Sunday, October 4, 2015

The Setting of God's Glory Story

God's Glory Story
Here is the story from God's Glory Story Part 1:

In the beginning God, the I AM, created everything. Before there was anything (like water, plants, people), before there was space or planets, and before there was even time, there was the Great I AM. In His perfect wisdom, He devised a plan that would accomplish the sharing of His glory. You see, I AM was and is perfect. He is supreme, sovereign, and holy. His glory was the goal of creation. It was why He did it. His glory, although beyond compare, can be likened to the greatest painting ever brushed on a canvas. The painting is so majestic that it must be shared with the world. What good would it be to keep it hidden and secret? And I AM’s glory was and is infinitely greater than any painting. And so, He orchestrated a plan for a world (a canvas) to display His glory and a people to behold it. I AM created a place and people for the ultimate purpose of His glory. His plan was to fill the entire earth with His glory.

Now this plan, this story, does not unfold in a manner we might expect. And why should it? Our expectations always fall short of the full and true splendor of I AM’s glory. This plan, this story, begins in a garden-paradise like no other. I AM created a place, a temple, to dwell with His people. That was the only way they could experience His glory to its fullest. To be in the presence of I AM and behold his glory in such a close, intimate way was the highest pleasure and fullest joy there is to experience (Ps. 16:11).

I AM’s plan, however, involved using humans not only to behold his glory but also as the means to display His glory. Instead of actively showing His grandeur to the world, He decided to create humans special above all other creatures. He created them as living statues bearing His image and likeness. Like any statue, its purpose is to reflect properly and in a favorable light the one whose image is displayed. Thus, these image-bearers had a responsibility from the very beginning, to reflect I AM’s glory as they were created in His likeness.

Being created in His image also implied something else wonderful as well. They were also placed in God’s garden-paradise as kings to rule over His perfect place. You see, in ancient times, kings always erected statues of themselves to display their authority. It was their way of saying, “Though I may not be here physically, this statue of me represents my authority over this land.” And I AM was simply doing this very thing. He would rule His creation as Creator and King, but He would do it by means of mediating that authority through His image-bearers. His people would have dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, and every animal all over the land. They were the vice-regents of I AM’s creation. What a glorious plan!

But it doesn’t stop there. This garden-paradise-temple had borders. After all, I AM started with only 2 humans, Adam and Eve. But I AM commanded these two to reproduce, multiply, and fill the earth. Essentially what He was commanding them to do was to fill the earth with more image-bearing vice-regents who would rule God’s creation and reflect His glory as image-bearers from all parts of His world. And so God also commanded Adam and Eve to take care of and maintain the garden in the same way a priest would take care of and maintain a sacred place or sanctuary, a temple. Adam and Eve were to keep it clean so the holy I AM would continue to dwell in the midst of His people and allowing free access to the greatest joy in the world, the presence of God. And, if evil entered this garden-sanctuary-temple, their duty as kings was to judge that evil and as priests to remove it. So, as time would continue and the population of image-bearers would grow, the borders of the garden-paradise was also to grow.

The ultimate goal meant to be achieved was for the borders of this paradise-garden to extend so far and the image-bearers to reproduce and reflect God’s glory so much that it would cover the entire earth! It would be full of God’s image-bearing king-priests who would reflect the glory of God. And in that way, I AM’s glory would fill the earth, just as He intended from the beginning. I told you God’s plan was not how we would expect it to be accomplished.

The beginning of the story continued with I AM, not only giving Adam and Eve this awesome mission to fill the earth with His glory, but He also provided a way by which they could be kings and priests in this garden-temple. God created two special trees. The first was a life-giving tree, symbolic of the intimate access they had to I AM’s presence. The second was a tree set aside for kings to practice wisdom, discern good and evil, and dispense judgment. Since this tree was special in that it was for Adam and Eve to be king-priest (and not to provide sustenance), God commanded His people to not eat its fruit. After all, why would they? The purpose of the tree was to be a place to judge evil as kings and after judgment to remove evil as priests. “Eat from any tree in this garden-paradise,” I AM said, “But from the special tree of kingly judgment to discern between good and evil, don’t eat!” It sounded simple enough.

And so God’s Glory Story began. Sadly, Adam and Eve would fail their mission. They would not be kings and rule I AM’s creation as I AM would perfectly rule. They would not judge and remove evil from the garden-temple. Instead of His image-bearers extending the borders of paradise to cover the earth, they themselves rebelled against God’s command to not eat from that one tree and were exiled out of God’s presence. Cast into the wilderness. Removed from unrestricted access to perfect and complete happiness. They lost the greatest joy they had ever known – to be in the presence of I AM and behold his glorious beauty.

And you know what? As crazy as it sounds, this was all part of I AM’s perfectly designed plan! This was ordained to happen by the limitless wisdom of I AM. I told you He does things in a way unexpected and far better than our own ideas. You see, He had scripted a story, albeit a long one, that would take thousands of years to unfold. But one day, I AM’s plan to fill the earth with His glory and bring His people into his presence to enjoy the greatest happiness there is to know would be accomplished. I AM the supreme, sovereign, and holy God would accomplish all that He set out to do. One day, He will be all in all. And we will experience His glory forever and ever.