Is God a megalomaniac?

The service undertaken here by the Son is a service of love. Revelation is for the creature, not for God. The glory revealed in it is not to increase the wealth of the Revealer, but of him to whom it is revealed. God is not making gain out of His creatures, nor are they increasing His wealth at their own cost. “If thou hast sinned, what doest thou against Him? and if thy transgressions be multiplied, what doest thou unto Him? if thou be righteous, what givest thou Him? or what receiveth He at thy hand?” Nay, love alone can count its riches in assuming such burdens. And God is love; and His glory is in the outflow of His goodness; and of this Christ is the only complete expression. What simpler then than that Christ—not simply the Son of His love, but the Son become Man—is the end for which all creation exists? Divine love, as it is exhibited, confirmed, glorified in Him, is the only possible key to the mystery of our being.

The service undertaken here by the Son is a service of love. Revelation is for the creature, not for God. The glory revealed in it is not to increase the wealth of the Revealer, but of him to whom it is revealed. God is not making gain out of His creatures, nor are they increasing His wealth at their own cost. "If thou hast sinned, what doest thou against Him? and if thy transgressions be multiplied, what doest thou unto Him? if thou be righteous, what givest thou Him? or what receiveth He at thy hand?" Nay, love alone can count its riches in assuming such burdens. And God is love; and His glory is in the out-flow of His goodness; and of this Christ is the only complete expression. What simpler then than that Christ — not simply the Son of His love, but the Son become Man — is the end for which all creation exists? Divine love. as it is exhibited, confirmed, glorified in Him, is the only possible key to the mystery of our being.

It is strange, but I suppose it is because we are so largely under the influence of the fleshly mind, that we so persistently keep ourselves in sight, and this well nigh to the exclusion of God. Ourselves, our own blessing, and our own glorification, are often in our minds. The objects to which all the ways of God lead up, and the glory of God, though religiously admitted, is very dimly before our minds. And as we are to such a large extent our own object, we are liable to think we must be God’s object also. In this way we in measure deify ourselves. What Adam grasped at in the beginning (equality with God), seems ingrained in the flesh, and refuses to be expelled. But from this, a merciful and gracious God would deliver us, and give us to see that His own glory and satisfaction must be the end which He has in view in everything that He does. The eternal blessing of the creature who submits with all his heart to the decrees of God is certain, and the everlasting confusion of the rebellious is just as sure. God must be His own Object in everything He does, and this anyone can understand, for when He began His works, (and whatever men may say to the contrary there was a beginning), there was nothing to influence His mind; He wrought from Himself and for His own glory, and “of Him, and through Him, and to Him are all things” (Rom. 11:36), and “Thou hast created all things, and for Thy pleasure they are and were created” (Rev. 4:11). Until we see this we are not upon our proper basis; our minds vacillate and our movements are eccentric; man has undue importance in our eyes, and in our attempts to serve his we are in danger of turning to human methods, and forget for the moment what is due to God. But the blessed God has placed Himself before us in Christ that we may be attracted to Him, and find in Him an Object that completely fills our vision and captivates our heart, so that there may be no room for an idol in whatever guise it may approach us. And it is to this end He has declared Himself in Christ.

Most surely. There never can be any other purpose before God than His own glory, because when His counsels were brought forth there was no one whose blessing needed to be considered. His counsels were before all His works, and therefore, there was no one to take into consideration except Himself. But He has been pleased to create myriads to be spectators of His glory, and others to share the glory that can be shared by the creature. He has bound up our blessing with His glory. And as we have it in this chapter, "That we should be to the praise of His glory," and as the hymn has it: —

It is a moment of surpassing joy and importance when, as believers, we are brought to the realisation that all God's activities have in view the securing of His own glory. To none other does this right belong. He is the "Father of glory" — every ray of true glory finds its source in Himself; He is the "God of glory" — in His sovereignty He has the undisputed right of its administration. The truly magnificent words of David in 1 Chronicles 29 thrill the affections — "Thine, O LORD, is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty; for all that is in the heaven and in the earth is Thine; Thine is the kingdom, O LORD, and Thou art exalted as head above all" (v.11). Psalm 19 tells that "the heavens declare the glory of God" and in Numbers 14 we hear His words — "And the Lord said … as truly as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord." The marginal reading of Isaiah 6:3 is — "His glory is the fulness of the whole earth." In Psalm 8:1 we have the word which forms the title of this short paper — "O LORD our LORD, how excellent is Thy Name in all the earth! who has set (ordained) Thy glory above the heavens." This word first appears in Genesis 1:17, where we read that God set "two great lights" in the firmament. The verb here is in the middle voice, reflexive, the glory of the action belonging to the One who performed it. The word is used extensively in the O.T. both in relation to creation (Genesis 9:13) and in respect to God's interest in and dealings with His earthly people. The shewbread; the altars (of gold and for burnt offerings); the laver; the court of the tabernacle ; His sanctuary and the land are all "set" in relation to God's will, and notwithstanding the ruin which the failure of man has produced, God will yet glorify Himself both in regard of His creation and His earthly people. The sun and the moon, set by Him in Genesis 1 are seen responding in praise in Psalm 148! His people too, made obedient to Him will be set "supreme above all nations of the earth" (Deuteronomy 28:1). Thus shall God be glorified in that which He has ordained.

(1) God must first maintain His own honor. This is the basis of all blessing for the creature. Were it possible to conceive of His honor being overthrown, all would lapse into hopeless chaos. This is ever prominent in Scripture: "In the beginning, GOD." The first part of the law is devoted to His glory; the opening petitions of the "Lord's prayer" are concerned with that. The gospel is founded upon it, and in eternity heaven and earth will display it to an adoring universe.

What was God to do? It was right that He should tell man what was right. And nothing else than this could be right, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart." Every reasonable person will acknowledge that if God be God, and our Creator, we owe this at least to Him that we love Him and honour Him as God. Then for His own glory and for the good of man it was right that God should give to man this command.

What was God to do? It was right that He should tell man what was right. And nothing else than this could be right, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart. ” Every reasonable person will acknowledge that if God be God, and our Creator, we owe this at least to Him that we love Him and honour Him as God. Then for His own glory and for the good of man it was right that God should give to man this command.

But, thank God, there is a bright side of the picture. There is mercy as well as judgement; and our God, blessed for ever be His holy Name, is something more than "a consuming fire and a jealous God." True, He is a consuming fire, because He is holy. He is intolerant of evil, and must consume our dross. Moreover, He is jealous because He cannot suffer any rival to have a place in the hearts of those He loves. He must have the whole heart, because He alone is worthy of it, as He alone can fill and satisfy it for ever. And if His people turn away from Him, and go after idols of their own making, they must be left to reap the bitter fruit of their own doings, and to prove, by sad and terrible experience, the truth of these words, "their sorrows shall be multiplied that hasten after another."

Secondly, such things, wherever they existed, were not to be bowed down to or served, for the Lord God is rightly a jealous God (the only One who has a right to be jealous). This is so serious that people's iniquity would inflict suffering on their children to the third and fourth generation of those who hate God, those who despise His commandments. On the other hand, His character is such as to show mercy to those who love Him and keep His commandments. Thus, though God is perfectly holy and righteous, yet He is not harsh and cruel, but compassionate.