Making the Most of What We Know Concerning God

Our only means of knowing God is through His revelation. God reveals Himself to us in two ways, general and special revelation.  Special revelation is progressive (proceeds gradually or in stages).  We see the progressive nature of God’s special revelation in the revelation of His personal name to Moses.

2 God [Elohim] spoke to Moses and said to him, “I am the Lord [Yahweh]. 3 I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as God [El] Almighty [Shaddai] , but by my name the Lord [Yahweh] I did not make myself known to them. 4 I also established my covenant with them to give them the land of Canaan, the land in which they lived as sojourners. Exodus 6:2–4 (ESV)

Originally God revealed Himself to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob as God Almighty [El Shaddai].  He further reveals Himself to Moses, however, by His personal name Yahweh.  Why did God do this?  He needs no reason and He owes us no explanation, because He is God.  God is sovereign!

19 . . . I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show compassion on whom I will show compassion.”   Exodus 33:19b (NASB)

We know God’s name only because he chose to reveal it to Moses. God’s name is only known to those whom He favors and loves.

13 Moses said to God, “Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what shall I tell them?” 14 God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’ ” 15 God also said to Moses, “Say to the Israelites, ‘The Lord, the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob—has sent me to you.’ This is my name forever, the name by which I am to be remembered from generation to generation.          Exodus 3:13-15

God’s personal name is not Elohim, or El Shaddai but is Yahweh.  This progressive revelation of God to man ends in Jesus Christ.  Jesus is the perfect and complete representation of God to man.  He is the Word living.  The Bible is the Word written.  Jesus is telling us this when he states:

16 . . . blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. 17 For truly, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.  Matthew 13:16–17

All the prophets longed to know what we know about God through Christ.  Many people who loved God and lived righteously before Him would have given their fortunes to have access to the knowledge about God which we have at our fingertips in the Bible.  Do we understand what a privileged position we occupy?  I am afraid we take the special revelation we have concerning God for granted.

What precisely do we see and hear which so many others longed to see and hear? The good news about Jesus.  After being confronted about their message Peter and John explained to the rulers in Jerusalem that:

19 . . . “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge, 20 for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard.” Acts 4:19b–20 (ESV)

What have you seen or heard?  For the special revelation which God has given to us to have any saving effect for others it must be shared. You and I as recipients of this special knowledge concerning Jesus are to bear witness of this truth to others. Before you can be a witness you have to have seen or heard something.  Do have any knowledge about God or experience with God about which you can personally testify?

The special revelation which God has given us is given to us for a purpose.  This revelation is to be used by us to personally experience God.  With this experience of God we are to inform others of this special revelation about God in Christ.

• Do you know about God and Christ?
• Have you experienced God through Christ?
• Are you sharing your knowledge of God and experience of Christ with others?