WORDS THAT HAVE BEEN SET ASIDE – “GLORY”: PART I

By Jill Roberts and Michael Canalé

 

In preparation for this week’s blog, Michael and I discussed what our topic should be. He brought up the subjects of forgotten words and forgotten beliefs, ultimately focusing on these words, as his title of the blog sets forth, words that our world has set aside, words that have, sadly, fallen into disuse. Several such words were talked about and glory was chosen by us as the one whose obsolescence is most regrettable. For, surely, we reasoned, there was a time when this word was important – a bygone era when such a sacred, complex word was both contemplated as well as used on a frequent basis by most people. There is a duality here. It belonged to that age and that age belonged to it.

 

Michael suggested that we, therefore, look for it in old hymns when it was a settled part of divine church lyrics. Early in our search, we found a masterpiece, “Blessed Assurance,” composed by the iconic Fanny Crosby. The lyrics that received our greatest attention were as follows:

 

“Blessed Assurance, Jesus is mine. Oh, what a foretaste of glory divine.”

 

A foretaste, (also a discarded word), is defined as “a suggestion or sample of something that lies ahead.” But what, we wondered, was this word, glory, the thing itself, that which is foreshadowed? The dictionary definition centers around the word “fame,” a telling measure of the word glory today. My friend, Holly Joslin, astutely said that this is very much what glory has come to mean and we agree. In our increasingly secular world, we have become much like the earlier era described in the Scriptural account of the Tower of Babel. As Michael wisely pointed out, the people of this age were as much architects of being famous as of building their storied tower. They wanted the cheap version of glory, striving to be famous, as famous as God. Today, these words, fame/famous, have become a substitute for the theological blockbuster of a word – glory.

 

Having identified the antithesis of glory, it is critical to carefully define our terms. By fame, do we mean celebrity – an object of interest to the crowds? Not at all. Jesus is famous. Pope Francis is famous, as are many glory-filled people. By fame, Michael and I are referring to a deep desire, at all costs, to seek man’s approval over that of God’s. This is the failing; this is the rejection of glory.

 

What a surprise then, to find a compelling lesson on glory versus fame in, of all places, Ancient Rome. And yet, history records that this is the case. In his blog, “The Origins of ‘All Glory is Fleeting,” Don Burleson interestingly describes the practice of how Roman authorities allowed a victory lap for military conquerors who returned home to cheers and elaborate parades. During this lap, with the conqueror powerfully at the helm of his chariot, a slave stood behind the hero, holding a gold crown and whispering in his ear, over and over again, like a mantra, the following words: “All glory is fleeting; All glory is fleeting; All glory is fleeting.” Here, glory is used interchangeably with the word fame. Is all glory really fleeting? The question then becomes, what is the true meaning of this forgotten word – what is glory?

 

In our modern times, it is fame or vainglory, but, in the Bible, the true concept of glory is anything but such a cheap, flimsy idea; it is not a vain anything. Andy Warhol coined the phrase, “15 minutes of fame.” In Scripture, the word glory is associated with the eternal, with God Himself.

 

Nowhere is the idea of glory better described than in Revelation 21:22-23. In speaking of the future New Heaven and New Earth, John writes, “The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the GLORY (emphasis added) of God gives it light and the Lamb is its lamp.” NIV

 

John 12:41, NIV, records Isaiah having seen Jesus’ glory, even in Old Testament times. Centuries later, out of fear of the Pharisees, that same glory of Jesus was denied by those who prefigured our modern trend when they “loved human praise more than praise from God.” (John 12:43) NIV. As Solomon wrote in Ecclesiastes, “What has been will be again, What has been done will be done again; There is nothing new under the sun…” (Ecclesiastes 1:8-9) NIV

 

To return to John 12 and to the continuing symbol of light, Jesus declares his mission statement:

“I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness.” (John 12:46) NIV

 

If we are to aspire to true glory and not settle for mere fame, what hope is there of our success? At the outset, it must be recognized that Scripture is replete with examples of how we may rest well in this hope, in God’s promise of glory for us. Peter writes, “Be Shepard’s of God’s flock that is under your care, watching over them…being examples to the flock. And when the Chief Shepard appears, you will receive the CROWN OF GLORY (emphasis added) that will never fade away.” (1Peter5:2-4) NIV

 

Paul writes, “And we all who, with unveiled faces, contemplate the Lord’s GLORY (emphasis added) are being transformed into his image with ever increasing GLORY (emphasis added) which comes from the Lord…” (2Corinthians 3:18) NIV

 

As N.T. Wright and some Bible translators say, we are going from glory to glory as we are increasingly image bearers of the Lord.

