IF SOMEONE ASKED you if you believe in God, you may say “yes”. But if they asked you “which god?”, what would you say?
We live in a world where it is popular to downplay the distinction between different religions: to adopt the comfortable notion that all faiths lead to God in different ways. It’s an appealing and comforting idea, but it is not true—at least not as far as the Bible is concerned.
In Psalms 145 and 146 we have an excellent summary of who God is, or in other words the name He goes by. Here is an excerpt:
Happy is he who has the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the Lord his God, Who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them; Who keeps truth forever, Who executes justice for the oppressed, Who gives food to the hungry. The Lord gives freedom to the prisoners. The Lord opens the eyes of the blind; the Lord raises those who are bowed down; the Lord loves the righteous. The Lord watches over the strangers; He relieves the fatherless and widow; but the way of the wicked He turns upside down
(Psalm 146:5–9).
Let’s consider some things we learn about God from these few verses:
He is the “God of Jacob”—that is, Israel. Are you aware of the key role of Israel in God’s purpose with the world and with you?
He is the God “Who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them”. Do you believe this, or are you swayed by the popular modern notion that it all happened by natural processes?
He is the God “Who executes justice for the oppressed”. He is not the beneficent old gentleman of popular thought who is kind to the good and indulgent with the bad.
He “loves the righteous” (those who try to be like Him). He does not therefore love the unrighteous.
He “watches over the strangers; He relieves the fatherless and widow; but the way of the wicked He turns upside down”. His concern is for the disadvantaged and afflicted, and He is against those who contribute to their disadvantage and affliction.
These are some things we learn from these five verses. In the Bible we see the character of God unfolded in detail. How well do you know Him?
Robin de Jongh