A few years ago, I read through the book of Ezra. I had read it before, but hadn’t really studied it, so I meditated on it with great interest and focus.
What I found there was a gold mine of literary devices that fall into the category of imagery: a word picture that evokes a specific meaning. These images are examples of anthropomorphism, where an author assigns human characteristics to something not human, i.e., an animal, object, or in this case a triune deity.
Let me provide a long overdue introduction to a four-part study on the imagery that I found in these two OT books.
God’s hands
In Ezra chapter 7, I noticed three references to God’s hands in close proximity. The narrator of the story states that “The king had granted him everything he asked, for the hand of the Lord his God was on him” (Ezra 7:6); “the gracious hand of his God was on him” (Ezra 7:9); and “the hand of the Lord my God was on me” (Ezra 7:28). Each verse painted a picture of God’s blessing that Ezra experienced.
The hand of God has often been portrayed as vengeful, but clearly not in this context. I also saw this same word picture used in Ezra 8:18 and 22. God’s protection from enemies is the meaning that is intended in Ezra 8:31.
God’s mouth and eyes
As I meditated on this book, I had to go back to the beginning to see what I missed. I noticed much use of imagery that I had overlooked. Other body parts were used (or implied) to describe what God did among His people.
For example, God’s mouth which gave words that were spoken through Jeremiah in Ezra 1:1, Moses in Ezra 3:2, David in Ezra 3:10, and the prophets Haggai and Zechariah in Ezra 5:1. I also caught something about the eye of God, who watched over the Jews, which was mentioned in Ezra 5:5. This use of imagery described God’s protection as the Jewish elders went about rebuilding the temple.
More Imagery in Nehemiah
When I began to read Nehemiah, I saw more references to God’s body parts, which also included his ears. These images seemed to highlight God’s divine attribute of immanence (God’s direct involvement in the life of man). This is in contrast to His attribute of transcendence, which focuses on Him being separate from us. (Note: I invite you to read an article I wrote and posted on my blog about these two attributes of God here.)
When Nehemiah asks the king for permission to help rebuild the wall around Jerusalem. He concludes, “because the gracious hand of my God was upon me, the king granted my requests” (Neh. 2:8). As he introduces his plan to the priests and the others who would be doing the rebuilding, he restates that God’s gracious hand was upon him, which would grant them success in their work (Neh. 2:18).
Furthermore, I observed in both books that there were several corresponding references to man’s hands, mouth, eyes, ears, and heart, in contrast to God’s body parts. I was excited to discover a purpose in this. Take hands, for example. I sensed that God’s hands of protection enabled man’s hands to do God’s work.
Our God is better than idols
I have to add a comment at this point about the contrast between Yahweh and the idols that were prevalent in the Old Testament. Psalm 115:5-7 describes these man-made idols: “They have mouths, but cannot speak, eyes, but cannot see. They have ears, but cannot hear, noses, but cannot smell. They have hands, but cannot feel, feet, but cannot walk, nor can they utter a sound with their throats.”
The psalmist is pointing out the futility of these idols. They have no real power. They cannot compare with the God the Israelites have. Although Yahweh does not physically have a mouth, eyes, ears, hands, or feet, as He is not flesh and blood, He certainly speaks, sees, hears, touches, and walks with His people.
Application
So, what does all of this mean for believers today? What are we to do with this knowledge about these attributes of God?
Here are some basic truths that pop out of these passages that can help us to know, believe, and obey the God who has revealed Himself to us in Scripture and in the person of Jesus Christ:
- God always initiates interaction with His people; he sees, hears, and protects us
- God expects us to respond to Him accordingly in love and obedience
- In the OT, we see God revealed in forms and shadows; in the NT, we see God in the flesh in Jesus
I invite you to join me as I explore in more depth the hands, mouth, eyes, and ears of God from these Old Testament books.
About the author:
Russell E. Gehrlein (Master Sergeant, U.S. Army, Retired) is a Christian, husband of 43 years, father of three, grandfather of five, and author of the book, Immanuel Labor – God’s Presence in our Profession: A Biblical, Theological, and Practical Approach to the Doctrine of Work, published by WestBow Press in February 2018. He received a Master of Arts in biblical studies from Grand Rapids Theological Seminary in 2015. He is passionate about helping his brothers and sisters in Christ with ordinary jobs to understand that their work matters to God and that they can experience His presence at work every day. He has written over 220 articles on a variety of faith and work topics; 60% of these have been published or posted 270 times on several Christian organization’s websites, including the Institute for Faith, Work & Economics, Coram Deo, Nashville Institute for Faith + Work, Made to Flourish, The Gospel Coalition, and Christian Grandfather Magazine.
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