His Greatness

by J.D. Terrell, Carlisle | Category: Knowing God | Jun 1977

"Bless the LORD, 0 my soul, 0 LQRD my God, Thou art very great"

(Ps. 104:1).

To address oneself to this lofty subject is to approach the very presence of the Eternal, and to share the awe which Moses felt at the words, "Put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground" (Ex. 3:5). For surely the greatness of God is but a descriptive term for the Divine Person in all His attributes, expressions and works. No higher contemplation can engage the mind of man. No comparable pre-occupation stirs the human spirit to such heights of joy and praise. It projects our holiest imaginings to the day when "the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea" (Isa. 11:9). The opening article of this series 1et us into the vast storehouse of wisdom associated with the knowledge of God. We proceed now to explore for a little, one of the rich treasure-rooms of God, His greatness, more a declaration of His Person than an attribute. We shall consider firstly

God's Greatness in His Being

Immortalised in sacred verse we have the psalmist's confident assertion, "For I know that the LORD is great, and that our Lord is above all gods" (Ps. 135:5); and again; "Great is the LORD, and highly to be praised; and His greatness is unsearchable" (Ps. 145:3). The inspired words of the poet are an expression of elevation of spirit rather than the submission of a theological treatise. Yet the true greatness of God's Being rests upon His nature and character. Teachers of Bible doctrine have found it helpful to think of the divine attributes as 'natural' and 'moral', though words must be inadequate even in classification. Among the 'natural' attributes of God are His unlimited power and knowledge (Isa. 40:12-26; Rom. 1:20; 1 Cor. 15:27,28); His 'transcendence', i.e. God's self-existence, separately from His creatures (Gen. 11:6,7; Acts 17:24,25); His 'immanence', or nearness to and close involvement in His entire creation (Ps. 139:1-13; Acts 17:27,28). These describe and underline one aspect of His greatness. Words which are unfamiliar do not immediately draw us nearer to the great God, but, when examined, they help focus our minds; and to grow in the appreciation of God's greatness demands both the exercise of the mind and the devotion of the heart. Among the 'moral' attributes of God we think of His holiness, righteousness, truth and love. Eternal, unlimited, sovereign and good - such is the character of the Being before whom the seraphim cry, "Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of His glory". For the glory of God is integral with His greatness; the former the outshining and expression of the latter.

One of the richest seams of truth in Holy Scripture is associated with names and their meanings. So it is with the Person of God. His greatness, in a full variety of aspects, is declared in the divine names of the Bible. Outstanding is the dominant monosyllable EL - Strength; The Most High God - The Supreme. Then ELOHIM, the plural designation so full of meaning in relation to the holy Trinity, itself expressing a vast dimension of divine greatness. We cannot stay to speak of "the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit" (Matt. 28:19). And then God's covenant Name with Israel - JEHOVAH, the Self-existent One. What, asked the meekest man in all the earth, shall I say unto them, when they say to me, "What is His Name?". "And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM... Jehovah... this is My Name for ever, and this is My memorial unto all generations" (Ex. 3:14,15 RVM). There we must leave in the merest sketch our brief consideration of the greatness of God's Being.

God's Greatness In Creation

Our thoughts are, however, led inevitably from the Person of God to His works. Here, in finding an expression of God's almighty grandeur, we are drawn to the words of inspired verse. "Bless the LORD, 0 my soul. 0 LORD my God, Thou are very great; Thou art clothed with honour and majesty" (Ps. 104:1). Thus is opened one of the choicest of hymns of praise of the Creator. From the heavens stretched out like a curtain, to the rocky refuge of the conies, "0 LORD, how manifold are Thy works! In wisdom hast Thou made them all" and "Let the glory of the LORD endure for ever" and "I will sing praise to my God while I have any being".

O Lord my God, when I in awesome wonder,

Consider all the works Thy hands have made,

I see the stars, I hear the mighty thunder,

Thy power throughout the universe displayed,

Then sings my soul, my Saviour God to Thee, "How Great Thou Art".

It is in creation that the human mind, itself taking origin from God and answering so far in character and image to the divine, first appreciates the greatness of God. With God-given faculties of a high order of sensitivity and perception, we appreciate beauty, order, scale, purpose in created things. And with a growing awareness of His greatness we increasingly share David's sense of contrasting human insignificance. "0 LORD, our Lord, how excellent is Thy Name in all the earth... What is man, that Thou art mindful of him?" (Ps. 8:1,4). Yet as we shall see in connexion with revelation and salvation, a glorious measure of divine greatness lies in the grandeur of God's purpose in man. For the 'son of man" of Psalm 8 emerges into the full light of revelation as the second Man; as the Bringer of many sons unto glory (Heb. 2:6-10); the Lord from heaven.

