Scripture
Thus says the LORD, “Heaven is My throne and the earth is My footstool. Where then is a house you could build for Me? And where is a place that I may rest?
~Isaiah 66:1, NASB1995
Quote
Glory: It is who God is. It is the essence of His nature; the weight of His importance; the radiance of His splendor; the demonstration of His power; the atmosphere of His presence.
~J. I. Packer
The following thought comes from Jonathan Cohn’s Book of Mysteries. The Hebrew word for ‘glory’ {kāḇôḏ} comes from the word ‘kāḇaḏ‘ which means weighty or heavy. This heaviness can refer to power, splendor, wealth, or honor. God is infinitely heavy in all these areas and more. What is a footstool? It is not a chair where you rest your full weight, but a stool that you rest your feet on. God’s chair {throne} is in heaven and thus the greater weight of His glory is in heaven. The earth is not His throne, it is His footstool. Yes, He rest His feet on the earth and it bears the imprint of his feet but never His full weight. What does this reveal? First, we have not seen the full weight of His glory. This means the best is yet to come. Secondly, it means we live in a footstool world. You do not rest your full weight on a footstool; you rest your feet on it lightly.
I was reading Psalm 49 yesterday in the NLT: it goes like this…So don’t be dismayed when the wicked grow rich and their homes become ever more splendid. For when they die, they take nothing with them. Their wealth will not follow them into the grave. In this life they consider themselves fortunate and are applauded for their success. But they will die like all before them and never again see the light of day. People who boast of their wealth don’t understand; they will die, just like animals. Psalm 49 is just another reminder that we live in a footstool world. It is not the proper place for you and I to put our weight or our hope. I am resolved no longer to linger charmed by the world’s delights; Things that are higher, things that are nobler, these have allured my sight. {Hugh S Livingston, Jr. “I am Resolved”}.
EXTRA
Got so excited about my QT that I forgot to post the blog; sorry about that! Jonathan Cohn says, “No matter how good you think God is, he is better.” You can apply this formula to all of God’s attributes. The finite cannot possibly exaggerate the attributes of the infinite. I hope you have a great day. I am looking forward to having lunch with some old friends. We all need something to look forward to.