section 1
Why is God so zealous about His own glory? Why is His name so important to Him ezekiel 39:25 ? The people of the world hear of it and think this God of the Bible to be a narcissist isaiah 42:8 exodus 20:1-7 Who can allow no freedom or choice but will always be all about Himself alone exodus 34:14 hosea 2:17 . We, His people, struggle to see His glory, let alone live for it exodus 33:18-19 . We struggle to understand Who He is, let alone justify Him to unbelievers malachi 3:16 job 32:1-2 romans 3:4 .
"Therefore this is what the Sovereign LORD says: I will now restore the fortunes of Jacob and will have compassion on all the people of Israel, and I will be zealous for My holy name.
"I am the LORD; that is My name! I will not yield My glory to another or My praise to idols.
And God spoke all these words, saying, "I am the LORD your God...You shall have no other gods before Me. "You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the LORD your God am a jealous God..."You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain.
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(for you shall worship no other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God)...
For I will take from her mouth the names of the Baals, And they shall be remembered by their name no more.
Moses said, "Please show me Your glory."
And He said, "I will make all My goodness pass before you and will proclaim before you My name ‘The LORD.’ And I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy.
Then those who feared the LORD talked with each other, and the LORD listened and heard. A scroll of remembrance was written in His presence concerning those who feared the LORD and honored His name.
So these three men ceased to answer Job, because he was righteous in his own eyes. Then Elihu the son of Barachel the Buzite, of the family of Ram, burned with anger. He burned with anger at Job because he justified himself rather than God.
Certainly not! Indeed, let God be true but every man a liar. As it is written: "That You may be justified in Your words, And may overcome when You are judged."
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section 2
We know we are supposed to do everything for God’s glory, but what exactly are we aiming for romans 2:7 ? What exactly is God going for throughout history in this pursuit of His glory john 12:28 ? Why are our lives subjected to suffering for the display of His glory john 11:4 ii corinthians 12:9-10 ? Why do we suffer for His name acts 9:15-16 ?
...to those who by perseverance in doing good seek for glory and honor and immortality, eternal life;
Father, glorify Your name." Then a voice came from Heaven: "I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again."
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But when Jesus heard it He said, "This illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it."
But He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
But the Lord said to him, "Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry My name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel. For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of My name."
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section 3
It is hard for us to justify God’s zeal for His glory in our own minds and to explain it to others if we really don’t even understand what His glory is and why His glory should matter to us. God is zealous for His glory, but it is not a narcissistic self-focus, but rather an adherence to the Truth john 8:54-55 , by the way, it is Truth that is to our benefit john 8:32 psalm 36:9 ecclesiastes 11:7 . He is zealous for His glory because it is that very Truth of His glory that is good and sweet, while any deception, falseness or corruption exchanges good for evil isaiah 5:20 jeremiah 3:23-24 i john 1:5 .
Jesus answered, "If I glorify Myself, My glory is nothing. It is My Father Who glorifies Me, of Whom you say, ‘He is our God.’ But you have not known Him. I know Him. If I were to say that I do not know Him, I would be a liar like you, but I do know Him and I keep His Word.
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Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!
Surely the idolatrous commotion on the hills and mountains is a deception; surely in the LORD our God is the salvation of Israel. From our youth shameful gods have consumed the fruits of our ancestors’ labor— their flocks and herds, their sons and daughters.
This is the message we have heard from Him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all.
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section 4
It is on account of Who He is…His name…His own glory that we are blessed isaiah 26:7-15 , even in His judgements He is bringing about His glorious good isaiah 5:16 . He is zealous for His glory because that is what fills the creation with all that is good habakkuk 2:14 james 1:16-17 . It is for this very reason that He conducts Himself, not according to what we deserve ezra 9:13 , but by His own character psalm 25:7 psalm 69:16 psalm 109:26 titus 3:5 . If He were not zealous for His own name, His own glory, we would only get what we deserve, but it is because He deals with us because of Who He is rather that what we are isaiah 48:9-11 deuteronomy 9:4-6 that we are redeemed, washed, and saved ezekiel 36:22-32 . All glory is to Him because He is the Love and Truth that blesses us psalm 115:1, 3, 15-18 !
The path of the righteous is level; You, the Upright One, make the way of the righteous smooth. Yes, LORD, walking in the way of Your laws, we wait for You; Your name and renown are the desire of our hearts. My soul yearns for You in the night; in the morning my spirit longs for You. When Your judgments come upon the earth, the people of the world learn righteousness. But when grace is shown to the wicked, they do not learn righteousness; even in a land of uprightness they go on doing evil and do not regard the majesty of the LORD.
LORD, Your hand is lifted high, but they do not see it. Let them see Your zeal for Your people and be put to shame; let the fire reserved for Your enemies consume them. LORD, You establish peace for us; all that we have accomplished You have done for us.
LORD our God, other lords besides You have ruled over us, but Your name alone do we honor. They are now dead, they live no more; their spirits do not rise. You punished them and brought them to ruin; You wiped out all memory of them. You have enlarged the nation, LORD; You have enlarged the nation. You have gained glory for Yourself; You have extended all the borders of the land.
But the LORD Almighty will be exalted by His justice, and the holy God will be proved holy by His righteous acts.
For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD as the waters cover the sea.
Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with Whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.
After all that has happened to us because of our evil deeds and terrible guilt—though You, our God, have punished us less than our iniquities deserve and have allowed us to survive—
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Remember not the sins of my youth or my transgressions; according to Your steadfast love remember me, for the sake of Your goodness, O LORD!
