The Messiah and the Covenants of Israel (Continued)

The Glory of God (Continued)

The Glory of God and the Terrestrial

The problem, of course, was that generally, humankind was unable to appreciate God’s glory properly. Like the glory of the sun, it was only observed from afar. While the glory of the Lord was unknown to most, some were able to see the outworking of it, that is, the hand of the Lord in blessing. But everything changed with the coming of the Son of God. He has brought the glory of God close to man without endangering him. “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth”.  (John 1:14) As was revealed to Moses, the essence of the glory of God is that He is full of grace and truth. The glory of Jesus is that He is full of grace and truth. If we imitate Moses and ask God for a glimpse of His glory, He will direct us to Jesus. “For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ”. (2 Cor. 4:6) Jesus is , “… the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person”. (Heb. 1:3)

This dispensation is perhaps the most privileged of all, for both Jew and Gentile are encouraged to work for the glory of God. And those that are engaged in this pursuit will meditate much on the Lord Jesus, and the more they consider His attributes and the more they understand His character, the more they will perceive His glory. And then the object of their affection will in turn affect them. “But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord”. (2 Cor. 3:18) And as they acknowledge the worth and worthiness of their Master, they will foreshadow that great congregational act that is yet to come when every tongue will, “confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father”. (Phil. 2:11) Those that work to the glory of God are on course to share in the glory of God. “Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory”. (2 Co 4:16-19)

The Glory of God and Jesus

For those who wish to make a difference for good in this world the example of the Savior is the highest that can be viewed. Jesus did all for the glory of God. And since the mercy of God, which we have identified as being an essential element of the glory of God, depends on the substitutionary death of Jesus to satisfy the aspect of justice and righteousness which is also involved, then the death of Christ must be seen in terms of the glory of God. This is exactly so, and the closer Jesus got to His judicial execution the more this aspect of His service was emphasized. His death and resurrection were to be, for His contemporary generation, the sign of the prophet Jonah. The raising of Lazarus from Hades was orchestrated in such a way that it was an initial example of the sign. Before Lazarus had died, but in anticipation of the final result, Jesus said, “This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” (John 11:4) Of course, to complete the sign of the prophet Jonah, Lazarus had to be dead three days and three nights. So when Jesus finally arrived at the tomb and commanded that it should be opened, practical Martha was compelled to raise an objection to the actions of the Lord. His response was to return to the information that He had recently provided. He said, “Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?” (John 11:40) So the raising of Lazarus, the act that would pre-figure His own resurrection, as well as being the most vivid illustration of His assertion, “I am the resurrection”, was identified as being a demonstration of the glory of God.

This was further enforced when, in Passion Week, certain visitors to Jerusalem asked for an audience. Jesus saw in their request a further indication of His mission and again referred to His sacrificial death. He said, “The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified. Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain”,  (John 12:23,24) adding  “Now My soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save Me from this hour’? But for this purpose I came to this hour. Father, glorify Your name’.” (John 12.27,28) In other words, let this act of obedience be to the glory of the Father. An assurance was given in a Bat Kohl. “I have both glorified it and will glorify it again.” (John 12:28) The Father had accepted it as such and assured His Son that the work accomplished by His death would redound to the glory of the Godhead again and again and again. This was re-enforced for the disciples on Passover evening when Peter and John visited the Temple to kill a Lamb that was without blemish – a Lamb that was to once again typify the death of the Lamb of God that would take away the sin of the world. The blood which was dashed against the altar was first caught in a golden vessel, gold signifying the glory of God.

 Then again on the night in which He was betrayed, Jesus prayed: “I have glorified You on the earth. I have finished the work which You have given Me to do”. (Jn 17:4)

So we return to our original statement, that God is working all things for His own glory.  This will be central to our understanding of the covenants of Israel, as well as critical in any understanding of the different economies that God uses to relate to humankind.

More Next Time

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