Knowing God 3

The Aim of today’s devotional study is to look at the very first revelation of God in the Bible and evaluate our experience of God accordingly.

Scripture

Genesis 1:1-4

1  In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.  2  The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. 3  And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. 4  And God saw that the light was good…

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Genesis 3:1-9

1  Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?”

2  And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, 3  but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.'”

4  But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die.  5  For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

6  So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate. 7  Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths.

8  And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden. 9  But the LORD God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?”

Observations

1. Concerning the Genesis creation account, and then the fall of sin, write down everything you can see about God, in the sequence it is recorded here.
2. What do you note about this eternal creator-God’s relationship with his creatures?

Application

Reflect on (and write down) your feelings and thoughts about God according to the following attributes from the Creation and Fall texts above:

1. God exists.
2. God is eternal.
3. God is the creator of what is seen and unseen.
4. God is Spirit.
5. God speaks.
6. God gives commands / the law.
7. God is relational (walks with man).
8. God seeks sinners.

Prayer

Which of the above attributes of God have you not had experienced personally or received revelation from God?  For instance, you have read and heard about God speaking but you have not experienced it personally.

Take some time to pray about these and ask God to reveal himself to you.

Knowing God 1

The Aim of this devotional study is to grow in knowledge of God and practicing our appropriate response towards Him.

Scripture

Psalms 145:1-21

1   A Song of Praise. Of David. I will extol you, my God and King, and bless your name forever and ever.

2  Every day I will bless you and praise your name forever and ever.

3  Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised, and his greatness is unsearchable.

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4  One generation shall commend your works to another, and shall declare your mighty acts.

5  On the glorious splendor of your majesty, and on your wondrous works, I will meditate.

6  They shall speak of the might of your awesome deeds, and I will declare your greatness.

7  They shall pour forth the fame of your abundant goodness and shall sing aloud of your righteousness.

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8  The LORD is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.

9  The LORD is good to all, and his mercy is over all that he has made.

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10  All your works shall give thanks to you, O LORD, and all your saints shall bless you!

11  They shall speak of the glory of your kingdom and tell of your power,

12  to make known to the children of man your mighty deeds, and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.

13  Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures throughout all generations.

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14  The LORD upholds all who are falling and raises up all who are bowed down.

15  The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food in due season.

16  You open your hand; you satisfy the desire of every living thing.

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17  The LORD is righteous in all his ways and kind in all his works.

18  The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.

19  He fulfills the desire of those who fear him; he also hears their cry and saves them.

20  The LORD preserves all who love him, but all the wicked he will destroy.

21  My mouth will speak the praise of the LORD, and let all flesh bless his holy name forever and ever.

Observation

Note: this psalm of praise is acrostic, meaning each verse (or line) begins with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet.

1. Notice also the repetition within the verses – common of Hebrew poets to emphasize key points, such a “[they] shall speak of your glory and tell your power” and “Your kingdom is everlasting… your dominion throughout all generations”. Mark all these occurrences of repetition within a single verse.
2. There seems to be five logical sections in this Psalm (do you see otherwise? Motivate why, and go ahead). Summarize each section with a short phrase, i.e. v1-3 “Praise God for He is greater than all else”
3. List the attributes / characteristics of God in this Psalm that speaks for his transcendence (very big and not like us at all).
4. List the attributes / characteristics of God in this Psalm that speaks of his immanence (close and intimate and personal).

Application and prayer

[We will pray through this psalm now personally / devotionally]

1. Look at the attributes / characteristics that David used to describe God with. Which of those have you personally experienced or witnessed?  Pray through each one and tell God where and how you have experienced his greatness in each of these lines you relate to.
2. Look at the attributes / characteristics that David used to describe God with. Which of those seem foreign or far out to you? Pray through those lines and tell God why they seem unfamiliar to you, and ask Him to reveal Himself to you in that way.
3. Verse four reads “One generation shall praise your works to another…” Thinking back through your life, start making brief notes of God’s intervention in your life (“His works”).  Write how you experienced it, so that you can tell them to the next generation to stir their faith in the Great and Living God. Praise God for these as you make brief notes. (The goal is to write your personal version of Psalm 136).