What Does God Look Like? (Part 1 of 3)

What Does God Look Like? - Read the Bible and See
Part 1: When God appears and walks with people in human form

Everyone is curious what God looks like. It's one of the first questions children ask. Or at least, children used to ask this. Now too many of them either do not have received learning and love of God from their parents and schools, or they have a fuzzy view of God, based on either new age ramblings or science fiction character parameters. There has been a creeping "spirituality" where God is viewed as kind of a diffuse energy in the universe, one that can be somewhat manipulated. (Why else would people be so ignorant and willfully defiant about the eternal consequences of mortal sin? They must think that they can "argue" with God, like self appointed spin doctors, lawyers, or PR people when they reach their judgment, and then, surely God will "understand" why they "felt they had to act the way they did.") Our parents and grandparents and ancestors did not have this problem, because they read the Bible and understood and believed. The Bible has many descriptions of the reality of God and how God physically appears. So take another look at these sections of the Bible and enjoy that there really is much more information than people realize, if only they read it with rationality and faith.

Genesis 3:8-9

Remember, Moses is the author of the first five books of the Old Testament, and he had extensive physical viewing of God. When he writes about the fall of Adam and Eve, Moses describes God: When they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, the man and his wife hid themselves from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. But the Lord God called the man and said to him, "Where are you?"

Now, put this information in its proper context. Moses wrote with great detail and care, especially when he codified the Commandments and laws of God and Israel. So Moses tends to be very precise. So next, think about what he did not write. He did not write that God was flitting around kind of like a spirit or orb. He did not write that man and woman had a "feeling" that they were in a holy place, and that the vegetation around them rustled in a significant way, etc.

So Moses, without painting a picture, which would not have been his purpose and would have distracted from the message, describes God as "walking" (God was in human form with feet), making a "sound" of walking (so God had weight and his feet made noise as he walked). God "called" the man, so God was using his mouth to create speech that they understood. And God asked the man "Where are you?" which further illustrates God was using human form, because he had eyes that the he let the man know he was using to try to see him through the vegetation. And when you think about it, there's a marvelous human touch about God, because Moses comments that God was "walking in the garden in the cool of the day," just as people would have in that time of pre air conditioning, when the land is cooler and lovely before sunset. Obviously God is not bothered by the direct intensity of the heat of sunlight, and would find his works beautiful at any time of day or night. But he appeared to man and woman in those times as a human being, walking and enjoying the land of Eden as they did. He was making himself a friend (in advance of Jesus Christ making himself clearly all of humankind's "friend") and approachable, by using human form and senses with man and woman.

Genesis 18:1-5

The second description of God appearing as a man occurs when God and two angels approach Abraham. At first they seem to be three human travelers: Now the Lord appeared to him by the terebinths of Mamre as he sat at the entrance of his tent in the heat of the day. And when he raised his eyes he saw three men standing at a distance from him. As soon as he saw them, he ran from the entrance of the tent door to meet them, and bowed down to the earth, and said, "My Lord, if I find favor with you, do not pass by your servant. Let a little water be brought that you may wash your feet; and then rest yourselves under the tree. Since you have come to your servant, I will bring you a little food that you may refresh yourselves; then you may go on." They replied, "Do as you have said."

Again, remember to put this in context. Prior to these passages Moses describes how God had appeared to Abraham in visions. So Abraham had already been in conversation with God, but not in God's physical form. So Abraham had heard God's words and seen him in vision, but not yet in God's human, physical form. Another thing you need to know about hospitality in those times is that a traveler would appear to ask for water, food, or shelter by standing at a distance from the owner's tent. By the way, those of you who know a little about Native American hospitality know that this is still done even today among some traditional Navajos, where a visitor stays by their car and honks until someone comes to the door.

So in this passage Moses is giving us the "advance picture" by writing that "the Lord appeared to him (Abraham)" to let the reader know this is God, but that Abraham does not know his identity yet. Abraham, being of the most virtue of men and hospitality, runs to greet and tend to the visitors, using the polite form of address, "My Lord." He does not yet realize that these are angels, and that God is one of the human figures. Abraham runs to Sara and does not say, "Quick, God is out there with two friends, get out your our best fixings," but he does urge her to haste to take care of three honored travelers seeking their hospitality.

It is only when Abraham engages in conversation with the three men that he realizes who they are. Moses does not spell this out in words because he does not have to, since the preceding chapters detail the familiarity Abraham had with the conversation of God. As soon as they engage in conversation, he recognizes that these are angels and the Lord God who are visiting him. You can read their conversation in Genesis 18:9-33. On the theme of how God appears, notice that again, there is such an ordinary human physical companionship and motion when the two angels leave to go to the city of Sodom and Gomorrah. 16: Then the men set out from there and looked toward Sodom; and Abraham walked with them to escort them on their way. So as I described in the garden of Eden, they have human form and mannerisms, by looking in the direction where they are going to walk, and by Abraham walking with them a part of the way, just as any friend or hospitable host would do. Before the angels leave, God explains to Abraham what the angels are going to do. Then the setting is described beautifully in 22: So they turned from there, and went toward Sodom, while Abraham remained standing in the presence of the Lord. Again, we can all relate to this, where two visitors walk away on a mission, and the two remaining stand side by side, talking. The Lord remains with Abraham and they have an extended conversation, side by side as Abraham pleads the case of any just people who might remain in Sodom. Notice the strength of their friendship, in terms humans today can understand, as Moses writes in 23: Abraham drew near and said, "Will you destroy the good with the wicked?" This is just how two friends would be, in a respectful relationship, where when one is about to broach an important subject, you tend to step closer to your friend. Abraham takes care to be respectful, but feisty, as you can see in 27: Abraham answered, I have ventured to speak to the Lord though I am but dust and ashes. But he is not shy about questioning the Lord and actually negotiating with him in a sense, by asking the dimensions of his mercy in terms of how many just people can justify saving a totally corrupt city. When they finish their conversation and reach an agreement, Moses reports: 33: The Lord departed after he had finished speaking to Abraham; and Abraham returned to his place. So just as in the garden of Eden, God appears in human form. These short but precise descriptions are not only but charming and reassuring. Anyone can imagine God and Abraham talking side by side, gazing in the direction of Sodom, where the two companion angels were walking, and then when they finish talking, God walks away and Abraham turns back to his tent.