God's Character Revealed in Old Testament Patriarchal Narratives

The Old Testament patriarchal narratives reveal God's character through His interactions with figures like Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, who are considered patriarchs or "heads of the fathers" ^{[1, 3]}. These narratives, along with the book of Job, offer insights into a patriarchal religion that predates Mosaic legislation ^[2]. God's self-revelation in these early periods is described as occurring "at sundry times and in divers manners" ^{[5, 10, 12]}.

One prominent aspect of God's character revealed is His faithfulness to His promises. God forcefully linked His promises to the patriarchs with His future actions, demonstrating that He keeps His word ^[11]. This faithfulness is a cornerstone of His covenant relationship with His people. The narratives also show God's desire to reveal more of Himself over time, indicating a progressive revelation. While the patriarchs knew God, later generations, particularly during the Exodus, would understand more of His intentions and the implications of the covenant ^[11].

God's omnipotence and ability to do the impossible are also evident. The Old Testament consistently portrays God as capable of miraculous feats, emphasizing that "nothing is too hard for the God who made the heavens and the earth" ^[9]. This attribute is crucial for understanding His interventions in the lives of the patriarchs, such as the miraculous birth of Isaac to Abraham and Sarah in their old age.

The patriarchal narratives also illustrate God's tender care, often likened to that of a father for his child ^[13]. This imagery underscores His covenant relationship with His chosen people, viewing them as His children by descent and adoption ^[13]. This paternal care is a recurring theme, reflecting God's intimate involvement in the lives of the patriarchs and their descendants.

Furthermore, God's character is revealed through His testing of individuals. For instance, God tests people "to prove [their] character" ^[8]. While God already knows the innermost thoughts and hearts of individuals, these tests are designed to allow their character to manifest through their actions ^[8]. This concept, known as anthropomorphism or anthropopathism, describes God in human terms to make His ways more comprehensible to the human mind, even though God is not limited by human characteristics or emotions ^[8].

The very names used for God in the Old Testament, such as 'El, 'Eloah, and 'Elohim, convey His strength and divinity ^[6]. Names like Kadmiel ("God of antiquity; God of rising") and Phanuel ("face or vision of God") further hint at His eternal nature and His willingness to reveal Himself ^{[4, 7]}.

The revelation to the patriarchs was a foundational stage in God's communication with humanity. As Hebrews 1:1 states, God "spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets" ^[5]. This early communication laid the groundwork for subsequent, more complete revelations, culminating in the revelation through His Son ^[14]. The patriarchal period, therefore, provides essential insights into the foundational aspects of God's character, including His faithfulness, power, care, and His method of progressive self-disclosure.

