“For the LORD your God is the God of gods and the Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God who does not show partiality nor take a bribe. (Deuteronomy 10:17)

Yahweh God is not simply a remote, impersonal, austere deity that watches over the unseen affairs of the world. He is actively engaged in sensible ways—and by “sensible” we mean ways we can sense, either externally in the world around us or internally within ourselves. In other words, He is truly involved in our lives in ways that can be known. This does not negate faith, which is “the conviction of things not seen” (Heb 11:1b). Rather through faith, we bring the unseen, that which is hoped for, into our real experience. So we can say, “I know God. I really do.”

Moses’ description of God conveys this notion in everyday terms. The Hebrew word for “great” (“gadol”) is a term used for physical growth of people and other living things (TWOT). In 1 Sam 26:24 the term is used “to set a high value on one’s life.” God is of highest value in terms of personal worth. We value humans differently depending on our relationships—for example, I mourn more deeply over a loved one who dies than over a stranger on the other side of the world whom I have never met. It may pain the idealistic humanist to acknowledge this, but we are selective in the value we place on others. But God is to be valued above all else. To value Him is to see Him as the greatest thing in our lives, that which completely consumes our allegiance.

He is also mighty (Heb: “gabar”), according to our verse today. It means one who is strong, and the word is “commonly associated with warfare and has to do with the strength and vitality of the successful warrior” (TWOT). As Israel was about to enter the Promised Land, there would be wars as they drove out the evil pagan nations. Because Yahweh is mighty, then His followers can also be mighty. David, later in biblical history, had his “mighty men” (2 Sam 23:8), but he also knew that greater yet, he had a mighty God: “Who is the King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle” (Ps 24:8).

Moses also describes Yahweh as awesome (Heb: “yareh”). While God is certainly awesome in the popular present-day sense of being wonderfully amazing, the word used here actually contains a more arresting notion. It would be more akin to the phrase “shock and awe.” The Hebrew concept involves fear and terror. God’s might is “awe-inspiring,” and if He is on our side, then our enemies (whether human or demonic) should rightly tremble. Our God is a great, mighty and awesome God! We believe that. I believe that!

Lord, I have nothing to fear because You are my hero and defender.