Majestic, Yet Personal

The other day, I was reading in the book of Psalms when this verse stood out to me:

“Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, Thou that leadest Joseph like a flock; Thou that dwellest between the cherubims, shine forth.”(80:1)

The context for this verse is a plea for God to turn His people’s hearts back to Him, that their (justly deserved) judgment come to an end. But what strikes me about this specific verse is the juxtaposition of these two very different aspects of who God is, Shepherd of Israel, yet dwelling between the cherubim in splendor.

He is the Shepherd of Israel, and we know that He is our Shepherd, too, according to John 10 and many other Scriptures.

Old Testament or New, our God chooses to describe His relation to His people as that of a Shepherd with His sheep. And although 1 Peter 5:4 describes Him as the Chief Shepherd, He isn’t just a figurehead leader, an administrator who only takes care of the broad issues of managing the flock. He leads us, and knows us. (John 10:14)

This very personal view of God as our Shepherd is again described in Psalm 23, as David recounts the ways in which he has seen God at work to provide, protect, heal, and defend His sheep. But that is not the only aspect of who God is in relation to His people. He is our Shepherd, but our God is also He “that dwellest between the cherubims.”

The book of Isaiah has several passages that give us a glimpse at God’s majesty. In Isaiah 66:1-2, God Himself tells us,

“Thus saith the Lord, The heaven is My throne, and the earth is My footstool: Where is the house that Ye build unto Me? And where is the place of My rest? For all these things hath Mine hand made, and all those things have been, saith the Lord: but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at My word.”

Here again we have the contrast of God’s vastness and sufficiency with His interest in the poor, contrite, and humble.

Isaiah 6:1-4 shows us a picture of God on His throne:

“In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and His train filled the temple. Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet,  and with twain he did fly. And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord of hosts: the whole earth is filled with His glory. And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke.”

Even the angelic beings closest to God’s throne hide their faces in His presence, proclaiming His holiness.—And yet, this same God chooses to invite us to “come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.” (Hebrews 4:16)

Isaiah 57:15 also highlights this contrast:

“For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.”

If you have trusted Christ for salvation, you serve the high and lofty One, that dwells outside of time, so vast that the heavens and earth cannot contain Him, yet so personally involved in His creation that He knows when a single sparrow falls to the ground.

He is perfectly holy, completely separate from sin and wholly good—yet He chose to step into time and live sinlessly on earth so that He would be able to pay for your sin.

He sustains the vastness of the universe—yet He knows how many hairs are on your head. (Matthew 10:29-30)

An unbalanced view of God could lead us in two directions: If we focus only on the high, lofty, transcendence of God, we are apt to view God as distant, and struggle to believe that He actually does care about us and our daily lives. With a view only of God’s majesty, our relationship with God tends to mere formalism, as distant from our hearts and lives as God on His throne seems to us.

And yet, if we only focus on His personal care, we tend towards flippancy, which results in a lack of respect, an absence of a proper fear of the Lord. Both these extremes end in apathy, in lukewarmness that God Himself said is disgusting to Him. (Revelation 3:15-16)

Dear Reader, how is your view of God today? Are you marvelling in the God who is at once both vast and majestic and lovingly personal? Or do you need to take some time to ponder the perfections of God, reminding yourself that God is both Shepherd and King.

“Thy kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and Thy dominion endureth throughout all generations. The Lord upholdeth all that fall, and raiseth up all those that be bowed down. The eyes of all wait upon Thee; and Thou givest them their meat in due season. Thou openest Thine hand, and satisfiest the desire of every living thing. The Lord is righteous in all His ways, and holy in all His works. The Lord is nigh unto all them that call upon Him, to all that call upon Him in truth.” 

Psalm 145:13-18