God pursues those who hate him

Though we are in rebellion and our God’s enemies, hate him, and would cast him away (see more here), God actively and shamelessly pursues us. And though God seems far away to us in our rebellion, God is, in fact, near.

And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us, for

“ ‘In him we live and move and have our being’;

as even some of your own poets have said,

“ ‘For we are indeed his offspring.’

(Acts 17:26–28, ESV)

As we shrink back from him in hatred and fear, he pursues us and comes gently in the “sound” and the “wind”. Though, as we discussed earlier, this implies hiddenness (see more here), they also indicate a depth of intimacy beyond mere knowledge that puffs up. If God “showed up” or did “miraculous works” or showed some definitive sign or proof of his existence, yes, we would believe he exists and have knowledge of him. But the wicked ask for signs such as these as a prerequisite for faith (Matthew 16:4, Luke 11:29, John 6:22-66). Mere knowledge brings pride, and pride is our foundational problem. We cannot expect God to reveal himself in a way that only compounds our problem. And so he comes instead in the intimacy of the “sound” and the “wind”, which brings so much more than all the grand miracles and signs combined. In this article, we will focus on “the sound”.

The sound 

“The sound of the Lord” or the “Word of the Lord” is pregnant with meaning throughout the scripture and is the means by which God has communicated with humanity. It is more than sound; it has the power to create. And as we will see, it has the power to turn a heart of stone into flesh and the power to bring life from death. It is the word of the Lord that spoke creation into existence.  

   By the word of the Lord the heavens were made,  
     and by the breath of his mouth
      all their host.  
   He gathers the waters of the sea as a heap;  
     he puts the deeps in storehouses. 
   Let all the earth fear the Lord;  
     let all the inhabitants of the world
      stand in awe of him!  
   For he spoke, and it came to be;  
     he commanded, and it stood firm. 
                  (Psalm 33:6–9)

The Psalmist rightly broke out in song, “The voice of the LORD is powerful; the voice of the LORD is full of majesty” (29:4). We come to know God by his word as it works and invades our lives. The Word of the Lord is the scripture and is more than merely words on the page. “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. (Hebrews 4:12). But more importantly, the word of the Lord is the “Logos” of the Gospel of John. . . Jesus is the Word of the Lord made flesh.  

Moses taught the Israelites that “man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.” Moses speaks of a man who would come, and gives a warning from God, “whoever will not listen to my words that he shall speak in my name, I myself will require it of him” (Deuteronomy 18:19).  The writer of Hebrews warns as well, “See to it that you do not refuse Him who is speaking. For if they did not escape when they refused him who warned the on earth, much less will we escape if we reject him who warns from heaven” (Hebrews 12:25). Peter emphasizes this, “Moses said, ‘The Lord God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your brothers. You shall listen to him in whatever he tells you. Anyone who does not listen to him will be completely cut off from their people’” (Acts 3:22-23). Notice that the writer of Hebrews uses the phrase, “who is speaking”. Paul in Romans 10 alludes to the fact that when the Gospel is proclaimed, Jesus’s voice is heard.  

How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?” So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.  

   But I ask, have they not heard? Indeed they have, for  

   “Their voice has gone out to all the earth,  
     and their words to the ends of the world.” 
                     (Romans 10:14–18)

Though God does mighty works and great miracles, these are not the primary means by which he brings us to himself. Nor can these things have any power without the preaching of the Gospel. It is not in awe, mighty works, or great signs and miracles that we have come to be reconciled to God, but it is through humility. God has destroyed pride through humility.

Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

(Philippians 2:5–8, ESV)

Pride and seeking greatness caused the fall. We ought not think God would use these methods to win us back to himself. No, instead, he comes with humility and uses something much more powerful: his word. 

And he said, “Go out and stand on the mount before the Lord.” And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. And after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire, the sound of a low whisper. (1 Kings 19:11–12, ESV) 

With a whisper, God has turned the world upside down and has broken our pride and our hard hearts. 

