How does God describe himself?

In the Bible, God describes Himself as follows:

• A jealous God (Exodus 34:14; Exodus 20:5)
• The LORD who changes not (Malachi 3:6)
• The King of Israel (Isaiah 44:6)
• The Redeemer of Israel (Isaiah 44:6)
• The LORD OF HOSTS (Isaiah 44:6)
• The First and the Last (Isaiah 44:6)
• I am who I am (Exodus 3:14)
• The Almighty God (Genesis 17:1)
• A Shield (Genesis 15:1)
• An exceedingly great reward (Genesis 15:1)
• The LORD (Exodus 6:2-3)
• The LORD who heals (Exodus 15:23–26)
• A Holy God (Leviticus 11:43–45)
• The great and awesome God (Deuteronomy 7:21)
• God who kills and makes alive (Deuteronomy 32:39)
• God who wounds and heals (Deuteronomy 32:39)
• The God of Israel (Isaiah 45:3)
• The God of all flesh (Jeremiah 32:27)
• A consuming fire (Hebrews 12:29)
• God of the living (Matthew 22:32)

Let us examine these descriptions of God as recorded in the Bible.

1. A jealous God

In the book of Exodus 34:14, God describes His NAME as jealous. This is what the scripture says

“For you shall worship no other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God.”

In this passage, God is warning the children of Israel against idol worship. The practice of idolatry was common among the inhabitants of Canaan, the Promised Land. God did not want His people to copy this practice because it was an abomination to Him.

Another scripture that expresses the jealousy of God is Exodus 20:4-5. In this passage, God warns the children of Israel against making images that resemble things found in heaven or on earth and then bowing to them in worship. Failure to comply with this command would arouse God’s jealousy upon them, which was punishable to the third and fourth generations.

This is what Exodus 20:4-5 says

“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.”

2. The LORD, who changes not

In Malachi 3:6, God describes Himself as a God who does not change. In other words, His character remains the same yesterday, today, and in the future. This is what the scripture says

“For I am the LORD; I do not change; therefore, you are not consumed, O sons of Jacob.”

God spoke these words in the context of punishing those who transgress against His commandments and rewarding those who keep them. Kindly read the whole of Malachi 3 to understand the statement.

3. The King of Israel

God describes Himself as the King of Israel in Isaiah 44:6. This is what the scripture says

“Thus says the LORD, the King of Israel, and his Redeemer, the LORD of hosts: ‘I am the First and I am the Last; besides Me there is no God.’”

When God delivered the children of Israel from the house of bondage in Egypt, He was their king, and Moses was their shepherd. When they entered the Promised Land, God remained their king, and Joshua was their shepherd. After the death of Joshua, God raised the Judges like Ehud, Gideon, Samson, and Shamgar, among others, to lead them in battles, but God still remained their King.

However, a time came during the days of Samuel the prophet, when Israel demanded to have a King that they would ‘see’, one who could lead them in battle, as it was the case with their neighbors. This is when God chose King Saul.

We read this in 1 Samuel 8:6–9 as follows:

“But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, ‘Give us a king to judge us.’ So Samuel prayed to the Lord. And the LORD said to Samuel, ‘Heed the voice of the people in all that they say to you; FOR THEY HAVE REJECTED ME, that I SHOULD NOT REIGN OVER THEM.’ According to all the works that they have done since the day that I brought them up out of Egypt, even to this day—with which they have forsaken Me and served other gods—they are doing them to you also. Therefore, heed their voice. However, you shall solemnly forewarn them and show them the behavior of the king who will reign over them.”

4. The Redeemer of Israel

In Isaiah 44:6, the Bible teaches that God is the Redeemer of Israel. According to the Oxford Dictionary, to redeem someone means ‘to compensate for their faults or bad aspects.’

Therefore, when God says that He is the Redeemer of Israel, it implies that He is the one who COMPENSATES FOR THEIR SINS.

Also, the same Dictionary says to redeem means to ‘gain or regain possession of (something) in exchange for payment.’

Thus, when God says He is Israel’s Redeemer, it also means that He has acquired or gained possession of the nation of Israel after making payment through sacrifices of blood.’

5. The LORD of hosts

In Isaiah 44:6, God also describes Himself as the Lord OF HOSTS. This implies that He is the COMMANDER OF THE ARMIES OF HEAVEN. These armies are angelic beings that wage battle on behalf of the saints of God.

It is the same armies that Jesus was referring to when He was being arrested by the temple guards in Matthew 26:52–53. This scripture says:

“But Jesus said to him, Put your sword in its place, for all who take the sword will perish by the sword. Or do you think that I cannot pray to My Father, and He will provide Me with more than TWELVE LEGIONS OF ANGELS?”

