Exodus 24:9-11 - these verses read as follows:
“Then Moses went up, also Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel, and they saw the God of Israel. And there was under His feet as it were a paved work of sapphire stone, and it was like the very heavens in its clarity. But on the nobles of the children of Israel He did not lay His hand. So they saw God, and they ate and drank.”
Question: In these verses the statement is made that "they saw God…the God of Israel." How is this to be understood in harmony with the Apostle John's statement in John 1:18, where it is written: "No man has seen God at any time."
Answer: The Exodus passage must be understood as a vision in which a representation of God and His glory was seen.
The Apostles statement, on the contrary, is a literal statement of fact. The impossibility of human beings seeing God with their natural eyes is plainly stated by other New Testament writers and is attested also in the Old Testament. Our Lord Jesus’ conversation with the woman at the well, recorded in John 4:24, referred to God as a Spirit; that is to say, as a Spirit-being.
The statement of the Apostle (John 1:18), that "no man has seen God at, any time," is repeated by John in his First Epistle, (1 John 4:12), in identical words. In Col 1:15, the Apostle Paul speaks of the "invisible" God. In 1 Tim 1:17 he writes: "Now unto the King eternal, incorruptible, invisible, the only wise God." In that same Epistle, Chapter 6, Verse 16, he tells us that our Lord Jesus also, as well as the Father, "dwells in the light which no man has seen, nor can see."
In Heb 11:6 it is stated that "he that cometh to God must believe that He is."
These words imply that God's existence is not possible to establish by an appeal to any one or all of our five senses. We cannot see, hear, taste, touch, or smell, Him. If we would draw near to God, we must do so by faith; we must believe that He is. In Verse 27, the writer tells us concerning Moses, that "he endured' as seeing Him who is invisible."
This fully agrees with the word of God to Moses himself, recorded in Exod 33:20: "You cannot see my face; for no man shall see me, and live."
How, then, is the Exodus passage (Exod 24:9-11) to be understood?
We reply: It was a vision. That which was seen was a representation of God and His glory. In examining the vision we find that except for the mention of his "feet", no description is given of the God of Israel whom they saw. The entire description is concerning the pavement under his feet, which is said to be of a sapphire stone. This description is identical with the description of the throne of God given by the Prophet Ezekiel.
In Chapter 1, Verse 26 of his prophecy, Ezekiel writes: "There was the likeness of a throne, as the appearance of a sapphire stone: and upon the likeness of the throne was the likeness as the appearance of a man above upon it." Because of this similarity between the throne described in Ezekiel's vision and the description of the "pavement under His feet" in the Exodus passage, it is probable that here, too, as in the vision given Ezekiel, God appeared as a man. In neither case, however, would it be the person of God that was seen, but merely a representation of God.
The conception of God as possessing human attributes and affections underlies every reference to Him throughout the Scriptures. In view of the fact that man was originally created in the image of God, it is not to be wondered at that our conception of Him is as though He were like us, except, of course, very much grander and higher. Our Lord Jesus taught us to look up to God as our heavenly Father. The only way we could do this is to conceive of Him as in some way like our earthly fathers. Our earthly fathers are able to see -- so also is God. Hence we think of Him as possessing eyes. Our earthly fathers are able to hear -- so can He. Hence He possesses ears. And so, throughout the Scriptures He is represented as like a human being in that He possesses a hand, an arm, nostrils, feet, voice, etc. (Josh. 22:31; Jer. 32:17, 21; Exod. 15:8; Nahum 1:3; Gen. 3:10.)
Like a military leader, He "musters His host" to battle. (Isa. 13:4) He "makes bare His holy arm." (Isa. 52:10.) In Gen 3:8 He is represented as walking in the garden. The High Priest was instructed to bless the nation in these words: "The Lord make His face shine upon thee." (Num. 6:25.), He is said to have spoken unto Moses "face to face." (Exod. 33:11.) After wrestling until the breaking of the day with a man, Jacob said: "I have seen God face to face." (Gen. 32:30)
These expressions are all figurative. They describe the, vivid impression experienced by the persons concerned. They were all associated with outstanding events in their lives or in the life of the nation.
In the case of those who "saw God" in Exod 24:9-11, the vision given them came in connection with an extremely important event. The previous verses show that it was in connection with the giving of the Law Covenant. How appropriate that the leaders of the nation should be given a vision of God at such a time, while they were engaged in eating and drinking the covenant meal. (Brother- P. L. Read.)
