Who Is Like God?
As Moses and the Israelites passed through the Red Sea, they recognized that everything had changed. What had once been an enslaved mass of Abraham’s descendants was now a mighty nation fighting by the power of the God of Abraham. In recognition of their redemption and transformation by God, Moses led the people in a victorious song of praise and adoration to God (Exodus 15:1-18). While there are many expressions within this song that are worthy of a second look, one in particular caught my eye:
“Who is like you, O LORD, among the heavens?
Who is like you, majestic in holiness,
Awesome in glorious deeds, doing wonders?”
These questions (found in verse 11) sparked many thoughts in my mind, one of which I have been thinking about for days now. As the church, we too have been redeemed (Titus 2:11-14) and are being transformed (Romans 12:1-2) by the power of God. We too have experienced a new birth through water and the Spirit (John 3:1-8, 1 Peter 3:18-22) that makes us distinct from the nations around us and gives cause for our praise to be devoted to God. That being the case, it seems important to me that we ask ourselves the same question the Israelites did on this occasion, but perhaps with a more personal feeling:
Who is like the Lord to ME?
It seems doubtful that one would ever ask this question and be waiting for an answer for long. Regardless of what that answer is – my job, my hobby, my addiction, my relationship with X, my belief about Y, my opinion of group Z – it doesn’t take long for any intellectually honest person to come to it. I have more than one possible answer myself, as I expect many others might. This question is meant to be a starting point for conversation – conversations with God, internal conversation with ourselves, and conversations with other Christians who can help us if needed. The Israelites began truly putting God first once they acknowledged the need to do so; perhaps if we are struggling with truly putting God first, it is time we did the same.
“Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one.” ~ Deuteronomy 6:4
AUTHOR: Luke Tatum