6. The First and the Last

God describes Himself as the First and the Last in Isaiah 44:6. This means that He is the Beginning and the End. In other words, God was there in the Beginning and will be there in the End.

The Bible teaches that God HAS NO BEGINNING, but was there during the beginning. Something worth noting also is that during that beginning, God was with Jesus, i.e., the Word. We read this in the book John 1:1, which says

“In the beginning was the Word, and THE Word WAS WITH God, and the Word was God. HE WAS IN THE BEGINNING WITH GOD.”

From this scripture, we get to understand why the resurrected Christ refers to Himself as the Alpha and Omega in the book of Revelation 1:8, which says

“I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, says the Lord, ‘who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.’”

7. I AM WHO I AM

During his encounter with God at Mount Horeb, Moses asked Him His name. God’s reply to Moses was, ‘I AM WHO I AM’. We find this in Exodus 3:14, which says

“And God said to Moses, ‘I AM WHO I AM.’ And He said, ‘Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’’”

This description of God simply teaches that it is IMPOSSIBLE to describe God using one NAME’ because He is all things, an infinite God.

Job captures this very well in the book of Job 11:7, as follows:

“Can you find out the deep things of God? CAN YOU FIND OUT THE LIMIT OF THE ALMIGHTY?”

8. The Almighty God

In Genesis 17:1–2, God appeared to Abraham, saying,

“I AM ALMIGHTY GOD; walk before Me and be blameless. And I will make My covenant between Me and you, and I will multiply you exceedingly.”

In this passage, we see God introducing Himself to Abraham as the Almighty God. In other words, a God whose might or ability is limitless

Having said that, God goes ahead and initiates a deal with Abraham. Notice that the deal comes with a reward. He promises to reward Abraham greatly if he chooses to walk before Him and be blameless.

Also, notice that God said this before Isaac was born. I believe that God wanted Abraham to continue trusting Him for the ‘son of promise’ without wavering.

9. A Shield

The Bible also describes God as being a SHIELD to His people. For example, in Genesis 15:1, we read

“After these things, the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision, saying, ‘Do not be afraid, Abram. I AM YOUR SHIELD, your exceedingly great reward.’”

In real-life situations, a shield is something that protects you from danger or harm. It protects you by standing between you and the threat or danger.

Therefore, by telling Abram that He was his shield, God was implying that He WOULD PROTECT Abram from any danger or harm that would target him.

These sentiments are echoed by the Psalmist in Psalm 3:3 as follows:

“But You, O LORD, ARE A SHIELD FOR ME, My glory, and the One who lifts up my head.”

10. An exceedingly great reward

Still in Genesis 15:1, God tells Abram that He is ‘his exceedingly great reward.’ This means that despite the ‘tangible blessings’ that Abram would receive as a result of walking in obedience to God, God Himself is the best and ultimate GIFT to Abram.

This implies that God is much more than ANYTHING we can ever receive from Him. This is because the PLACE He occupies in our hearts cannot be SUBSTITUTED BY or WITH ANYTHING ‘material’. In other words, a person can have ALL THAT THE WORLD COULD OFFER but still feel INADEQUATE OR EMPTY. The Only ONE who can remove this emptiness and bring about a FEELING of SATISFACTION and FULFILMENT is God.

11. The LORD

In Exodus 6:2–3, 6-7, God tells the children of Israel that ‘His NAME is LORD’. This is what the scripture says

“And God spoke to Moses and said to him, ‘I am the LORD. I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as God Almighty, but by My name, LORD, I was not known to them.’”

What exactly did God mean by saying that ‘He is LORD?’ The answer to this question is found in Exodus 6:6-7, where it says:

“Therefore say to the children of Israel: ‘I AM THE LORD; I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, I will rescue you from their bondage; and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgments. I will take you as My people, and I will be your God. Then you shall know that I am the LORD YOUR God who brings you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians.’”

From this passage, we learn that when God told the children of Israel that He is LORD, what He meant was that HE WAS THEIR ‘DELIVERER’. This was proven when He unleashed the 10 plagues upon the land of Egypt, culminating in the release, or ‘Exodus, of the children of Israel from the house of bondage in Egypt.

12. The LORD who heals

God also describes Himself as the Healer of His people. We read this in Exodus 15:26, which says:

“Now when they came to Marah, they could not drink the waters of Marah, for they were bitter. Therefore, it was called Marah. And the people complained against Moses, saying, ‘what shall we drink?’ So he cried out to the LORD, and the LORD showed him a tree. When he cast it into the waters, the waters were made sweet.

There He made a statute and an ordinance for them, and there He tested them, and said, ‘If you diligently heed the voice of the LORD your God and do what is right in His sight, give ear to His commandments, and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you that I have brought on the Egyptians. FOR I AM THE LORD WHO HEALS YOU.’”