 

In writing this verse, Paul uses two different Greek words for each reference to “glory.” The first is the Greek word for the Old Covenant, the second for the New Covenant. This is pointed out in an article, “What is the Meaning of ‘From Glory to Glory’ in 2 Corinthians 3:18?’ Your Questions, Bible Answer series.

And what does that glory look like? Michael points out that we are greatly illuminated by turning to a Christmas carol that many of us have enjoyed from childhood – “Hark the Herald Angels Sing.” The lyrics begin,

 

“Hark the Herald Angels sing, Glory to the newborn King.” Michael is so right in saying what a magnificent image this gives us, with angels singing. We are further enlightened as this hymn continues: “Mild He lays His glory by, Born that man no more may die.” The deeply sacrificial nature of Jesus is exactly what true glory looks like. Philippians 2:7, The Message, says it well: “…he set aside the privileges of deity and took on the status of a slave, became human.” Some humans have seen true glory. Moses saw it. Exodus 33:17-23 records this. After Moses asked for God’s presence with them, as Moses led the Israelites, God said to him,

“I will do the very thing you asked because I am pleased with you and I know you by name. Then, Moses said, ‘Now show me your glory.” And the LORD said, ‘I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you…But, he said, ‘You cannot see my face…When my glory passes by…You will see my back…”

Indeed, when Moses returned from 40 days and nights on Mt. Sinai, with the Ten Commandments in his hands, given to him by God:

 

“…he was not aware that his face was radiant because he had spoken with the LORD. When Aaron and all the Israelites saw Moses, his face was radiant and they were afraid to come near him.”

 

In the New Testament, Stephan refers to the “God of glory,” (Acts 7:2) NIV, before giving his historic speech. Then, while he is being stoned for delivering this speech, he is allowed to see this glory as he is dying:

 

“But, Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to Heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus STANDING (emphasis added), at the right hand of God.” (Acts 7:55) NIV

 

The drama of this moment is breathtaking! Jesus, who is SEATED (emphasis added) at the right hand of the mighty God, (Luke 22:69) NIV, has STOOD UP to welcome Stephen into Heaven. This is glory!

In seeing God’s glory, surely Moses and Stephen have received It in every way imaginable. Both were truly “shepherds of His flock,” and received their “Crowns of Glory, spoken of earlier in this blog.

 

Peter draws a metaphor to drive home the point of how we rise above transitory fame and ascend to glory in our lives. One, fame, is perishable, the other, glory, is imperishable: “For you have been ‘born again,’ not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God, For, ‘All people are like grass, And all THEIR (emphasis added) glory is like the flowers of the field; The grass withers and the flowers fall but the word of the Lord endures forever.” (1 Peter 1:24-25) NIV

 

The Message powerfully deals with the same concept; “The old life is a grass life, It’s beauty as short-lived as wildflowers…” Man’s glory is the antithesis of eternal glory. What is glory? It has hardly been better defined than by English writer, Walter Savage Landor, as to our eternal glory and its juxtaposition to this world’s adulation:

 

“The glorified will not be pilgrims, transient visitors or tenants at will, but settled, permanent, walled, established by title, through eternity by warranty deed, signed, sealed, recorded, possession given. No renters, no lessees of Heaven, but all property and home owners.”

 

Glory is a word that is so set aside, yet is so needed in our world today! May our overriding goal be its priority; May it be the holder of the title deed to our hearts.

 

Why has our world set aside glory? To be continued in the next blog…