“And if it be thus fit that God should have a supreme regard to himself, then it is fit that this supreme regard should appear in those things by which he makes himself known, or by his word and works, i.e. in what he says, and in what he does. If it be an infinitely amiable [i.e., pleasant, admirable] thing in God that he should have a supreme regard to himself, then it is an amiable [i.e., pleasant, admirable] thing that he should act as having a chief regard to himself, or act in such a manner as to show that he has such a regard: that what is highest in God’s heart may be highest in his actions and conduct. And if it was God’s intention, as there is great reason to think it was, that his works should exhibit an image of himself their author, that it might brightly appear by his works what manner of being he is, and afford a proper representation of his divine excellencies, and especially his moral excellence, consisting in the disposition of his heart; then it is reasonable to suppose that his works are so wrought as to show this supreme respect to himself, wherein his moral excellence primarily consists” (The End For Which God Created The World, Edwards, Jonathan, 38).
What is Jonathan Edwards saying here?
In sum, God must be constant & consistent in both His word & His actions. And in that constancy & consistency in both His words & actions there is of the highest & most excellent quality of God being exhibited. Anything less than the excellencies of God being exhibited in His manifestations of His being & nature would simply be against His being & nature as God. Thus, His being & nature cannot but exhibit the highest quality of His being God no matter the word; no matter the action. In contradistinction, human beings, we inherently cannot dispose of ourselves in such a consistent manner such that our words & actions form the conjunction of who we are, rather our words & actions are a pattern of disjunction that in & of themselves reveal a major & catastrophic short-fall of both our being & essence. We can further elaborate, that the inconsistency of our words & actions reveal our most fallen estate that the disjunction between our words & actions are supremely not like God.
This pattern of quality of both being & essence in human beings reveals the state of who we are & how far we have become since God created Humans in the Garden. And that revelation has been undone through the presence of sin that have taken away the excellencies of that marvelous created aspect in God — The revealing of His glory unto Humankind’s nature & being. It is not in God to perform in words & actions without fore-thought & as if without thinking; it is not in God to speak beforehand as if He has some kind of nature to become spontaneous & reckless at the same time. If He performs any action whether word or deed they have been carefully thought out until the most excellencies of God have been revealed. Because it is unto His glory that His every movement should manifest His divine excellence at all times.
“And if it was God’s intention, that his works should exhibit an image of himself their author and afford a proper representation of his divine excellencies consisting in the disposition of his heart; then it is reasonable to suppose that his works show this supreme respect to himself.”
All of God’s works — His manner of speech & His manner of action — display both the wonder & glory of His excellence! The simple fact that humans do not, reveal, not a mystery, but rather, that there exists a spiritual & divine disjunction. The manner of both being & essence has been tarnished to such an extent that the objects of His glory neither reflect that glory nor is able to shine that glory inherently reverently to the One who had enabled them in the beginning. If in fact we had this ability to reflect that Glory unto ourselves the unmistakeable voice & excellencies of God would be both comforting & securing. As it is, we become like Elijah —
1 Kings 19:11-12
1 And [ The Lord ] said, “Go out & stand on the mount before the LORD.” And behold, the LORD PASSED BY, & a great & strong wind tore the mountains & broke in pieces the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not IN the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not IN the earthquake. 12 And after the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not IN the fire. And after the fire the sound of a low WHISPER.
Take note of the capitalized words. They reveal both a confounding & startling mystery — the Lord God is present but how He is present is a picture. That image should immediately force us to conclude that the personality & character of God is at stake. The Lord God passed by but He passed by in such a way that He was not IN the wind, earthquake, & fire. In other words, these manner of normal earthly catastrophes, the presence of God is absent. Yet the manner displays a live divine being — the evidence that He is on the move. God’s nature & essence is such that He is not a God of destruction nor a destroyer of worlds. He does not present Himself as the most powerful being in the cosmos — that is the human conundrum coming to reality in us through the person of Elijah.
What was Elijah’s expectation after the battle on Mount Carmel? It would have been the same expectation that you or I would have had — to displace all the abject idolatry; destroy all the enemies of God; supplant everyone that does not bow the knee to Yahweh God. But what was His response? A whisper. In all of the chaos & destruction, they do nothing to present peace. But a whisper does. He displaces our expectations & our thoughts about God & forces us to reckon with His character & personality & nature & being — that He is most excellent in something so simple as a whisper. Take careful note here : He is not acting as if He is powerless like a whisper. Rather, He is demonstrating the irony that like a powerless whisper He will use that meaninglessness & insignificance in the human conscience in order to make a nation unto Himself; in demonstration of the whisper, God will utilize the weakest & the most powerless instrument in order to transform & renew hearts & minds to God; to demonstrate the glories of His most excellent nature & essence of being He will display Himself through the most powerless instrument of the human material universe.
In this way, salvation will come to the weak & to the powerless & the mute & to the stone cold hearts of the One revealed Christ, who is the whisper personified. If God can only display & manifest the glories of His excellencies at all times & everywhere, then what is Christ? That being of eternal excellence of God in human flesh that only those hearts changed & renewed can only fathom Him with such supreme renewal that a miracle must take place. And indeed every salvation unto Christ is a miracle as the words of Him is simply nothing but mysterious noise come into full resonance & melody through the presence of the Holy Spirit, through whom we have received the transformation that God had sought from the beginning. A renewal of hearts & minds unto God displaying the richness of His all encompassing greatness & excellencies of His nature & being.
Oh, that we, His people, His congregation, can listen to the voice of Him who died & resurrected — the voice of the whisper that reveals the character & nature of God in human form. A human form that we humans would not have recognized —
Isaiah 53:1-3
1 Who has believed what he has heard from us?
And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?
2 For he grew up before him like a young plant,
and like a root out of dry ground;
he had no form or majesty that we should look at him,
and no beauty that we should desire him.
3 He was despised and rejected by men,
a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief;
and as one from whom men hide their faces
he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
Does this sound like a Messiah? Does this have an appearance of a Savior? Do these words convey hopefulness or hopelessness? Does this speak into the conundrum of our hearts — how do you reveal yourself, oh Lord? The Christ is supposed to be unrecognizable; He is supposed to be concealed; He is supposed to be weak & insignificant; He has no voice nor words — for He is the whisper personified.
