What is Man (Psalm 8)

Psalm 8:1-9; 4, 1a, 9

"...what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them?" "Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!" (Ps 8:4, 1a, 9, NIV)

Regarding Psalm 8, Derek Kidner eloquently and succinctly writes:

"This psalm is an unsurpassed example of what a hymn should be, celebrating as it does the glory and grace of God, rehearsing who he is and what he has done, and relating us and our world to him; all with a masterly enonomy of words, and in a spirit of mingled joy and awe. It brings to light the unexpectedness of God's ways in the roles he has assigned to the strong and the weak (2), the spectacular and the obscure (3-5), the multitudinous and the few (6-8); but it begins and ends with God himself, and its overriding theme is 'How excellent is thy name!'"

J.I. Packer says, "we are at the end of 4 centuries of God shrinking." God (seemingly) gets smaller while we get bigger. The Bible does not see it this way. David did not see it this way. We must not see it this way.

10) The Mountain (Mark 9:2-29)

Chap 1: The Dance (Trinity) (Mark 1:9-11): Do you expect others to dance around you?
Chap 2: The Gospel, The Call (Mark 1:14-20): Is your gospel good news or good advice?
Chap 3: The Healing (Mark 2:1-5): Are your sins against God or people (Ps 51:4)?
Chap 4: The Rest (Mark 2:23-3:6): Are you trying to rest in your efforts for significance?
Chap 5: The Power (Mark 4:35-41): Do you enjoy goodness and calm in a storm?
Chap 6: The Waiting (Mark 5:21-43): Do you have peace when God delays?
Chap 7: The Stain (Mark 7:1-23): Do you feel unclean, insignificant?
Chap 8: The Approach (Mark 7:24-37): Do you know you’re a dog, yet loved?
Chap 9: The Turn (Mark 8:27-9:1): Why is forgiveness so hard?

Quotes:

"Jesus is the temple and tabernacle to end all temples and tabernacles, because he is the sacrifice to end all sacrifices, the ultimate priest to point the way for all priests." (114)

"Through Jesus we don't need perfect righteousness, just repentant helplessness, to access the presence of God." (121)

Intro: When Moses saw God's glory (his "back") on Mount Sinai (Exo 33:18-23), his face shone with the reflected glory of God. Now, centuries later, on top of another mountain, there's glory again--with a difference (Mark 9:2-8). Moses had reflected the glory of God as the moon reflects the light of the sun. But Jesus produces the unsurpassable glory of God; it emanates from him. Jesus does not point to the glory of God, as every prophet has done; Jesus is the glory of God in human form (Heb 1:3).

Why Didn't The Disciples Die in God's Presence?

Something else happened on this mountain that was different: Peter, James, and John are in the presence of God and yet they do not die. On Mount Sinai, God came down as a cloud. It was called "the shekinah glory," meaning the "very presence of God," and is related to the word "dwell," or "dwelling." God told Moses, "you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live" (Exo 33:20). No one can endure the presence of God's holiness and live. That's why Jesus when Jesus was transfigured, Peter was scared, and suggested building shelters (Greek word for tabernacle.). Why?

Most religions recognize that there's a wide gap of some kind between deity and humanity. This explains why many religions have temples (tabernacles) with priests and sacrifices and rituals to mediate the gap and to protect humans from the very presence of God. Peter suggested to build shelters (a tabernacle) to do likewise. But a cloud enveloped them. God (a voice from heaven) speaks of his love for his Son, just as he did when Jesus was baptized at the beginning of his ministry (Mark 1:11; 9:7). Then all was gone except Jesus (Mark 9:8), for Jesus is the gap between deity and humanity that Moses and Elijah could not bridge. In this way, Peter, James and John experienced worship.

What is Worship?

Worship is not just believing. Before ascending the mountain, they already believed in God. Peter already confessed, "You are the Christ" (NIV, 84), or "You are the Messiah" (NIV, 2010) (Mark 8:29). But now they have sensed it. The presence of God enveloped them. They had a foretaste that all of us are longing for: the very face and embrace of God.

No one can just intellectually know in their head that God loves them, and be satisfied. They must feel and experience that God loves them. Similarly, no one is satisfied by being told that the honey is sweet, unless he tastes the honey and the sweetness for himself. No one is content to know that a restaurant serves really good food until he goes and eats there. Through the transfiguration, the 3 disciples felt/experienced in a state of electrified wonder the very presence of shekinah glory. But true worship is never possible without the death of glory. Thus, as they descended the mountain, Jesus pointed to his death ... again (Mark 9:9-13); Jesus addressed his resurrection (Mark 9:9,10), and his death (Mark 9:12), yet again, not to confound them, but to prepare them to face that such transcendent glory is not possible without great cost to Jesus.

How do we make our way into God's Presence?

When they came down the mountain, they encountered a situation where the other disciples were unable to drive out an evil spirit from a boy (Mark 9:14-18). Jesus said it was because they have been trying to exorcise it without praying (Mark 9:29). The religious elite too were there and probably criticizing. Only the father acknowledges his weakness, admitting that he does not have what it takes to handle the suffering and evil that he faces.

When he pleads for his son, Jesus says, "Believe" (Mark 9:23), which means "I can do it if you can believe." He responds, "I'm trying but I'm full of doubts" (Mark 9:24). Then Jesus heals his son. This is very good news. Jesus could have said, "First, purify your heart, confess your sins, get rid of your doubts, repent of your double-mindedness. Then I'll heal your son."

The boy's father basically says, "I'm not faithful. I'm full of doubts. I can't meet my moral and spiritual challenges. But help me." That's saving faith--faith in Jesus instead of in oneself.

