'God' in the Bible

Now if you are ready, at the moment you hear the sound of the horn, flute, lyre, trigon, psaltery and bagpipe and all kinds of music, to fall down and worship the image that I have made, very well. But if you do not worship, you will immediately be cast into the midst of a furnace of blazing fire; and what god is there who can deliver you out of my hands?”

If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the furnace of blazing fire; and He will deliver us out of your hand, O king.

Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the door of the furnace of blazing fire; he responded and said, “Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego, come out, you servants of the Most High God, and come here!” Then Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego came out of the midst of the fire.

Nebuchadnezzar responded and said, “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego, who has sent His angel and delivered His servants who put their trust in Him, violating the king’s command, and yielded up their bodies so as not to serve or worship any god except their own God.

Therefore I make a decree that any people, nation or tongue that speaks anything offensive against the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego shall be torn limb from limb and their houses reduced to a rubbish heap, inasmuch as there is no other god who is able to deliver in this way.”

It has seemed good to me to declare the signs and wonders which the Most High God has done for me.

But finally Daniel came in before me, whose name is Belteshazzar according to the name of my god, and in whom is a spirit of the holy gods; and I related the dream to him, saying,

Then they brought the gold vessels that had been taken out of the temple, the house of God which was in Jerusalem; and the king and his nobles, his wives and his concubines drank from them.

There is a man in your kingdom in whom is a spirit of the holy gods; and in the days of your father, illumination, insight and wisdom like the wisdom of the gods were found in him. And King Nebuchadnezzar, your father, your father the king, appointed him chief of the magicians, conjurers, Chaldeans and diviners.

Now I have heard about you that a spirit of the gods is in you, and that illumination, insight and extraordinary wisdom have been found in you.

O king, the Most High God granted sovereignty, grandeur, glory and majesty to Nebuchadnezzar your father.

He was also driven away from mankind, and his heart was made like that of beasts, and his dwelling place was with the wild donkeys. He was given grass to eat like cattle, and his body was drenched with the dew of heaven until he recognized that the Most High God is ruler over the realm of mankind and that He sets over it whomever He wishes.

but you have exalted yourself against the Lord of heaven; and they have brought the vessels of His house before you, and you and your nobles, your wives and your concubines have been drinking wine from them; and you have praised the gods of silver and gold, of bronze, iron, wood and stone, which do not see, hear or understand. But the God in whose hand are your life-breath and all your ways, you have not glorified.

Then the hand was sent from Him and this inscription was written out.

This is the interpretation of the message: ‘MENĒ’—God has numbered your kingdom and put an end to it.

Then these men said, “We will not find any ground of accusation against this Daniel unless we find it against him with regard to the law of his God.”

All the commissioners of the kingdom, the prefects and the satraps, the high officials and the governors have consulted together that the king should establish a statute and enforce an injunction that anyone who makes a petition to any god or man besides you, O king, for thirty days, shall be cast into the lions’ den.

Now when Daniel knew that the document was signed, he entered his house (now in his roof chamber he had windows open toward Jerusalem); and he continued kneeling on his knees three times a day, praying and giving thanks before his God, as he had been doing previously.

Then these men came by agreement and found Daniel making petition and supplication before his God.

Then they approached and spoke before the king about the king’s injunction, “Did you not sign an injunction that any man who makes a petition to any god or man besides you, O king, for thirty days, is to be cast into the lions’ den?” The king replied, “The statement is true, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which may not be revoked.”

Then the king gave orders, and Daniel was brought in and cast into the lions’ den. The king spoke and said to Daniel, “Your God whom you constantly serve will Himself deliver you.”

When he had come near the den to Daniel, he cried out with a troubled voice. The king spoke and said to Daniel, “Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you constantly serve, been able to deliver you from the lions?”

My God sent His angel and shut the lions’ mouths and they have not harmed me, inasmuch as I was found innocent before Him; and also toward you, O king, I have committed no crime.”

Then the king was very pleased and gave orders for Daniel to be taken up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den and no injury whatever was found on him, because he had trusted in his God.

I make a decree that in all the dominion of my kingdom men are to fear and tremble before the God of Daniel;For He is the living God and enduring forever,And His kingdom is one which will not be destroyed,And His dominion will be forever.

So I gave my attention to the Lord God to seek Him by prayer and supplications, with fasting, sackcloth and ashes.

I prayed to the Lord my God and confessed and said, “Alas, O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps His covenant and lovingkindness for those who love Him and keep His commandments,

To the Lord our God belong compassion and forgiveness, for we have rebelled against Him;

nor have we obeyed the voice of the Lord our God, to walk in His teachings which He set before us through His servants the prophets.

