God's Relational Presence

The Cohesive Center of Biblical Theology

Duvall, J. Scott, Hays, J. Daniel

• Publisher: Baker Academic
• Year: 2019
• ISBN:
  9781493419685
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Biblical Criticism & Interpretation

Two leading biblical scholars and bestselling authors offer a fresh approach to the question of the unity of the whole Bible. This book shows that God's desire to be with his people is a thread running from Genesis through Revelation. Duvall and Hays make the case that God's relational presence is central to the Bible's grand narrative. It is the cohesive center that drives the whole biblical story and ties together other important biblical themes, such as covenant, kingdom, glory, and salvation history.

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The Relational Presence of God in the Pentateuch

Terminology

Although throughout the OT there are numerous terms and idioms that imply the presence of God,1 the central and most frequent term is panim (פָּנִים, plural of פָנֶה, paneh).2 This term occurs over two thousand times in the OT. The basic meaning of panim (פָּנִים/פָנֶה) is “face” in the anatomical sense, but the term is used in a wide range of idioms and other figures of speech. Because “face” was more expressive than “hand” and more inclusive than “eye,” it frequently was used as a synecdoche to represent the entire person.3 Because of the ability of panim to express emotions and reactions, it also carries strong connotations of relationship. In fact, as H. Simian-Yofre explains, “The term pānîm describes relationships. . . . Applied to Yahweh, pānîm says no more and no less than when applied to human beings.” That is, it refers to “real personal presence, relationship, and meeting (or refusing to meet). All the fundamental relationships between God and human beings can be described by pānîm and its associated expressions. . . . Insofar as pānîm bespeaks presence, its purpose is to underline the positive aspect of the interpersonal relationship. The negative aspect of the relationship is expressed by separation from pānîm” (the idiom “to set one’s face against” would be an exception, carrying strong negative overtones).4

The construct form of panim is used with several different prepositions to form idiomatic expressions, many of which are used of God. One of the most frequent forms is lipne Yahweh (לִפְנֵי יְהוָה, before the LORD, in the presence of the LORD), which occurs 236 times in the OT.5 Like the other idioms, while this expression is somewhat fluid, the majority of usages refer to the spatial presence of God, often in the tabernacle or in the temple.6 Indeed, this is one of the most common expressions indicating the very real, spatial presence of God in the tabernacle or in the temple.

Genesis

Many have noted the significance of the fact that the Bible opens with creation (Gen. 1–2) and ends (or climaxes) with the new creation (Rev. 21–22).7 This observation certainly has suggestive implications for the starting point of a biblical theology.8 As discussed throughout this book, however, the theme of God’s relational presence incorporates both “creation” and “salvation history.” This is part of the larger “bookend” phenomena in which Genesis 1–11 is paralleled by many elements in Revelation 19–22.9 In relational terms between God and people, the Bible opens with God and his people in a garden and closes with God and his people once again back in a garden.

The Presence of God in Creation and in the Garden

Throughout the creation account in Genesis, God is depicted as being personally involved. In Genesis 1:2 reference is made to “the Spirit of God . . . hovering over the waters.” While there is no consensus regarding the meaning (or even translation—wind, spirit, Spirit) of this phrase, it seems to refer to an activity of God, thus implying his powerful presence or an extension of the power associated with his presence.10 Yet moving from Genesis 1 to Genesis 2, we notice a shift in names and in stress, from a focus on God’s transcendence in Genesis 1 (Elohim as Creator of the universe) to a focus on God’s immanence (Yahweh forming people and walking in the garden). Throughout the creation account in Genesis 2, the language and the imagery evoke a spatial presence. That is, God formed a man (and animals [2:19]) out of the dust of the ground as a potter shapes a pot (2:7). God also breathed into the man’s nostrils (2:7), planted a garden (2:8), and took the man and put him in the garden (2:13). Later, God brought the animals to the man (2:19) and, after building the woman from the man’s rib, brought the woman to the man (2:22).11 The imagery in the creation narrative in Genesis 2 does not portray God seated upon his throne in the heavens sending out orders to those below; rather, it portrays him as one who is very much present down in the garden, personally involved in creation.12

Continuing this picture of God and stressing his actual presence in the garden is Genesis 3:8, when “the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day.” Although a few scholars have suggested alternate translations and correlating alternate understandings,13 the majority of commentators and translations retain the traditional understanding that God is personally strolling in the garden.14 Furthermore, the text seems to imply that this was a normal occurrence.15 Terence Fretheim writes, “The Creator of the universe and all creatures chooses not to relate to the world at a distance, but takes on human form, goes for a walk among the creatures, and personally engages them regarding recent events.”16 This has staggering implications for our understanding of the relationship between God and the first couple. He has graciously placed them in a wonderful garden with everything provided for them. Most important of all, they were blessed by the close, personal fellowship with the very real presence of God himself. In this initial portrayal of how God relates to his people, he is pictured not as the King seated up on the heavenly throne (although his authority is clearly underscored as he forms the first man from the dirt) but as One who is very much here on earth in the garden walking and talking with his people. As John Walton states, “The presence of God was the key to the garden.”17

The Garden as a Temple Containing the Presence of God

The early chapters of Genesis depict the garden of Eden as the place where God lives and relates to his people. This reality (where God dwells and relates to his people) is something that we will see repeated later in the tabernacle and the temple.18 The similarities and strong thematic and lexical parallels between the garden of Eden and the tabernacle/temple have led numerous scholars from across the theological spectrum to affirm a strong connection between the garden of Eden in Genesis 2 and the tabernacle/temple later in the OT. Many scholars maintain that the garden of Eden is to be viewed as an archetypal tabernacle/temple.19 At the heart of this connection is the presence of God, for it is the “presence” or the “indwelling” of God that defines what a temple is. That is, throughout the ancient Near East, as well as in Israel, temples were regarded as the residences of the gods and not simply as gathering places for worship, as churches often are viewed today.20

Relationship, Presence, and the Image of God

Genesis 1:26–27 states, “Let us make man in our image, according to our likeness. They will rule. . . . So God created man in his own image” (CSB). There is no clear consensus regarding the meaning of the phrase “the image of God” (often referred to as the imago Dei) among either biblical scholars or systematic theologians, and this issue continues to generate a great deal of scholarly discussion. Earlier views that understood the imago Dei as referring to spiritual, mental, or...