The Glory Of The Lord

by G. Jarvie | Category: General | Jun 1962

"Let Thy work appear unto Thy servants,

And Thy glory upon their children.

And let the beauty of the LORD our God be upon us"

(Psalm 90.16, 17).

Those who live in lands, where there is crude idolatry, long especially to see the glory of the Lord. When we look at the idols which men have devised from their own imagination, we see how far short they have come of the glory of God. How pathetic it is that human beings come down so low that they will bow to an idol, a thing of naught, a nonentity!

But how much higher have some of the intellectuals of the Western world risen? Though they do not bow their bodies, yet they bow their minds to the things of earth; the fashionable women to their dress, many people with knowledge to their theories and research, and most of the ordinary men to their favourite sport. Both the poor heathen and the favoured intellectual alike have fallen short of the glory of God.

"Shew me, I pray Thee, Thy glory," said Moses (Exodus 33.18). It was a dark day in Israel's history. They had but recently worshipped the golden calf. We find from Ezekiel 20.8 that many in Israel carried their idols with them from Egypt, and so they fell a ready prey to sin in the wilderness. These men saw the works of God, but they never knew His ways. Most of them were spiritually blind, earthbound men. But Moses, the servant of God, saw His glory, and he "made haste and bowed his head toward the earth, and worshipped" (Exodus 34.8).

"We beheld His glory," wrote the apostle John (John 1.14), and that made all the difference in the lives of the disciples. They could never be the same men afterwards. They had seen the glory of Christ and so they must follow Him. What were some fishing boats to men who had seen something of the glory of' Christ? They rose and followed Him.

"We were eye witnesses of His majesty," wrote Peter (2 Peter 1.16), and though for a short time he faltered, he never turned back. How could he, when he had seen that glory?

We too have seen His glory, with the eye of faith, for God has "shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of His glory in the face of Jesus Christ" (2 Corinthians 4.6).

The knowledge of the glory of God! We need more of that knowledge. So often our lives seem drab and common-place. No glory and no power. We read of some that they were "the glory of Christ" (2 Corinthians 8.28). There was something different about them from many others. There was a radiance of Christ about them: not a visible light, nor a halo, as men would picture it, but yet a radiance. The glory of Christ was seen in them as they spoke of Him.

This is a day when men are worshipping science, the knowledge of things and theories. There is an earthly glory about it, but do not be drawn away by it, young disciple. Even if you should rise high in your profession, walk humbly. There is a knowledge that is as far above the science of this world, as the heaven is above the earth. It is the knowledge of the glory of the Lord. Those who have seen this glory think but little of any other glory, whether it be the glory of personality, or the glory of dress, or the glory of science. The glory of earth will be counted as nothing with those who have seen the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

How can this glory be manifest in our lives? We do not want to live drab lives. We want His glory in our lives, and upon our children. It will depend upon our seeing Him day by day. If with unveiled face we see Him, and reflect His glory, then others will see His glory in us. We may not be aware of it ourselves, but others will see it. It is written of Stephen, they "saw his face as it had been the face of an angel" (Acts 6.15). Was it his natural comeliness, or his personality that gave him such an appearance? Oh no! It is written again, he "looked up stedfastly ... and saw the glory of God, and Jesus" (Acts 7.55). No wonder his face shone!

Let us make no mistake about it, this is not a question of personality. It is the reflection of Christ in us, and without this there will be no glory, and no power in our lives, no matter how accomplished we may be in earthly things. In India, we sometimes meet men, Yogas, who spend much time in meditation, trying to purify their lives. It is amazing how much time they will spend in this way, and the measure of tranquillity that is manifest in their faces. But it is human and earthly, and their lives do not affect other lives. The glory of God is not in them. That can only be seen in the face of Jesus Christ.

Young disciple, what are you looking at? How do you spend your leisure time? At the radio ? At television? At novels? Do you read many magazines? What fills your heart? In what do you find yourself having most joy? In earthly things? or in heavenly things? There is a glory in earthly things, but it is a poor and stunted and short-lived glory. If you are much taken up with earthly things, your life, too, will be poor and stunted, and of little help to others. But if your chief joy is in Christ, and you have sweet fellowship with Him, then your life will be a reflection of His glory. That is the worth while life, is it not ? That is real life. A life of earthly glory is only a sham and empty life.

There is a day coming when "the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea" (Habakkuk 2.14). We can understand in measure that expression if we have been at sea, out of sight of land, nothing but water everywhere. Then the whole earth will be full of this knowledge - the knowledge of the glory of the LORD. No talk of evolution then! No fashion parades! In the light of His glory, every other glory will fade away. So it should be with us now. That is what we want, for our children and for ourselves. We long that the glory of the Lord might be upon them, and His beauty upon us.

Let us spend time in the secret place. Let us cultivate the spirit of thanksgiving and praise. Let us trust God at all times and in all ways, and the beauty of the Lord our God will be upon us, and His glory upon our children.

<Author: G. Jarvie>

G. Jarvie | Jun 1962
General