We have looked already at the transcendent nature of God that is expressed in one of His names—the Hebrew term אֵל עֶלְיוֹן (El Elyon), “the Highest High One.” Looking beyond the Law to the prophetic books, the transcendence of God is one of His divine attributes that is often a theme of the descriptive writings of the prophets.

In addition to the Hebrew expression of God as El Elyon (אֵל עֶלְיוֹן), another Hebrew adjective is often used to describe God’s transcendence. This word רוּם (rum) and means “exalted” or “lifted up.”

Prophets such as Isaiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel emphasized repeatedly in their preaching and writing how the God of the Bible is exalted far above human comprehension and human limitations. He is so high that we cannot touch Him. He is so bright that we cannot see Him. He is so exalted that we cannot describe Him.

Some prophets experienced vivid, personal visions of an exalted King of kings. Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, they recorded their testimonies so that we also might get a glimpse of the high and lofty One before Whom we must all one day bow.

The Testimony of Isaiah

“In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the LORD sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly. And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory” (Isaiah 6:1–3).

In this famous vision, Isaiah experienced the Lord “high and lifted up.” The prophet could describe what he saw, but he could not fully comprehend. He could worship at that moment, but he could not speak. All the prophet could say in the presence of such a Being was “Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts” (Isaiah 6:5).

Have you ever been so overwhelmed by the King, the Lord of hosts, that you have been awed into silence in His presence? A person who humbles himself before the transcendent God of the Bible, the almighty King of kings and Lord of hosts, is never the same again.

The Testimony of Ezekiel

The prophet Ezekiel had a very similar vision in the opening chapter of his book. In the account of the burning “wheels” of fire, Ezekiel saw the glory of our transcendent Lord. Ezekiel repeatedly used words such as likeness and appearance, indicating his difficulty in describing what he saw. With the words he knew, Ezekiel attempted to describe the indescribable and to give others a glimpse of the unspeakable, amazing things that He witnessed.

“And above the firmament that was over their heads was the likeness of a throne, as the appearance of a sapphire stone: and upon the likeness of the throne was the likeness as the appearance of a man above upon it. And I saw as the colour of amber, as the appearance of fire round about within it, from the appearance of his loins even upward, and from the appearance of his loins even downward, I saw as it were the appearance of fire, and it had brightness round about. As the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud in the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness round about. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. And when I saw it, I fell upon my face, and I heard a voice of one that spake” (Ezekiel 1:26–28).

We see here again that the only proper human response to El Elyon is awe and submission. When was the last time that you fell on your face before the Lord? Appropriate responses to God’s presence include kneeling in prayer, lifting your hands in praise, and leaping with joy; it is also appropriate at certain occasions to prostrate yourself—stretch out bodily with your face on the ground in adoration or submission—in the presence of God.

The Testimony of Daniel

After a three-week period of fasting and prayer, Daniel received a similar vision of our exalted, transcendent Lord. “And in the four and twentieth day of the first month, as I was by the side of the great river, which is Hiddekel; Then I lifted up mine eyes, and looked, and behold a certain man clothed in linen, whose loins were girded with fine gold of Uphaz: His body also was like the beryl, and his face as the appearance of lightning, and his eyes as lamps of fire, and his arms and his feet like in colour to polished brass, and the voice of his words like the voice of a multitude. And I Daniel alone saw the vision: for the men that were with me saw not the vision; but a great quaking fell upon them, so that they fled to hide themselves. Therefore I was left alone, and saw this great vision, and there remained no strength in me: for my comeliness was turned in me into corruption, and I retained no strength” (Daniel 10:4–8).

The same spontaneous response that prophets Isaiah and Ezekiel had to their visions, Daniel also had. He had no strength to speak or even to move. But the Lord had a message for Daniel to hear. He lifted the prophet to his feet with the assuring words, “O man greatly beloved, fear not: peace be unto thee, be strong, yea, be strong” (Daniel 10:19).

The great wonder of these visions is that, in each case, God had a message to give to His servants. The high and exalted God bent down low to speak to man. We will look further at this gracious stooping by God to man’s condition when we examine the divine attribute of immanence.