I

God created man and since then has ever guided the life of mankind.

Whether in bestowing upon mankind blessings,

creating laws and commandments for men,

or stipulating the various rules for life,

everything that God does is leading and guiding man

toward living a normal life, toward living a normal life.

Whether it be causing man

to abide by His regulations or to keep His laws,

God's aim is for man not to fall into worshiping Satan

and not to be harmed by Satan;

this is most fundamental,

and this is what was done in the very beginning.

Although God has plans and intentions, which He places upon man,

none of it is for Himself.

Everything He does is done purely for mankind,

is done purely for mankind;

everything He does is done to protect mankind,

to keep mankind from being led astray.

II

When you do not understand the truth, God shines a light on you,

telling you clearly that doing this is not in keeping with the truth,

and then He tells you what you should do.

When God guides you, when He provides for you,

when He helps you and supports you,

you feel how amiable God is, the reverence He inspires;

you feel how lovely He is, you feel His warmth.

When God reproaches you for your corruption,

or when He judges and disciplines you for rebelling against Him,

He reproaches you with words

and He disciplines you through your environment

and through people, events, and things.

God works in a gentle, delicate, loving and caring way,

loving and caring way,

a way that is extraordinarily measured and proper,

measured and proper.

His way does not provoke in you intense feelings.

God never gives you a kind of intense realization or feeling

which your heart cannot bear.

III

God uses His words, His truth and His life

to continuously provide for man, to support man.

His love for man, His treasuring and cherishing of man

cannot be expressed clearly in just one or two sentences.

It is not something that is brought about by man's boasting

but is something God brings forth in actual practice;

it is the revelation of God's essence.

All that God gives to man, including God's words,

the different ways in which God works on man,

what God tells man, what God reminds man of,

what He advises and encourages—it all originates from one essence:

the holiness of God.

from The Word, Vol. 2. On Knowing God. God Himself, the Unique IV