Now to the King [be] … glory…
Summary: Understanding Paul’s meaning requires digging into the language he used. While not the same as an exhaustive study, this meditation gives us a peek at what Paul might have been thinking.
It is unfortunate, and a little confusing, when Greek and English word meanings don’t exactly line up. It is kind of like trying to mix real LEGO™ blocks with generic lego-like ones. They look the same, but they don’t quite fit together.
In our last meditation,* we looked at the Greek word “timḗ” and why the Bible uses the English word “honor” for it. In this meditation, we look at the Greek word “dóxa” (dox’-ah) and wonder if it should be used for “honor,” too.
Sometimes it is!
But, most of the time, “dóxa” is translated as “glory.”
Why?
The concept of honor, both in the Greek “timḗ” and the English, has to do with how someone is valued. Just like we “pay” respect, we “pay” honor, too. When we honor God, we acknowledge his infinite value and worth because he is the source of our lives and all that is good.
Glory is a bit different.
We can give glory to God in the same way we give honor, but with the word “glory,” there is a sense that the value is within the person or being.
Consider the statue “David,” by Michelangelo. If you have ever seen it, you know that it is an enormous marble statue standing seventeen feet high. It is on display at Galleria dell’Accademia, Florence, Italy. If you ever take the time to travel to Italy and make your way to the Galleria dell’Accademia, then pay the admission fee and endure the wait and the crowds to catch a view of the famous statue, you are paying the statue honor by coming to see it.
The glory you see is different than the honor you pay.
There is a certain glory to the statue because of its history, the artist, and its amazing size and faithful rendering of the human body. That glory exists whether anyone is looking at the statue or not. At night, when the museum is closed and all is dark, the statue remains the same.
The glory of God is similar but on an infinitely grander scale.
When the Queen of Sheba came to see Solomon, and was confronted with all his glory, the Bible says that there was “no more breath in her” (2 Chronicles 9:3-6, ESV).
God is like that, but more, far more. Confronted with the living God, John says, “When I saw him, I fell at this feet as though dead” (Revelation 1:17), and that is what it is like to be in the presence of God’s glory.
Application: Take time to appreciate God’s glory!
Food for Thought: How does paying attention to God’s glory change our relationship with him?
*”1 Timothy 1:17e – Paying Honor”
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The old saying is”to know him is to love him.” If we are to see Him more clearly then we will appreciate our amazing God for Who He is. That will certainly change our relationship with Him. It will lead to giving Him glory, honor and worship.
Thank you, Rich!
Yes. All of that and more!
How does paying attention to God’s glory change our relationship with him?
Michelangelo’s “David” is glorious to behold, but “it” doesn’t love us nor is it capable of having a relationship with us. To think about the gloriousness of God and then remembering that He loves us so much that He sent Jesus to pay our debt, so that we could be reconciled to Him, that fills me with humility and gratitude. Standing in the presence of Gods Glory, we recognize how insignificant we are in comparison, there is no comparison, however, being in His presence as He reveals it to us we understand how significant we are to Him.
1 John 4:9 In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him.
John 1:14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
2 Corinthians 5:21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God
Thank you Chris!
It is quite a contrast!
How does paying attention to God’s glory change our relationship with him?
I am a finite, fallen, imperfect being, attempting to, with my limited mental capacity, vision, and vocabulary describe our creator Gods boundless Glory. He Is beyond my capacity to comprehend, vocabulary to effectively describe, yet He has created all humans for fellowship, and it is by His power and revelation we, His creation recognize and receive His truths.
I know of His unending love for me, His patience and moment by moment guidance as I seek a life devoted to His will over my own, and remain on earth to be His voice to this lost world we live in. And I will remain here until every detail or His preordained life is complete and He will transform me into a holy being capable of standing in His presence for all eternity.
Isaiah 55:8-9, “ For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,”declares the Lord. 9 “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.
2 Corinthians 3:18, “And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit”
Ron
Thanks for hanging in here with the rest of us. Your ministry is valuable.