YHWH

At the end of the first chapter of The Old Testament: An Introduction to the Hebrew Bible, one of the questions for reflection and discussion is:

From this brief introductory survey of some diverse portrayals of God in the Hebrew Bible (though to derive from different traditions and from different historical periods), what attributes of YHWH do you think have most influenced your own ideas about God? Explain the concepts of divine immanence and transcendence, and give a biblical example of each quality. How can God be both a pure Spirit unencumbered by the physical universe and also a covenant-making Deity who closely communicate with earth-bound individuals?

Certainly, many attributes of YHWH have influenced by ideas about God. I believe in divine immanence (presence in human life). As the text describes on page 14, “as an immanent Being, God intimately communicates with humans, operating within the realm of material reality and remaining accessible to the human mind and consciousness. In Genesis and Exodus, divine immanence takes several forms, ranging from direct appearances to inspired dreams and visitations from angels (supernatural messengers).” I personally envision this interaction between God and human being as being similar to a game of computer chess – see this post for greater detail.

I also believe in God’s transcendence, his absolute independence of both the human and natural worlds. As described on page 15, “unlike other ancient Near Eastern gods, who were typically identified with natural phenomena such as storm and rain or with psychological states such as love and desire, YHWH is usually portrayed as infinitely surpassing the limits of physical nature, undefinable by any aspect of the material universe. Although different biblical concepts of God emphasize different divine attributes, one of the Tanak’s controlling principles is that no image can be made of Israel’s God – he cannot be represented (and thus limited) by any concrete form (Exod. 20:3-6, cf. Deut. 5:8-10). Insisting on God’s transcendence, the author of 1 Kings depicts Solomon as contrasting the inadequacy of the Temple he built to house YHWH’s ‘name’ with the Deity’s infinite majesty: ‘Even heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain [God], much less this house that I have built” (1 Kings 8:27-30). This belief is actually quite similar to Hindu belief that Brahman (the unique Godhead of Hinduism who has no other and no second) cannot be comprehended or objectified (with attributes) without diminishing or limiting his greatness in some way – see this post for greater detail. In the realm of science, Sir John Houghton believes that God exists in a fifth dimension beyond space and time. Therefore, God could be anywhere and everywhere in space and time simultaneously. See this post for more detail.

In terms of the last part of the question, I would flip the question on its head and ask why an all-powerful God can't both transcend the physical universe but also take a personal interest in each being in that physical universe. The question becomes one more of motivation than ability. If God is all powerful, why would He take an interest in me personally? The simple answer in my mind is because He can. With great power comes great responsibility. An absolute ruler on Earth abuses his power (and the interests of individuals under him) because he can. God does the opposite because he can and serves as a personal example for the rest of us to emulate and aspire to.