A Key Biblical Theme – God with Us

The theme of God with us is one of the most important themes in the Bible. From Genesis to Revelation the Bible reveals that God has an intense desire to be with human beings. I trace this theme in my book The Heart of Scripture: God with Us, which I have recently updated. This book is only 36 pages so it is intended to be concise, insightful, and devotional. The first four chapters are below.

 

CHAPTER 1: God with Us in Genesis: Part 1

Many people who begin reading the Bible never finish. I guess that’s understandable since it’s a big ancient book—about one thousand pages long and two to three thousand years old. Nowadays, not many people read old and thick books.

Reading the entire Bible may intimidate us but understanding it shouldn’t. Key themes recur throughout the sacred text and they are not difficult to grasp.

The following pages present the simple theme of God with us as the heart of Scripture. By heart, I mean the core idea that gives energy and life to the rest of the Bible and which can engage us on a heartfelt level. There are many key biblical themes, but this one has the potential to help us connect with God personally.

Starting with this chapter the concept of God with us will be traced from Genesis to Revelation. The final chapter explains how the reality of God with us should make a difference in our lives.

Adam and Eve

You probably know what it sounds like when a family member walks in the house. You’ve heard it many times. In Genesis 3, Adam and Eve hear the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden. How often did God walk in that flourishing field? We don’t know, but it was enough for the first couple to be familiar with the sound of divine footsteps.

Why was God near Adam and Eve? The answer is not given in Genesis, but it’s obvious that the Creator wanted to be close to the humans he created. He didn’t form them only to observe them from a distance. His plan was to be involved in their lives. Why? Was God needy and looking for companionship? No, God is love, so God wanted to spend time with Adam and Eve because he loved them, not out of a need in his heart. He wanted them to have the deepest and most fulfilling lives. And he knew in order for them to have that, they needed to be near him.

Enoch and Noah

Although the first humans rebelled against their Creator and were banished from the Garden of Eden, God’s desire to be with people remained the same. Two chapters later, we see Enoch walking with God (Genesis 5:24). In the next chapter, Noah walks with God (Genesis 6:9).

“Walked with God.” What does that expression mean? First, it means agreement. When we walk with someone we are going in the same direction. Enoch and Noah were not merely living in God’s vicinity; they were moving in step with God—following God and doing his will. Second, it means intimacy. Can you think of a time when you walked with someone and shared intimate things together? Imagine strolling beside God and talking to him about the deepest things in your life. But most of all, walking with God in Genesis 5 and 6 means that God’s desire to be with humans did not diminish after Adam and Eve sinned. God walked in the garden with Adam and Eve and now God is walking with Enoch and Noah. God did not leave humanity after we turned away from him. As Paul says to the people of Athens who worshiped idols, “he is not far from any one of us” (Acts 17:27).

Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob

God’s presence in Genesis continues with Israel’s patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, who lived about four thousand years ago.

• In Genesis 21, King Abimelek told Abraham, “God is with you in everything you do” (v. 22).
• When Isaac was in Beersheba, the Lord appeared to him and said, “I am the God of your father Abraham. Do not be afraid, for I am with you” (26:24).
• In Genesis 28, Jacob had a dream of a staircase reaching to heaven. While angels were ascending and descending the staircase, the Lord stood above it and declared, “I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go” (v. 15).

Joseph

Finally, near the end of the Bible’s opening book we meet Jacob’s son, Joseph. Genesis 39 makes a special point of emphasizing God’s presence with Joseph:

• “The Lord was with Joseph so that he prospered” (v. 2),
• “But while Joseph was there in the prison, the Lord was with him” (v. 21), and
• “The Lord was with Joseph and gave him success in whatever he did” (v. 23).

God’s presence gave Joseph success and favor, but it did not keep him from hardship. Joseph was falsely accused and sentenced to prison for about a decade. And during that time God was with him.

Picture a guy in despair for years in an old dungeon. It’s dark, lonely, and there’s little hope of escaping. Now add God to the scene. God was with Joseph in his misery.

Soon after Joseph was freed, he became one of the rulers of Egypt. And he provided for his family who sought refuge from a famine in Canaan. Before Joseph’s father died, he spoke to Joseph and said, “I am about to die, but God will be with you and take you back to the land of your fathers” (Genesis 48:21). The you in that verse is plural. Jacob (also called Israel) was saying that God would be with all of his descendants and they would return to Canaan.

Conclusion

The first book of the Bible reveals a God who visited Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. And that same God was with Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph, in both their good and bad times. The God of Genesis wants to be near humans and he pursued them even after they rejected him. Finally, Genesis closes with the promise that God would be with Jacob’s descendants—the people of Israel.

