 |
|||
Volume. XXI, No. 37 Gods GloryThe world’s greatest glory is but a spark compared to the radiance of God’s glory.
I have had the privilege of viewing some glorious sights in my many travels. I have seen the Grand Canyon with its majestic heights, its cutting valleys for flowing rivers and its stretch out vast plains; the marvellous wonders of the Great Wall in China; and the splendour of the engineering structure of the Hoover dam.
But nothing I have ever seen comes close to what some Old Testament people saw. People like Moses, the Israelites, Ezekiel, Isaiah, and others witnessed the most breathtaking sight of all time. They had a glimpse of the glory of God - a visible manifestation of the Lord’s invisible being and character.
Moses experienced the glory of God on Mount Sinai. When he came down from Mount Sinai after meeting with God, his face shone so brightly that the children of Israel could not look steadily at him as Exodus 34:29-30 describes to us “…when Moses came down from Mount Sinai…Moses wist not that the skin of his face shone…and all the children of Israel saw Moses…and they were afraid to come nigh him.”
When God brought the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt to the wilderness, the Israelites saw the glory of God in the cloud as Exodus 16:10 tells us “..as Aaron spake unto…the children of Israel, that they looked toward the wilderness, and behold, the glory of God appeared in the cloud.”.
In Ezekiel 10:18-19, Ezekiel saw a vision of God’s glory departing the Temple and Jerusalem and the Temple was destroyed. Then in Ezekiel 43:1-5, Ezekiel saw God’s glory return to Jerusalem, and he fell to the ground.
Isaiah saw a manifestation of God’s glory too. The Seraphim seen by Isaiah confirms that “the whole earth is full of His glory”(Isaiah 6:3).
Fire often accompanied God’s glory. Exodus 24:17 says “And the sight of the glory of the Lord was like devouring fire on top of the mount…”. (2 Chr 7:1) tells us: “Now when Solomon had made an end of praying, the fire came down from heaven, and consumed the burnt offering…; and the glory of the Lord filled the house.”
Cloud also accompanied God’s glory. Exodus 24:15-16 describes: “And Moses went up into the mount, and a cloud covered the mount. And the glory of the Lord abode upon mount Sinai…..” Exodus 40:34-35 says: “Then a cloud covered the tent of the congregation, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. And Moses was not able to enter into the tent of the congregation, because the cloud abode thereon, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.”
Isaiah 60:1-3 relates God’s glory to light: “Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee. For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and the gross darkness of people; but the Lord shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee. And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy raising.”
King David reveals to us in Psalm 19:1 that “the heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands.” When we need a glimpse of God’s glory, we need only to walk outside and lift up our heads. On a bright, sunny day, the radiance of the sun reminds us of the light of God’s radiance. This suggests to us that God is powerful, omniscient, omnipresent and in control. In the sound of the thunder, we hear the power of His voice. In the storm we recall that He is a holy God who will demand justice. In the rain we remember his righteousness: “Drip down, ye heavens from above, and let the skies pour down righteousness.” (Isaiah 45:8). In the rainbow we focus on His mercy in judgement. Even on hazy cloudless days we sense His peace and comfort. He is a God who delights to reveal Himself to us if we only seek Him.
Bringing glory to God is the life purpose of our Lord Jesus Christ, as He declared “for the Son of man shall come in glory of His Father with His angels…” (Matthew 6:27). Jesus made the ultimate sacrifice. He died and rose again in victory over sin and death. He set us free from the slavery of sin so that we might enjoy eternal life with God in eternal kingdom by grace through faith in Him.
How can we bring glory to God?
- We can submit to God’s will in all things.
- We are to be content with what God has given us.
- We can rely on God for strength instead of relying on ourselves.
- We glorify God by standing up for His truths.
- We glorify God by praising Him.
- We glorify God when we give God the glory of all that we do.
- We glorify God by labouring to draw others to God and make them instruments of
- glorifying God
When Moses in Exodus 33:18 asked God to show him His glory, God answered in Exodus 33:20 saying “…Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live.” Thus none of the Old Testament people were able to see all of God’s glory. However, God did allow them to see a manifestation of His glory. He told Moses in Exodus 33:19 that “…I will make all my goodness pass before thee…”
Of course, there will come a day when God’s people will see Him face to face. We will look into the blazing eyes of the One who created and redeemed us for His glory. Who can imagine what we will feel, think and sense then? One thing for sure, faith will become sight and we will see Him as He really is.
Dn Yaw Chiew Tan |
|