On Sunday we started a new series called Glory Revealed. In this series, we are going to take a journey through the Bible looking at how God has revealed Himself. Glory is God’s revealed presence . Glory is a declaration of God’s greatness and an invitation to worship. In the Bible glory is defined as both the act of worship (we give glory to God) and the object of worship. Glory is not an attribute of God. Glory is the sum total of all the attributes of God. Today, we will look at God’s glory in creation. Why did God create the universe? Why were we created? The message of the Bible is clear from beginning to end. We were made for the glory of God.
God’s Glory is Seen in the Heavens
“Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory in the heavens. When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them?” (Ps. 8:1-4). You cannot answer who is man until you have answered who is God. Is there a God? God has written across the sky, “I AM!” You may wonder why such a vast universe of variety and complexity? All of creation cannot contain His greatness and majesty. Solomon said, “Behold, heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain you.” Psalm 19 proclaims as well, “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge. They have no speech, they use no words; no sound is heard from them. Yet their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world. In the heavens God has pitched a tent for the sun. It is like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, like a champion rejoicing to run his course. It rises at one end of the heavens and makes its circuit to the other; nothing is deprived of its warmth” (v. 1-6). God’s glory is so great that it cannot be limited or localized. Day and night, through the sun and stars and the vastness and detail of all creation, the glory of God is revealed.
God’s Glory is Seen in Humanity
“What is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them? You have made them a little lower than the angels and crowned them with glory and honor. You made them rulers over the works of your hands; you put everything under their feet” (Ps. 8:4-6). The Hebrew word translated “angels” or “heavenly beings” is Elohim. It is the name for God. God created man with divine dignity. We are not a little higher than the animals. We are a little lower than God. This does not mean we are little gods. It affirms we are created in the image of God. He gave us dominion over the earth. He put us here not to just reside but preside. John Piper said, “Lose sight of who man really is and you lose sight of who God really is.” God created us with dignity and dominion, but Adam and Eve sinned and brought guilt, shame, suffering, and death into human experience.
General Revelation, what we learn about God from creation, is enough to condemn, but not enough to convert. The person who has never heard the gospel, although they may witness or acknowledge God, is neither safe nor innocent. He is a condemned, lost sinner. He needs Special Revelation. He needs the Scriptures.
Psalm 19 continues, “The law of the Lord is perfect, refreshing the soul. The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple. The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart. They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey… But who can discern their own errors? Forgive my hidden faults” (v. 7-12). David spends the first half of Psalm 19 on General Revelation. He spends the second half on Special Revelation. David describes the value of the Word of God. It is perfect, sure, right, pure, clean, true, desirable, sweet, and rewarding. That is why we preach and teach the Bible! We are all sinners and all have faults. Romans 3:23 says we all fall short of the glory of God.
The answer to our guilt and condemnation is the grace and glory of God. The God of creation made something out of nothing. He brings order out of chaos. He brought dead things to life. That is what He planned to do in your life before the world began. Before He hung a star in space, He had you on His heart. The God of the universe wants to have a relationship with you. Why are you here? All the stars and scriptures say you were created for the glory of God.
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The New Interpreters Dictionary of the Bible pg 576.