Need a Theophany?

When we read the Old Testament, we discover that God appears to people in many different forms giving them direction, comfort, encouragement, promises and even blueprints (Noah’s ark).  Sometimes we find ourselves wondering why God doesn’t do that now! 

A theophany is a manifestation of God, a special appearance of God in a physical form, mostly limited to the Old Testament.  God’s involvement with creation was generally subtle—through nature, historic events, and people—but sometimes God revealed himself in a more personal way.  A manifestation could be a visit to an individual through a burning bush (Moses) or staying for dinner (Abraham).  When God chose to present, or manifest, himself to man in the Old Testament, he always came for a reason.

The Old Testament is full of theophanies, but we don’t need to go beyond Genesis to find quite a few of them:

Genesis 3:8–19      God came to the Garden of Eden seeking Adam and Eve right after their sin.  They were hiding, but God sought them out.

Genesis 5:22–24    God walked with Enoch.

Genesis 6:9–22      Noah walked with God and God personally instructed Noah about the future, giving him blueprints for building the ark to escape the coming judgment.

Genesis 11:5–9      God came down to directly intervene in the building of the Tower of Babel and scatter the people who were being disobedient to his command to fill the earth.

Genesis 12:1–7      The Lord spoke to Abram giving him direction to leave his homeland and go to Canaan.  This marked the beginning of God’s promises to Abraham’s descendants and the nation he would build through him.

These theophanies (and many more like them) gave instruction, comfort, promises, prophecy, encouragement, warnings, intervention, commands, knowledge, revelation, wisdom, guidance, instituted new covenants, and allowed God to personally commune with his people.

Theophanies came in many forms:

• dreams  (Genesis 20:3–7)
• human form  (Genesis 18:1–33, referred to by theologians as the preincarnate Christ)
• visions and fire  (Genesis 15:1–21)
• pillar of cloud and pillar of fire  (Exodus 13:21–22)
• consuming fire  (Exodus 24:17)
• angels as messengers  (2 Kings 1:3). 

In the Old Testament you will find that God manifested himself to his people in many ways and at many times.  Of course, the ultimate theophany came in the form of Jesus Christ as man walking on this earth.  God was not, nor has he ever been, a distant and unconcerned God.

So, the question is “Where are the theophanies today?”  If God came to comfort, guide and instruct his people then, why doesn’t he appear to me in a burning bush today or give me the blueprint for what is going to happen next?  Well, he does.  God is always manifesting himself around us.  All we have to do is look—creation, answered prayers, doors opening that we could not have opened ourselves, that quiet voice that tells us to go this way instead of that.  But, most importantly, his Holy Spirit is given to us upon receipt of our faith in Christ. 

In the Old Testament the Holy Spirit was very active with God’s people as well.  However, the Holy Spirit was given by God to an individual for a specific job and for a specific time.

• Gideon (Judges 6:34) received the Spirit of Yahweh when the Midianites were dominating God’s people.  God chose Gideon to free his people and gave him his Spirit to do it.
• The Spirit of God descended on Saul, Israel’s first king.  But later, God took his spirit from Saul and poured it out on David, who would be Israel’s second king.
• Bezalel was given the Spirit of God in wisdom and in understanding to work in gold, silver and brass for the building of the tabernacle (Exodus 31:2–4; 35:31).
• Daniel could interpret dreams through the Spirit (Daniel 4:8; 5:11–14; 6:3).
• The Spirit qualified Zerubbabel to rebuild the temple (Zechariah 4:6).
• The prophet was God's messenger speaking God's message by the Spirit. His message was not his own. It came directly from God, and at times overpowered the prophet with its urgency, as in the case of Jeremiah (Jeremiah 1:4 ff).

When we receive the Holy Spirit, he is always with us (Ephesians 1:13–14).  Jesus promised us that he would not leave us as orphans.  When he went away, he asked the Father to send us his Spirit to be with us (John 14:26, 16:7–15).  Several passages tell us what the Holy Spirit will do for us and with us.

• He will be our Comforter, our Counselor, our Helper. (John 14:26).
• He will guide us into all truth, teaching us and reminding us of what Jesus said, and giving us the words of the Father (John 16:7–15).
• He will give us the words to say when we need to say them (Luke 12:12).
• He will strengthen us to do all things (Philippians 4:13).
• He will guide us (Acts 16:6).
• He will convict and warn us (John 16:7, Acts 20:23).

 In other words, the Holy Spirit is our personal theophany at all times, whenever we need him.  In the Old Testament, theophanies came at certain times for certain purposes.  We have the Holy Spirit with us at all times.  We have 24/7 access!

If we make a list of the reasons God manifested himself in the Old Testament, we will find that it is not much different than a list we might make of what the Holy Spirit does for us now.  We often find ourselves saying, “If God would just give me a blueprint like he did Noah,” or “if God would only appear to me in a burning bush like he did Moses.”  What we need to remember is that God has given us exactly what we need for each situation in life—his Holy Spirit.  All we need to do is ask for the strength, the wisdom, the guidance, the instruction, whatever the need is, and the Holy Spirit is there ready to pour it into us and help us in our current situation.

Yes, sometimes God still does guide us and direct us through personal theophanies.  Perhaps a person comes up to you and says just what you needed to hear.  Or maybe you have a dream or a vision.  These things still happen, but if those things do not happen in our lives it is not because God has left us as orphans while the Old Testament people were privileged to experience his presence.  God has given us his Spirit and his Word.  We have all we need and we have it all the time.  God is still a God who performs wonders and miracles (Psalm 77:14).  And perhaps the biggest miracle of all is the change he works each day in our hearts through his Spirit.  We have been given a spirit not of timidity, but of power, love and self-discipline—God’s Own Spirit.

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