, who will reward us richly. However, if we choose to be unjust, show partiality, or take bribes, we shall be provoking God’s anger, and He will punish us accordingly.

4. The Bible describes God as a merciful God

The nature of God’s mercy is such that He chooses to forgive us when we actually deserve punishment. The Bible tells us that no one is righteous, and we cannot in any way please God by works of the flesh. In fact, the scriptures refer to the works of the flesh as filthy rags before God. However, through His mercies and the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, God chooses to forgive us when we confess our sins (1 John 1:9).

Deuteronomy 4:31 shows how God would extend His mercies towards the children of Israel in spite of their rebellious conduct. This is what it says:

“(For the LORD your God IS A MERCIFUL God; He will not forsake you, destroy you, or forget the covenant of your fathers, which He swore to them.”

These words were spoken by Moses to the children of Israel as they journeyed from Egypt to the Land of Promise. Moses told them that a time would come when their descendants would rebel against God’s commandments. As a result, God sent them into exile as punishment for their disobedience and rebellion.

However, given the promise God had made to their fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, He would show them kindness and preserve them in the land of captivity. At the expiration of their time in exile, God, by His great mercies, would cause them to return to their land.

The nature of God’s mercy is also captured by the Psalmist in Psalm 145:8–9, which says

“The LORD is gracious and full of compassion, slow to anger, and GREAT IN MERCY. The LORD is good to all, and His TENDER MERCIES ARE OVER ALL HIS WORKS.”

In other words, God is long suffering and patient with us. He never acts rashly when we sin. Instead, He always gives us time to repent and mend our ways.

The Bible teaches that God’s mercies are new every day. For this reason, we are preserved from evil. The book of lamentations (3:22–23) puts it this way:

“Through the LORD’s mercies, we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.”

Lesson for us: In the process of discharging our daily responsibilities, we sometimes transgress against God and our fellow men. When this happens, we should not pretend that all is well and continue acting that way. Instead, we should confess those transgressions to God and forsake them in order to obtain His mercy. It is only after doing so that our ways will prosper. This is in accordance with Proverbs 28:13, which says

“He who covers his sins will not prosper, BUT WHOEVER CONFESSES AND FORSAKES THEM WILL HAVE MERCY.”

5. The Bible describes God as a revealer of secrets

A secret is something that is unknown. The Bible tells us that there is nothing secret about God. In the Old Testament, God used to reveal future happenings to His servants, the prophets and seers. The prophets and seers would, in turn, pass the message to the people. Consider the following examples:

Joseph was able to interpret Pharaoh’s dream because God revealed it to him. This is recorded in the book of Genesis 41:15–16 as follows:

“And Pharaoh said to Joseph, ‘I have had a dream, and there is no one who can interpret it. But I have heard it said of you that you can understand dreams and interpret it.’ So Joseph answered Pharaoh, saying, ‘IT IS NOT IN ME; GOD WILL GIVE PHARAOH AN ANSWER OF PEACE.’”

This tells you that Joseph was aware that it was the Spirit of God that empowered him to interpret dreams. In other words, as a mortal, Joseph could not unravel hidden mysteries.

Daniel also testified that only the God of Heaven possesses the ability to reveal hidden things. We read this in Daniel 2:20–22. This is what the scripture says

“Daniel answered and said, ‘Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, For wisdom and might are His… He Reveals Deep AND Secret Things; He knows what is in the darkness, and light dwells with Him.”

In the book of Revelation, Jesus Christ revealed to the church events that would take place to usher in the Kingdom of God. This is recorded in Revelation 1:1–2, 19, as follows:

“The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants—things that must shortly take place And He sent and signified it by His angel to His servant John, who bore witness to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ in all things that he saw….Write the THINGS WHICH YOU HAVE SEEN, and the THINGS WHICH ARE, and the THINGS WHICH WILL TAKE PLACE AFTER THIS.”

Lesson for us: In the present dispensation, God is still revealing His secrets to believers through the Holy Spirit. This is because the Holy Spirit has bestowed upon some believers the gifts of wisdom, knowledge, and discerning spirits. Consequently, individuals with these gifts are able to understand things that are otherwise hidden to the physical eye. All these gifts work together for the benefit of the entire Body of Christ.

Even at a personal level, when you get to a point where you are required to make a choice from several alternatives but are stranded, God can reveal the one you should pick. This is because God is concerned with every detail of our lives as long as we engage Him.

