Trials & Tribulations
April 20, 2026
“I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have
‘Glory’ is one of those words or concepts in the Bible that can be difficult to get our minds around. Let’s start with what Jesus has to say in response to accusations against Him for not being as He presented Himself. His accusers have said that He must be in league with Satan for Jesus’s works did not fit their criteria for God’s ways of doing things. Jesus challenges their relationship to God,
The word ‘glory’ repeats in these two texts but with a distinction that may be helpful in our consideration. Jesus says, “If I glorify myself, my glory means nothing” and we will begin with that as truth. In Greek, the verb tense of ‘glorify’ myself is expressing what is potentially or intended but not yet accomplished. ‘My glory means nothing’ reflects that the way I see myself is without substance for I cannot be a witness of myself. ‘My Father… is the one who glorifies me’ points to the involvement of a second party, ‘Father’ in this case, making the judgment of my value. This same criteria is repeated in ‘I do not seek my own glory; there is One who seeks it, and he is the judge.’ Glory is intrinsic in the one being witnessed but the expression or judgment is given by another.
Now, let’s take that context back into earlier Bible.
‘Glory’ is to be perceivable to those who come into the presence or under the impact of the one that is glorified. Several times in the release of the Israelites from Egyptian slavery, the recognition of God as supreme Lᴏʀᴅ is phrased as “I will get glory over…”
‘Get glory over’ implies a demonstrable expression of substantive abilities to accomplish which is just as the outcome results.
Once the Israelites are in their journey with the Lᴏʀᴅ they also need to recognize more about the nature and character of this God they have committed to follow. When they begin to waiver and complain about the situation they are in and the leadership they have, God steps up His confirmation of both His leadership and His abilities,
Perception and response are inherent in ‘glory’ as it is apparent, that which is manifest, experiential. Yes, it is part of the presence of the Lᴏʀᴅ but it is active, it is not the cloud but is manifest in the cloud. Remember, the Lᴏʀᴅ had been leading them by ‘a pillar of fire by night, a pillar of cloud by day’ so it wasn’t just the presence of the cloud but the manifestation of God with the cloud. The manifestations continued at Mount Sinai,
Note that the Lᴏʀᴅ appears ‘as’ a devouring fire in the sight of the Israelites. He also ‘dwelt’ on the mountain while the cloud ‘covered,’ He ‘called’ out of the midst and it was all in the sight of the people. This is not just a mental image but a physical recognition of God’s presence manifested in the ways that God determined. As Lᴏʀᴅ He is quite capable of expressing Himself in ways that He chooses to be most appropriate for His purposes at that point. He is infinitely creative in His expressions. And the Israelites are learning to recognize and respond to Him. Now, as a little aside, ‘glory’ isn’t just used relative to God alone. In Exodus 28:2, 40 speaking of the priests attire, God says, “You shall make [holy garments] for glory and beauty.” 6 ‘Glory’ can simply be something which manifests distinctiveness, dignity, reverence.
Moses spent much time with the Lᴏʀᴅ and yet did not think that he fully had a handle on God’s glory. Yes, he had seen all of these manifestations but he believed there was more to God. Remember, he began his God-journey at the burning bush with God as the angel of the Lᴏʀᴅ calling to him out of the bush. We are now likely a couple years later, the ten commandments and other details for approaching God have been given, the time has come to leave Mount Sinai and continue on to the Promised Land, Moses has even had the Tent of Meeting times with God,
Yet Moses wanted more of the Lᴏʀᴅ. We do not know what the ‘speak face to face’ entailed but Moses wanted more even though God had promised His presence with, Moses wanted to know God more—
What follows is one of those unimaginable moments of man before God when God responds,
Sometimes what we desire is more than what would be within our capacity to continue. We will not speculate beyond that the Lᴏʀᴅ is more than we can fully experience without being fully renewed. We will following our resurrections be able to see Him face-to-face.
Back to ‘glory.’ In Joshua 7:19, Achan who had sinned by taking something devoted to God is urged to ‘give glory to the Lᴏʀᴅ by telling the truth about his theft. Again in 1 Samuel 6:5, the ungodly Philistines counsel to ‘give glory to Israel’s god that perhaps He will lift His hand from against them.’ In both passages, even those apart from living in accord with the Lᴏʀᴅ acknowledge His character and sovereignty, that God deserves the truth especially about His claims as Lᴏʀᴅ.
As has been discussed in other articles, the Lᴏʀᴅ has an aggressive stance regarding His Name and reputation, that He is distinct, unlike any other images that we may imagine.
