Essay on God Reveals Himself: Stories from the Old Testament

Often, people wonder if God exists because they cannot see him. Even scriptures reaffirm that God is invisible and is a spirit (New King James Version John 4.24). Since God is not visible to the people, then these people wonder how he reveals himself to human beings. In the Old Testament, there are instances where Good revealed himself directly to His people. Genesis, from chapter 26 to chapter 50, largely documents the stories of Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph, and there are instances where God manifested himself physically, and this changed from one situation to the other. God appeared audibly in pre-incarnate form for reaffirmation, audibly in dream and pre-incarnation to state His presence and bless and communicated through dreams to promise greatness

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God appeared to Isaac in the pre-incarnate form to reassure him of promises that he made with his father, Abraham. In the days of Abraham, there was a great famine, and Isaac went to seek help in Gerar from the king of Palestine. While at Gerar, the Lord appeared to him and said: "Do not go down to Egypt; live in the land of which I shall tell you" (Gen 26.2). The Lord had entered a covenant with Abraham, where he promised him that he would become the father of the nation, and he would deliver his promise through Isaac. When God appeared to Isaac, he instructed him not to go to Egypt and instead settle at Gerar, and God would be with him and bless him. He would give Isaac's descendants the lands and perform the oath that he swore to Abraham, his father. God also promised Isaac that his descendants would multiply as the stars of heaven (Gen 26.4). God said that he would deliver all the promises that he made with Abraham because he had obeyed His voice and kept his laws, commandments, and statutes. One could argue that God the Father did not appear to Abraham, but it is the Son because, in the New Testament, it is written that "No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son" (John 1.18).

Nevertheless, the manifestation of God in this form was meant to reassure Isaac that the Lord was always with him. This was later reaffirmed by Isaac's acknowledgment that the Lord had granted them room for them in the land. That night, the Lord appeared to Isaac and assured him of his support. He told Isaac that he was not supposed to fear because he was the God of his father, Abraham. He cemented his promise that he would make Isaac's descendants multiply and also bless him. This made Isaac build an altar at Gerar and called on the name of the Lord.

Dreams and the pre-carnation manifestation of God in Genesis particularly concern Jacob's encounters with the Lord. Jacob traveled from Beersheba to Haran, and his journey came to a halt after darkness set in while at Luz. It is here that he had a dream where he saw a ladder between heaven and earth, and there were angels of God who were ascending and descending the ladder. The Lord stood above the ladder and introduced himself to Jacob, letting him know of the promise that had made to Isaac and Abraham. He informed him that he would bless him and his descendants (Gen 28.10-14). Another dream occurred to Jacob after he had spent 20 years in Haran. Jacob says that "then the Angel of God spoke to me in a dream, saying, "Jacob." Moreover, he said, "Here I am" (Gen 31.11). Here, God appeared to Jacob and told him that he was the God of Bethel, informing him to rise and return to the land of his family.

Apart from the dreams, God also appeared to Jacob in the pre-incarnation form. Jacob took off with his sons and servants and crossed over the ford of Jabbok. After sending them and what they had over the brook, he was left alone, and it was here that a man wrestled him the whole night. Jacob refused to let the man go until the man blessed him. It was here that the man told Jacob that his name would no longer be called Jacob, but Israel (Gen 32.28). The final appearance of God on Jacob was when Levi and Simeon killed all males in Shechem, and Jacob feared for his household. At this point, God appeared to Jacob and told him to build him an altar at Bethel. After building thy altar, God appeared to Jacob and blessed him, reaffirming that his name was no longer Jacob but Israel.

Conclusion

God spoke audibly to Isaac and Jacob, but it was not the same case with Joseph as he never spoke aloud to him. Instead, God communicated through dreams. When Joseph was seventeen and tending stock with his brothers, he brought his father a bad report about them. Jacob loved Joseph more than his brothers because he had been born in his old age, and this made his brothers hate him. Joseph had a dream and told his brothers that in the dream, he saw his sheaf rose and stood upright, while his brothers' sheaves gathered around his and bowed down to it (Gen 37.7). Joseph's brothers hated him even more for this dream as they understood that Joseph intended to reign over them. He had another dream where he saw the sun and moon and eleven stars were bowing down to him (Gen 37.9). Although his father rebuked him, he kept it in his heart, but this was not the case with his brothers who were envious and sold Joseph as a slave. Nevertheless, the dream came to pass as they bowed before him in Egypt as they sought help. God appeared to Joseph in a dream to promise greatness, and this came to pass.