Saturday, November 1, 2008
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A Vision of God
Have you ever just wished that you could see God? Wished that you could sit down with him and talk with him, find out what he thinks and maybe ask him some important questions as to what you should do in a particular area of your life? Yes, we can pray and we know that he hears and answers our prayers. Yes, we can read his word and find out his opinions on life matters. But, wouldn't it be nice to have more, something real and tangible? Wouldn't it be nice to see him? Maybe it wouldn't be as good as we think.
In scripture, God says that "no one may see me and live" (Exodus 33:20), in response to Moses' request to see him. What Moses had actually asked God to do was to "show me your glory" (Exodus 33:18). God, who was described a few verses earlier as one who "would speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend" (Exodus 33:11), nevertheless told Moses that:
"I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the LORD, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. But you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live. There is a place near me where you may stand on a rock. When my glory passes by, I will put you in the cleft of the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by. Then I will remove my hand and you will see my back; but my face must not be seen" (Exodus 33:19-23).
Moses got his vision of God and even though partial, it was so powerful that when he came down from the mountain forty days later, his face glowed — "his face was radiant because he had spoken with the LORD" (Exodus 34:29), so much so that the people were afraid to approach him! Moses had been changed through an encounter with God.
Later, Isaiah the prophet found himself transported into the throne room of God and he said, "I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple" (Isaiah 6:1). He was surrounded by angels who called out to one another "Holy, Holy, Holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory" (Isaiah 6:3). There was an earthquake and the temple was filled with smoke. Isaiah figured that it was all over for him:
"Woe to me! I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty" (Isaiah 6:5).
Fortunately, one of the angels flew over to him with a burning coal in his hand and touched it to Isaiah's mouth to take away and atone for his sin. But immediately, the Lord spoke to Isaiah and asked the only human in the room, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?" (Isaiah 6:8). Isaiah "volunteered" — what else could he do? — and his life was completely different from that day forward.
Ezekiel saw a bizarre vision on June 6, 593 B.C., a vision of creatures and chariots with wheels moving in all directions and more (see Ezekiel 1:4-24). He too saw a vision of God:
"Above the expanse over their heads was what looked like a throne of sapphire and high above on the throne was a figure like that of a man. I saw that from what appeared to be his waist up he looked like glowing metal, as if full of fire, and that from there down he looked like fire; and brilliant light surrounded him. Like the appearance of a rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the radiance around him. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD" (Ezekiel 1:26-28).
This was "only" the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD, at least three steps removed from the Lord himself, and yet when Ezekiel saw it, he fell face down and could not get up until the Spirit of the Lord came into him and raised him to his feet (Ezekiel 1:28-2:2). Ezekiel was sent to the nation of Israel to prophesy against them as a result of the vision. His life too had been forever changes as a result of a powerful visitation from God.
I don't believe that anyone has actually ever seen God. Such is the witness of Scripture (1 John 4:12). Jesus says the same thing but that he who has seen him — namely, himself, the Son — has made him known (John 1:18). At the same time, there are many in Scripture itself and I am certain in the years between then and now who have had visions of God. And each one who has would testify that "seeing" God changed their life in dramatic ways from what it was before.
Do you still want to see God? He wants to reveal himself to you. To the prophet Jeremiah, he said that "You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you" (Jeremiah 29:13-14, see also Deuteronomy 4:29). To go after God in this way is a profound act of faith, as Hebrews says, "because anyone whom comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him" (Hebrews 11:6). How badly do we want him? Are we willing to be changed in any and every direction he asks of us? That is what it will take and that is what will happen. It is still true that no one can see God and live. To see even a vision of God is to guarantee the death of self and any life that continues from that point on is only through the righteousness of Jesus and being raised to newness of life with him! I want that! How about you?
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