Getting Job-ed
“Now my soul is troubled. What should I say- Father, save me from this hour? But that is why I came to this hour. Father, glorify your name.” Then a voice came from heaven, “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.” John 12:27-28 CSB
This is going to sound a bit harsh, but the Bible and God do not exist for you. I don’t want to lie to anyone and let them think that the Bible and God exist solely for them- that would be unloving. The Self-Help Culture will definitely tell you otherwise, and also a lot of Christian leaders will as well- that way we can take the Bible and mold it to whatever we see fit in our lives. Look to the Bible as truth, not a happiness guru that may give you advice on how to have a good weekend.
In the text above, God says “I have glorified it (My Name), and I will glorify it again.” In the Greek, again means “Palin” meaning again, further, repetition of the action being performed. So not just once more will God glorify His name but that He will repetitively glorify His name.
“I will act for my own sake, indeed, my own…”
We see this all throughout the Old Testament. Let’s listen to what God says for what His purposes are. In Isaiah 48:9-11 CSB, the text reads like this:
I (Yahweh) 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.
That’s powerful and offensive. You mean God doesn’t act to do my bidding once I’m saved? God is not Genie from Aladdin? No. God acts for His own Namesake, which will ultimately be for our benefit. But God wants to make it perfectly clear: His goal is to bring glory to His name.
“I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion…”
How about another section from Exodus 33:18-19 CSB:
Then Moses said, “Please, let me see your glory.” He (God) said, “I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, I will proclaim the name ‘the LORD’ before you. I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.”
This section has a lot of meat to it, but Moses asks to see God’s glory, God responds that He will proclaim His name and that the essence of His name is His acting/doing whatever He pleases and chooses. This is truly God-centered theology. This is very powerful and needs to be shouted in every church.
Self-Help theology will not help us in the long run. Seeing God for who He is, loving God for what He loves, and growing into that theology needs to be a lifelong goal. God exists to bring glory to Himself, and in that, He is loving us. For us to see that and to love that is truly fulfilling our life’s biggest need and longing.
– Austin
