But now, this is what the Lord says—he who created you, Jacob, he who formed you, Israel: “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine.
² When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. ³ For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior; I give Egypt for your ransom, Cush and Seba in your stead. ⁴ Since you are precious and honored in my sight, and because I love you, I will give people in exchange for you, nations in exchange for your life. ⁵ Do not be afraid, for I am with you; I will bring your children from the east and gather you from the west. ⁶ I will say to the north, ‘Give them up!’ and to the south, ‘Do not hold them back.’ Bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the ends of the earth—⁷ everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.” (Isaiah 43:1 – 7 – emphasis added)

 Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the duty of all mankind. (Ecclesiastes 12:13)

Based on the many helpful comments over the last two days, we appear to recognize the importance of Bible Study.  However, our lives do not always reflect this recognition.  How can we improve?

It might be helpful for us to think deeply about the implications of studying or not studying God’s word.  Do we really feel as if we miss something vital when we drop Bible study from our schedule?  Consider the two passages above.  The passage from Isaiah points out that we were created for God’s glory, and the passage from Ecclesiastes says that our duty is to Fear God and keep his commandments.  If we link the messages from both passages together we could reach the following conclusion: The Bible provides the instructions for us to come alive and live out our purpose of glorifying God.  Therefore, one of the important things that we miss when we are not careful enough to study the Bible is a clearer understanding of our true purpose to glorify God, and how to live out that purpose.

Questions

What do you think about the following statement?  “If we really believed that we are missing something vital when we forsake Bible study, we would be more disciplined.”

 I cried out to God for help; I cried out to God to hear me.  ²When I was in distress, I sought the Lord; at night I stretched out untiring hands, and I would not be comforted.  ³I remembered you, God, and I groaned; I meditated, and my spirit grew faint.  ⁴You kept my eyes from closing; I was too troubled to speak.  ⁵I thought about the former days, the years of long ago; ⁶I remembered my songs in the night. My heart meditated and my spirit asked:  ⁷“Will the Lord reject forever? Will he never show his favor again?  ⁸Has his unfailing love vanished forever?  Has his promise failed for all time?   ⁹Has God forgotten to be merciful? Has he in anger withheld his compassion?”

¹⁰Then I thought, “To this I will appeal: the years when the Most High stretched out his right hand.  ¹¹I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago.  ¹²I will consider all your works and meditate on all your mighty deeds.”

¹³Your ways, God, are holy. What god is as great as our God?  ¹⁴You are the God who performs miracles; you display your power among the peoples.  ¹⁵With your mighty arm you redeemed your people, the descendants of Jacob and Joseph.  ¹⁶The waters saw you, God, the waters saw you and writhed; the very depths were convulsed.  ¹⁷The clouds poured down water, the heavens resounded with thunder; your arrows flashed back and forth.  ¹⁸Your thunder was heard in the whirlwind, your lightning lit up the world; the earth trembled and quaked.  ¹⁹Your path led through the sea, your way through the mighty waters, though your footprints were not seen. ²⁰You led your people like a flock by the hand of Moses and Aaron. (Psalm 77)

Psalm 77 paints a beautiful picture of how the perspective of the psalmists changes as he reflects on glorious things about god.  Please read the Psalm carefully and pay attention to the change in tone from the start of the Psalm to the end of the Psalm.  Please also note the pivotal thoughts the Psalmist highlights in verses 10 – 12.

Question:

Are you spending enough time in God’s word to see His glory in a way that shapes your perspective even with regards to challenging circumstances?

17 Therefore, dear friends, since you have been forewarned, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of the lawless and fall from your secure position. 18 But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen. (2 Peter 3:17 – 18)

As reminder, the theme for our 40 days journey this year is God’s Glory.  We kicked things off last week by considering passages about Moses and Jesus.  Starting today, we turn our attentions to the Spiritual Disciplines, and Bible Study will be the first Discipline we focus on.  Over the next three days, we will focus on the relationship between Bible study and God’s glory.