Indeed all Israel has transgressed Your law and turned aside, not obeying Your voice; so the curse has been poured out on us, along with the oath which is written in the law of Moses the servant of God, for we have sinned against Him.

As it is written in the law of Moses, all this calamity has come on us; yet we have not sought the favor of the Lord our God by turning from our iniquity and giving attention to Your truth.

Therefore the Lord has kept the calamity in store and brought it on us; for the Lord our God is righteous with respect to all His deeds which He has done, but we have not obeyed His voice.

“And now, O Lord our God, who have brought Your people out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand and have made a name for Yourself, as it is this day—we have sinned, we have been wicked.

So now, our God, listen to the prayer of Your servant and to his supplications, and for Your sake, O Lord, let Your face shine on Your desolate sanctuary.

O my God, incline Your ear and hear! Open Your eyes and see our desolations and the city which is called by Your name; for we are not presenting our supplications before You on account of any merits of our own, but on account of Your great compassion.

O Lord, hear! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, listen and take action! For Your own sake, O my God, do not delay, because Your city and Your people are called by Your name.”

Now while I was speaking and praying, and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my supplication before the Lord my God in behalf of the holy mountain of my God,

Then he said to me, “Do not be afraid, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart on understanding this and on humbling yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to your words.

By smooth words he will turn to godlessness those who act wickedly toward the covenant, but the people who know their God will display strength and take action.

“Then the king will do as he pleases, and he will exalt and magnify himself above every god and will speak monstrous things against the God of gods; and he will prosper until the indignation is finished, for that which is decreed will be done.

He will show no regard for the gods of his fathers or for the desire of women, nor will he show regard for any other god; for he will magnify himself above them all.

But instead he will honor a god of fortresses, a god whom his fathers did not know; he will honor him with gold, silver, costly stones and treasures.

He will take action against the strongest of fortresses with the help of a foreign god; he will give great honor to those who acknowledge him and will cause them to rule over the many, and will parcel out land for a price.

But I will have compassion on the house of Judah and deliver them by the Lord their God, and will not deliver them by bow, sword, battle, horses or horsemen.”

And the Lord said, “Name him Lo-ammi, for you are not My people and I am not your God.”

Yet the number of the sons of IsraelWill be like the sand of the sea,Which cannot be measured or numbered;And in the placeWhere it is said to them,“You are not My people,”It will be said to them,“You are the sons of the living God.”

“I will sow her for Myself in the land.I will also have compassion on her who had not obtained compassion,And I will say to those who were not My people,‘You are My people!’And they will say, ‘You are my God!’”

Afterward the sons of Israel will return and seek the Lord their God and David their king; and they will come trembling to the Lord and to His goodness in the last days.

Listen to the word of the Lord, O sons of Israel,For the Lord has a case against the inhabitants of the land,Because there is no faithfulness or kindnessOr knowledge of God in the land.

My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.Because you have rejected knowledge,I also will reject you from being My priest.Since you have forgotten the law of your God,I also will forget your children.

My people consult their wooden idol, and their diviner’s wand informs them;For a spirit of harlotry has led them astray,And they have played the harlot, departing from their God.

Their deeds will not allow themTo return to their God.For a spirit of harlotry is within them,And they do not know the Lord.

For I delight in loyalty rather than sacrifice,And in the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.

Though the pride of Israel testifies against him,Yet they have not returned to the Lord their God,Nor have they sought Him, for all this.

They cry out to Me,“My God, we of Israel know You!”

For from Israel is even this!A craftsman made it, so it is not God;Surely the calf of Samaria will be broken to pieces.

Do not rejoice, O Israel, with exultation like the nations!For you have played the harlot, forsaking your God.You have loved harlots’ earnings on every threshing floor.

Ephraim was a watchman with my God, a prophet;Yet the snare of a bird catcher is in all his ways,And there is only hostility in the house of his God.

My God will cast them awayBecause they have not listened to Him;And they will be wanderers among the nations.

I will not execute My fierce anger;I will not destroy Ephraim again.For I am God and not man, the Holy One in your midst,And I will not come in wrath.

Ephraim surrounds Me with liesAnd the house of Israel with deceit;Judah is also unruly against God,Even against the Holy One who is faithful.

In the womb he took his brother by the heel,And in his maturity he contended with God.

Even the Lord, the God of hosts,The Lord is His name.

Therefore, return to your God,Observe kindness and justice,And wait for your God continually.

But I have been the Lord your God since the land of Egypt;I will make you live in tents again,As in the days of the appointed festival.

Yet I have been the Lord your GodSince the land of Egypt;And you were not to know any god except Me,For there is no savior besides Me.

Samaria will be held guilty,For she has rebelled against her God.They will fall by the sword,Their little ones will be dashed in pieces,And their pregnant women will be ripped open.

