God is Like . . . (Part 1)

What Does God Look Like?

There are a lot of metaphors about God in the Bible.  There are metaphors about what He looks like, what He sounds like, what His relationship to us is like, even what He tastes like.  But how can the Creator really look, sound, or taste like anything He created?  Wouldn’t it be more prudent to say, these things are like Him?  He came first.  And could anything that is like Him, but not Him, really do the Ancient of Days justice in its description?

But imperfect metaphors are the best we as created beings can do to describe the Almighty, so this short series will look at a few of them. Starting with what God looks like:

The Bible is full of visual glimpses of God’s person.  Moses sees His hind parts as He passes before (Exodus 33:18-23), Isaiah sees Him high and lifted up (Isaiah 6:1-8), and Ezekiel and John give descriptions of His person (Ezekiel 1:26-28 & Revelation 4:1-11, Revelations 1:13-17). In their descriptions of God, I like to read their words with an excited stutter: “He was like, like, like molten metal with, with, with fire and jasper, and, and, and His face was like, like the sun . . . but brighter; you wouldn’t even need the sun, He lights up everything!”

Anyway, I thought about coming up with a composite image via Photoshop but decided against it because number one: I’d never do God justice, and number two: I’m not sure what qualifies as a graven image.  Instead, I’ve decided to quote scripture coupled with some images of the imperfect metaphors the writers use and let the readers use their imaginations.

God’s Form:

God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him. (Genesis 1:27)

High above on the throne was a figure like that of a man. (Ezekiel 1:26)

God’s face:

I kept looking Until thrones were set up, And the Ancient of Days took His seat; His vesture was like white snow And the hair of His head like pure wool. (Daniel 7:9)

His head and His hair were white like white wool, like snow; and His eyes were like a flame of fire. (Revelations 1:14)

His face was like the sun shining in its strength. (Revelations 1:16)

God’s Chest and Arms:

I saw that from what appeared to be his waist up he looked like glowing metal, as if full of fire. (Ezekiel 1:27)

God’s lower parts:

His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace. (Revelations 1:15)

From [His waist] down he looked like fire; and brilliant light surrounded him like the appearance of a rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the radiance around him. (Ezekiel 1:27)

God is Like . . . Part 2 What Does God Sound Like?

God is Like . . . Part 3 What Does God Taste Like?