As I was reading Matthew 9 once again, the Holy Spirit made me slow down over verse 8 – “When the multitudes saw it (the healing of the paralytic man), they marvelled, and glorified God, which had given such power unto men.” There is that word “marvelled” once again, but this time it isn’t Christ who marvelled – it was the people. Of course, it is a good thing when people marvel and glorify God, as they did on that particular day. But just a couple moment’s reflection should show us that their glorification was not perfect. They were praising God because He had granted such miraculous power to a mere man. In one sense, their praise was worthy – and praise worthy – but in another it was all wrong. They, of course, didn’t realize that this was no mere man who was standing before them. This was the Son of God; the Creator – the One who originally spoke the Universe into existence. I won’t go so far as to do it, because of their ignorance – but it could be argued that what they said was blasphemous. t would have been much better if this verse said, “When the multitudes saw the miracle, they marveled, and glorified God, rejoicing the presence and power of the Son of God man among them.”
In the Textus Receptus – the Greek New Testament – from which our King James Authorized Bible was translated four hundred years ago…. The words “glorified God” are “doxazo” (dox-ad’-zo) “theos.” After using my computer to pull up all the New Testament uses of “doxazo” (dox-ad’-zo) – in my mind’s eye I could see them falling into several categories. I am not sure that I can fully explain my conclusions, but I’d like to try. Because I believe that errors in this area are common and important.
Starting right here, some people’s glorification of God is rather POOR – if not entirely IMPROPER.
These people, no matter how well-intentioned it might have been, missed the point. The ability to heal this crippled man was not a blessing which God had given to one of their own number, a mere citizen of Israel. This was not John the Baptist healing this man – as we said last week John worked no miracles at all. We will come back to this in a few minutes, but if this was said about a miracle which Peter or Paul performed, then it would have been proper praise. Their praise was perhaps well-meant but it was not proper. There was a similar improper praise given to God at the site of the crucifixion. The Lord Jesus had been nailed to the cross, and then that cross was lifted up and dropped into the hole prepared for it. There was the gambling for the clothing of the Lord, according to the Old Testament prophecy. There was the laughter, the jeering, the wicked behaviour of Jesus’ persecutors. There was the argument between the two malefactors about the character of Christ. Then the afternoon sunshine turned inexplicably into night. Yet, our Saviour might have hung upon that cross for days, if it hadn’t been for the upcoming Passover. But then many heard Jesus’ voice saying, “Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit.” “And having said thus, he gave up the ghost.”
As I’ve said before, There is not a Roman centurion in the Bible who is not put into a relatively good light. I won’t go on to say that they all became Christians, but some of them were born again. And the centurion in charge of the crucifixion, “when (he) saw what was done, he glorified God.” This is the same Greek word “doxazo” (dox-ad’-zo) – the Centurion “glorified God” – a good thing to do. But once again this praise to God missed the mark. “When the centurion saw what was done, he glorified God, saying, Certainly this was a righteous man.” Again I will not flatly condemn the man. If he was speaking about Jehovah when he said “theos” then he was attempting to praise God. But once again he missed the mark by calling my Saviour merely a “righteous man.” Christ Jesus is the Son of holy God; he is to us righteousness incarnate. Even the modern heretic, the Unitarian/Socinian may call Jesus “a righteous man” and even praise God. But to stop there invariably means eternal death.
In reading all fifty-four uses of the word “doxazo” (dox-ad’-zo), I found that some of them are not just improper
Some times the word “glory” is used in AN ABSOLUTELY WICKED WAY.
Please turn to Romans 1:18 – “The wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.”
I will grant to you that this scripture doesn’t say exactly that wicked men “glorify” creation as God. But it does come close to it. It says that “they didn’t glorify Jehovah as God.” It says that they “changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man” Adding verse to verse and thought to thought, it is easy to see that man can “doxazo” (dox-ad’-zo) in very evil, wicked ways. Unlike the mistaken praise of those in my first point, these people ascribe praise which belongs to God to others – men, idols or mere creatures. This is not a sin of ignorance, but of rebellious, wicked intention and design.
Another example of this can be seen in Revelation 18. Babylon – no matter how you might interpret it – Rome, the Iraqi city, Catholicism, whatever – Babylon is described as condemned and fallen, “For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication…and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies.” “Her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities,” and her punishment will be doubled unto her. Verse 7 then says, see “how much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her: for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow.”
John Lennon may or may not have meant that the Beetles were greater than Christ, when he first said that they were more popular than Jesus. But toward the end of his life, it appears to me that he actually believed that they were. And there have been innumerable presidents, tzars, prime ministers, military generals, doctors, surgeons, IRS agents and religious leaders who thought that they were greater than the Lord Jesus. Without a doubt there are multitudes of people from the top of the food chain to the very bottom who give themselves glory which should only be given to God. That, my friends, is blasphemy and obvious idolatry.
Now, consider this question carefully – How often have we – you and me – given praise to a physician, when it should have been given to the Lord? We can thank that man for what to us appears to have been miraculous treatment. But be careful not to cross the line into blasphemy, ascribing abilities to him or giving him glory which should only be given to Jehovah. We can, and sometimes do this, unthinkingly in other areas of our lives. Be careful!
Briefly, consider some instances of PROPER glorying.
I should take the time to count all the people whom Jesus healed. I suppose that it might become difficult, trying to differentiate or unite the accounts in the four gospels. But if we came up with one, it might be a useful number, if for trivia purposes if not much more.
I will not say that every time that the Lord healed someone that person gave praise to God. But there were many such cases, and every word of praise was proper. Take for example the tenth leper. A group of lepers met Christ, standing at a distance and pleading for His blessing. And when He saw them, he said… “Go shew yourselves unto the priests.” They all then ran, walked or hobbled away, and as they went they found that their disease was gone. “And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God.” That perfectly proper praise, even if it wasn’t directly bestowed on the Son of God. It wasn’t misdirected as it was in our opening scripture.
