“Oh give thanks unto the God of gods...
“[1] says the Bible. Please note the
upper and lower case “G” and “g.”
Merriam-Webster
offers several thoughts on the meaning of God[2],
and god.
God:
“… the Being perfect in power, wisdom, and goodness who is worshipped as
creator and ruler of the universe.” Quite a resume.
The Webster definition of god is “… a being or object
believed to have more than natural attributes and powers and to require human
worship; specifically : one controlling a particular aspect or part
of reality…”
So here is our spread. He might be a “Being perfect in wisdom, power and goodness” or a limited “being or object,” like an idol or a
human. He might be “creator and ruler of
the universe” or could just control a piece of it.
Neither Merriam-Webster nor we, on our own, can define who he
is in reality. He is what He is. But
these definitions express two over-arching views of reality: there is either
one God (monotheism) or more than one god (polytheism).
The Psalm above declares that God is the God of gods. The
gods are subordinate. If a god was over the sea and another over fire, neither
could be the God of gods. Both have limits to their power. If the “… person or thing of
supreme value…”is money, remember Lennon sang, “Money
can’t buy me love.” It’s limited. If god
is “that person I can’t live without,” that
person might decide to live without me. These
gods have boundaries. They cannot be
the God of gods.
The United States can have only one Commander in Chief. If
you elect a second simultaneously, then the first Commander is no longer Chief.
A wonderful teacher, L.T. Jeyechandran from India once taught
a group of us: The Hindu view of God straddles two poles. On the one pole, they
worship a God who is infinite and
impersonal (Everything cumulitively is God,
including money, a rock, you, and I). And on the other pole they worship gods who are limited and personal, like
Ganesh, the elephant god. So which
is it … infinite but impersonal, -- or finite and personal?
Neither. The Bible says He is infinite and personal.
If there is more than one god, - be it Ganesh, money, or another person, - they must be
limited. If they are limited, then are they really God? A limited god will
disappoint at some level.
God, the Creator
and Ruler of all, is over all and
under none. He is the only limitless, personal God. He is God of gods and will
not disappoint.
“Now
unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever.
Amen.”[3]
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