 

CHAPTER 2: God with Us in Genesis: Part 2

Genesis 18 contains an intriguing mystery and solving the mystery reveals another example of our theme. Before we examine it, let’s look at the chapter’s plot line.

The chapter begins with three men visiting Abraham and predicting that his wife Sarah will have a son in one year’s time. After sharing the news, the men head toward the city of Sodom while Abraham walks with them to see them on their way. The Lord then shares his plan with Abraham: he will check on Sodom and see if it’s as wicked as he has heard.

The men continue toward Sodom, but Abraham remains standing before the Lord. Abraham pleads with the Lord to spare the city for the sake of fifty righteous people. The Lord concedes but Abraham continues pleading until the Lord promises, “For the sake of ten, I will not destroy it” (v. 32).

In the next chapter we learn that ten righteous people couldn’t be found so Sodom was destroyed. Prior to the city’s destruction, however, the Lord rescued the righteous people who were in it—Lot and his family. In that way, God’s actions are a direct answer to Abraham’s urgent question—”Will not the Judge of all the earth do right?” (18:25). God did what was right. He destroyed the wicked and saved the righteous.

With the point of the story firmly set, we can move on to the mysterious detail in Genesis 18: Who are the three men who visit Abraham? In the list below, notice how closely the three men and the Lord are intertwined.

The Appearance (vv. 1–8)

• The Lord appears to Abraham while he was sitting outside his tent.
• Abraham looks up and sees three men nearby.
• Abraham hurries from his tent to meet the men then offers to wash their feet and give them something to eat.
• The men agree.
• Abraham and Sarah prepare a meal.
• The men eat the meal while Abraham stands near them.

The Question and Promise (vv. 9–14)

• The men ask, “Where is Sarah your wife?”
• Abraham answers, “There, in the tent.”
• One of the men says, “I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife will have a son.”
• Sarah hears and laughs because she was past the age of childbearing.
• The Lord asks, “Why did Sarah laugh?” then he repeats what was said by one of the men: “I will return to you at the appointed time next year, and Sarah will have a son.”

The Departure (18:16–19:1)

• The men get up to leave.
• While Abraham walks with the men, the Lord asks, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do?”
• The Lord says that he is going to see if Sodom and Gomorrah’s wickedness is as bad as he has heard.
• “The men turned away and went toward Sodom.”
• “Abraham remained standing before the ”
• Abraham pleads with the
• The Lord departs; Abraham returns home.
• “The two angels arrived at Sodom in the evening.”

Identifying the Three Men

What’s going on here? The chapter opens with the Lord appearing to Abraham but when Abraham looks up, he sees three men. Later, after hearing one of the men say that Sarah will give birth to a son, Sarah laughs, then the Lord asks, “Why did Sarah laugh?” Perhaps most puzzling is the fact that the primary promise is stated in the first person by both one of the men and the Lord: “I will return to you next year . . . and Sarah will have a son.” The Lord is tightly yet mysteriously interwoven into the account.

In seeking to identify the visitors, a key clue is Genesis 19:1, which says “The two angels arrived at Sodom in the evening.” Based on that verse and the account leading up to it, we can conclude that two of the three men are angels. How do we know? Because in one scene the three men are heading toward Sodom (18:22) and in the next scene two angels arrive in Sodom (19:1). The narrator wants us to connect the two scenes and that means we should identify at least two of the three men as angels.

What about the other man? Was the other visitor also an angel? Possibly.

But I think there is a better explanation. Because of the way the Lord is included in the narrative, one of the three men must be the Lord. Just think of the flow of the story. Three men visit Abraham. When the men depart (it doesn’t say if two or three men departed), Abraham remains standing before the Lord. After Abraham talks to the Lord, the Lord departs, and Abraham returns home. The next chapter begins this way: “The two angels arrived at Sodom” (19:1). What happened to the third visitor? He must be the Lord.

If that is correct, Genesis 18 gives us one of the earliest appearances of God in the Bible. (The word theophany is the technical term for an appearance of God.) And what do we learn from this early theophany?

• God appeared as a man.
• God talked with Abraham and Sarah.
• God had his feet washed.
• God ate a meal.

Conclusion

Christians believe God became human in the person of Jesus of Nazareth, but that downward movement was not entirely new. God was descending to meet with humans long before Jesus was born.

 

CHAPTER 3: God with Us in Israel’s History

Have you ever done something you were afraid to do because someone said, “Don’t worry, I’ll be with you”? Maybe you didn’t want to ride a roller coaster, but then a friend said, “I’ll go with you” and you found yourself slowly ascending and quickly descending on the track.

