In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Psalm 19:1 says “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork.” If you were to use anthropomorphic terms, that is giving God human characteristics, you would say that God’s fingerprints are seen all over creation. When the clock like precision of the universe and the order of the life cycles on the earth are observed by the discerning eye it is no stretch to conclude that there is a creator behind it all.
Elohim means “Strong One.” The name Elohim also has a plural ending. The name also means “Majestic Judges”. The Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament states; “But a better reason can be seen in Scripture itself where, in the very first chapter of Genesis, the necessity of a term conveying both the unity of the one God and yet allowing for a plurality of persons is found (Gen 1:2,26).” It goes on to state; “When indicating the true God, Elohim functions as the subject of all divine activity revealed to man and as the object of all true reverence and fear from men.”
The Bible tells us that Elohim (The Mighty One) spoke the words that created the heavens and the earth. This speaks of His Omnipotence. Omni means “all.” Potentate means one who has power and authority to rule over their domain. We understand the power of God through creation. In the epistle to the Hebrews (11:3), we read; “By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.” God created the universe and all their is “ex nihilo;” out of nothing. Colossians 1:17, states that “He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.” A friend of mine once said that He is the glue that holds everything together.
When you look at the expansive universe in its clockwork precision you begin to understand the power of God. He has authority over all creation; things seen and unseen. All things are subject to Him, whether it is now or in the future. Everything is subject to His will. Time, the weather, the seasons, the rotation of the planets, the air we breath, the length of our life and the genetic makeup of our bodies are subject to His will. Certainly all powerful means great strength and we see that in that He keeps the entire universe together and functioning. Omnipotence also speaks of authority. God has authority over all history. He created all things; He has authority over all things and there is no power or authority that can overrule Him.
Because God is creator, the logical conclusion is that He is also eternal. The psalmist said, “Thy throne is established from of old, thou art from everlasting (93:2).” God is not bound by time. All of history is in His presence. He is not caught unaware of circumstances in History. God did not just happen on an existing universe; He planned it. All of history has not just meandered through space and time; He ordained it. Future events will not just happen, He has proclaimed it. God has always been and He will always be; The name Yahweh means eternal self existent one.
Because God is all powerful and eternal and creator, He must be omniscient which means that God is all knowing. Human knowledge is learned either by instruction or through experience. God did not learn through instruction or experience. God is infinite and eternal therefore, all things are happening in His presence. In Isaiah, 40:14, God says; “Whom did the Lord consult to enlighten Him and who taught Him the right way? Who was it that taught Him knowledge and showed Him the path of knowledge?”
Through God’s creative acts we begin to see a small picture of the God of the Bible. In our next post we will begin to explore what the Bible says about the attributes of God.