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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