The Hiddenness of God is the Story of Love 

Yes, a perfectly-loving and all-powerful God hid his face from us so that we might not see instant death (see more on this here), but in the tenderness of his love, through his wisdom, he has found a way to reveal himself to us. And though his face is hidden, his love for us is not. What amazing love is this that conquers and breaks the pride of our hard hearts? And so we come to know God through the preaching of the Gospel through the power of the Holy Spirit. As we hear the words of Jesus, our hearts are changed. And because of the power of the Gospel, we will come to see God face to face and not be ashamed on that Day. Instead of shrinking back, we boldly come near God’s throne, look into our Father’s face, and know that we are beloved children of God. For us, the throne and being before God’s face is no longer a throne of judgment and certain death, but one of grace where we are declared to be his children. And so, the blessing of Israel will remove God’s hiddenness for those who are in Christ, 

   The LORD bless you and keep you; 
     the LORD make his face to shine upon
       you and be gracious to you; 
     the LORD lift up his countenance upon
       you and give you peace.  
                     (Numbers 6:24-26)

And so, God will not remain hidden from us forever. All will see him face to face. Some for judgment, others for grace. For those who are known by Jesus, God fully revealing himself will be a glorious day. We will see God face to face. And we will know him as he knows us. 

For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known. (1 Corinthians 13:12) 

Notice that this passage speaks of seeing God as partly hidden, as in a mirror dimly. This description of God’s hiddenness is a part of the famous passage that talks about love, known as the Love Chapter. Yes, God’s purpose in his hiddenness is love. And because of love, he is still waiting for that day to make himself fully known to the world. He postpones that day, not for the sake of those who are in Christ, but for those who are still lost and at enmity with him, so that they too might hear the sound of his voice as he calls to us, “Come!” 

The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. (2 Peter 3:9) 

He holds back and remains hidden, for he is still calling out for the lost to come to him. And while God remains hidden, there is still hope for those who are at enmity with God. As God beckons us through the Gospel to come, will we allow his word to break down the walls of our pride and enmity toward him? He pleads with us, “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.”

Being hidden and tabernacled in human flesh 

So, even veiled and hidden, he has not failed to lavish his love upon us. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). God “emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men” (Philippians 2:7). God came veiled or tabernacled and walked amongst us as a human. John says, “our hands have touched” him. God became approachable. And he hid himself in this way that by becoming human, he might take upon himself the punishment we so deserved, “he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross” (2:8). Jesus stood before the Lord on that day in our place. And on that Day two thousand years ago, Jesus bore our final judgment proclaiming the debt had been paid in full. Three days later, Jesus conquered death for us by rising from the dead. And if we put our faith in Jesus, we stand before God and see his face, not based on our works, but based on the fact that Jesus bore our punishment of death on that day. The writer of Hebrews beckons us not to shrink back, run away, or hide, but instead calls to us with these words, “Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” Jesus calls us gently to “Come.” Will we hear the sound of his voice and come near when he calls?

For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written,

“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise,

and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.”

(1 Corinthians 1:18–19, ESV)

We tremble and shrink back

As discussed earlier (here), God has postponed the Day of the Lord, the day of our judgment . . . by hiding himself. And because of this we have hope, despite the definitive verdict for our trespasses. But this is not the only reason God hides himself. . . .

For even if God were to come near without judgment as he did with Adam and Eve, we would shrink back, run away, and hide from his presence. This is our natural inclination, just as it is the natural inclination for roaches to flee for the darkness when the light is turned on. A fallen humanity cannot stand before the Lord, not just because God is holy, which is one reason, but also because we don’t want to be near his presence. We need to be clear; it is not God who does not want to be near for “He is not far from each one of us” (Acts 17:27, NASB), but it is we who cannot bear to be in his presence. Let us look at Adam and Eve’s response when God came into the Garden.