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“Then Moses went up, also Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel, and they saw the God of Israel. And there was under His feet as it were a paved work of sapphire stone, and it was like the very heavens in its clarity. But on the nobles of the children of Israel He did not lay His hand. So they saw God, and they ate and drank.”
Question: In these verses the statement is made that "they saw God…the God of Israel." How is this to be understood in harmony with the Apostle John's statement in John 1:18, where it is written: "No man has seen God at any time."
Answer: The Exodus passage must be understood as a vision in which a representation of God and His glory was seen.
The Apostles statement, on the contrary, is a literal statement of fact. The impossibility of human beings seeing God with their natural eyes is plainly stated by other New Testament writers and is attested also in the Old Testament. Our Lord Jesus’ conversation with the woman at the well, recorded in John 4:24, referred to God as a Spirit; that is to say, as a Spirit-being.
The statement of the Apostle (John 1:18), that "no man has seen God at, any time," is repeated by John in his First Epistle, (1 John 4:12), in identical words. In Col 1:15, the Apostle Paul speaks of the "invisible" God. In 1 Tim 1:17 he writes: "Now unto the King eternal, incorruptible, invisible, the only wise God." In that same Epistle, Chapter 6, Verse 16, he tells us that our Lord Jesus also, as well as the Father, "dwells in the light which no man has seen, nor can see."
In Heb 11:6 it is stated that "he that cometh to God must believe that He is."
These words imply that God's existence is not possible to establish by an appeal to any one or all of our five senses. We cannot see, hear, taste, touch, or smell, Him. If we would draw near to God, we must do so by faith; we must believe that He is. In Verse 27, the writer tells us concerning Moses, that "he endured' as seeing Him who is invisible."
This fully agrees with the word of God to Moses himself, recorded in Exod 33:20: "You cannot see my face; for no man shall see me, and live."
How, then, is the Exodus passage (Exod 24:9-11) to be understood?
We reply: It was a vision. That which was seen was a representation of God and His glory. In examining the vision we find that except for the mention of his "feet", no description is given of the God of Israel whom they saw. The entire description is concerning the pavement under his feet, which is said to be of a sapphire stone. This description is identical with the description of the throne of God given by the Prophet Ezekiel.
In Chapter 1, Verse 26 of his prophecy, Ezekiel writes: "There was the likeness of a throne, as the appearance of a sapphire stone: and upon the likeness of the throne was the likeness as the appearance of a man above upon it." Because of this similarity between the throne described in Ezekiel's vision and the description of the "pavement under His feet" in the Exodus passage, it is probable that here, too, as in the vision given Ezekiel, God appeared as a man. In neither case, however, would it be the person of God that was seen, but merely a representation of God.
The conception of God as possessing human attributes and affections underlies every reference to Him throughout the Scriptures. In view of the fact that man was originally created in the image of God, it is not to be wondered at that our conception of Him is as though He were like us, except, of course, very much grander and higher. Our Lord Jesus taught us to look up to God as our heavenly Father. The only way we could do this is to conceive of Him as in some way like our earthly fathers. Our earthly fathers are able to see -- so also is God. Hence we think of Him as possessing eyes. Our earthly fathers are able to hear -- so can He. Hence He possesses ears. And so, throughout the Scriptures He is represented as like a human being in that He possesses a hand, an arm, nostrils, feet, voice, etc. (Josh. 22:31; Jer. 32:17, 21; Exod. 15:8; Nahum 1:3; Gen. 3:10.)
Like a military leader, He "musters His host" to battle. (Isa. 13:4) He "makes bare His holy arm." (Isa. 52:10.) In Gen 3:8 He is represented as walking in the garden. The High Priest was instructed to bless the nation in these words: "The Lord make His face shine upon thee." (Num. 6:25.), He is said to have spoken unto Moses "face to face." (Exod. 33:11.) After wrestling until the breaking of the day with a man, Jacob said: "I have seen God face to face." (Gen. 32:30)
These expressions are all figurative. They describe the, vivid impression experienced by the persons concerned. They were all associated with outstanding events in their lives or in the life of the nation.
In the case of those who "saw God" in Exod 24:9-11, the vision given them came in connection with an extremely important event. The previous verses show that it was in connection with the giving of the Law Covenant. How appropriate that the leaders of the nation should be given a vision of God at such a time, while they were engaged in eating and drinking the covenant meal. (Brother- P. L. Read.)
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