There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism; there is one God and Father of all, who is Lord of all, works through all, and is in all. Ephesians 4:5-6, GNT

 

Nothing and nobody in the world can compare with God, who alone is truly unique. Everywhere in the Bible, we come to know God as “one of a kind” and unique. It is this fact that God wants his people to understand, but it is often where they went astray by worshipping idols.

 

David, notwithstanding all his faults, was a king after God’s own heart, and yet God does not allow David to build the temple. One would think this was probably a bitter pill to swallow for David, but in this chapter from Chronicles, it does not seem to be the case. On the contrary, David is overjoyed that God has chosen one of his sons (we know it was Solomon) to build God’s temple.

 

When God told David about his son who would succeed him, saying: “He will be the one to build a temple for me, and I will make sure that his dynasty continues for ever” (2 Samuel 7:13), David went into the tent of the Lord’s presence and said: “There is none like you; we have always known that you alone are God” (2 Samuel 7:22b). It does not matter that they had heard of many other gods, the Lord is the one and only true God.

 

In his letter to the church in Ephesus, Paul wrote about the unity of the church. Like David, Paul points to the fact that “there is one Lord”. Because there is only one God, the church should also have: “one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of al”. It does not matter how many other gods we may have heard about. If we do not believe in the one true triune God, we cannot experience the indwelling presence of his Spirit.

 

Prayer: We want to proclaim with David and Paul that you, Lord, are the only God, and we thank you for changing our lives and above all, that your Spirit lives in us. Amen.

 

 

 

Daar is niemand soos U nie, Here! Buiten U is daar geen God nie, van hoeveel gode ons ook al gehoor het. 1 Kronieke 17:20, 1983-vertaling

 

Daar is net één Here, één geloof, één doop, één God en Vader van almal: Hy wat oor almal is, deur almal werk en in almal woon. Efesiërs 4:5-6, 1983-vertaling

 

Niks op aarde is enig of uniek nie, maar dwarsdeur die Bybel leer ons vir God ken as 'n enige God en juis hierdie kenmerk maak hom absoluut uniek. Dit is ook juis hierdie uniekheid wat Hy telkens aan sy volk beklemtoon, en dit is juis op hierdie terrein wat die volk dikwels oortree deur in afgode te glo.

 

Dawid was met sy foute en al 'n koning na God se hart, maar ten spyte hiervan wil Hy nie toelaat dat Dawid vir Hom 'n tempel bou nie. Mens sou dink dat dit vir Dawid maar 'n bitter pil sou wees om te sluk, maar as ons hierdie hoofstuk uit Kronieke lees, is dit allermins die geval. Inteendeel, Dawid is dankbaar dat 'n seun uit sy gesin – soos ons weet was dit Salomo – wel die taak sou kry om God se woning te bou.

 

Wanneer Dawid by God hoor oor sy seun: “Hy sal vir my 'n huis bou en Ek sal sy troon blywend vestig” (1 Kronieke 17:12) begin hy met lof aan God vir sy weldade en is ons teksvers die hoogtepunt: “Daar is niemand soos U nie, Here! Buiten U is daar geen God nie ...” Dit maak dus nie saak van hoeveel gode hulle al gehoor het nie, God is enig.

 

In die brief aan die Efesiërs skryf Paulus oor die eenheid van die kerk. Vir gelowiges om 'n eenheid te vorm wys hy dan na presies dit wat Dawid ook van praat. God is nie een van baie gode nie, daar is net één Here. Daarom moet daar by gelowiges ook net “één geloof, één doop, één God en Vader van almal” wees. Maak nie saak, soos Dawid sê, van hoeveel gode ons al gehoor het nie, daar is net een ware God. As ons dit nie glo nie, kan God nie in ons kom woon nie.

 

Gebed: Ons bely vandag saam met Dawid en Paulus dat U die enigste God is en ons dank U dat U ook in ons lewens werk en bo alles ook deur u Gees in ons woon. Amen.