The Way God Works--Part 2

Well, folks, I'm sure you've all been waiting breathlessly for the next installment in our little discussion (you can find the first part here). By "discussion" I mean that I get to talk, and you don't. Hot air is useful at times.

Last time I promised to discuss later two points regarding why it is that God has elected to use means in His dealings with people. Now is later. However, gentle reader, I am only going to touch on one of them today. You will have to wait until next time for the second of the two.

Why, then, does God use means in His dealings with people? First and foremost, it is an act of grace and mercy on the part of God towards us. We, as sinful and lowly human beings, would be consumed were we to stand in the presence of the holy and almighty Creator. Two relatively famous illustrations of this point spring immediately to mind.

The first is that of Moses. When Moses was receiving the tablets of the Law on Mt Sinai, he requested that God would reveal His glory to Moses. God's response to him in Exodus 33 is particularly revealing: "I will make all my goodness pass before you...But...you cannot see my face; for no one shall see me and live." (Ex. 33:19-20 [NRSV]) God then told Moses that He would cover him with His hand, removing His hand after He had passed by and allowing Moses to see His back (and expression, of course). His face could not be seen--even by Moses.

Furthermore, after simply speaking with God on Sinai as he received the Law, the glory of God had so encompassed Moses that the people were unable to even be in Moses' uncovered presence. Indeed, Exodus 34 reveals that Moses had to wear a veil over his face following his encounters with God so that the people could be near him. So great is the glory of God.

Isaiah 6 reveals the presents us with the second example. When Isaiah sees the throne room of God, he can do nothing but cry out "Woe is me! I am lost, for I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips; yet my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!" (Is. 6:5 [NRSV]) It is only after he has been purified by the fire from the altar that he is able to bear even the sight of the throne .

This chapter in Isaiah is particularly revealing, for the Seraphs that are around the throne of God cry out again and again "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory." (Is. 6:3) In Hebrew, a single repetition of a word (e.g., holy, holy) indicates perfection; that is, a description of something or someone as "holy, holy" indicates that thing or person is perfectly holy. As unfathomably awesome as it is, God is more than perfectly holy. The triplicate makes that abundantly clear. God is, if you will, perfectly perfectly holy.

That is the God who is so gracious as to have sent His own Son to die in our place. That is the God who is so gracious as to have promised to supply for us our daily bread. That is the God who is gracious enough to spare our sinful selves from being consumed by His holiness; for God, in His holiness, cannot tolerate sin in His presence. Indeed, it was for this reason that God sent His Son--so that we believers will "be saved through Him from the wrath of God." (Rom. 5:9 [NRSV]) Therefore, God does not destroy us with His direct presence in the provision of our daily bread. He instead uses means.

Why else would He use means? Again, in His grace and mercy he does. I will touch on that next time.