Since God is a spirit being, we don’t really know, because humans cannot see spirit beings. There were times in the Bible when spirit beings created a human-like body to communicate with people. But what the people saw was a temporary human image, not the actual spirit being.
However, we should note that there are examples in the Bible where human features are used to describe God, like having a face. David says to God in Psalms: (31:16, NASB) “Make Your face to shine upon Your servant; save me in Your lovingkindness.”
In 1 Samuel, (13:14) David is described as being a man after God’s own heart.
God is also described as having hands, such as in Psalms (95:5, NLT), explaining the creation of the ocean and land: “The sea belongs to Him, for He made it. His hands formed the dry land, too.”
Speaking about the Law God gave to Moses, Exodus says, (31:18, NLT) “When the LORD finished speaking with Moses on Mount Sinai, He gave him the two stone tablets inscribed with the terms of the covenant, written by the finger of God.”
Moses, called a “friend of God,” is the only human to have ever come close to seeing Him. Moses asked to see God’s glory, but learned that doing so would be a dangerous thing! In Exodus, (33:20, Christian Standard Bible) God tells Moses, "…You cannot see my face, for humans cannot see me and live."
However, God did allow Moses to see an image of the back of Him as He passed by in Exodus, chapter 33. God told Moses to stand on a nearby rock. There was an opening in the rock, called a “cleft,” and God hid Moses there and covered him with His hand until He had fully passed. When God removed His hand, Moses was able to see an image of Him from the back. It’s a good thing Moses had not seen God’s face, otherwise he would have died!
Later, Moses was up on the mountain talking with God for 40 days and 40 nights, and when he came down, his face was glowing from being in God’s presence. It was so bright that he had to wear a veil when he spoke to the people!
So, what does God look like? We don’t really know, because He is an invisible, perfect spirit being. Moses did not see God’s face, but he did see a measure of His brilliant glory. Maybe the Bible uses human features to describe God to help our imperfect minds form a mental picture of Him in order to help us become closer to Him!
This video is from Christian Questions Podcast. For more information please go to https://christianquestions.com