Central in the great concept of creation, "the things that are made", was the unfolding of "the invisible things of Him" (Rom. 1:20). Man's understanding of God was to be led from the things that are seen, the temporal, to the things that are not seen, the eternal (2 Cor. 4:18). And as Romans chapter 1 declares in such solemn terms, men spurned "His everlasting power and divinity" in creation and "changed the glory of the incorruptible God for the likeness of an image of corruptible man ...". Immeasurable greatness was revealed in God's splendid creative work; but fuller and richer dimensions of His greatness were to be disclosed in response to His creatures' folly and sin.

God's Greatness in Revelation

As we have seen, this begins with creation. But the patient self-unfolding of an infinitely caring Creator proceeded through personal appearances, in spoken message and in written word, to Abraham, to Moses, to Isaiah and to many others. Fleeting reminders of the light unapproachable, the natural environment of "the blessed and only Potentate" (1 Tim. 6:15) were given to some of these noble men of God and are recorded to stir our hearts also to adoration and worship. And what can we say of the written word of God as a demonstration of God's enduring greatness? "Heaven and earth shall pass away, but My words shall not pass away" (Matt. 24:35). "For ever, 0 LORD, Thy word is settled in heaven" (Ps. 119:89).

So the imperishable Word stands sentinel over the integrity of God's glorious Person and Name. As He is, so is it - "living and active" (Heb. 4:12).

And so, "God, having of old time spoken unto the fathers in the prophets... hath at the end of these days spoken unto us in His Son..." (Heb. 1:1,2). The angel's message over Judea's hills was entirely appropriate to the occasion. "Glory to God in the highest (Luke 2:14). The incongruity of the whole situation, in human terms, was staggering. A multitude of the heavenly host - and a "Babe wrapped in swaddling clothes" in a stable - "the King eternal, incorruptible, the only God ..." (1 Tim. 1:17). As we have already remarked, God's glory is the outshining of His intrinsic greatness. And, said John the apostle, "we beheld His glory, glory as of the Only-begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth". True, John was one of those who shared the privilege of the transfiguration mount. But surely his primary claim to observing "His glory" refers to the spiritual and moral realm of Christ's grace and truth. Even in reference to human beings, true greatness is a thing of the heart. Creation had declared it: a wide range of other revelation had confirmed it; and now the Incarnate Son lived out the unlimited greatness of the heart of God. Some human hearts were impressionable. "Never man so spake". "Can this be the Christ?" "Thou art the Son of God, Thou art King of Israel". "My Lord and my God". And so, finally we approach the zenith of revealed greatness .

God's Greatness in Salvation

Said Isaiah, "The LORD JEHOVAH; ... is become my salvation... great is the Holy One of Israel in the midst of thee" (Isa .12:2,6). When every observable power was against them the Israelites received the word, "Stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD" (Ex. 14:13). The sovereign authority of heaven was about to be displayed, and earth's great ones humiliated. So it was in due course that "when the fulness of the time came, God sent forth His Son ..."; and the whole universe wondered at the supreme work of God. Gabriel, the commissioned angel, made a declaration of infinite importance, "He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Most High". We have commented above on a few who received Him; the eyes of whose hearts were enlightened; who glimpsed the reality of the Godhead in Jesus Christ. "Great is the mystery of godliness, He who was manifested in the flesh". The Holy Spirit points uniquely to the incarnate Word in this world, "bringing salvation" (Tit. 2:11). Yet - we speak reverently - the finest hour of the eternal Godhead had still to come.

But when I think that God, His Son not sparing,

Sent Him to die, I scarce can take it in;

That on the cross, my burden gladly bearing,

He bled and died to take away my sin,

Then sings my soul, my Saviour God to Thee, "How Great Thou Art".

Fain would we linger, as did that little group of loving hearts by a blood-stained cross, with His "It is finished" beginning its triumphant reverberation down the ages; visit the garden tomb and glory in the victory of its emptiness.

One of the last direct scripture references to the greatness of God is in Titus 2:13,14. It is applied to the Person of our Lord Jesus Christ. "Looking for the blessed hope and appearing of the glory of our great God and Saviour Jesus Christ". Until that day we are solemnly reminded that He "gave Himself for us that He might redeem us from all iniquity and purify unto Himself a people for His own possession, zealous of good works". So our little testimony is linked to the Eternal.

"Bless the LORD, 0 my soul,

0 LORD my God, Thou art very great" (Ps. 104:1).

J.D. Terrell, Carlisle | Jun 1977
Knowing God