LESSON 2: GOD’S PRESENCE IN THE OLD TESTAMENT
MAIN IDEA: God revealed His presence in Old Testament times in many different ways.
As the Scriptures demonstrate, God has manifested His presence in many different ways since the beginning of time. Let’s consider some of the ways God made His presence known in the Old Testament. In the next lesson we will turn our attention to the New Testament.
Though the number of ways God manifested His presence in the Old Testament is too great for us to cover, let us explore just a few examples.
Old Testament Expressions of God’s Presence
1. God was present before the heavens and the earth existed.
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Genesis 1:1
God Almighty, the Creator of everything, existed before anything ever existed. In this age of computer-generated graphics and video games, that concept is not as hard to grasp as it once was. If a graphic designer can “think it,” he or she can “create it.” That’s essentially what happened in Genesis 1:1. God was there, and He brought everything we know into existence.
2. God was present with Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden.
The man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden at the time of the evening breeze, and they hid themselves from the LORD God among the trees of the garden. Genesis 3:8
Adam and Eve knew God. But instead of worshiping God for who He was and what He had done in their lives, they chose to disobey His clear direction, which would have enabled them to have the perfect life on earth. As a result, sin entered the world through their trespass.
Just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, in this way death spread to all men, because all sinned. Romans 5:12
Adam and Eve’s response to the Lord’s presence in the garden indicated that their revelation of God was complete:
The LORD God called out to the man and said to him, “Where are you?” And he said, “I heard You in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked, so I hid.” Genesis 3:9-10
Like Adam and Eve, we have been given a clear revelation of who God is, who we are relative to who He is, how we should respond, and what we can expect. Instead of bowing before the Lord in repentance and worshiping God for His great redemptive power, Adam and Eve hid from His very presence — from the very One who could redeem them from the sin they ushered into the world. Let’s not make the same mistake!
3. God made His presence known through His creation.
From the creation of the world His invisible attributes, that is, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what He has made. As a result, people are without excuse. Romans 1:20
Although the Gospel message is being preached around the world today, that wasn’t always true. Nevertheless, God has always been “visible” to humanity through His creation. When God made the earth and all that it contains, He created a reality that testifies of His greatness to every generation of men and women who have lived or ever will live on the earth.
4. God’s presence was in the cloud and pillar of fire that led the Israelites in the wilderness.
The LORD went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to lead them on their way during the day and in a pillar of fire to give them light at night, so that they could travel day or night. Exodus 13:21
Before Jesus came to mediate between God and fallen man, God interacted with His people in some amazing ways. The unseen God had to find a way to lead His people to freedom in spite of their sin and rebellion. Evidently they could not respond to His leadership without a direct encounter.
5. God revealed His presence to Moses in the burning bush.
The Angel of the LORD appeared to [Moses] in a flame of fire within a bush. … When the LORD saw that he had gone over to look, God called out to him from the bush. Exodus 3:2,4
Can you imagine walking down the street in your neighborhood and encountering a burning bush? It most certainly would get your attention! God was determined to relate to His people, no matter what it took. Moses had the faith necessary to respond to the unseen God. Even when God does something extraordinary to get our attention, it still takes faith to “hear” Him.
6. God was present in a cloud at the dedication of the temple.
Then the temple of the LORD was filled with a cloud, and the priests could not perform their service because of the cloud, for the glory of the LORD filled the temple of God. 2 Chronicles 5:14, NIV
Can you imagine what that worship must have been like? Surely the leaders and the congregation prepared for months, if not years. This was the crowning moment for the years of dedicated work in building God’s place of residence.
Just picture for a moment all the Levites and priests in their finest clothing, fulfilling their duties after months of rehearsal — and God brought the whole ceremony to a screaming halt! His presence was undeniable.
That is the same “presence” that God wants to bring to our assemblies today — and our worship creates that opportunity!
7. God was present with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the fiery furnace.
King Nebuchadnezzar jumped up in alarm. He said to his advisers, “Didn’t we throw three men, bound, into the fire?” “Yes, of course, Your Majesty,” they replied to the king. He exclaimed, “Look! I see four men, not tied, walking around in the fire unharmed; and the fourth looks like a son of the gods.” Daniel 3:24-25
When God intervenes, it’s hard to deny. Even an ungodly leader like Nebuchadnezzar recognized the presence of God. There is no limit to God’s desire to rescue His beloved — and we, too, are the objects of His great love!
8. God was present in the holy of holies inside the temple.
The LORD said to Moses: “Tell your brother Aaron that he may not come whenever he wants into the holy place behind the veil in front of the mercy seat on the ark or else he will die, because I appear in the cloud above the mercy seat.” Leviticus 16:2
As we have discussed previously, God has always been present. God existed before the foundation of the earth was laid — in fact, He spoke all of reality into existence. However, as we also have explored, man was disqualified from direct contact with God because of sin. There simply was no way that unholy man could encounter the one true holy God and survive direct contact, as this verse from Leviticus makes clear. Yet even with the self-imposed limitation of God’s holiness, God made His presence undeniable.
Perhaps a contemporary term can help us understand how God tried to communicate with His people in Old Testament days. In our computer-driven world, virtual reality is a familiar term. It describes our technological ability to experience and interact with events, characters, and situations through a computer-simulated sensory environment.
Similarly, God loved His people so much that He revealed Himself through sensory experiences — images and sounds with which they could interact for guidance and instruction. Why? Because without Jesus, our great High Priest, any contact more direct than that would have been fatal!
Read More About It
• King Nebuchadnezzar builds a golden statue: Dan. 3:1-7
The scheme against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego: Dan. 3:8-15
• Refusal to worship the statue: Dan. 3:16-18
• Thrown into the fiery furnace: Dan. 3:19-23
• Delivered from the fiery furnace: Dan. 3:20-27
• Nebuchadnezzar praises God: Dan. 3:28-30
From Virtual Reality to Reality
Yes, God was the “ultimate” in virtual reality throughout the Old Testament. God manifested His presence as He willed in order to impact His chosen people and reveal Himself to the ungodly. God wanted His people to have a clear revelation of Him and to respond with worship, and sometimes they did. Unfortunately, they didn’t always respond to God’s visitation — His virtual reality — with repentance, obedience, and ensuing righteousness.
Even so, God still wanted an intimate relationship with His people — and still does! After all, He created man and woman for relationship. He walked in the garden right in their midst. He spoke to them face-to-face. His great desire always has been for us to be together in harmony. Yet the problem remained: unrighteous people cannot be in the presence of a perfectly righteous God.
Virtual reality just wasn’t enough. But God, who is gracious and merciful beyond our comprehension, knew exactly what to do. He was about to move from virtual reality to reality. He was about to send Himself in the form of a flesh and blood Savior. Jesus — the Way, the Truth, and the Life, the full and complete image of God — was about to come to the earth!
Can you think of other times and ways when God revealed His presence in the Old Testament? Why do you think God chose to manifest His presence in a variety of ways?
Have you ever experienced an unusual encounter with God? You may not have seen a burning bush or followed a cloud to your destination, but you may have an inspiring story of God’s unusual direction or intervention in your life. I encourage you to share that story with others when appropriate. Your testimony of God’s faithfulness may be a key to helping those around you overcome obstacles they are facing (Rev. 12:10-11).
You know that you were redeemed from your empty way of life inherited from the fathers, not with perishable things, like silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without defect or blemish. 1 Peter 1:18-19
LESSON 2 REVIEW
• What statement or Scripture you read in this lesson was most meaningful?
• Reword the statement or Scripture into a prayer of response.
• What does God want you to do in response to this lesson?