And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. (Genesis 3:8)

Adam and Eve shrunk back and hid themselves. Because this is our natural response, if God wanted a relationship with humanity where we would not flee, he had to condescend so that we would stick around long enough to hear his voice. God does not overwhelm us by his presence but comes to where we are and is gentle, treating us as precious and as the apple of his eye. Therefore, God’s hiddenness is an act of loving-kindness towards us, allowing us to come near to him.

And so, when God came to Adam and Eve after they had sinned, he did not come in the fullness of his glory, but instead he came hidden in gentleness and patient kindness for God is slow to anger and abounding in loving devotion and faithfulness (Psalm 103:8, Exodus 34:6). The word “cool” in the passage above can be translated “wind”, rendering the phrase, “the sound of the Lord God walking in the Garden in the wind of the day”. The words “wind of the day” is describing God coming in the clouds. When God comes near, he is often portrayed as being cloaked in clouds or cloaked in some other way, such as behind the veil of the tabernacle. As it is hard to see on a dense foggy day, this cloud obscures us from seeing God in his fullness. Likewise, the word “sound” is describing the fact that God’s face is not seen, but only his voice is present. When God shows up, we often see the term “the Word of the Lord”. This is more than just hearing an ethereal voice out of nowhere. Often, the “word” or “sound” is doing things like “walking in the garden” or “standing”. There is a real presence. But like the word “wind”, it is describing the presence of God that is hidden. We cannot fully see God. And so, the words “sound” and “wind” are significant words in the Bible, describing both a God who is hidden and who is intimately near us. In the Bible, when God makes his presence known after the fall, it is never by direct means but always hidden in a cloud of glory and through the word of the Lord. And so, by using the words “sound” and “wind”, this passage is describing a God who had already hidden himself before coming into the garden to meet with Adam and Eve. With these words, it is clear that their relationship has changed. God was no longer going to have direct and naked fellowship with Adam and Eve. And yes, by this act of hiding himself, God was postponing the day of judgment by hiding his throne and his face from us, but in love, he was also doing something more. . .. He was making himself approachable to humanity despite their sin.

Notice that Adam and Eve’s response is similar to the Israelites’ response when they heard the sound of the Lord and saw the clouds.

On the morning of the third day there were thunders and lightnings and a thick cloud on the mountain and a very loud trumpet blast, so that all the people in the camp trembled. (Exodus 19:16, ESV)

Now when all the people saw the thunder and the flashes of lightning and the sound of the trumpet and the mountain smoking, the people were afraid and trembled, and they stood far off and said to Moses, “You speak to us, and we will listen; but do not let God speak to us, lest we die.” (Exodus 20:18–19, ESV)

just as you desired of the Lord your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly, when you said, ‘Let me not hear again the voice of the Lord my God or see this great fire any more, lest I die.’ (Deuteronomy 18:16, ESV)

For you have not come to what may be touched, a blazing fire and darkness and gloom and a tempest and the sound of a trumpet and a voice whose words made the hearers beg that no further messages be spoken to them. For they could not endure the order that was given, “If even a beast touches the mountain, it shall be stoned.” Indeed, so terrifying was the sight that Moses said, “I tremble with fear.” (Hebrews 12:18–21, ESV)

Israel trembled and did not want God’s presence to be near. Just like Adam and Eve, the Israelites would prefer to be hidden from God’s presence. We may feel bold and shout up to the sky, telling God that he ought to reveal himself more directly to us, but even if he came veiled and hidden, we would not be able to handle it. We would fall on our faces, trembling. Instead of wanting to be in his presence, we, like Adam and Eve, would flee. And we, like the Israelites, would only harden our hearts in unbelief on that day. This is what Hebrews speaks of when it describes “those who shrink back and are destroyed” (Hebrews 10:39, ESV). And it is the very thing God is trying to avoid in hiding himself. If God showed up, we would run away and destroy ourselves, for we would flee even if that meant running to a place of darkness.