The prophet Isaiah had a long and deep relationship with God, has some of the most distinctive visions of God in Scripture and records these pronouncements of God on His identity:
In both verses God is adamant that His person-hood and His identity are unlike any other and that He will not be compromised by comparison with lesser images. Jehovah is jealous of the integrity of His Name which is His identity to the point that He will not share comparisons by lessers. He even mentions songs exalting lessers as being forbidden. Praise is only fitting to exalt the Lᴏʀᴅ for it becomes too easily acceptable to create ‘almost’ gods. Then in the second passage He likens giving His glory to anything else as profane! Repeating ‘for my own sake’ twice is meant to emphasize the Lᴏʀᴅ’s opposition to likening Him to anything less or elevating less by comparing to Him.
In the Bible we have a phenomenon referred to as exemplary judgment which is the first time something is recorded and God’s decisive action in response. These are not to indicate that every time this happens, the same judgment will immediately occur but rather to stress God’s perspective.
‘Herod did not give praise to God,’ the word ‘praise’ is our same word for ‘glory.’ The Lᴏʀᴅ takes seriously another being acclaimed as ‘the voice of a god.’
Getting back to the giving of ‘glory,’ remember it is the recognition of expressed nature of its object, that it is given by a witness in response to what has be manifest by the One to whom the glory is being given. It is best by an eyewitness, first-hand, who identifies with, who has experienced that which is testified.
Stephen was a disciple of Christ, serving Him and testifying about Jesus to the authorities who interrupted his testimony by having him stoned to death.
See? Witness to what God is accomplishing, seeing God as He truly is, seeing Jesus manifest in His divine place of authority, Stephen full of the Holy Spirit responding to God as God truly is, giving Him recognition for what is True.
Jesus spoke to His disciples of the ultimate revealing of the Lᴏʀᴅ’s ‘glory’
When Jesus spoke of this time, it was future for those He was speaking to but in Revelation 14:7 we have the pronouncement in the finality of revealing as the Lᴏʀᴅ makes all things clear, when recognition is fact, when manifestation is present.
Giving God the Glory due Him is not something mystic but rather the open expression, the response to what He has shown us of Himself and His activity acting out demonstrably who He truly is. Now go and give Him the Glory due Him.
FOOTNOTES
1 John 8:54 (ESV) – https://www.blueletterbible.org/esv/jhn/8/54/s_1005054
2 John 8:49-50 (ESV) – https://www.blueletterbible.org/esv/jhn/8/49-50/s_1005049
3 Exodus 14:4 (ESV) – https://www.blueletterbible.org/esv/exo/14/4/s_64004 also vss. 17, 18
4 Exodus 16:6-10 (ESV) – https://www.blueletterbible.org/esv/exo/16/6-10/s_66006
5 Exodus 24:15-17 (ESV) – https://www.blueletterbible.org/esv/exo/24/15-17/s_74015
6 Exodus 28:2 (ESV) – https://www.blueletterbible.org/esv/exo/28/2/s_78002
Exodus 28:40 (ESV) – https://www.blueletterbible.org/esv/exo/28/40/s_78040
7 Exodus 33:11 (ESV) – https://www.blueletterbible.org/esv/exo/33/11/s_83011
8 Exodus 33:18 (ESV) – https://www.blueletterbible.org/esv/exo/33/18/s_83018
9 Exodus 33:19-23 (ESV) – https://www.blueletterbible.org/esv/exo/33/19-23/s_83019
10 Isaiah 42:8 (ESV) – https://www.blueletterbible.org/esv/isa/42/8/s_721008
11 Isaiah 48:11 (ESV) – https://www.blueletterbible.org/esv/isa/48/11/s_727011
12 Acts 12:21-23 (ESV) – https://www.blueletterbible.org/esv/act/12/21-23/s_1030021
13 Acts 7:55 (ESV) – https://www.blueletterbible.org/esv/act/7/55/s_1025055
14 Matthew 25:31 (ESV) – https://www.blueletterbible.org/esv/mat/25/31/s_954031
15 Revelation 14:6-7 (ESV) – https://www.blueletterbible.org/esv/rev/14/6-7/s_1181006
“I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have
Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned, in whatever situation I am, to be
But I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able
“… Catch the foxes for us, the little foxes that spoil the vineyards, for our vineyards are in blossom.”
Glory to God “…and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light…”Editor’s Note: this is
“… How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and
