The Scriptures are replete with descriptions of the character of the God of Israel.                 Here are ten.

1) Eternal  Elohim ever was and ever will be. He is the only uncreated Being without beginning or end.

        Psalm 90:2  Before the mountains were born or You brought forth the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting You are God.

       Jeremiah 10:10  But the LORD is the true God; He is the living God, the eternal King.

2) Immutable (unchanging and unchangeable)

While all creation is subject to change, birth, growth, aging, decay and death, Elohim alone is the same yesterday, today and forever.

        Malachi 3:6  I the LORD do not change. So you, O descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed.

3) Omniscient Only God has complete knowledge of all things at all times to the minutest detail. Only God knows everything about us, everything we’ve ever thought, spoken and done.

        Job 21:22  Can anyone teach knowledge to God, since He judges even the highest?

        Ps 44:21 ...would not God have discovered it since He knows the secrets of the heart?

         Ps 139: 1-4  O LORD, You have searched me and You know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; You perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; You are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue You know it completely, O LORD.

4) Omnipotent  Only Elohim has absolute power over all creation. His will cannot be usurped or controlled. There is no one and nothing stronger, bigger, or more able than God.

        Psalm 68:34  Proclaim the power of God, whose majesty is over Israel, whose power is in the skies.

        Genesis 18:14 Is any thing too hard for the LORD? At the time appointed I will return unto thee, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son.

        Isaiah 46:10  I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say: My purpose will stand and I will do all that I please.

5) Omnipresent  Only Elohim exists everywhere, all at once, both in and out of time and space. This doesn’t mean that God is a part of creation as in pantheism or new age philosophies. It is necessary to see Him as The Unique Other compared to His creation. Yet He is ever-present and cannot be hidden from.

        Psalm 139:7,8 Where can I go from Your Spirit? Where can I flee from Your presence? If I go up to the heavens, You are there; if I make my bed in the depths, You are there.

6) Holy  God alone is absolutely Perfect, Pure, and Good. He is set apart from all creation in His Holiness. Imagine—not one blemish, taint, or flaw. Not one speck of darkness, but all pure radiant Light. Not one thing lacking, but complete and whole is “The Holy One [of Israel.]” This title appears 45 times in the Tenach.

7) Righteous  Everything God has done, is doing and will do is absolutely RIGHT. He can never make a wrong decision, a bad choice or a mistake.

         Psalm 145:17 The LORD is righteous in all his ways and loving toward all he has made.

         Psalm 11:7 For the LORD is righteous, he loves justice; upright men will see his face.

8) Just  Because God is righteous, He is also just. He cannot be unjust. He cannot be flippant about evil or close his eyes to wickedness and sin. Therefore, He cannot let unrighteousness go unpunished. He has all the wisdom, knowledge and authority to make perfect judgments about everything. If He were to judge you today by your thoughts, words or actions, what would be just? If His standard of judgment is Himself—and it could not be otherwise—how would you measure up?

        2 Chronicles 12:5,6  Then the prophet Shemaiah came to Rehoboam and to the leaders of Judah who had assembled in Jerusalem for fear of Shishak, and he said to them, "This is what the LORD says, 'You have abandoned Me; therefore, I now abandon you to Shishak.' " The leaders of Israel and the king humbled themselves and said, "The LORD is just."

        Zephaniah 3:5  The LORD within her is righteous; he does no wrong. Morning by morning he dispenses his justice, and every new day he does not fail, yet the unrighteous know no shame.

9) Merciful (Gracious and Forgiving)  Elohim is Love. There is no greater love than that which God has for us. Yet how can He be both our Lover and our Judge? Only through mercy. Only God can choose to grant us mercy, pardon, and forgiveness although not one of us measures up or deserves it. Every one of us has fallen way short of God’s Holy Standard. Every one of us deserves God’s righteous judgment and justice, which God says in the Bible, brings death.

        Ezekiel 18:4  For every living soul belongs to me…The soul who sins is the one who shall die.

Yet God, in His mercy, provided a way for Israel to escape punishment and be forgiven, and at the same time preserve His justice. Some may teach that the way to be forgiven is by making up for our sins by doing good. If we do enough mitzvot, we can atone for our sins and be in good standing with God. But is this what God teaches in the Bible? What is atonement—God’s way?

God did not provide a set of rules to obey to gain His favor and forgiveness. How many would be enough? How well would they have to be performed? How would anyone ever have assurance they have been forgiven and re-united with God? No, God, being merciful and compassionate, provided a substitute. Now just imagine. If you were doomed to die because of your sinfulness and someone or something stepped in and took your place and died instead of you, then God could receive the substitute’s death on your behalf and you would be set free. Both God’s justice and His mercy would be satisfied.

How was this done? In the Tenach, God set up a sacrificial system in order for the Israelites to atone for their sins and not be under God’s judgment.

        Leviticus 17:11 For the life of the flesh is in the blood; and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that makes an atonement for the soul.

The death of an innocent, sinless animal was the only way that a sinful soul could be “covered” and the sinner be reconciled to God.

Today there is no Temple, no altar and no sacrificial system. Has God’s way of atonement changed? No. So how can we be forgiven? The answer will be in Stone 7.

10) Faithful  Only Elohim can make promises to humans and keep them perfectly without wavering or failing.

        Psalm 86:15  But you, O Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness.

        Psalm 100:5  For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.

        Psalm 145:13 Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures through all generations. The LORD is faithful to all his promises and loving toward all he has made.

Do you see why God alone deserves our worship? Yet why do so many reject God and fill their need for worship with things that can never satisfy? The Bible calls misplaced worship “idolatry.” The list is long--money, career, sex, celebrities, possessions, recreation, spectator sports, false religions, academics, outward appearance, food, etc. Is there hope for misplaced worshippers to return to real worship of the only One worthy of it?

Throughout the Tenach there is a continuing promise to every generation of a Redeemer, one who will come and make things right between men and God and get us back to true worship. It’s time to talk about Messiah.
We’ll begin on the next stone—Stone 5.  ->

Prayer:  "God, please open my heart."