The Glory of God
What a great privilege to be part of what God is doing in the earth. What a time to live and be alive. God is doing a new thing and he has invited us to be part of something great. Are you ready to sign up and be part of the things that will bring glory to his name and his kingdom? We are going to look at what his glory is and how we can see it and be part of what he has planned from the foundation of the earth.
1Kings 10:1 And when the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon concerning the name of the LORD, she came to prove him with hard questions.
1Kings 10:2 And she came to Jerusalem with a very great train, with camels that bare spices, and very much gold, and precious stones: and when she was come to Solomon, she communed with him of all that was in her heart.
1Kings 10:3 And Solomon told her all her questions: there was not any thing hid from the king, which he told her not.
1Kings 10:4 And when the queen of Sheba had seen all Solomon’s wisdom, and the house that he had built,
1Kings 10:5 And the meat of his table, and the sitting of his servants, and the attendance of his ministers, and their apparel, and his cupbearers, and his ascent by which he went up unto the house of the LORD; there was no more spirit in her.
1Kings 10:6 And she said to the king, It was a true report that I heard in mine own land of thy acts and of thy wisdom.
1Kings 10:7 Howbeit I believed not the words, until I came, and mine eyes had seen it: and, behold, the half was not told me: thy wisdom and prosperity exceedeth the fame which I heard.
1Kings 10:8 Happy are thy men, happy are these thy servants, which stand continually before thee, and that hear thy wisdom.
1Kings 10:9 Blessed be the LORD thy God, which delighted in thee, to set thee on the throne of Israel: because the LORD loved Israel for ever, therefore made he thee king, to do judgment and justice.
The glory is often described as that what gives splendor to something or someone. When the queen of Sheba came to see Solomon she was shown all the things that he build. She was astonished to see how his servants dressed and what they prepared as food for the king. She was astonished to see the glory of his kingdom. The bible says that after she saw it all she had no more spirit left in her. I think she was totally overwhelmed to see all the things Solomon did. Not just that but his wisdom astonished her as well. She called all his people and servants blessed to be part of what God were doing with him. I think this passage sets a course for us to take and look at when we start looking at the glory of God.
What is the glory of God?
A proper description from the bible simply describes the glory of God as “weightiness.” The Hebrew word is “Kabod.” In itself it does not describe a lot for us. So we have to look more into this to understand what the glory of God is. In the New Testament the word for glory is “Doxa” and we will look at that later in this book. For now we are just laying a foundation for us to understand his glory. The psalmist describes his glory as something that is seen in creation.
Psa. 19:1 The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork.
We see that his glory is declared to us through the heavens and the firmament. We see his handiwork and they show us who he is. So much is shown through the things that he created that it leaves all men without an excuse. No one can ever say that there is no God because all of creation show us his glory and declares to us what God he is.
Rom. 1:18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;
Rom. 1:19 Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them.
Rom. 1:20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:
Furthermore we see that God’s glory can manifest in any situation. This might be totally against what you have heard or even believe but God can make all things work together for the good of those that love him. He can also use any situation to reveal his glory. When Lazarus died and Jesus showed up to raise him from the dead, He told Mary that Lazarus death was to the glory of God. Does that mean that God gets glory when people die? Absolutely not but if he wants to use death to reveal his glory and power to raise someone from the dead, he can do so. We need to be careful what we read into this. Sin and sickness and death do not give God glory but when He heals and delivers and resurrect it brings Him glory. His glory is revealed in Him undoing the works of the enemy. People accept it as if their suffering will give God glory. That is a theology that was accepted because we could not explain why bad things happen to good people. Don’t settle for the enemy’s lies.
John 11:4 When Jesus heard that, he said, This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby.
John 11:40 Jesus saith unto her, Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God?
God’s glory is revealed when he heals the sick and raises the dead. His glory is to undo the work of the enemy. That still doesn’t mean that God can’t and won’t use the enemy to reveal his power and glory. What the enemy means for bad God can use for good.
Ex. 7:16 And thou shalt say unto him, The LORD God of the Hebrews hath sent me unto thee, saying, Let my people go, that they may serve me in the wilderness: and, behold, hitherto thou wouldest not hear.
Ex. 7:17 Thus saith the LORD, In this thou shalt know that I am the LORD: behold, I will smite with the rod that is in mine hand upon the waters which are in the river, and they shall be turned to blood.
Ex. 7:18 And the fish that is in the river shall die, and the river shall stink; and the Egyptians shall lothe to drink of the water of the river.
Ex. 7:19 And the LORD spake unto Moses, Say unto Aaron, Take thy rod, and stretch out thine hand upon the waters of Egypt, upon their streams, upon their rivers, and upon their ponds, and upon all their pools of water, that they may become blood; and that there may be blood throughout all the land of Egypt, both in vessels of wood, and in vessels of stone.
Ex. 7:20 And Moses and Aaron did so, as the LORD commanded; and he lifted up the rod, and smote the waters that were in the river, in the sight of Pharaoh, and in the sight of his servants; and all the waters that were in the river were turned to blood.
Ex. 7:21 And the fish that was in the river died; and the river stank, and the Egyptians could not drink of the water of the river; and there was blood throughout all the land of Egypt.
Ex. 7:22 And the magicians of Egypt did so with their enchantments: and Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, neither did he hearken unto them; as the LORD had said.
In the story of Egypt where God sends Moses to deliver the Israelites from slavery, the first plaque that Moses brings is turning the water of the Nile into blood. It says that all the water turned to blood. You would think that the wizards and magicians of Pharaoh would show that they have greater power than God. Remember that God’s glory is in undoing the work of the enemy. So instead of the magicians changing the water back from blood to water, they find some water somewhere and turn that into blood. The enemy could not undo the work and the power of God. They could imitate what God was doing but not reverse His work and power. The enemy is a deceiver and would do things that look like God did it, doing the same thing but there will be no glory in it. Imagine that there are people that believe God makes them sick. God trying to do what the enemy does. It is impossible for God to reveal His glory in the same way the enemy does his stuff. He is God and he has the power to undo the enemy’s stuff and still reveal his glory in what he does.
So we see that one of the clearest ways to see what the glory of God is is to watch him at work. Look for the miracles and the impossible things that are happening in your life. It is a manifestation of his glory.