Sources

Easton's Bible Dictionary “Easton's Bible Dictionary: Patriarch — A name employed in the New Testament with reference to Abraham (Heb. 7:4), the sons of Jacob (Acts 7:8, 9), and to David (2:29). This name is generally applied to the progenitors of families or "heads of the fathers" (Josh. 14:1) mentioned in Scripture, and they are spoken of as antediluvian (from Adam to Noah) and post-diluvian (from Noah to Jacob) patriachs. But the expression "the patriarch," by way of eminence, is applied to the twelve sons of Jacob, or to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. "Patriachal longevity presents itself as one of the most striking of ”
Smith's Bible Dictionary “Smith's Bible Dictionary: Job — the patriarch, from whom one of the books of the Old Testament is named. His residence in the land of Uz marks him as belonging to a branch of the Aramean race, which had settled in the lower part of Mesopatamia (Probably to the south or southeast of Palestine, in Idumean Arabia), adjacent to the Sabeans and Chaldeans. The opinions of Job and his friends are thus peculiarly interesting as exhibiting an aspect of the patriarchal religion outside of the family of Abraham, and as yet uninfluenced by the legislation of Moses. The form of worship belongs essentially ”
Smith's Bible Dictionary “Smith's Bible Dictionary: Patriarch — (father of a tribe), the name given to the head of a family or tribe in Old Testament times. In common usage the title of patriarch is assigned especially to those whose lives are recorded in Scripture previous to the time of Moses, as Adam, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. ("In the early history of the Hebrews we find the ancestor or father of a family retaining authority over his children and his children's children so long as he lived, whatever new connections they might form when the father died the branch families did not break off and form new communities, ”
Hitchcock's Bible Names “Hitchcock's Bible Names: Phanuel — face or vision of God”
King James Version “[KJV] Hebrews 1:1 — God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets,”
Easton's Bible Dictionary “Easton's Bible Dictionary: God — (A.S. and Dutch God; Dan. Gud; Ger. Gott), the name of the Divine Being. It is the rendering (1) of the Hebrew 'El, from a word meaning to be strong; (2) of 'Eloah_, plural _'Elohim. The singular form, Eloah, is used only in poetry. The plural form is more commonly used in all parts of the Bible, The Hebrew word Jehovah (q.v.), the only other word generally employed to denote the Supreme Being, is uniformly rendered in the Authorized Version by "LORD," printed in small capitals. The existence of God is taken for granted in the Bible. There is nowhere any argume”
Hitchcock's Bible Names “Hitchcock's Bible Names: Kadmiel — God of antiquity; God of rising”
Deuteronomy (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Deuteronomy 8:2: 8:2 to prove your character (literally to know what is in your heart): God already knew the Israelites’ innermost thoughts (Pss 51:6; 139:1, 4, 23); he wanted their character to come out in their actions. • to find out whether: The Old Testament often describes God in human terms, even in ways that appear to limit God. Anthropomorphism (assigning human characteristics to God) and anthropopathism (assigning human feelings or emotions to God) are ways of representing God on a human level so the human mind can better grasp his ways, but God is not limited in his ”
Zechariah (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Zechariah 8:6: 8:6 The Old Testament portrays God as able to do the impossible and the miraculous—nothing is too hard for the God who made the heavens and the earth (Gen 18:14; Jer 32:17, 27; see also Matt 19:26).”
Hebrews (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Hebrews 1:1: God, who at sundry times and in divers manners,.... The apostle begins the epistle with an account of the revelation God has made of his mind and will in former times: the author of this revelation is God, not essentially, but personally considered, even God the Father, as distinguished from his Son in the next verse; for the revelation under the Old Testament is divine, as well as that under the New; in this they both agree, in whatsoever else they differ: and this revelation was made at several times, at different seasons, and to different persons; and consisted of ”
Exodus (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Exodus 6:2: 6:2-8 Once again, God forcefully linked his promises to the patriarchs (Abraham’s family) with what he was about to do. God’s work in history shows his faithfulness. He has made promises, and he will keep them. God also wished to reveal more of himself than he had been able to do with the patriarchs. This generation would know more of God and his intentions than Abraham had, particularly regarding the implications of the covenant (6:4-5). Why does God redeem (6:6)? Why did he reveal himself to Abraham in the first place? God wanted the Israelites to be his own peop”
Hebrews (Nonconformist/Puritan) “Matthew Henry on Hebrews 1:1: Here the apostle begins with a general declaration of the excellency of the gospel dispensation above that of the law, which he demonstrates from the different way and manner of God's communicating himself and his mind and will to men in the one and in the other: both these dispensations were of God, and both of them very good, but there is a great difference in the way of their coming from God. Observe, I. The way wherein God communicated himself and his will to men under the Old Testament. We have here an account, 1. Of the persons by whom God delivered his mind”
Deuteronomy (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Deuteronomy 1:31: 1:31 God’s tender care as a father reflected his covenant relationship with Israel (Exod 4:22; Hos 11:1-4; cp. Matt 6:26-33; John 14:21; Acts 13:18; Rom 8:15-17; 1 Pet 1:2-3; 1 Jn 3:1). Israel was God’s child by descent from Abraham and because God had chosen and adopted Israel from among all the nations (Deut 14:2; Exod 19:4-6). The imagery is similar to that found in secular covenant texts in which a great king regarded a vassal with whom he had made a treaty as his son.”
Hebrews (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on Hebrews 1 (introduction): THE HIGHEST OF ALL REVELATIONS IS GIVEN US NOW IN THE SON OF GOD, WHO IS GREATER THAN THE ANGELS, AND WHO, HAVING COMPLETED REDEMPTION, SITS ENTHRONED AT GOD'S RIGHT HAND. (Heb 1:1-14) at sundry times--Greek, "in many portions." All was not revealed to each one prophet; but one received one portion of revelation, and another another. To Noah the quarter of the world to which Messiah should belong was revealed; to Abraham, the nation; to Jacob, the tribe; to David and Isaiah, the family; to Micah, the town of nativity; to Daniel, the exact”

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