Similar sentiments are echoed in Psalms 107:20, where the Psalmist declares that God sent His word and healed them, meaning the children of Israel.

Also, in the book of Psalm 103:3–4, David declares that it is the LORD “who forgives all our iniquities, who heals all our diseases.”

13. A Holy God

God also describes Himself as being Holy. In the book of Leviticus 11:43–45, God instructed the children of Israel to pursue holiness by abstaining from certain foods. This is what the scripture says

“You shall not make yourselves abominable with any creeping thing that creeps; nor shall you make yourselves unclean with them, lest you be defiled by them. For I am the LORD your God. You shall therefore consecrate yourselves, and you shall be holy, FOR I AM HOLY. Neither shall you defile yourselves with any creeping thing that creeps on the earth. For I am the LORD who brought you up out of the land of Egypt, to be your God. You shall therefore be HOLY, for I am Holy.”

The Apostle Peter urges the brethren to pursue holiness in 1 Peter 1:15–16 as follows:

“But as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, ‘BE HOLY, FOR I AM HOLY.’”

The writer of Hebrew echoes the same sentiments about the holiness of God in Hebrews 12:14. It says

“Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord.”

14. The great and awesome God

The Bible also describes God as being great and awesome. We read this in Deuteronomy 7:21, which says

“You shall not be terrified of them; for the LORD your God, the GREAT and AWESOME God, is among you.”

In this passage, God is encouraging the children of Israel to be brave and courageous in the face of war, which was necessary in order to repossess the Promised Land from the Canaanites,Amorites, and Moabites, among others.

In fact, God wanted to let them know that it is actually the Lord Himself who goes before them to fight and defeat their enemies.

15. God, who kills and makes alive

In Deuteronomy 32:39, God describes Himself as a God who kills and makes alive. The scripture says:

“Now see that I, even I, am He, and there is no God besides Me; I KILL and MAKE ALIVE; I wound and I heal; nor is there any who can deliver from My hand.”

This is the same scripture that Hannah quotes after giving birth to Samuel. We read this in 1 Samuel 2:6, which says

“The LORD KILLS and MAKES ALIVE; He brings down to the grave and brings up.”

16. God, who wounds and heals

While still in Deuteronomy 32:39, God describes Himself as a God who wounds and then heals.

17. The God of Israel

God also describes Himself as the God of Israel. This is recorded in Isaiah 45:3 as follows:

“I will give you the treasures of darkness and hidden riches of secret places, that you may know that I, the LORD, who call you by your name, AM THE GOD OF ISRAEL.”

This is why God describes Israel as His firstborn son in Exodus 4:22, as follows:

“Then you shall say to Pharaoh, ‘thus says the LORD: ‘Israel is My son, My firstborn.’’”

18. The God of all flesh

In Jeremiah 32:27, God is described using the phrase ‘God of all flesh.’ The scripture says:

“Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh. Is there anything too hard for Me?”

This phrase means that God is the creator of all living things that have the breath of life in them. Therefore, being the creator, there is nothing impossible for Him.

19. A consuming fire

Hebrews 12:28–29 describes God as a consuming fire. This is what the scripture says

“Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear. For our God is a CONSUMING FIRE.”

This scripture is a warning to believers who think that they can walk in sin and get away with it because of the dispensation of Grace. This is dangerous thinking because sin leads to death, whether one is saved or not. Scriptures tell us that ‘the wages of sin is death’ (Romans 6:23).

God does not condone sin in any way, and if one is not careful, he may get consumed by God’s wrath.

Similar scriptures that refer to God as a consuming fire include:

Deuteronomy 9:3

“Therefore understand today that the LORD your God is He who goes over before you as A Consuming Fire. He will destroy them and bring them down before you; so you shall drive them out and destroy them quickly, as the LORD has said to you.”

Psalm 97:3

“A fire goes before Him and burns up His enemies round about.”

20. God of the living

The Bible also describes God as the ‘God of the living.’ This phrase was used by Jesus in the book of Matthew 22:32, which says: “I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob; God is not the God of the dead, but of the living.”

Conclusion

This article discussed how God describes Himself in the Bible. The information provided herein is intended to supplement the already-existing body of knowledge about the attributes of God. The list provided is not exhaustive in itself. Therefore, with further interrogation of scripture, I believe more points can be added to those highlighted in this article. I am hopeful that the information provided in this article will be of benefit to every student of the Bible keen on knowing more about the God of the Bible. In addition, I hope the contents of this article will trigger more debate among Bible scholars who are studying this subject.

I hope the information was helpful. Thank you.

Related Post: How does the bible describe God part 1

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(Numbers 6:24-26)

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