The Glory of God
Daily Old Testament Reading: Isaiah 46-48; 2 Kings 19
Daily Focus Passage: Isaiah 48
The Lord alone deserves all glory. He alone is the Savior and Redeemer who forgives sin and genuine hope for eternity. In Isaiah 48, the Lord uses the prophet Isaiah to declare that he alone deserves all glory and will not share his glory. This declaration came as the people glorified various idols instead of the Lord. When we consider the message of Isaiah, we must evaluate if we give all glory to the Lord alone.
GOD'S MERCY IS FOR HIS GLORY
The Lord works within humanity and calls sinners to himself to receive forgiveness instead of punishment. The holding back of deserved punishment is the act of mercy. God's mercy extended to sinners provides the holding back of wrath because of the deserved punishment for sin. God's mercy extends to believers not because they are righteous but because of the love that drives him to offer relief from the penalty of sin. The extension of mercy must become part of the motivation to glorify the Lord because mercy reveals the glorious nature of the Lord.
GOD'S GRACE IS FOR HIS GLORY
The Lord combines extended mercy with extended grace to his children. Grace accompanies the work of mercy by providing for the sinner what they do not deserve. Where mercy withholds what one deserves, grace extends to sinners the life and forgiveness they do not deserve. This work of grace must overflow into our lives and drive us to praise and glorify the Lord. The Lord alone can offer eternal life in his grace; thus, the hope we receive in redemption must lead us to glorify the Lord alone.
GOD DOES NOT SHARE HIS GLORY
The prophet Isaiah reveals that the Lord refuses to share his glory with anyone or any idol. He alone deserves all glory, and he demands all glory. God deserves all glory because he is the Savior who rescues the sinner from the eternal wrath deserved. When a sinner receives Christ as Lord and Savior of their life in faith, the redemption received must lead them to rejoice and praise the Lord alone. The rejoicing occurs as we recognize the great hope and gift received. We rejoice in the Lord and give him glory because he cleanses us of our iniquity.
OUR RESPONSE TO GOD'S GLORY
The Hebrew word used for glory is used for weight and measure. The picture of this reveals that our response to the Lord and the glory we give him reflects the weight and measure he has in our lives. The truth comes that he must receive all glory from us and that we must seek to allow him to be the full weight and measure of our lives. We must strive to grow in the Lord and live in a manner that reflects his greatness and brings glory to him alone.
The Lord alone is worthy of all honor and praise. He will never share his glory with anything or anyone else. He is worthy of all glory because he extends grace and mercy. We must strive to give him the complete weight and measure of our lives. When we consider our lives, do we provide the Lord with complete glory?
