Isaiah 42:8 I am the LORD: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images. God is jealous of His honour. The first four commandments of the decalogue have special reference to His rights, and are couched in the most forcible and impressive terms. But, though these injunctions are reasonable, they have been repeatedly violated by all the nations of the earth. This declaration was made in connection with the mission of the Messiah. But the text is of vital interest to ourselves. It is not the idolater only that dis-honours God; but every impenitent sinner, and every unfaithful follower of Christ. I. THE IMPORT OF GOD'S NAME. "Jehovah." By this name God revealed Himself to Moses" (Exodus 6:3). 1. It means the Being that exists. 2. It implies that He is the Fountain of all being. 3. That He is also the Preserver of all being.And the sublimest feature in His providence is that which was exhibited in the redemption of mankind. The name Jehovah leads us to this point. It implies that God is the Saviour of the world, and for this reason, above all others (since, for a sinful world there could have been no preservation without redemption), the great Preserver of the world. That this, too, is the import of the name, is evident from the attributes ascribed to God in connection with it, by Moses: "Jehovah, Jehovah God, merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth." In Christ, the character of God as the merciful I AM, is clearly manifested (John 1:14.) II. THE GLORY WHICH BELONGS TO HIM. The term "glory" is sometimes used in reference to the visible symbol of Jehovah's presence — the Shechinah; at other times it denotes the manifestation of His power and wisdom in creation, and at other times again it is employed in a more general sense, to set forth the attributes and perfections of His character. But in the text the word is equivalent to honour, worship, adoration, or whatever else God lays claim to from His creatures' hands, and hence the latter clause of the passage may be viewed, though with an intensity of meaning, as explanatory of the former. "My glory will I not give to another, neither My praise to graven images." That is, that which belongs to Me as Jehovah, I delegate to no one. What, then, is the glory which belongs exclusively to God? 1. His is the glory of the creation of all things. He is the Fountain of being. 2. His is the glory of the world's redemption. 3. His is the glory of the application of redemption to the case of each individual believer in Christ Jesus. 4. His is the glory of the advancement of mankind in knowledge, holiness, and peace. III. HIS DETERMINATION TO MAINTAIN HIS RIGHTS. "I will not give My glory to another, neither My praise to graven images." In this impressive declaration God speaks to men of every class, of every country, and of every age. This declaration may be viewed as corrective of — 1. The sin of idolatry. 2. The sin of pride. 3. The sin of unbelief. (Thornley Smith.) Parallel Verses KJV: I am the LORD: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images. |
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