We who do not want God near, though he comes near

Let us be clear. It is not because God is not good that we shrink back. It is because evil cannot survive in his presence that we shrink back in fear. Light is good, but darkness flees in the presence of light. For those who love the light, this is good. For those who love the darkness, this is terror, for the things they love cannot survive in the light. Jesus brings healing, for he is the way, the truth, and the life. “In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it” (John 1:4–5, ESV). Yet despite this, we reject him,

And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. (John 3:19–20, ESV)

And so, because we love our sin, we shrink back in fear of being destroyed. Because this is our tendency when in the presence of God, God veils and hides himself. God lowers down the notch by infinite degrees so that his presence won’t overwhelm us. He comes in the shadows and in the things that go bump in the night; we just choose to shrink back and hide. The most repeated command in the Bible is, “Do not fear”. In our fear, God is gentle, kind, sensitive, and loving in the way he approaches us.

God hid himself in order to rescue us

Though God hides from us, God is not hiding from us in the sense that he does not want to be found, nor in the sense that he is difficult to find. That is so far from the truth. God hid himself to protect us from the judgment day and to keep us from shrinking back so that he might rescue us. And so, yes, there is a theme of hiddenness, a veil, a cloud throughout the Bible, that only allows us to see God dimly, as if in a reflection. And yes, we cannot see God directly, for we are carefully kept from this by a loving God who is gentle, patient, lowly, humble, and self-sacrificing in the way he handles us in our fallen nature. And he has done this not to hide himself from us, but instead that he might be approachable and might be found. And it is indeed his desire to be found by us and come to Him, despite our sin. Psalm 32 has the theme of God calling to the sinner to come near despite their sin. In this Psalm, God calls to the sinner,

     Be not like a horse or 
          mule,
       without understanding,
       which must be curbed
          with bit 
          and bridle,
       or it will not stay
          near you.
          (Psalm 32:9, ESV)

Because God has veiled himself, because of his hiddenness, it allows us to come near into his presence without shrinking back or being like a mule, and as we come near, we need not fear our final judgment because the veil keeps us from his throne and his face. Paul states that God set history “that [we] should seek God, and perhaps feel [our] way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us” (Acts 17:27, ESV).  Moses describes God’s nearness,

“For this commandment that I command you today is not too hard for you, neither is it far off. It is not in heaven, that you should say, ‘Who will ascend to heaven for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?’ Neither is it beyond the sea, that you should say, ‘Who will go over the sea for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?’ But the word is very near you. It is in your mouth and in your heart, so that you can do it (Deuteronomy 30:11–14, ESV)

Paul elaborates on this,

For Moses writes about the righteousness that is based on the law, that the person who does the commandments shall live by them. But the righteousness based on faith says, “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’ ” (that is, to bring Christ down) “or ‘Who will descend into the abyss?’ ” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” (Romans 10:5–13)

Though God is hidden, he is not far from each one of us. The only wall between us is our willingness to call upon the name of the Lord. But instead of coming to God, we are the ones who hide ourselves from his presence despite his gentle kindness towards us. We, in our “unrighteousness suppress the truth” (Romans 1:18). We actively hide God’s presence from ourselves, for his presence means we will be exposed and vulnerable. We love the darkness and don’t want to be exposed by the light. We love our world. God’s presence destroys our world, and we want to fight to keep it. And so, we shrink back and hide ourselves.

But God is only a call away from us. When we are ready to leave our world behind and come to him, we will find that he was already there with arms open wide.

The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth (Psalm 145:18)

The LORD is near to the brokenhearted; He saves the contrite in spirit. (Psalm 34:1)

Our Father is near. And if we go back to the words “sound” and “wind”, we will see this. Though they imply hiddenness, they also imply a deep intimacy and a loving faithfulness. And because of His love and kindness, an all-powerful, all-knowing God has chosen to use these means to reveal himself. We will discuss more about the “sound” and the “wind” in the upcoming articles in this series (The hidden God in an evil world). But before we discuss the “sound” and the “wind”, we will look at our response to the “obvious” means of evidence that atheists seem to want, for we must be careful what we wish for.