Thursday, February 12, 2015

The Vision (2.12.15): The Incomparability of God


Note:  Below is a brief excerpt from last Sunday morning’s sermon on David’s prayer in 2 Samuel 7:18-29.

“Wherefore thou art great, O LORD God: for there is none like thee, neither is there any God beside thee, according to all that we have heard with our ears” (2 Samuel 7:22).

Not only does David praise God here for his greatness, but he also praises God for his incomparability.  When realtors prepare a house for the market they search for comparable properties in order to assess the value of the house.  For God there are no comparables:  “for there is none like thee.”

Neither are there any gods to compare to the one true God.  Some secular scholars have wrongly argued that the earliest Old Testament authors were not monotheists (believing in one God) but henotheists (believing in a god who is superior to other gods).  They even cite the first commandment as part of their evidence for this (“Thou shalt have no other gods before me” [Exodus 20:3]).   David, however, knows no such henotheistic theory.  There is one God and there are no other gods beside him!  David is an atheist with respect to pagan gods.


Grace and peace, Pastor Jeff Riddle  

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