Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee.
“Now if the ministry of death, chiseled in letters on stones, came with glory, so that the Israelites were not able to look directly at Moses' face because of the glory from his face -a fading glory- how will the ministry of the Spirit not be more glorious? For if the ministry of condemnation had glory, the ministry of righteousness overflows with even more glory. In fact, what had been glorious is not glorious now by comparison because of the glory that surpasses it. For if what was facing away was glorious, what endures will be even more glorious.” (1 Corinthians 3:7-11)
Glory is the splendor, weight, honor,
dignity, worthiness of worship, reverence, and praise, estimate of,
esteem, abundance of someone or something. In the Old Testament, the
word most commonly used for glory is kabod, and in the New
Testament, it is the word doxa. [1]
A king will display his glory. The
purpose of this is so that his people and those outside his kingdom
will revere, fear, and follow the dictates of the king. The glory
and splendor of the king, in displaying all his excellencies, points
back to the king himself and who he is.
Solomon is an example of a king
displaying his glory. He obtained massive riches and wealth and put
it on display. One author writes,
“Solomon's
palace was very rich and beautiful. Gold was plentiful in Jerusalem
in those days. The dishes on the king's table were of gold. Choice
wood was brought from distant countries and ivory and also strange
things - apes and peacocks. The fame of Solomon's glory and his
wisdom spread to all lands.
The queen of Sheba was one
of those who heard of Solomon, and she came to see his glory and to
ask him hard questions. She came from the south, from a part of
Arabia famous for its gold, and she brought to the king gold and a
great abundance of spices. She came with her servants and a caravan
of camels. At Jerusalem she saw all the beauty of the king's palace
and his servants and the way by which he went up to the house of the
Lord. It was far more beautiful than she expected. She asked the king
hard questions, and he answered them all. She was overcome with
wonder; the half had not been told her. And she went back to her own
country with rich gifts from the king.” [2]
In displaying this glory, Solomon
pointed back to God. What he seemed to be trying to communicate by
it all of this splendor in his obedience to follow God's will in
building him a temple was that God was so much more glorious.
In 1 Kings 8:12-13 Solomon spoke as the
cloud of glory [kabod] filled the Lord's temple,
“The Lord said
that He would dwell in thick darkness. I have indeed built an
exalted temple for You, a place for Your dwelling forever...”
He goes on to pray in 1 Kings 8:23,27
“Lord God of
Israel, there is no God like You in heaven above or on earth below,
keeping the gracious covenant with Your servants who walk before You
with their whole heart...
But will God
indeed live on earth? Even heaven, the heave, the highest heaven,
cannot contain You, much less the temple I have built.”
When the Queen of Sheba heard about
Solomon's fame connected with the name of Yahweh she came to see all
his glory. In seeing it she proclaimed,
“The report I
heard in my own country about your words and about your wisdom is
true... May Yahweh your God be praised! He delighted in you and put
you on the throne of Israel, because of the Lord's eternal love for
Israel. He has made you king to carry out justice and
righteousness.”
When Jesus came to the earth, in all He
did, He was putting on display the glory of God. And His entire
life, ministry, and death in all it's glory were a testimony of the
Father's glory.
In John 5:19,30 Jesus proclaims, “Very
truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only
what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the
Son also does.... I can do nothing on My own initiative. As I hear, I
judge; and My judgment is just, because I do not seek My own will,
but the will of Him who sent Me.”
In John 14:9
Jesus asks, “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been
among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the
Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?”
The glory that Jesus displayed was not
of large temples or earthly riches, rather it was a walk of holiness,
compassion, mercy, service, and miracles. As Jesus was doing the work
of His Father, He was displaying His glory.
Micah 6:8, “"He
has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the LORD require of
you But to do justly, To love mercy, And to walk humbly with your
God?"
He was showing the people what God's
kingdom coming looked like as He preached the gospel to the poor,
proclaimed release to the captives, recovery of sight to the blind,
set free those oppressed, and proclaimed the favorable year of the
Lord (Luke 4:18-20). Jesus told Martha before raising their beloved
friend Lazarus from the dead, “Did I not tell you that if you
believe, you will see the glory of God?”
Jesus put on display the glory of God,
giving people a picture of God's nature, heart and kingdom. Then He
eventually put it on display by His sacrificial death.
Jesus prayed as he was going to His
death in John 17:1, 4-5, 10 , “Father, the hour has come. Glorify
Your Son so that the Son may glorify You... I have glorified You on
the earth by completing the work You gave Me to do. Now Father,
glorify Me in Your presence with that glory I had with You before the
world existed... Everything I have is Yours, and everything You have
is Mine, and I have been glorified in them.”
By His sacrificial death and following
resurrection, God was glorified and displayed.
Hebrews 10:7-10 says, "THEN I
SAID, 'BEHOLD, I HAVE COME (IN THE SCROLL OF THE BOOK IT IS WRITTEN
OF ME) TO DO YOUR WILL, O GOD.'" After saying above, "SACRIFICES
AND OFFERINGS AND WHOLE BURNT OFFERINGS AND sacrifices FOR SIN YOU
HAVE NOT DESIRED, NOR HAVE YOU TAKEN PLEASURE in them" (which
are offered according to the Law), then He said, "BEHOLD, I HAVE
COME TO DO YOUR WILL." He takes away the first in order to
establish the second. By this will we have been sanctified through
the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.”
