4/29/07

The Essence of Christ in the Psalms: His Majesty

Psalm 8:1-9

O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is Your name in all the earth, Who has displayed Your splendor above the heavens! [2] From the mouth of infants and nursing babes You have established strength, because of Your adversaries, to make the enemy and the revengeful cease.  [3] When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have ordained; [4] what is man, that You take thought of him?  And the son of man, that You care for him?  [5] Yet You have made him a little lower than the angels, and have crowned him with glory and majesty! [6] You make him to rule over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet, [7] all sheep and oxen, and also the beasts of the field, [8] the birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea, whatever passes through the paths of the seas.  [9] O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is Your name in all the earth!

 God has already displayed Himself in majesty above the heavens, in the heavens and in all the earth.  God by the breath of His mouth put into motion all things that exist.  It is unfortunate that we, as earth-bound objects, do not have the ability to see all of His majesty beyond what we know here. The Word says that the heavens declare His glory( Psalms 97:6).  He gives us entrance into a deeper glimpse through the work of the Holy Spirit in our hearts with understanding.

 Job 36:24-37:20

Remember that you should exalt His work, of which men have sung. [25] All men have seen it; man beholds from afar. [26] Behold, God is exalted, and we do not know Him; the number of His years is unsearchable. [27] For He draws up the drops of water, they distill rain from the mist, [28] Which the clouds pour down, they drip upon man abundantly. [29] Can anyone understand the spreading of the clouds, the thundering of His pavilion? [30] Behold, He spreads His lightning about Him, and He covers the depths of the sea. [31] For by these He judges peoples; He gives food in abundance. [32] He covers His hands with the lightning, and commands it to strike the mark. [33] Its noise declares His presence;   the cattle also, concerning what is coming up. [37:1] At this also my heart trembles, and leaps from its place. [2] Listen closely to the thunder of His voice, and the rumbling that goes out from His mouth. [3] Under the whole heaven He lets it loose, and His lightning to the ends of the earth. [4] After it, a voice roars; He thunders with His majestic voice; and He does not restrain the lightnings when His voice is heard. [5] God thunders with His voice wondrously, doing great things which we cannot comprehend. [6] For to the snow He says, “Fall on the earth,” and to the downpour and the rain, “Be strong.” [7] He seals the hand of every man, that all men may know His work. [8] Then the beast goes into its lair, and remains in its den. [9] Out of the south comes the storm, and out of the north the cold. [10] From the breath of God ice is made, and the expanse of the waters is frozen. [11] Also with moisture He loads the thick cloud; He disperses the cloud of His lightning. [12] And it changes direction, turning around by His guidance, that it may do whatever He commands it on the face of the inhabited earth. [13] Whether for correction, or for His world, or for lovingkindness, He causes it to happen. [14] Listen to this, O Job, stand and consider the wonders of God. [15] Do you know how God establishes them, and makes the lightning of His cloud to shine? [16] Do you know about the layers of the thick clouds, the wonders of one perfect in knowledge, [17] You whose garments are hot, when the land is still because of the south wind? [18] Can you, with Him, spread out the skies, strong as a molten mirror? [19] Teach us what we shall say to Him; we cannot arrange our case because of darkness. [20] Shall it be told Him that I would speak? Or should a man say that he would be swallowed up?

 Out of the north comes golden splendor; around God is awesome majesty. [23] The Almighty-- we cannot find Him; He is exalted in power; and He will not do violence to justice and abundant righteousness. [24] Therefore men fear Him; He does not regard any who are wise of heart.

(Job 37:22-24)

God clearly declares to Job and to us how very little we really know the majesty of God.  However, even in the not-knowing of the expanse of His majesty, David unveils the most wonderful aspect of God, as far as man is concerned, that supersedes all of His other creative wonders.  He says in verse four, “what is man that You take thought of him? And the son of man that you care for Him?”  From where I stand, this is the most glorious aspect of His majesty: He has imparted to man a knowledge of what He has done and Who He is.  Were it not for His impartation of Who He is to us, we would only stand amazed, if we got it at all, that Something, somehow brought all of that we experience into being.  Apart from His telling us in His Word, we would not know that there is a Creator-Being that has done all He has done for one purpose…to bring glory to Himself.  And it is for that reason that we exist.  God, in His Omniscience, in His Sovereignty, chose to create one thing that would not just reveal the glory of His handiwork, but one that would give audible expression of it from a point of intentioned reason and inspiration. 

 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.( Genesis 1:1)

 God did something that would unlock a fuller understanding of His majesty, and subsequently, a fuller dimension of our ability to worship Him, when He gave us His Son.  Jesus not only created everything, He also had to redeem it.  Because God revealed Himself…His majesty…to us in His Son, we were given all we need to know to walk in relationship with our Creator.

 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. [2] He was in the beginning with God. [3] All things came into being by Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. [4] In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.( John 1:1-4)

 For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities-- all things have been created by Him and for Him. [17] And He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. [18] He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the begin-ning, the first-born from the dead; so that He Himself might come to have first place in everything. [19] For it was the Father's good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him, [20] and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross; through Him, I say, whether things on earth or things in heaven. [21] And although you were formerly alienated and hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds, [22] yet He has now reconciled you in His fleshly body through death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach--( Colossians 1:16-22)

 What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we beheld and our hands handled, concerning the Word of Life-- [2] and the life was manifested, and we have seen and bear witness and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was manifested to us-- [3] what we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also, that you also may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ. [4] And these things we write, so that our joy may be made complete.( 1 John 1:1-4)

 It is not that God has crowned us with an indelible impression of His work upon us, only, but it is His desire that we do the work of His hands here on earth.  He has given us rule and authority over everything that He created.  We should live as stewards of all that He has created.  Though we will never be like God in essence, we will know Him, as we have been known. (1 Corinthians 13:12).  David says that God has made us just a little lower than the angels.  However, there is a view to our one day, not just knowing Him, we will also reign with Him. 

If we endure, we shall also reign with Him; if we deny Him, He also will deny us; ( 2 Timothy 2:12)

Blessed and holy is the one who has a part in the first resurrection; over these the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with Him for a thousand years.( Rev. 20:6 )

 The work of Christ in us is to bring glory, praise and majesty to God through us.  This should cause us, perhaps more than any other reason, i.e., to share His glory, to live for His glory with positive intention every day of our lives.  This life is not about us.  It is about our receiving His glory and living out His glory.  It means making sure that our hearts are inclined toward His Spirit, Who is working in us to bring that glory to fruition.  Our primary focus should be that our words, our desires, our longings reflect more and more of His ruling authority over us.  His majesty is upon us…I pray that each of us will determine to live like it.

 And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, ⁴ having become as much better than the angels, as He has inherited a more excellent name than they. (Hebrews 1:3-4)

 For we did not follow cleverly devised tales when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of His majesty. (2 Peter 1:16-17)