Pictures Of God

You might think that the Israelites would have been at a disadvantage in describing their God. After all, the first commandment forbade them from making any images of God, and that meant they couldn’t draw pictures.

So how did the Israelites describe God? Here are a few verses from the Psalms:

God is just

The LORD is known for his justice.

The wicked have trapped themselves in their own snares (Psalm 9:16).

God is fair

Tell all the nations that the LORD is king. . . .

He will judge all peoples fairly (96:10).

God is compassionate

The LORD is like a father to his children,

tender and compassionate to those who fear him (103:13).

God is merciful

With all my heart I want your blessings.

Be merciful just as you promised (119:58).

God is good

Praise the LORD, for the LORD is good;

celebrate his wonderful name with music (135:3).

God is eternally loving

Give thanks to the God of gods.

His faithful love endures forever (136:2).

God is righteous

Everyone will share the story of your wonderful goodness;

they will sing with joy of your righteousness (145:7).

Instead of making pictures of God with a brush or chisel, the Israelites drew word pictures. In the Psalms they called God a rock, a fortress, a shield, a shepherd. God isn’t literally a rock or a shepherd, but the people got the picture. Sometimes they spoke of God sheltering his people under his wings or holding them in his arms, but they knew God didn’t actually have wings or arms. And they spoke of God by different names—God the Provider, God the Healer, God my Righteousness—but they knew there was only one God.

Yet in the various word pictures, the thing the psalmists emphasized most about God was his character. As we noted above, God is known for his justice (Psalm 9:16); he is fair (96:10); he is compassionate (103:13); he is merciful (119:58); he is good (135:3); he is characterized by his faithful love (136:2); and he is righteous (145:7). What an amazing God we serve!

If you were to draw a word picture of God, which of these divine attributes would you emphasize the most? And which of them do you need to appreciate more in the future? Perhaps you can search through the Psalms to help you think of attributes that God possesses.

This, this is the God we adore,

Our faithful, unchangeable Friend.

Whose love is as great as his power,

And neither knows measure nor end.

JOSEPH HART

What else can you find out about God? See Psalm 5:4 and Isaiah 6:3; Psalm 90:2 and 1 Timothy 1:17; Psalm 147:5 and Romans 11:33 to start with.