God created everything in Lord Jesus and through Him, by Him and for Him everything was created and all of creation subsists in Him. King David, the man of God’s heart, understood this and as a shepherd praised Him as also organized worship of God in the Temple in Jerusalem. But nobody can fully comprehend the glory of God and even a learned scholar like Apostle Paul glorified God through his inability to fathom the riches of God’s glory.
Doxology or praise of God – Doxology comes from the Greek word ‘doxa’ meaning ‘splendor, majesty, magnificence or personal exalted state’ and this is about anything and in its written or spoken form is doxology. This word is inserted before the translation of Romans 11:33 where Apostle Paul exclaims about the unfathomable glory of God. Apostle Paul introduced himself to the Jews who were stirred up in Jerusalem against him, as one ‘taught by Gamaliel according to the strictness of Moses law; persecuted this Way (the believers) to death and taking both men and women into prisons and sent to Damascus under authority from the Chief Priests and the Sanhedrin for the same purpose’ (Acts 22:3-5). The same Gamaliel, the great scholar of the Old Testament of that time, warned the Chief Priests and members of the Jewish council to ‘keep away from these men’ (the disciples who were preaching the Gospel in the Temple). The reason given by him was that if what they are preaching is of men, it will come to nothing but if it is from God then the Sanhedrin will be fighting against God (Acts 5:34-39).
After his enlightenment by the Savior Lord on road to Damascus, Apostle Paul, then Saul, did not consult others to learn further but went to Arabia to be alone with God and receive direct revelation about the Word of God (Galatians 1:15-17). Despite such credentials and being the author of much of the New Testament, 14 of the 26 books including Epistle to the Hebrews (which authorship some dispute) he declared, exclaiming about the greatness of God and limitations of human mind to fully comprehend that (Romans 11:33-36).
If we see some of the facts about God creating mankind, we shall also join the Apostle in exclamation; First, ‘God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him’ (Genesis 1:27). Man is the only created being who is created thus, a spirit being with a body to be able to communicate with God, a Spirit in the spiritual world, and with the created beings in the physical and material realm. All that man needed was created beforehand and God Himself visited man daily to fellowship with him.
Second, Man is the only crated being who is blessed by God to exercise authority over other created beings, except mankind, and rule over them (Genesis 1:28). God permitted man to name ‘all cattle, birds of the air and every beast of the field’ as confirmation of that authority (Genesis 2:19). Three, Man is the only created being who was improved upon by God to end his loneliness by creating a woman to be his ‘ezer kenegdo or help meet’ (Genesis 2:18 & 22). After their sin, God covered man and woman with garments of skin and clothed them (Genesis 3:21). Four, Man is created a little lower than the angels (Psalm 8:5) but the same angels are ‘ministering spirits’ to the children of God ((Hebrews 1:14) and man will one day ‘judge angels’ ((1 Corinthians 6:3). Five, despite repeated acts of ‘rebellion against God’ man is still not denied access to God and still God speaks to man repeatedly through ‘dreams, in a vision of the night’, through His prophets or through a ‘still small voice’ (Job 33:15). Six, The highest price that could be paid to redeem mankind from the clutches of devil and sin, was paid by God through the sufferings and sacrifice of His Own Beloved Son on the cross. This opened the way for man to become part of God’s family and to live in close relationship with God. Seven, God decided to dwell in man to be a ‘Guide and Comforter’ to him and to lead him onto a path of holiness and victory over forces of darkness in His Divine power. Through faith in the Son of God, man is provided citizenship of heavenly kingdom while dwelling on the earth in the blessings of that (Philippians 3:20).
The four living creatures, moving before the throne of God, had six wings each full of eyes around and within and the eyes are rightly linked to the wisdom and knowledge (Revelation 4:8). God created Lucifer, the covering cherub as ‘seal of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty’ (Ezekiel 28:12). God’s glory is revealed not only in His own self but also in His creation, more so, in all that is close to Him and in His presence. The cherubs ‘do not rest day or night, saying; ‘Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come’. Isaiah 6:1-8 or Ezekiel 1 describe the glory of the presence of God and much more is revealed in the Book of Revelation and the cherubim, the 24 elders or the redeemed whose number is beyond count are all seen to break into a song of worship. In describing the glory of God symbols have been used but we must remember that the symbol is always less than the reality. The reality of heaven and glory of God revealed therein is definitely far superior to what is written.
After receiving the blessings of God’s message from Prophet Nathan, ‘King David went in and sat before the LORD; and he said, ‘Who am I, O LORD God? And what is my house, that You have brought me this far? And yet this was a small thing in Your sight, O LORD God; and You have also spoken of Your servant’s house for a great while to come. Is this the manner of man, O LORD God?’ (2 Samuel 7:18-22). It is humility of a blessed person that he compares himself with the exalted status that God has given to cry out thus about God. Who among any of us can lay claim in his own right to something more than what God has already done in His mercy and goodness and compassion?
The reality of God’s glory – After writing the first eleven chapters of the Book of Romans, a book that contains such marvelous gems of theology, Apostle Paul automatically cried out in praise of God to say in the last verse, ‘From Him, through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be glory forever’ (Romans 11:33-36). All theology when rightly understood, leads the mind to the glory of God for story of God is about the glory of God and then one exclaims in wonder, ‘Oh, the depths of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God!’ And the sign of exclamation at the end indicates strong feelings or high volume to show emphasis.
