OceanSide church of Christ

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GOD IS HIGH AND LIFTED UP

Victor M. Eskew

 

            Because we are human beings, there are some concepts that are very difficult for us to truly grasp.  Does anyone really understand the enormity of his/her sin?  Is it possible for finite man to comprehend what the word “eternal” really means?  Do any of us totally appreciate the redemptive work of Jesus on the cross of Calvary?  These are concepts that are high and lifted up.  Each one of them is centered in a God who is high and lifted up.  In Isaiah 57:15, God is referred to as “the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity.”  The psalmist wrote that God is “the most high over all the earth” (Ps. 83:18).

            God is high above all the gods.  In times past, man rejected the true God and set up false gods in His place.  These gods were not limited to one in number.  No, man created hundreds and hundreds of false gods.  He has formed and carved images of his gods.  He puts them in his home.  He mounts them within the temples of his gods.  He carries them in his pockets.  These gods, however, will never compare to the God of heaven.  “For thou, Lord, art high above all the earth:  thou art exalted far above all gods” (Ps. 97:9).  One of the crowning attributes of the God of heaven that sets Him apart from all other gods is that He is a living God.  The false gods are made of wood, and gold, and silver.  “They have mouths, but they speak not:  eyes have they, but they see not:  they have ears, but they hear not:  nose have they, but they smell not:  they have hands, but they handle not:  feet have they, but they walk not:  neither speak they through their throat” (Ps. 115:5-7).  The gods of men are cold, lifeless, inanimate objects.  The true God is much higher than they.  He is not dead.  He is very much alive!

            God is also high above the rulers and the powers that exist upon the earth.  Men assume positions of authority and begin to believe that they are the ones in control of all things.  Some believe that they are invincible.  Some come to the conclusion that they themselves are gods.  The true God, however, towers above them all.  It is He who is in control of kings, presidents, governors, and dictators.  The psalmist was right when he said that God “is the governor among the nations” (Ps. 22:28).  It is He who “removeth kings, and setteth up kings” (Dan. 2:21).  If a power exists upon the earth, it is because God ordained that power to be (Rom. 13:1).  God, and God alone, is the King of kings and Lord of lords (I Tim. 6:15; Rev. 17:14; 19:16).  Dear readers, there is not a power on earth higher than God.

            God is also higher than any human being upon the earth.  In Hosea 11:9, God plainly states:  “…for I am God, and not man.”  There are many, many things that differentiate God from man.

 

                        God                                                                             Man

 

            Self-existent (Exo. 3:14)                                               Created by God (Gen. 1:26-27)

            The Almighty (Gen. 17:1)                                           Has some strength (I Sam. 14:52).

            All wise (Rom. 16:27)                                                  Has some knowledge (II Pet. 3:18)

            Sinless (I Sam. 2:2)                                                      Sinful (Rom. 3:23)

            Eternal (Ps. 90:2)                                                         Finite (Heb. 9:27)

            Omnipresent (Prov. 15:3)                                           Limited (I Cor. 2:11)

            Spirit (John 4:24)                                                         Flesh (Gen. 6:3)

            Sovereign (Ps. 47:2)                                                    Delegated authority (John 19:11)

            Self-sufficient (Acts 17:24-25)                                     Dependent (Acts 17:28)

            Unchanging (I Sam. 15:29)                                         Changing (I Pet. 1:24)

 

When man contemplates the attributes of God, he quickly realizes how high and lifted up God is.  There is no comparison to speak of.  God towers high above the greatest of all men in strength, wisdom, and holiness.

            God is high and lifted up.  Man, however, seems to quickly forget how lofty God is.  He tries to bring God down to his level.  He wants to believe that God thinks and acts like a man.  This could not be farther from the truth.  Dear readers, let’s seek to come to a better understanding of God.  Only when we see Him sitting high and lifted up upon His throne in the highest heaven will we begin to lift ourselves from our weaknesses, our filth, and our ignorance (See Isa. 6:1-5).