A God Who Hides Himself?
Truly, you are a God who hides himself, O God and Saviour of Israel. Isaiah 45:15
Without a proper understanding of the context in which this verse is found it is possible to come to the conclusion that it is totally impossible to know God. If God hides Himself how can we know anything about Him? How can we know His will for us? If God hides himself how can we love Him?
The passage in Isaiah from which this verse is taken speaks to the fact that, although God could be ‘seen’ in creation, God had not made a full revelation of Himself to human beings. The watchword for today (Isaiah 45:15) was actually a prophesy that Egyptians and Ethiopians who, like the Israelites, only experienced a partial revelation of God and were therefore using their own means, including idolatry, to try to get close to God, would come to the realization that they really did not know God as much as they thought they did.
Without a proper understanding of the context in which this verse is found it is possible to come to the conclusion that it is totally impossible to know God. If God hides Himself how can we know anything about Him? How can we know His will for us? If God hides himself how can we love Him?
The passage in Isaiah from which this verse is taken speaks to the fact that, although God could be ‘seen’ in creation, God had not made a full revelation of Himself to human beings. The watchword for today (Isaiah 45:15) was actually a prophesy that Egyptians and Ethiopians who, like the Israelites, only experienced a partial revelation of God and were therefore using their own means, including idolatry, to try to get close to God, would come to the realization that they really did not know God as much as they thought they did.
A proper understanding of this verse, along with verses such as that from John 1:18, ‘No one has ever seen God. It is God the only Son, who is close to the Father’s heart, who has made Him know.’ shows us that the fullest revelation that we have received from God is through His Son, Jesus the Christ. To really know God then we have to learn about Jesus Christ and love Him. We learn about Jesus by careful study of the Word of God and being obedient to what it teaches. It is not enough to learn about Jesus in an intellectual sense, Jesus said – If you love me you will do my commandments. To truly know God then we MUST KNOW and LIVE His Word.
We live in a world where many persons are doing their own thing in an attempt to know God. Recently on Religious Hard-talk some persons were talking about chanting as a means of tapping into the Divine. Yoga and other types of meditation are growing in popularity. The dependence on amulets is taking present day idolatry to another level. To all who depend on these means to ‘know’ God, God is hidden.
Today let us reaffirm our belief as expressed in Colossians 2:9 that, in Jesus Christ dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.
Prayer from Daily Watchwords – O God, sometimes you are near and at other times, so very far away, as though you are hiding from me. How can I get to know you? I know, through studying your Word and believing in your Son, Jesus Christ, who ever points the way to you. Amen.
Rev. Gary Gardiner
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