In 2 Peter 3:17 – 18, the Apostle Peter concludes his letter with the instruction for us to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  Our primary source of  knowledge of Jesus is the Bible, and if we are going to experience God’s glory and give God glory we need instructions from God’s word.  Unfortunately, many of us want to jump straight to experiencing God’s glory without experiencing the growth that comes from consistent Bible study.

Question

What is your reaction to the following statement? “We don’t have deeper experiences of God’s glory because we are not growing, and we are not growing partly because we are not diligently studying God’s word.”

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John 1:14)

 ¹ In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, ² but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe. ³ The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven. (Hebrews 1:1 – 3)

Context

In the New Testament, the word for glory that corresponds to the Hebrew word kabod that we looked at yesterday is the Greek word doxa.  Like kabod, doxa has a wide range of meanings.  In addition to the passages above, here are a few examples where doxa is used:

• The announcement of the birth of Jesus – Luke 2:¹³ Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, ¹⁴ “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”
• The transfiguration of Jesus – Luke 9: ²⁸ About eight days after Jesus said this, he took Peter, John and James with him and went up onto a mountain to pray.  ²⁹ As he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning.  ³⁰ Two men, Moses and Elijah, appeared in glorious splendor, talking with Jesus.  ³¹ They spoke about his departure, which he was about to bring to fulfillment at Jerusalem.  ³² Peter and his companions were very sleepy, but when they became fully awake, they saw his glory and the two men standing with him.
• Jesus praying in Gethsemane – John 17: ⁴ I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do.  ⁵ And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began.

As we consider God’s glory over the next few weeks we will see that Jesus is at the center of it all.  Please read the passages of scripture from John 1:14 and Hebrews 1:1 – 3 and answer the question below.

Question

What connections do you see between the description of Jesus in the passages above and the story of Moses we considered over the last two days?

¹² Moses said to the Lord, “You have been telling me, ‘Lead these people,’ but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. You have said, ‘I know you by name and you have found favor with me.’ ¹³ If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favor with you. Remember that this nation is your people.” ¹⁴ The Lord replied, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” ¹⁵ Then Moses said to him, “If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here. ¹⁶ How will anyone know that you are pleased with me and with your people unless you go with us? What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face of the earth?” ¹⁷ And the Lord said to Moses, “I will do the very thing you have asked, because I am pleased with you and I know you by name.” ¹⁸ Then Moses said, “Now show me your glory.” ¹⁹ And the Lord said, “I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the Lord, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. ²⁰ But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live.” ²¹ Then the Lord said, “There is a place near me where you may stand on a rock. ²² When my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by. ²³ Then I will remove my hand and you will see my back; but my face must not be seen.” (Exodus 33:12 – 23)

Context

The Hebrew word that is often translated as glory in the Old Testament is kabod (pronounced kavod). Literally, it means “heavy”, but it carries several other connotations, including importance, greatness, reputation, splendor, power and presence.  Here are just a few examples where kabod is used:

• God’s Glory on Mount Sinai – Exodus 24: ¹⁵ When Moses went up on the mountain, the cloud covered it, ¹⁶ and the glory of the Lord settled on Mount Sinai. For six days the cloud covered the mountain, and on the seventh day the Lord called to Moses from within the cloud. ¹⁷ To the Israelites the glory of the Lord looked like a consuming fire on top of the mountain.
• Human beings crowned with glory – Psalm 28: ⁴what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them? ⁵ You have made them a little lower than the angels and crowned them with glory and honor.
• The earth is full of God’s glory – Isaiah 6: ¹In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple. ² Above him were seraphim, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. ³ And they were calling to one another: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.”

Please read the passage above (same as yesterday) and answer the questions below.

Questions:

• What do you find interesting about God’s response to Moses’ request for God to show him His glory?
• What do you believe is the significance of God’s promise to put Moses in the cleft of the rock until his glory passes by?