Jesus goes on to pray that His glory
and splendor would continue to be displayed through us. He prays in
John 17:22-24, “I have given them the glory that you gave me, that
they may be one as we are one. I am them and you in me – so they
may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you
sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. Father, I
want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my
glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the
creation of the world.”
We are bearers of God's
glory. 2 Corinthians 4:6 says, “for God who said, 'Let light shine
out of darkness,' has shone in our hearts to give the light of the
knowledge of God's glory in the face of Jesus Christ.'”
We are being transformed in His image,
displaying His glory as we gaze upon Him. 2 Corinthians 3:18 says,
“And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord's glory,
are being transformed int his image with ever-increasing glory, which
comes form the Lord, who is Spirit.”
Even our struggles and trials are
working glory into our lives. 2 Corinthians 4:17 says, “For our
light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory
that far outweighs them all.”
Everything we do is to be for the glory
of God. 1 Corinthians 10:31 says, “So whether you eat or drink or
whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.”
“The glory of God is also on display
all around us. Heaven's proclaim the glory of God. All the earth is
filled with the glory of God.
The Seraphim continually proclaimed in
a vision in Isaiah 6:3, "Holy, Holy, Holy, is the LORD of hosts,
The whole earth is full of His glory."
His glory is everywhere if our eyes our
open around us. All He has made points to God. Psalm 97:6 says, “The
heavens proclaim his righteousness, and all the peoples see his
glory.
The beauty of nature is a demonstration
of God's glory. Everything created proclaims His praise by living
and doing what it is called to do. It's His glory on display as
it's purpose is to point us to the creator of such splendor and
extravagance.
One author writes, “Every time you
sense God speaking to you through creation, do not let your attention
be arrested by the beauty alone, but allow the beauty to draw you
into a clearer understanding of God's infinite glory that you will
one day see without the confines of this world.” [3]
God desires to fill the earth with the
fullness of His glory. David prays God's heart in Psalm 72:19,
“Praise be to His glorious name forever; may the whole earth be
filled with his glory. Amen and Amen.
Numbers 14:21, “So the LORD said, 'I
have pardoned them according to your word; but indeed, as I live, all
the earth will be filled with the glory of the LORD.”
Habakkuk
prophesies, “For the earth will be filled with the knowledge
of the glory of the LORD as the waters cover the sea.” (Hab. 2:14)
The glory of God was displayed when He
came to the earth to bring salvation, and will be fully displayed
when He returns. Commentary
notes about the verse in Habakkuk, “The glory of the Lord
speaks of the full manifestation of His person,
significance, presence, and wonder. The true knowledge of God in the
time of His kingdom on earth will be like the waters—all-embracing,
inescapable, and fully enveloping. Only God’s kingdom is glorious.
The glory of human kingdoms, such as Babylon, will be transformed
into disgrace.” [4]
Mark 13:26 says about His return, “Then
they will see THE SON OF MAN COMING IN CLOUDS with great power and
glory.”
Lord, Forgive me for the so many ways that I go through life in the mundane and fail to see the glory all around me that point to you. Open our eyes and hearts to see your glory all around us on a daily basis. We have all sinned and come short of glorifying You in a way that expresses your infinite worth (Romans 3:23). We long to more fully glorify You and express Your worth in all that we do. We look forward to the day we can. Bring the fullness of your
glory and reign here on earth as it is in heaven.
"From the highest of heights to the depths of the sea
Creation's revealing Your majesty
From the colors of fall to the fragrance of spring
Every creature unique in the song that it sings
All exclaiming
Indescribable, uncontainable,
You placed the stars in the sky and You know them by name.
You are amazing God
All powerful, untameable,
Awestruck we fall to our knees as we humbly proclaim
You are amazing God"
(Indescribable, Chris Tomlin)
Creation's revealing Your majesty
From the colors of fall to the fragrance of spring
Every creature unique in the song that it sings
All exclaiming
Indescribable, uncontainable,
You placed the stars in the sky and You know them by name.
You are amazing God
All powerful, untameable,
Awestruck we fall to our knees as we humbly proclaim
You are amazing God"
(Indescribable, Chris Tomlin)
- Strong, James: The Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible : Showing Every Word of the Text of the Common English Version of the Canonical Books, and Every Occurrence of Each Word in Regular Order. electronic ed. Ontario : Woodside Bible Fellowship., 1996.
- Jaynes, Sharon. A Sudden Glory: God's Lavish Responses to Your Ache for Something More. Multnomah Books, Colorado Springs, Co. 1973.
- Radmacher, Earl D. ; Allen, Ronald Barclay ; House, H. Wayne: The Nelson Study Bible : New King James Version. Nashville : T. Nelson Publishers, 1997, S. Hab 2:14
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