The sad truth is that many in the Church know little of who God is; some of us even have misconceptions about Him. Some common wrong beliefs held even by Christians are that the God in the Bible is one among many other gods, that God has revealed Himself to different people groups, hence, all religions point to the same God.
How then can we truly love and trust God if we hardly know anything or have wrong beliefs about who He is? Throughout the Bible, God is never portrayed as one of the gods. The subject of the Bible's first sentence is Elohim (Genesis 1:1), the very first name given to God in the Bible.
The name Elohim is also used to refer to kings, supernatural beings and false gods; but when it is used in reference to Jehovah God, it means God of gods or 'Elohim of elohim'. It refers to the One who is majestic, full of power, strength and honour. He is the infinite, all-powerful God who is the Creator and the Supreme Judge of the world. In Psalm 7:9 (NIV) David pleaded with God: "Bring to an end the violence of the wicked and make the righteous secure - you, the righteous Elohim who probes minds and hearts."
Sometimes the word Elohim is shorted to El and used as part of a longer name. For example, El Shaddai, which means 'God Almighty' (Genesis 49:24) and El Elyon, 'God Most High' or 'Exalted One' (Genesis 14:18-22).
The God whom we call, 'Abba, Father' is not one of the gods. He is God above all gods, the Most High God, God Almighty, who rules over all that is seen and unseen.
Questions
What is God saying to you through the text? Which verse speaks to you personally?
What did you learn about God from Deuteronomy 10:14-15, 17-18, 21-22? Does that change the way you look at your life, especially in a difficult situation?
True faith is to do what pleases God, to walk in all His ways and to love and serve Him with all our heart and soul (V12-13, 16, 20). What would it mean for you to live in obedience and holy fear of the Lord in your social, recreational, family, or work life?
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