The Unknown God that Blows Your Mind
23 For as I passed along and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription: ‘To the unknown god.’ What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you. 24 The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, 25 nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything. 26 And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place,
Acts 17:23–26 ESV Read More
Paul is speaking to a group of men that are experts in all kinds of religions. They have heard it all and seen it all. They even have a wildcard god in case they missed one somewhere and need to make sure all of their bases are covered.
If you think about it, having a wildcard god is pretty vain. The other gods had detailed stories, detailed demands, sacrifices, and rituals. The study and understanding of those rules was critical to survival and a happy life, because if you didn’t keep your gods happy, they would curse you pretty bad. To have a wildcard god says “we don’t know any details about you, but we’re going to make up a bunch of stuff so that will make you happy too.”
In comparison to their other gods, Paul’s description of the unknown god should really blow their minds.
He doesn’t live in temples
He is not served by human hands
He doesn’t need anything
He is the source of life and breath for all mankind
He created every person on earth from every tribe and nation
He decides the boundaries for men, and isn’t limited by any boundaries himself
Paul explains that to them, while in Athens, that was full of
Temples
Temple servants
gods with needs
Statues with no life in them
Geographical and racial dieties
Paul saw that these guys had the same problem Brennan Manning would later complain about. Too many people worship a too-tiny God. The One True God blows away all of our boxes, temples, rituals, and boundaries. He is the source of all that we do, not the needy recipient. And in all of that, He is still very close to us. No need to point out the failures of Athena when the victories and glory of God are so great, so Paul focuses on that. May we also be grateful today to know such a great and knowable God!
You can get the Daily Bible Readings via email every day by visiting Feedburner and clicking ‘Get Daily Bible Readings delivered by email’ over on the right side of the screen. Join the discussion online on Facebook or Twitter.