“The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims His handiwork.” – Psalm 19:1
Heavenly Lessons
How wise we would be to imitate the heavens. Declaring the glory of God and proclaiming His handiwork. Isn’t that why we were created? Isn’t that why we were redeemed? We like to “make much” of ourselves. Too much. When we are caught in the trap of thinking the world revolves around us it is good to look to the heavens. The heavens don’t declare your greatness. They certainly don’t proclaim my handiwork. We didn’t hang the stars in their places. We didn’t give each of them a name. As large and as bright as they are we can’t even see them all. The heavens don’t exalt mankind, rather they humble us. As does nature in general. Whether it is the grandeur of a mountain or a sunset or the sheer power of a tsunami or an earthquake, we are reminded that we are mere worms (Job 25:6). Thinking of ourselves as worms is not flattering, but it is a good perspective from which to “view” and appreciate the glory of God (Isaiah 41:14).
God’s Glory
We often speak of the glory of God, but what exactly does that mean? In the Old Testament, two of the Hebrew words translated in English as glory are Hod and Kabod and in the New Testament, the Greek original is Doxa. These words, respectively, mean splendor, weight, and judgment (opinion). By extension, majesty, important, honor. Although God’s glory is intrinsic, I am going to define it as simply, the manifestation of God’s character. You are welcome to disagree with my definition. But some things are not debatable. What is more important to God than the manifestation of His character? Doesn’t He want to make Himself known so He can be worshiped? What is the purpose of His works? Why did He inspire the authors of the Bible to write? Why did He reveal Himself using different names? God wants His name to be famous! We should want nothing less.
God’s Manifestation
“For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For His invisible attributes, namely, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse” (Romans 1:19-20). If manifesting His character is so important to God, what does that say about our obligation to know Him? Moses prayed to God, “Please show me your glory” (Exodus 33:18). A.W. Tozer once said, “What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.” Jesus lived to make the Father known to us. He died to bring Him glory. “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you…” (John 17:1b). Christ glorified the Father by revealing Him to us. We “glorify” the Father by accepting Christ and making Him known.
It Is Jesus
“He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation” (Colossians 1:15). “He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of His nature” (Hebrews 1:3a). The author of Hebrews states succinctly that all of God’s revelations of His character culminated in His Son. The author of Hebrews tells us that the heavens that declare the glory of God are the works of Christ’s hands. It is He who upholds the universe by the word of His power. It is Jesus that made purification for sins. It is Jesus that sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on High. It is Jesus that all of God’s angels worship. It is Jesus whose throne is forever and ever. It is Jesus that is a merciful and faithful high priest. It is Jesus that is the apostle and high priest of our confession. It is Jesus who has passed through the heavens. It is Jesus that is a guarantor of a better covenant. It is Jesus that always lives to make intercession for us. It is Jesus who is holy, innocent, unstained, separated from sinners and exalted above the heavens. It is Jesus, the Son, who has been made perfect forever. It is the blood of Jesus that gives us the confidence to “enter the holy places.”
Pursuing God
What comes to your mind when you think about God? Tozer was correct, the most important thing you can do with your life is to pursue God in Christ. That is why you were created. That is how God is glorified. The heavens declare the glory of God. God has revealed Himself to us. He is glorified when we enter the holy places and approach Him as Abba Father. He hung the stars in place to shout to us to look to Him. He hung a star over Bethlehem to lead the wise men to the babe. His Son hung on a cross so we could come to Him.
“To God be the glory, great things He has done, so loved He the world that He gave us His son.”