When our discussion occasionally turns to God’s glory, my good friend Dennis1 confesses some degree of ambivalence: while Dennis loves God and whole-heartedly agrees He is worthy of our praise, he is less comfortable with God’s continual insistence that we glorify Him. Likely, some of us can relate to one degree or another, so Dennis’ candor posits the topic before us. Let’s dig in.
God is indeed passionate for His own glory, and perhaps no scripture emphasizes it as clearly or boldly as His words spoken through the prophet Isaiah — “For my name’s sake I defer my anger, for the sake of my praise I restrain it for you, that I may not cut you off. Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have tried you in the furnace of affliction. For my own sake, for my own sake, I do it, for how should my name be profaned? My glory I will not give to another.”2 No equivocation here! God glorifies Himself and, as we learned in last week’s post, our purpose in life is to glorify Him.
Now, if a peer were to demand we continually proclaim his greatness, we would rightly consider him to be vainglorious — an egomaniac whose opinion of himself exceeds his worthiness of it. But praise be to God, He is not our peer; God has no equal! Rhetorically He asks, “To whom will you liken me and make me equal, and compare me, that we may be alike?”3 No one! God — and only God — lives both in the highest of heavens and in the lowliest of hearts. To a world craving goodness, He is a fortress of good — “Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!”4
Again, God has no equal. He is a category of One. So who is this “One” so worthy of glory?
He is Jehovah Shalom, “the Lord is peace.”5 Have you ever experienced the inner peace of His silent presence?
He is Jehovah Raah, “the Lord is my shepherd.”6 Has God kept you from straying from Him or come after you when you did?
He is Jehovah Nissi, “the Lord is my banner.”7 Have you ever experienced the confidence of God’s victorious presence amid spiritual battle?
He is Jehovah Tsidkenu, “the Lord our righteousness.”8 Jesus has become righteousness for us,9 so we may forever be in God’s presence. Who else could have done this for us?
He is El Shaddai, “Lord God Almighty.”10 There is nothing He cannot do, and this omnipotent One loves us.
He is El Olam, “the everlasting God.”11 Our life is now hidden with Christ in God.12 As Christ was raised never to die again, so we, too, live forever in Him.
Take time to consider who God is and how you yourself have experienced His greatness. You will find that the glory owed to God does not exceed His worthiness; it reflects it, it proclaims it. Both now and forever. Amen.
Father, Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever and ever. Be glorified in Your people, Your church. In Christ we pray. Amen.
1 This name is changed here for privacy purposes.
2 Isaiah 48:9-11 ESV, emphases added
3 Isaiah 46:5 ESV
4 Psalm 34:8 ESV
5 Judges 6:24
6 Psalm 23:1
7 Exodus 17:15
8 Jeremiah 23:6
9 1 Corinthians 1:30
10 Genesis 17:1
11 Genesis 21:3
12 Colossians 3:3 NIV
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Paul Nordman—Author 