God’s glory will go to no one else

The God of everything: Alpha, Omega; beginning and end. Creator of all things, most of which we cannot even understand. Father, Abba, SAVIOR. All glory is owed to God, but still sometimes we try to take some of it for ourselves…

The thing is, NOTHING and NO ONE is more worthy of glory than God and what’s more, NOTHING will receive more glory than God.

Isaiah 13 talks about the day of the Lord, when God’s wrath would be poured out on Babylon. It doesn’t paint a comfortable picture. Lots of freaky nature stuff going on, people being impaled. Terror, mayhem, destruction on a sinful people.

Isaiah 14 contrasts this as it is prophesied that “the Lord will have compassion on Jacob; once again he will choose Israel and settle them in their own land.” The people of Israel, God’s chosen, will be set.

Verses 3 and 4 say “On the day the Lord gives you relief from suffering and turmoil and cruel bondage, you will take up this taunt against the king of Babylon:…”
And literally a long taunt is spelled out to rub into the kings face that he has been cut down and defeated. It’s really one of the most intense taunts I’ve ever seen. Worse even than the heartbreaking “Start the buses” when your high school basketball team is about to have their tournament run cut off.

Verses 13-15 say “You said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of the sacred mountains. I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.’ But you are brought down to the grave, to the depths of the pit.”

See, the king even referred to God as “Most High,” but clearly did not revere Him as such- he wanted to be equal to Him. Still, no one will receive the Glory owed to God. The king did not have a right view of God and was summarily dishonored, mocked and destroyed.

So was Jesus.

But Jesus IS God, so clearly He has the right view of God. This did not happen to Jesus because He was sinful. He wasn’t. At all. Jesus was dishonored, mocked and destroyed FOR US, because we, like the king, sin. We give glory to all sorts of things ahead of God, be it our flesh, our hearts, our own righteousness, the list goes on. We sin. But God, overflowing with goodness and mercy, extends grace our direction through the death and resurrection of Christ.

Some questions I’m asking myself:
-In what ways am I not submitting to God?
-Are there things that I think I can handle or do better than God?
-What does that say about my view of God?