History Books in 90 Days: 2 Kings 4-5
The Transcendence of God
Isaiah 55:8-9 8 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares
the LORD. 9 “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts. (NIV)
The idea of the transcendence of God runs through the whole Bible and gives colour and tone to
the character of the saints. It gave the characters in the Bible a feeling of personal insufficiency
in the presence of the Almighty God, which we call the Fear of the Lord. However intimate
their communion with God, however bold their prayers, at the base of their religious life was the
concept that God was awesome and dreadful. Whenever God appeared to men in Bible times
the results were the same – an overwhelming sense of terror and dismay, a wrenching sensation
of sinfulness and guilt. When Moses saw God in the burning bush, he hid his face. When
Isaiah had his vision of the Lord he cried, “Woe is me, I am undone, because I am a man of
unclean lips.” Daniel lifted up his eyes and saw a vision of a God who is so great that there was
no strength left in him and he fell into a deep sleep. The self-assured modern Christian shows
shocking disrespect for God. Many call themselves Christians and pray sometimes, maybe even
do devotions now and again but evidently don’t know who He is. Proverbs 14:27 tells us that the
fear of the Lord is a fountain of life but this healing fear is hardly found among today’s Christians.
The poet Goethe said;
‘People treat the incomprehensible Most High Being, who is beyond the reach of thought as their
equal.” May God forgive our lack of reverence and understanding of who He is!
PRAYER and MEDITATION
1. Ask the Lord to show you the connection between the fear of the Lord and the lack of
consequences in today’s society. How can we balance having a healthy fear of the Lord with
the love of the Lord?
2. Have you ever experienced terror or dismay in the presence of the Lord or a wrenching
sensation of your sinfulness and guilt? Should we feel this way before Him? Is there a
balance that we need in our relationship with Him?