I recently went to a zip line course with my family. I didn’t want to go, but when my daughters and cousins put on their gear, how could I not join in? And after my youngest daughter readily propelled herself onto the line, how could I remain standing at the base?

Exodus

In the first two chapters, we focused on the references to God accompanying his people in the book of Genesis. About four centuries after the book of Genesis ends, God calls Moses to lead Israel out of slavery. But Moses objects, “Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?” God replies, “I will be with you” (Exodus 3:11–12).

God’s words to Moses sound like a parent reassuring a fearful child. Moses would not have to confront Pharaoh alone. The Creator of heaven and earth—the one who was with Adam, Eve, Abraham, and Joseph—promised to be with Moses.

And during his forty years leading Israel, Moses learned the value of God’s presence. In Exodus 33, God promises, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” And Moses responds,

If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here. How will anyone know that you are pleased with me and with your people unless you go with us? What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face of the earth? (vv. 14–16).

Moses is saying, “If you don’t join us on this journey, we don’t want to go.” He was convinced that God’s presence was the defining feature of the people of Israel.

Believers can apply this idea to our lives with a simple question: What makes us different? Ultimately, it’s not our education or nationality or bank account. The difference-maker is God. God is with us.

Joshua

The sixth book of the Bible opens with Joshua replacing Moses as the new leader of Israel. The Lord tells Joshua, “As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.” The Lord continues,

Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go (Joshua 1:5–9).

God’s presence didn’t depart from Israel when Moses died. Instead the same presence that was with Moses remained with Joshua: “As I was with Moses, so I will be with you.” God’s presence with his people doesn’t disappear or even diminish with the passing of time.

While the phrase “I will never leave you nor forsake you” was first spoken to Joshua, it applies to all of God’s people. About a thousand years later, the author of Hebrews writes,

Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” (13:5)

Although God originally spoke those words to Joshua, they apply to the readers of Hebrews a millennium after Joshua, and they apply to us two millennia after Hebrews was written. No matter what we go through or where we end up, God will never leave us. And that should cause us to be content.

Judges

As God encouraged Moses and Joshua with his presence, he also encouraged Gideon. While Gideon was secretly threshing wheat in a winepress out of fear of foreign invaders, the angel of the Lord appeared to him and said, “The Lord is with you, mighty warrior” (6:12).

Gideon responded, “But sir, if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us?” (v. 13). Gideon was thinking, “If God is with us, why am I hiding from an oppressive regime? Why am I using a winepress for wheat?”

Mysteriously, the Lord enters the scene causing some interpreters to identify the angel of the Lord with the Lord: “The Lord turned to him and said, “Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian’s hand. Am I not sending you?” (v. 14).

Gideon objected, “Pardon me, my lord . . . but how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family” (v. 15).

The Lord responded by overruling Gideon’s objection with the same words he spoke to Moses, “I will be with you” (v. 16).

David

King David also understood the importance of God’s presence. In Psalm 23 he writes,

Even though I walk through the darkest valley,

I will fear no evil,

for you are with me;

your rod and your staff,

they comfort me (v. 4).

What gave David courage to go through the darkest places? Two small words in the original Hebrew text, or four simple words in English: “You are with me.”

Conclusion

God’s union with his people wasn’t tied to one specific person or one particular generation. God remained with the people of Israel through the centuries. And when his chosen leaders needed encouragement to accomplish a difficult task, he said “I will be with you.” And he’s still saying the same thing to us.

 

CHAPTER 4: God with Us in Israel’s Prophets

Who has been with you during a difficult time? How did that person make a difference by being with you?

Several years ago, I went to the hospital for an operation. After checking in, I changed into a medical gown, and then sat down on a bed. While I was waiting, my boss showed up. I was surprised and encouraged to see him. I had been lonely and apprehensive sitting there by myself.

Maybe someone who made a difference for you wasn’t even present physically. Maybe that person lived far away, but they answered your phone calls or responded to your emails, listened, and gave advice.

If we are helped by having a friend with us as we face a hardship, how much more so if we know that God is with us?

The first two chapters focused on God with his people in Genesis. The third chapter highlighted that same theme in Exodus, Joshua, Judges, and the Psalms, and we ended with David’s words, “I will fear no evil; for you are with me.” This chapter centers on what the Hebrew prophets said about God with us.

Isaiah

About two centuries after David, the Lord spoke to Israel through the prophet Isaiah and said,

When you pass through the waters,

I will be with you;

And when you pass through the rivers,

They will not sweep over you.