Three things are mentioned by Apostle Paul about God’s glory. First is the depth which is indescribably deep and when the Apostle looked into the depth of God’s riches and wisdom and knowledge, he simply cries out ‘Oh’ in ecstasy. There are three things of this depth; It is unreachably hidden and ‘God gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding; He reveals deep and secret things; He knows what is in the darkness’ (Daniel 2:21-22 ). God is infinite and there will be always some dimension of God that man can never know for it will remain hidden and unreachable. Someone had raised a question about life in eternity in heaven, what would one be doing and would it not be boring after sometime with nothing to do? The covering cherub since eternity past, with all their intelligence, see something new every moment and cry out to praise God. Secondly, this depth means objective reality for this is not empty space or a delusion but has a purpose. 1 Corinthians 2:10 – ‘God’s Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God’ and reveals them to us in part as per our ability. There is foundation in the depth. It is not about the heights of riches, although that will also be true, but the depth which is the difference between deep roots and high branches, deep causes and high effects or beginnings and goals or results. God is the root or the beginning as also on top of all things, ‘for from Him and to Him are all things’. The foundation and destination of everything and whatever depth one may go to, there is only God.
Then the three things that bring out exultation; the riches, wisdom and knowledge of God. First, the riches that is in three senses. First, God is Creator Owner of all for ‘The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof, the world and all those who dwell therein’ (Psalm 24:1). Moses told the Israelites, ‘Indeed, heaven and the highest heavens belong to the LORD your God, also the earth and all that is in it’ (Deuteronomy 10:14). He as Sovereign over everything may do with everything including me and you as He pleases for it is only His will that must prevail. And this God is my God and He loves me and you in the fullness of His glory. Second, God created everything ‘ex nihilo’, from nothing and there is no end to nothingness and there is no end to God’s power to create for He does not need any raw materials. ‘In the beginning God created’ and there was nothing to create from (Genesis 1:1). Three, God in Himself is the infinite resource and treasure of this universe for He is Infinite in value. The Scripture defines these as, ‘the riches of His kindness’ (Romans 2:4); ‘the riches of His grace’ (Ephesians 1:7) and ‘riches of His glory’ (Romans 9:23). And these are all freely given by Him to us for our joy in His Son
Apostle Paul exclaims, ‘Eye has not seen, ear has not heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him’ (1 Corinthians 2:9). After such revelation, there is natural exclamation, ‘Oh, the unsearchable riches’ that are in God. And Apostle Paul then declares that the treasures of ‘wisdom and knowledge of God’ is hidden and revealed in Lord Jesus. Knowledge is about being aware of facts and wisdom is awareness of how to use those facts for great results and Lord Jesus, even as man, is full of both.
God as the Great I Am is fully in the know of all that is in the past, present and likely to come in the future in every corner of the whole universe to the minutest detail. He is in the know of all thoughts, choices and feelings of every human being and their thoughts, words and deeds of the past and future. That is the depth of the ‘riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God’. Lord Jesus as the Living Word is the Creator of all things (John 1:3). In Him all things subsist and hold together and all things were created by and for Him (Colossians 1:17 & 16). The glory of God is to bring such a great treasure and present Him into the ‘image and likeness’ of man to the whole world to transform man into the ‘image and likeness of God’.
Effect on mankind of God’s revealed glory -The overwhelming glory of God is, that He teaches us the way to pray to Him (Matthew 6:9-13). God’s Spirit dwells in us as a Teacher and intercedes for us ‘according to the will of God (Romans 8:26-27) and The Son of God as our High Priest in heaven ‘makes intercession for us’ before God the Father. God is love and desires to bless us despite our sinful and rebellious nature and has even laid down the exact way that His blessings are to be pronounced by His High Priest as benediction before people leave His presence and this is defined benediction of God’s intent for His people.
The Aaronic Blessing – The benedictory blessing of High Priest is, ‘The LORD bless you and keep you; The LORD make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you; The LORD lift up His countenance upon you, and give you peace’ (Numbers 6:23-26). First is His desire to bless us and keep us. Apostle John prayed this, ‘I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers’ (3 John 2). And this blessing and keeping by the LORD God is much beyond happiness and comfort or wealth but prosperity in all things including the body and soul. Second, God’s desire to look upon us filled with His Divine love with a look of approval on our walk of obedience and even while correcting us for our disobedience He does it in love of a loving Father. How can we maintain a crying face when God smiles at us? And that is the reason for the command, ‘In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you’ (1 Thessalonians 5:18). Third, and be gracious to you showing His mercy and care for His chosen ones. ‘Gracious is the LORD, and righteous; yes, our God is merciful’ and He preserves the simple and brings us up from the life’s lows (Psalm 116:5-6). Fourth, The LORD lift up His countenance upon you. He pays attention and hears every word that we speak, to bless us. Angel Gabriel brought God’s blessing of birth of a son to Zechariah the priest but caused inability to speak on him lest he say something and lose the blessing (Luke 1:11-20). Fifth, And give you peace and the Hebrew word is ‘shalom’ which means much more than peace and is about wholeness and goodness and total satisfaction in life. Shalom is about walking in the abundant life promised by the Lord Jesus (John 10:10).
The three times mention of LORD in the Aaronic blessing is about the Father in heaven blessing and keeping His children; God the Son shines His face and brings us His grace and God the Holy Spirit communicates God’s attention and gives us peace. The six times use of the word you is to make us realize fully that His desire is to bless each one of us individually and not someone else. God confirms to us the fruit of His blessing through His High Priest, ‘they shall put My name on the children of Israel, and I will bless them’ (Numbers 6:27). I must bear my Lord’s name for Scripture identifies only those bearing His name on their foreheads shall see His face and be blessed in the New Jerusalem.
Lord Jesus prayed unto God, the Father, seeking glory from Him so that ‘the Son may glorify You’ and then He gave the same glory to all believers that God is glorified in them. Does His glory as revealed by the indwelling Holy Spirit gets reflected in our lives?
