11/28/2022 0 Comments All things done for my glory![]() Even when judging Israel’s sin, God reiterated his purpose: “the glory of Yahweh will fill all the earth” ( Num 14:21, author’s translation), In the tabernacle and later the temple, God gave to Israel a preview of the way his glory will one day fill the world, God’s cosmic temple. Exod 9:16 14:4, 17), planting Israel in the promised land ( Exod 15:17) so they could take up the task Adam forsook (cf. The nation was identified as God’s “firstborn son” at the exodus from Egypt ( Exod 4:22-23), and God showed his glory over Pharaoh at the exodus (e.g. God did not give up on his original purpose to cover the dry lands with his glory, and there is a clear line from Adam to Abraham ( Gen 5:1-32 11:10-26), and then from Abraham to the nation of Israel ( Gen 12:1-3 26:1-4 28:1-4 48:15-16 49:1-27). God set mercy and salvation in motion even as he spoke judgement on the sinners, thereby displaying the unique glory of his ability to save and show kindness, love, and mercy even as he keeps his word and upholds righteousness by doing justice ( Gen 3:14-19, especially 3:15). With Adam guilty, God now has an opportunity to display the wonder of his mercy, to demonstrate his power to overcome volitional evil, and to show his love by accomplishing salvation. We can observe that the sin Adam chose to commit opened up previously impossible prospects. The omniscient Creator knew all that would come to pass in the world he created, and he went forward with the project. Even this, however did not take God by surprise. Rather than covering the dry lands with the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea, however, the image-bearer was tempted, sinned, and consequently cast out of the garden of God’s presence ( Gen 3:6-7, 23). Moreover, this image of God was to exercise dominion over the world and bring it into subjection ( Gen 1:26-28). God created the world as a theater of his glory, and in the theater he put an image of himself made to enjoy his glory. God endowed his image-bearers with the capacity to use all their powers in the mysterious and elevating worship of the One who made them, sustains them, and created them for himself. The image of the real God is not like the idolatrous manmade images that neither see nor hear nor eat nor smell but is a living being capable of rational thought, relational engagement, and creative development. The human body is an engineering masterpiece childbirth is a miraculous mystery and the mercy and justice that humans can display as they relate to one another is simultaneously light and heavy, acute and broad, high and deep, reflecting the very glory of the One whose image they bear. Human beings, like the cosmic temple of the universe, radiate God’s glory. This image was made not of wood or stone or gold or silver but of flesh and blood. In a sacred garden spot in his cosmic temple, God placed an image of himself. The cosmos is a stunning and fabulous temple, brimming with God’s wisdom and creativity. What God set out to accomplish at the beginning is what he will bring to pass at the end of all things (cf. In this respect, God created the world as a cosmic temple. God created the world as a place where he would be known, served, praise, and worshiped – a place where his glory would be both manifest and enjoyed. Some key aspects of God’s glory, however, can be summarized as follows: the glory of God is the weight of the majestic goodness of who God is an the resulting name, or reputation, that he gains from revealing himself as Creator, Sustainer, Judge, and Redeemer, perfect in justice and mercy, loving-kindness and truth (cf. What is the glory of God? The answer is as infinite as God’s glory itself, so the question can never be answered exhaustively. The skies proclaim the work of his hands. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |