Scripture
Splendor and majesty are before Him, Strength and beauty are in His sanctuary.
~Psalm 96:6 NASB
Quote
When it comes to knowing God, the initiative lies on His side. If He does not reveal Himself, nothing you can do will enable you to find Him.
~C.S. Lewis
An adjective is a word or a phrase use to describe the subject you are talking about. Example: Donald Trump may be the greatest president of our lifetime. I used the word ‘great’ to describe Trump’s presidency. The bible writers were fond of the adjectives ‘majesty’ and ‘splendor’ when it came to describing God. Of course ‘great’ is used often in scripture to describe God… For the LORD is a great God {Psalm 95:3} and ‘good’ is another often used adjective in reference to God. I can get a handle on ‘great’ and ‘good’ but I struggle with adjectives like ‘splendor’ and ‘majesty.’
To catch the power of the adjective, we need something to relate it to. I saw Lake Erie when I was 12 years old and later in life, I would live very near the banks of lake Pontchartrain in New Orleans. This lake is 26 miles wide which is a good swim but I got a totally new concept of greatest when we took our first cruise. I walked out on deck and there was nothing but water in every direction. Dewitt Crow was standing beside me and he could see the awe on my face. He said, “Relax Jack, we are only a mile from land.” I turned and looked in every direction and then said where? He leaned over the rail and pointed down. I got it, the ocean was was a mile deep. Now when I think of the greatest of God’s love and mercy, I think of the ocean.
We generally associate majesty with royalty and we Americans know nothing about royalty. Even in our Mother land, up till the present century, royalty was a big deal. The royal family lived a part. They mingled with society only on special occasions. They lived differently than everyone else. We know very little about the majesty of a king or queen. It is not as strong as I would like but when I think of God’s majesty, I think of a King–all powerful and all good. I also use the mountains to help me grasp the concept of majesty: something too big to climb or get over or move.
Splendor is the one I struggle with most. I associate splendor with light, with radiance, with glow or glory. It is interesting that this adjective was used of Satan. He was an archangel before his fall and referred to as Lucifer, son of the morning or morning star. Chris Tomlin captured this thought in song…
The splendor of a King
Clothed in majesty
Let all the earth rejoice
All the earth rejoice
He wraps himself in light
And darkness tries to hide
It trembles at his voice
Trembles at his voice
How great is our God
Sing with me, how great is our God
And all will see, how great
How great is our God
Sorry about being late again this morning: I had one of those all night headaches and I am off to a very slow start. The virus has affected by thought process. My QT doesn’t seem to be productive. I am hoping this changes soon. Hey they sunshine looks great. I hope you have a good day and a good weekend coming up.