Answer me, LORD, out of the goodness of Your love; in Your great mercy turn to me.
He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to His own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit,
I will delay My anger for the sake of My name, and I will restrain Myself for your benefit and for My praise, so that you will not be destroyed. Look, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have tested you in the furnace of affliction. I will act for My Own sake, indeed, My Own, for how can I be defiled? I will not give My glory to another.
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"Do not say in your heart, after the LORD Your God has thrust them out before you, ‘It is because of my righteousness that the LORD has brought me in to possess this land,’ whereas it is because of the wickedness of these nations that the LORD is driving them out before you. Not because of your righteousness or the uprightness of your heart are you going in to possess their land, but because of the wickedness of these nations the LORD your God is driving them out from before you, and that He may confirm the word that the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.
Know, therefore, that the LORD your God is not giving you this good land to possess because of your righteousness, for you are a stubborn people.
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"Therefore, give the people of Israel this message from the Sovereign LORD: I am bringing you back, but not because you deserve it. I am doing it to protect My holy name, on which you brought shame while you were scattered among the nations. I will show how holy My great name is—the name on which you brought shame among the nations. And when I reveal My holiness through you before their very eyes, says the Sovereign LORD, then the nations will know that I am the LORD.
For I will gather you up from all the nations and bring you home again to your land. "Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean. Your filth will be washed away, and you will no longer worship idols. And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart. And I will put My Spirit in you so that you will follow my decrees and be careful to obey My regulations.
And you will live in Israel, the land I gave your ancestors long ago. You will be My people, and I will be your God. I will cleanse you of your filthy behavior. I will give you good crops of grain, and I will send no more famines on the land. I will give you great harvests from your fruit trees and fields, and never again will the surrounding nations be able to scoff at your land for its famines.
Then you will remember your past sins and despise yourselves for all the detestable things you did. But remember, says the Sovereign LORD, I am not doing this because you deserve it. O My people of Israel, you should be utterly ashamed of all you have done!
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Not to us, O LORD, not to us, But to Your name give glory because of Your Lovingkindness, because of Your Truth.
But our God is in the heavens; He does whatever He pleases.
May you be blessed of the LORD, Maker of Heaven and earth. The heavens are the heavens of the LORD, But the earth He has given to the sons of men. The dead do not praise the LORD, Nor do any who go down into silence; But as for us, we will bless the LORD From this time forth and forever. Praise the LORD!
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section 5
So this is why we are commanded to produce fruit in keeping with His glory john 15:8 philippians 1:27 …the glory of Who He truly is i peter 1:14-16 ii john 3-6 , whether serving, teaching, etc. whatever grace we are administering i peter 4:10-11 is all to His glory because it is also to everyone’s benefit titus 3:3-9 . Who God is, is so all-extensive ephesians 4:6 psalm 37:23 that EVERYTHING we do should be to glorify God by blessing others i corinthians 10:31-11:1 and find His blessings shared with us; this is what it is to be in a relationship with God jeremiah 22:15-16 . God’s very nature is not narcissistic but one of giving, sharing and unity john 17:22-24 . So, it is for this very reason He is zealous for His own glory, that we get to participate in God’s very nature ii peter 1:3-4 , we get to share in His eternal glory by living out His glory romans 8:17 , as we persist in faithfully obeying His Word to us luke 8:15 romans 2:7 .
By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be My disciples.
Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the Gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in the one Spirit, striving together as one for the faith of the Gospel
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As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as He Who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: "Be holy, because I am holy."
Grace, mercy, and peace will be with us, from God the Father and from Jesus Christ the Father’s Son, in Truth and Love.
I rejoiced greatly to find some of your children walking in the Truth, just as we were commanded by the Father. And now I ask you, dear lady—not as though I were writing you a new commandment, but the one we have had from the beginning—that we Love one another. And this is Love, that we walk according to His commandments; this is the commandment, just as you have heard from the beginning, so that you should walk in it.
Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.
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Once we, too, were foolish and disobedient. We were misled and became slaves to many lusts and pleasures. Our lives were full of evil and envy, and we hated each other. But—When God our Savior revealed His kindness and love, He saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of His mercy.
He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit. He generously poured out the Spirit upon us through Jesus Christ our Savior. Because of His grace He made us right in His sight and gave us confidence that we will inherit eternal life.
This is a trustworthy saying, and I want you to insist on these teachings so that all who trust in God will devote themselves to doing good. These teachings are good and beneficial for everyone.
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The LORD directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives.
So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. Do not cause anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks or the church of God—even as I try to please everyone in every way. For I am not seeking my own good but the good of many, so that they may be saved. Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.
"Does it make you a king to have more and more cedar? Did not your father have food and drink? He did what was right and just, so all went well with him. He defended the cause of the poor and needy, and so all went well. Is that not what it means to know me?" declares the LORD.
I have given them the glory that You gave Me, that they may be one as We are one—I in them and You in Me—so that they may be brought to complete unity.
Then the world will know that You sent Me and have loved them even as You have loved Me.
Father, I want those You have given Me to be with Me where I am, and to see My glory, the glory You have given Me because You loved Me before the creation of the world.
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His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of Him Who called us by His own glory and goodness. Through these He has given us His very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.
Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in His sufferings in order that we may also share in His glory.
But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the Word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop.
To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, He will give eternal life.
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Scripture quotations taken from one or more of the following versions as noted:
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NASB = NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE(R), Copyright (C) 1960,1962,1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.
HCSB = Holman Christian Standard Bible®, Used by Permission HCSB ©1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 Holman Bible Publishers. Holman Christian Standard Bible®, Holman CSB®, and HCSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.
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