Mennonite Weekly Review

When it came to issues of religion, the ancient Hebrew people were at a distinct disadvantage. Others had gods they could see and touch. Those gods were present and always available.

Esau

Quite in contrast, the God of Israel was without form, without substance, without physical evidence, often perceived as absent. God dwelt in the heavens, in the vast expanses of the skies.

The desire for empirical evidence of God is not some modern invention, a mindset resulting from the scientific method. The human longing for certainty goes way back in the history of civilization. Possessing gods that could be seen and handled seems all so natural.

Israel’s God was different. Occasionally it was reported that God spoke to the likes of Abraham and Moses. But it wasn’t a daily experience. For most people, it never happened. They were left to the occasional reports of divine encounters.

It’s not surprising that in the midst of the Sinai wanderings, they would ask for a god that was more visible and present. “Come, make gods for us, who shall go before us. As for this Moses, we do not know what has become of him.” Aaron consented. We know the rest of the story.

Embedded in the commandments is the prohibition to idolatry: “You shall not make for yourself an idol.”

So what are these followers of Moses left with? They are asked to follow a God who cannot be seen, cannot be touched, cannot be handled. They don’t even know where this God lives, other than in the heavens. They are being asked to exercise the audacity of faith in a God beyond their grasp.

That’s a bold claim. It was so in ancient times and is still so today.

With time, the people of Israel made some further claims for their unseen God. God was spirit. God shared that with all living things — the spirit of life. Where God’s spirit was, there was life-giving energy.

They also began to make some claims about where God was. The psalmist probably makes the most audacious claim, suggesting that there is no place where God is not present: “If I ascend to heaven, you are there; if I make my bed in Sheol (hell) you are there. If I take the wings of the morning and settle at the farthest limits of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me fast” (Psalm 139:8-10).