Return, O Israel, to the Lord your God,For you have stumbled because of your iniquity.

“Assyria will not save us,We will not ride on horses;Nor will we say again, ‘Our god,’To the work of our hands;For in You the orphan finds mercy.”

Gird yourselves with sackclothAnd lament, O priests;Wail, O ministers of the altar!Come, spend the night in sackclothO ministers of my God,For the grain offering and the drink offeringAre withheld from the house of your God.

Consecrate a fast,Proclaim a solemn assembly;Gather the eldersAnd all the inhabitants of the landTo the house of the Lord your God,And cry out to the Lord.

Has not food been cut off before our eyes,Gladness and joy from the house of our God?

And rend your heart and not your garments.”Now return to the Lord your God,For He is gracious and compassionate,Slow to anger, abounding in lovingkindnessAnd relenting of evil.

Who knows whether He will not turn and relentAnd leave a blessing behind Him,Even a grain offering and a drink offeringFor the Lord your God?

Let the priests, the Lord’s ministers,Weep between the porch and the altar,And let them say, “Spare Your people, O Lord,And do not make Your inheritance a reproach,A byword among the nations.Why should they among the peoples say,‘Where is their God?’”

So rejoice, O sons of Zion,And be glad in the Lord your God;For He has given you the early rain for your vindication.And He has poured down for you the rain,The early and latter rain as before.

“You will have plenty to eat and be satisfiedAnd praise the name of the Lord your God,Who has dealt wondrously with you;Then My people will never be put to shame.

“Thus you will know that I am in the midst of Israel,And that I am the Lord your God,And there is no other;And My people will never be put to shame.

Then you will know that I am the Lord your God,Dwelling in Zion, My holy mountain.So Jerusalem will be holy,And strangers will pass through it no more.

“I will also cut off the inhabitant from Ashdod,And him who holds the scepter, from Ashkelon;I will even unleash My power upon Ekron,And the remnant of the Philistines will perish,”Says the Lord God.

“On garments taken as pledges they stretch out beside every altar,And in the house of their God they drink the wine of those who have been fined.

Surely the Lord God does nothingUnless He reveals His secret counselTo His servants the prophets.

A lion has roared! Who will not fear?The Lord God has spoken! Who can but prophesy?

Therefore, thus says the Lord God,“An enemy, even one surrounding the land,Will pull down your strength from youAnd your citadels will be looted.”

“Hear and testify against the house of Jacob,”Declares the Lord God, the God of hosts.

The Lord God has sworn by His holiness,“Behold, the days are coming upon youWhen they will take you away with meat hooks,And the last of you with fish hooks.

“Offer a thank offering also from that which is leavened,And proclaim freewill offerings, make them known.For so you love to do, you sons of Israel,”Declares the Lord God.

“I overthrew you, as God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah,And you were like a firebrand snatched from a blaze;Yet you have not returned to Me,” declares the Lord.

“Therefore thus I will do to you, O Israel;Because I will do this to you,Prepare to meet your God, O Israel.”

For behold, He who forms mountains and creates the windAnd declares to man what are His thoughts,He who makes dawn into darknessAnd treads on the high places of the earth,The Lord God of hosts is His name.

For thus says the Lord God,“The city which goes forth a thousand strongWill have a hundred left,And the one which goes forth a hundred strongWill have ten left to the house of Israel.”

Seek good and not evil, that you may live;And thus may the Lord God of hosts be with you,Just as you have said!

Hate evil, love good,And establish justice in the gate!Perhaps the Lord God of hostsMay be gracious to the remnant of Joseph.

Therefore thus says the Lord God of hosts, the Lord,“There is wailing in all the plazas,And in all the streets they say, ‘Alas! Alas!’They also call the farmer to mourningAnd professional mourners to lamentation.

Therefore, I will make you go into exile beyond Damascus,” says the Lord, whose name is the God of hosts.

The Lord God has sworn by Himself, the Lord God of hosts has declared:“I loathe the arrogance of Jacob,And detest his citadels;Therefore I will deliver up the city and all it contains.”

“For behold, I am going to raise up a nation against you,O house of Israel,” declares the Lord God of hosts,“And they will afflict you from the entrance of HamathTo the brook of the Arabah.”

Thus the Lord God showed me, and behold, He was forming a locust-swarm when the spring crop began to sprout. And behold, the spring crop was after the king’s mowing.

And it came about, when it had finished eating the vegetation of the land, that I said,“Lord God, please pardon!How can Jacob stand,For he is small?”

Thus the Lord God showed me, and behold, the Lord God was calling to contend with them by fire, and it consumed the great deep and began to consume the farm land.