Deuteronomy 3:24, “'O Lord GOD, you have only
begun to show your servant your greatness and your mighty hand. For what god is
there in heaven or on earth who can do such works and mighty acts as yours?” (ESV)
This is an incredible statement made by Moses,
that reveals to us God’s infinite nature, the fact that God cannot be fully
known by us.
Moses occupies a very unique place in Scripture,
for he enjoyed a relationship with God that no other man before or since has
known. He witnessed God’s glory, power and working in numerous ways, and was
allowed to stand in God’s presence longer than any other. We are told in Exodus
33:11, “Thus the LORD used to speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to
his friend.” Moses is the only man to
have ever seen a glimpse of God’s glory, in the flesh, other men who were
privileged to see it, witnessed it only in dreams or visions. If there was ever
a man who could say he knew God, it was Moses. If we wanted to know who God
was, what God was like, Moses would be the first person we would ask.
However, after having enjoyed this incredible,
close and unique relationship with God for over 40 years, Moses makes this
astonishing statement, “O Lord GOD, you have only begun to show your
servant your greatness and your mighty hand.” Moses regards all that which he has witnessed, known and enjoyed with
regards to God over the past 40 years as being just the beginning. To use a
modern expression, Moses might have said, “O Lord God, you have only shown me
the tip of the iceberg!” Moses understands that despite having such a unique
relationship with God, he could never presume to know God. If anything, Moses
has learned that God is beyond human knowledge, beyond our ability to
comprehend, and we can never say that we know, understand and comprehend God
entirely. Not even after a million years of living with God in His immediate
presence will we be able to say we know God. He truly is greater than we can
imagine!
Many of us are uncomfortable when we cannot know
or understand something completely, we don’t like mystery! This is one of the
reasons as to why idolatry appeals to us, because it enables us to define who
and what our god is. We can put this god in a box, set its limitations, characteristics
and abilities. But when it comes to a god we cannot know, or dictate to, we
suddenly become suspicious and would rather try to explain away such a god, or
demand that this god make themselves fully known. Such thinking and attitude
shows just how audacious, arrogant and proud we have become in our sinfulness.
The question we need to ask ourselves is, ‘Would God still be God, if He could
be completely, entirely known, understood, explained and defined by us?’ And, ‘If
God could, then would that not show us to be greater than God, for we are
capable of knowing and understanding the one who is supposed to be the very
highest and greatest?’ Our desire to do away with the mystery and the unknown,
to be able to know, understand, define and explain God, or demand that God make
Himself completely known is motivated by our pride and the desire to exalt
ourselves above God.
Instead of wanting to know all there is to know
about God, wanting to define Him, we should adopt the attitude and
understanding of Moses. We should rejoice in the fact that our God is so much
greater than us, to the point that He is infinite. We should rejoice that when
we think we have learned all we can about God, we quickly discover that there
is still more to learn, know, experience and understand. God is inexhaustible!
For those of us who are believers in the Lord Jesus
Christ, this God is our God, this God has become our Father, Saviour and
Friend. Our joy should be inexpressible as we come to understand that all which
we now know about God and enjoy from God’s hand is but the beginning. We have
had a small foretaste, a tiny glimpse of who God is, and the day will soon come
when we will see God, know God and experience God in a manner that is beyond
the ability of our sinful and finite minds to grasp. How encouraging to know
that our rich, deep, joy-filled, personal relationship we have with God through
Christ, has only just begun, there is more, much, much more to come. To God be
the glory!
Our infinite,
unsearchable, inexhaustible God, how we worship and adore You today. Thank You
that You are higher than the highest heaven, that You are above, beyond and
greater than anything else in all creation. Thank You that You cannot be but in
a box, defined and restricted. We also thank You that as great as You are, You
have made Yourself known to us, You have called us to know, love and serve You.
Thank you that You have made this possible for us through Christ. Thank You
that when we spend our lives seeking to know, love and serve You, we shall have
the richest, the most blessed of lives, and it will be but the beginning. How
we pray that You might grant us that same heart, mind, life and attitude of
Moses. We glorify and exalt You today, our great and glorious God. Amen.
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