What Jesus had to Lose

Jesus had lived for endless ages in the glory with the Father. On the mountain Jesus was surrounded by God; on the cross he will be forsaken. On the mountain we see the life he has always led--embraced and clothed with the love and light of God--but on the cross he will be naked in the dark. Why? For us. Paul says that evil is unmasked and defeated on our behalf at the cross (Col 2:15). Only because Jesus lost glory, are we able to find glory.

Grace: Jesus accepts my flawed, imperfect faith, only because of his perfect obedience on the Cross.

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God Will Be Your Everlasting Light, and Your Sorrows Will End (Isaiah 60)

Previous post: What Can Remove Your Radical and Recurring Sins? (Isa 59:16, 53:12; Rom 5:7,8)

The final glory of God's people unites all humanity in knowing the true God.

God's Glory/Beauty Attracts the Nations (Isa 60:1-9; 10-14)

Addressing Zion (Isa 59:20, 60:14), "the glory of the Lord rises" (Isa 60:1, 4:5, 40:5, 58:8; Mal 4:2; Jn 1:14; Rev 21:11), in contrast to the rest of the darkened world (Isa 60:2). Zion's light attracting the nations (Isa 60:3,4, 2:2-4, 11:10) has been fulfilled by the coming of the gospel (Ac 9:15, 11:18). God's people become the predominant culture of the world (Isa 60:5-7). The nations see in the beauty of God's people "the Holy One of Israel" (Isa 60,8,9), as God fulfills his ancient promises to Abraham (Isa 60:10-14; Gen 12:3).

God Reverses the Failures and Sorrows of His People (Isa 60:15-22)

God promises his people: "Although you have been forsaken and hated...I will make you the everlasting pride and the joy of all generations. You will drink the milk of nations. ...you will know that I, the LORD, am your Savior, your Redeemer... I will make peace your governor and well-being your ruler" (Isa 60:15-17). Salvation and praise become dominant traits (Isa 60:18). "The Lord will be your everlasting light" (Isa 60:19,20) means that God's presence is with his people (Rev 21:11,23; 22:5). The fulfillment of these promises does not await favorable historical conditions but depends directly on the act of God. "I am the LORD; in its time I will do this swiftly" (Isa 60:22).

Practical Application: Only the beauty and the glory of the Lord transforms our hearts.

Promise of God: "The LORD will be your everlasting light, and your days of sorrow will end" (Isa 60:20).

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Through God's Chosen Servant, God Glorifies Himself and Heals the World (Isaiah 42,43)

Isa 42:1-25 Don Carson's Daily Devotional. This servant song is divided into three parts.

1. In Isa 42:1-4 God addresses Israel and introduces the Servant, who will bring “justice” to the nations.
2. In Isa 42:5-7, the Servant himself is addressed (note Isa 42:6: “I the LORD, have called you [sing.] in righteousness”), and Israel is allowed to overhear what is said. Here the God who gives breath to all people (Isa 42:5) now makes this Servant “to be a covenant for the people and a light for the Gentiles” (Isa 42:6), undoing all the degrading effects of sin (Isa 42:7).
3. In Isa 42:8-9, the Lord again addresses Israel, once again summarizing the mission of the ideal Servant and insisting that these are “new things” graciously announced in advance.

Isa 42:1-9 is the first of 4 Servant Songs, fulfilled in Christ (Isa 49:1-13; 50:4-9; 52:13-53:12). "The servant of the Lord," sprinkled through out ch. 40-55, is a title for the people as a whole (Israel, the church), but at times the servant is a specific person who is distinct from the whole.

God's Chosen Servant (Isa 42:1-9; 10-17; 18-25)

God's Servant is the only Savior of the world (Isa 42:1; Mt 12:18-21). The key word "justice" (Isa 42:1,3,4) means fulfilling mutual obligations (forgiveness) consistent with God's moral law to individuals and the world. Unlike human rulers, like Cyrus (Isa 41:2-4,25-29), the Lord's quiet servant will not crush but defend the weak (Isa 42:2,3; 11:4; 40:11). God will fulfill his covenant promise to his people and heal the nations (Isa 42:4,6,7), for he is the Creator and Sustainer God (Isa 42:5), who will glorify himself (Isa 42:8,9). Because of the Servant's work of redemption, the world will sing a new song, with unprecedented praise to God (Isa 42:10-17; 1 Pe 2:9). Though Israel is God's chosen instrument and servant, they, like the blind (Isa 42:18-20) on account of their disobedience (Isa 42:22-25), need God's word (Isa 42:21), and God's salvation themselves (Isa 42:6-9).

Israel's Only Savior (Isa 43:1-28)

For his own glory, God reassures his people that he, their Savior (Isa 43:3,11), Redeemer, Creator and King (Isa 43:14,15), will ransom and restore them from their enemies (Isa 43:1-7) through a new exodus (Isa 43:16-21). Why would God save them? In order to be witnesses to God's exclusive reality as God to the world (Isa 43:8-13). Yet they failed to honor God, and burdened God with their sins (Isa 43:22-28).
Memorable Verses: "A bruised reed he will not break" (Isa 42:3); "I will not yield my glory to another" (Isa 42:8); "Sing to the Lord a new song" (Isa 42:10); "When you pass through the waters, I will be with you" (Isa 43:2); "I created for my glory" (Isa 43:7); "I, even I, am the LORD, and apart from me there is no savior" (Isa 43:11); "See, I am doing a new thing" (Isa 43:19).


Application Verse: "The Lord was pleased, for his righteousness' sake, to maginify his law and make it glorious" (Isa 42:21).

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