One way that God revealed Himself in the OT and dealt with humans on their level was thru the use of theophanies. A theophany is a visible manifestation of God, and we usually think of it as temporary in nature. As we have seen, God is invisible to humans. To make Himself visible, He manifested Himself in a physical form. Even tho no human can see the Spirit of God, they can see a representation of God. Below are some ways in which God chose to manifest Himself in the OT.
God appeared to Abraham in a vision, as a smoking furnace and a burning lamp, and as a man (Genesis 15:1, 17; 18:1-33). In this last instance, God and two angels appeared in the form of three men (18:2) and ate food provided by Abraham. The two angels left to go to Sodom while God remained to talk to Abraham (Genesis 18:22; 19:1).
God appeared to Jacob in a dream and as a man (Genesis28 ;12-16; 32:24-32). On the latter occasion Jacob wrestled with the man and proclaimed, "I have seen God face to face." The Bible also describes this appearance as "the angel" (Hosea 12:4).
God appeared to Moses in a cloud of glory and in fire on Mount Sinai, spoke to him face to face in the Tabernacle, and revealed to him His back (partial glory) but not His face (all His glory) (Exodus 24:12-18; 33:9-11, 18-23). These references to God"s face and God"s glory probably are metaphoric of the presence of God and could apply to many different types of manifestations.
God manifested in the sight of all Israel thru thunder, lightnings, a cloud, a voice of a trumpet, smoke, fire, and earthquakes (Exodus 19:11-19; Deuteronomy 5:4-5, 22-27). He also showed His glory and sent fire from His presence in the sight of all Israel (Leviticus 9:23-24; 10:1-2).
Job saw God in a whirlwind (Job 38:1; 42:5). Various prophets saw visions of God (Isaiah 6; Ezekiel 1:26-28; 8:1-4; Daniel 7:2, 9; Amos 9:1). To Ezekiel He appeared in the form of a man, enveloped in fire. To Daniel, He appeared in a night vision as the Ancient of Days. Many other verses of Scripture tell us that God appeared to someone but do not describe in what manner He did so. For example, God appeared to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Samuel (Genesis 12:7; 17:1; 26:2; 24; 35:9-15; 1Samuel 3:21). Similarly, God descended on Mount Sinai and stood with Moses; revealed Himself to seventy four leaders of Israel; came down in a pillar of cloud and stood in front of Moses, Aaron, and Miriam; came at night to Balaam; and met Balaam on two other occasions (Exodus 34:5; 24:9-11; Numbers 12:4-9; 23:3-10, 16:24).
In addition to the appearances mentioned above, the Bible records other manifestations that many believe were God Himself. In Joshua 5:13-15, a man with a sword appeared to Joshua and identified himself as the "captain of the host of the Lord." This title and the fact that he did not rebukeJoshua for worshipping him ( Unlike Revelation 19:9-10; 22:8-10) suggest that this really was a manifestation of God. On the other hand, the wording of this passage leaves open the possibility that Joshua did not worship the captain but worshipped God for the captains appearance.
__________________ And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.
Don't forget Judges 14:22. Concerning the birth of Sampson the "Angel of the Lord" appeared to Manoah and his wife. In verse 22, Manoah exclaims, "We are doomed to die. We have seen God!"
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πνεύμα γ*μισα
"Error never shows itself in its naked reality in order not to be discovered. On the contrary, it dresses elegantly, so that the unwary may be led to believe that it is more truthful than truth itself."
-Irenaeus of Lyon
Your right , except it was 13:22. I'm looking at that now on some notes I'm typing up on a piece called "The Angel Of The Lord". Thanks for reading the post and I'll post this next one that includes Manoah and his wife also.
__________________ And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.
Theophanies