Matthew 15 – “the multitude wondered, when they saw the dumb to speak, the maimed to be whole, the lame to walk, and the blind to see: and they glorified the God of Israel.” In Luke 15 there was a woman who had been infirm for fifteen years, “and (Christ) laid his hands on her: and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God.” A blind man, “received his sight, and followed him, glorifying God: and all the people, when they saw it, gave praise unto God.” These verses could be multiplied many times. I think that you get the point. The praise was proper in that it didn’t mis-describe Christ, and it was directed towards God.
When the Lord blesses us in some physical way, whether miraculously or not, He should be glorified. And there are so many ways in which God blesses. In Galatians Paul was talking about his conversion and the effect that had on work of the Lord. “Afterwards I came into the regions of Syria and Cilicia; And was unknown by face unto the churches of Judaea which were in Christ: But they had heard only, That he which persecuted us in times past now preacheth the faith which once he destroyed. And they glorified God in me.” That is perfectly good praise – because it wasn’t given to Paul, but to God because of what He did in Paul.
In another scripture Peter and John had been arrested for preaching the gospel and for healing the crippled man in the temple. “Silver and gold have I none, but such as I have give I thee; in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk,” and that is exactly what the man did. When they were called to explain what they had done, they did their best to tell the judges that it was in the name and authority of Christ that the man was made whole. Then, “when they had further threatened them, they let them go, finding nothing how they might punish them, because of the people: for all men glorified God for that which was done.” That praise to God was perfectly justified and proper.
I hope that I don’t need to give you more examples of the proper use of “doxazo” (dox-ad’-zo).
But may I suggest that is not te very HIGHEST use of the word?
There are two higher levels of “doxazo” (dox-ad’-zo). You can correct me if I am wrong, but there is glorification which you and I cannot offer to God. Do you remember how grieved Paul and Silas were when the demon possessed woman of Philippi kept following them and praising them? The quality of a compliment is somewhat governed by the character of the person who is offering it. If my grand-daughter came to me after this message and told me that this is the greatest sermon that I have ever preached, believe me, my head would not explode out of swelling pride. However if some distant preacher friend, emailed me tomorrow to say the same thing, my reaction would probably be slightly different. The source of the compliment has something to say about the quality of that compliment.
Now think about Jesus high priestly prayer as recorded in John 17. “These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee: As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him. and this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do. And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.” The “doxazo” (dox-ad’-zo) which the Father gives the Son and which the Son gives to the Father is highest of all possible praise. I don’t think any praise which we might offer could ever come close to that which is within the Godhead. John 13 – “Jesus said, Now is the Son of man glorified, and God is glorified in him. If God be glorified in him, God shall also glorify him in himself, and shall straightway glorify him.”
If you had to guess, what would you say was the highest of all acts of divine glorification? How about – “Verily, verily, I say unto you, except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone, but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.” To what was the Lord referring? His death on the cross for the purchase of our salvation. And the verse which immediately precedes what I just read says, “The hour is come, that the Son of man should be glorified.” And three verses later we read, “Father, glorify thy name. Then came there a voice from heaven, saying, I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again.”
Am I correct in saying that there has never been any higher act of divine glorification than that which Christ Jesus did when he went willingly and obediently to the cross? It fulfilled a multitude of scriptures and prophecies. It completed, or at least began the completion of the covenant between the divine Father and Son in regards to our salvation. I think that there has never been any greater glorification of God than what took place at Calvary. Perhaps when God’s salvation is completed in the glorification of His redeemed, there might be greater glory to God, but I’m not sure. I’ll leave that to the theologians.
Now let me digress one tiny step and point out THE HIGHEST GLORY which WE can give to God.
In Acts 11 Peter was called before the church in Jerusalem to explain why he had been in the home of the Roman Centurion, Cornelius. Peter explained how the Holy Spirit had to convince him to go to Caesarea and to preach to the Gentile congregation there. Then he told them how the Spirit had fallen on that service and those people. Acts 11:18 says, “When they heard these things, they held their peace, and glorified God, saying, Then hath God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life.” They gave glory to God for the salvation of those heathen people.
May I suggest that to glorify God for putting food on our tables and health in our navels is proper and good. But if the Lord has saved your soul, your glorification of God for that is infinitely and eternally more appropriate. In Acts 13 Paul was in a Jewish synagogue in Antioch preaching Christ. He said, “Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins: And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses. Beware therefore, lest that come upon you, which is spoken of in the prophets; Behold, ye despisers, and wonder, and perish: for I work a work in your days, a work which ye shall in no wise believe, though a man declare it unto you.” This message really riled those unbelieving Jews, eventually causing Paul and Barnabas to move into the market place to preach to whomever they could find. “And when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and glorified the word of the Lord: and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed.”
I won’t take you to other scriptures which teach the same truth, but I would like to emphasize the point. There is no higher glory that we can give to God than to believe His Word and to trust the Saviour, and then to open our mouths in praise and thanksgiving for the Lord’s gracious salvation. When those who are dead in trespasses and sins are given repentance and faith to trust Christ, the miracle is infinitely more important and greater than to be healed of leprosy or the palsy. And it behooves us who have been redeemed – saved and forgiven – to shout our praises to God.
Be careful how and what you “doxazo” (dox-ad’-zo) – you glorify. And make sure that you include the best reasons for your glorification. Make sure that you are giving glory to God through the Lord Jesus Christ. And are you able give praise to God on the highest possible level? Can you praise Him for saving your worthless soul and for giving you eternal life in Him? Are you absolutely sure that you are a child of God by faith in Christ Jesus?