When you walk through the fire,

You will not be burned;

The flames will not set you ablaze. (43:2)

Imagine yourself alone on the bank of a rushing river, fearful, knowing you must get to the other side. Then you hear God’s voice:

When you pass through the waters,

I will be with you;

And when you pass through the rivers,

They will not sweep over you.

Now step into the water with courage.

Notice that God’s words weren’t spoken to just one person; they were spoken to an entire nation. God is with us individually and corporately and that means we as individuals and as a community can “pass through the waters”—the difficult and trying circumstances of life.

The second part of Isaiah 43:2 is dramatically illustrated in the book of Daniel. When the three Jewish exiles in Babylon,  Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, were thrown into the blazing furnace, the king looked in and saw a fourth person.

Look! I see four men walking around in the fire, unbound and unharmed, and the fourth looks like a son of the gods. (Daniel 3:25)

Someone joined the trio while they were in the fire. Who? Who would step into the flames with them? Whether it was an angel or the Son of God, the point is the same: God was with them in the fire.

Jeremiah

Around 600 BC, Israel was on the brink of being conquered by the Babylonians when God called a young man named Jeremiah to be his appointed spokesperson or prophet. Jeremiah chapter 1 says,

The word of the Lord came to me, saying,

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”

“Alas, Sovereign Lord,” I said, “I do not know how to speak; I am too young.”

But the Lord said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am too young.’ You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you,’ declares the Lord” (vv. 4­–8).

Does that sound familiar? Moses, Gideon, and Jeremiah objected to God’s plan for their lives. But each time God responded by promising to be with them. And like he was with Joseph, God was with Jeremiah even when he was in a pit. After being imprisoned, Jeremiah was thrown into an empty cistern where he sank in the mud. But God sent a man to rescue him (chs. 37–39).

Ezekiel

During Jeremiah’s time period, Ezekiel lived as one of the exiles in Babylon when God called him to be a prophet. In chapter 10, Ezekiel sees a vision of God’s glory departing from the temple in Israel.

So far, in our overview, this is the first example of God leaving his people, or more precisely God’s glory departing from the temple. God’s departure was devastating because it left Israel defenseless. Why did God leave? Because of his people’s rebellion.

But in chapter 43, Ezekiel sees another vision—God returning to the temple and filling it with his glory. God left in judgment, but he returned in mercy. His departure was temporary; his presence is permanent.

Haggai

In 515 BC, the Persian King Cyrus released the exiles from       Judah and they returned to the land of Israel. Through the prophet Haggai, the Lord encouraged the returnees to rebuild the temple. Then Haggai gave this message of the Lord to the people: “I am with you . . . be strong . . . and work. For I am with you” (Haggai 1:13; 2:4).

God was still encouraging Abraham’s descendants 1500 years after he had called Abraham. They had experienced slavery in Egypt and an incredible exodus. They had wandered in the wilderness, settled in the land of Canaan, lived under good kings and bad kings, and established the temple only to see it destroyed three centuries later. They were defeated and sent into exile, and seventy years later, they returned to the land. And all the while, God was telling them, “I am with you.”

With all Israel

In our brief tour through Scripture, we have come to the end of the Old Testament, but I want to make sure we don’t overlook an important point. When exploring this topic it’s not enough to highlight the direct statements that God was with his people. In the Hebrew Bible, symbols also play an important role in signifying God’s presence. And these symbols show that God was with all of Israel, such as

• the pillar of fire at night and the pillar of cloud during the day that remained with the people of Israel as they wandered in the wilderness (Exodus 13:21–22),
• the ark of the covenant—the rectangular golden box where God told Moses, “I will meet with you” (Exodus 25:22),
• the tabernacle or tent of God that was set up in the middle of Israel’s camp, which God filled with his presence (Exodus 40:34–35), and
• the temple—the building in Israel’s capital city, Jerusalem, patterned after the tabernacle and dedicated to the worship of Israel’s God (1 Kings 8).

Both the tabernacle and temple contain imagery that reminds us of the Garden of Eden where God was with Adam and Eve. And they both housed the ark of the covenant—the most sacred object in Israel.

Conclusion

From the beginning of the Old Testament to the end, God encouraged his chosen leaders with his presence. And he showed that he was with Israel through natural phenomena, such as fire and clouds, the tabernacle and temple, and the ark of the covenant. If we were living in ancient Israel we would know that God was with us.

 

CHAPTER 5: God with Us in Israel’s Messiah

CHAPTER 6: God with Us in Revelation

CHAPTER 7: God with Us: The Difference-Maker