However, believers should be wary of individuals who use principalities and powers of darkness to reveal hidden things. Such are the people who have crept into the church unnoticed, and they are leading many ignorant believers astray using demonic powers (1 John 4:1).

6. The Bible describes God as a sun to His people

In the book of Psalm 84:11, the Bible says:

“For the LORD God is a SUN AND SHIELD; the LORD will give grace and glory; no good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly.”

When the Bible says that God is a sun, it means that He IS THE LIGHT OF His PEOPLE. This is because one of the roles of the sun is to shed light on the earth. Therefore, when God becomes your sun, His word illuminates your paths to help you clearly see where you are going. This is according to Psalm 119:105, that says

“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”

Similar sentiments are echoed by Prophet Isaiah in the book of Isaiah 60:19–20, which says

“The sun shall no longer be your light by day, nor for brightness shall the moon give light to you; BUT THE Lord WILL BE TO YOU AN EVERLASTING LIGHT, and your God your glory.”

Lesson for us: As we journey through life, we encounter many decision-making situations. For instance, which career to follow, whom to marry, where to live, how to invest, how to relate with others, and many more.

As born-again Christians, the choices we make MUST be informed by the word of God already deposited in our hearts. The more we spend quality time studying the word of God, the bigger the deposit grows. Consequently, when called upon to make decisions regarding certain issues, we can readily tap into this deposit and make informed choices.

7. The Bible describes God as a shield for His people

We have established that the Bible describes God as a SHIELD for His people (Psalm 84:11). The term shield, as used in this context, refers to the PROTECTION God offers His people against attacks by the enemy.

In the book of Genesis 15:1, we are told that God asked Abraham to leave his native country and his people for an unknown destination. Abraham obeyed God, and this was counted to him as righteousness. As a result, God promised Abraham that He would be his SHIELD and an exceedingly great reward. This meant that God would protect Abraham and his descendants from ALL their enemies, both visible and invisible.  

According to the Apostle Paul, believers are continuously engaged in a spiritual battle against the enemies of God because they denounce the world and the evil systems it represents. These enemies include principalities, powers, dominions, thrones, and the rulers of the darkness of this age (Ephesians 6:12).

When one is born again, God becomes a shield around them. This shield, in essence, protects the believer against attacks from the forces of evil identified in Ephesians 6:12.

According to the Psalmist, God shields His people against attacks from physical enemies, as recorded in Psalm 18:2, which says

“The LORD is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; MY shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy of praise; SO SHALL I BE SAVED FROM MY ENEMIES.”

Lesson for us: In the world we live in today, evil forces are constantly at work, unleashing terror and untold suffering upon humanity. The only surest way to shield yourself from falling victim to these merchants of evil is to surrender your life to Jesus Christ. This you do by accepting Him as your Lord and Saviour. After taking this important step, God automatically becomes your shield and buckler. This is because he who accepts the Son, has in essence accepted the Father, who sent Him.

If you are already born again, it is better to stay on course in your journey of faith. Any deviation to the left or right may prove costly, as it may leave you dangerously exposed to attacks from the said forces of evil.

Conclusion

This article is the first in a series that will discuss how the Bible describes God. Through these articles, we seek to examine what the Bible says about the attributes, character, nature, and traits of God. The main goal of the articles is to deepen the reader’s understanding of the topic under discussion. It also seeks to add to the already-existing body of knowledge about the attributes and nature of God.

It is therefore my sincere hope that you will find it helpful. Thank you.

Related Post: How does God describe himself

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Are you a born-again Christian? If not, kindly say the following prayer from the bottom of your heart, and you will get saved.

Prayer to become a born-again Christian

“Lord Jesus, I confess that I am a sinner and hereby ask for your forgiveness;

I believe in my heart and confess with my mouth that you are the only begotten Son of the living God.

I believe that you were sent by your Father to the earth to save sinners like me.

I now accept you as my personal Lord and Savior.

Come into my heart and baptize me with The Holy Spirit.

Thank you for saving me.

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit,

Amen!”

Congratulations friend! You are now a born-again Christian!

Welcome to the Family of God!

Benediction

“The LORD bless you and keep you;

The Lord make His face shine upon you,

And be gracious to you;

The LORD lift up His countenance upon you,

And give you peace.”

(Numbers 6:24-26)

Shalom.

Source: https://www.biblegateway.com/