What does it mean that God is a God of wonders?
All throughout the Bible, we see the many wonders of God on display. We see God's wonders in His miraculous acts and His mighty deeds. Moses proclaimed: "Who is like you, O LORD, among the gods? Who is like you, majestic in holiness, awesome in glorious deeds, doing wonders?" (Exodus 15:11). God's wonders proclaim His omnipotence, His ultimate authority over all. They show us that He is here with us. The wonders of God lead to a sense of awe—there is no one like Him!The Hebrew words mowpheth and pala are both translated as "wonder" in the Old Testament. Mowpheth refers to "a splendid or remarkable work" or "miracle." It is the word used when we see the phrase "signs and wonders" in the Bible. An example of this is found in Deuteronomy 26:8, which says: "And the LORD brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, with great deeds of terror, with signs and wonders" (Deuteronomy 26:8). The word pala has a slightly different meaning—"wondrous works" or "marvelous deeds" or to be "distinguished." It is found a lot in the psalms, such as Psalm 75:1: "We give thanks to you, O God; we give thanks, for your name is near. We recount your wondrous deeds." God's wonders are miraculous works that put His power on full display. They are far greater than any human reaches of power or ability. He is a God of wonders.
In the New Testament, these Greek words refer to the wonders of God: thaumasios, or "wonderful things" (Matthew 21:15); megaleios, or "mighty deeds" (Acts 2:11); and teras, found within the phrase "signs, wonders, and miracles" (2 Corinthians 12:12). These New Testament descriptions of the wonders of God refer both to the miraculous acts of Jesus and to the signs and wonders that will follow His disciples who do things in His name and His power.
God's wonders not only showcase His power; they reveal facets of His character to us and glimpses into His plans and purposes on the earth (see Habakkuk 1:5). They show Him to be a loving and protective Lord. For example, God miraculously led the Israelites through the wilderness with a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night (Exodus 13:21–22). He provided food from heaven, manna, for them (Exodus 16) and made water flow out of a rock (Exodus 17). When Elijah was living by the brook of Cherith, the Lord had ravens come to feed him: "And the ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning, and bread and meat in the evening, and he drank from the brook" (1 Kings 17:6). We see in all of these examples that God's methods of care and provision are without boundaries—He is a God of wonders.
The wonders of God also enact His judgment. The Lord consumed the sons of Aaron with fire when they offered him "unauthorized fire" (Leviticus 10:1–3). Korah, Dathan, and Abiram were swallowed up into the earth and their followers destroyed by the fire of the Lord when they rebelled against Moses (Numbers 16:1–35). In the New Testament, Ananias and his wife Sapphira lied about how much money they had gained from the sale of a property. The apostle Peter confronted each of them individually for lying to the Holy Spirit and both Ananias and Sapphira were struck dead (Acts 5:1–10).
We see that God is a God of wonders most incredibly in the incarnation of Jesus Christ on the earth. In Jesus the Person and through the signs and wonders He performed, God confirmed His nearness and His presence on the earth, His kingdom coming and His will being "done on earth as it is in heaven" (Matthew 6:9–13). In Jesus God wondrously provided a means of redemption, that sinful humans might be in intimate relationship with God, becoming His children, being freed from the penalty and power of sin, and one day living with God forever (John 1:12–13; 3:16–18; Ephesians 2:1–10). God's wonders are meant to reveal His flawless character, showcase His redemption, and draw us closer to Him so that we may seek Him and His ways above all else (Psalm 119:2; Jeremiah 29:13; Matthew 6:33). Indeed, He is a God of wonders and worthy of all our worship!
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Truth about God
