The Weight of God’s Glory
Pastor Ben Curfman
Exodus • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Bible Passage: Exodus 14:1-15:21
Read and Pray
The root of kabod literally means heavy or weighty. The figurative meaning, however, is far more common: “to give weight to someone.” To honor someone, then, is to give weight or to grant a person a position of respect and even authority in one’s life. A person grants honor most frequently on the basis of position, status, or wealth, but it can and should also be granted on the basis of character.
While honor is an internal attitude of respect, courtesy, and reverence, it should be accompanied by appropriate attention or even obedience. Honor without such action is incomplete; it is lip service.
Then the Lord said, “Because this people draw near with their words And honor Me with their lip service, But they remove their hearts far from Me, And their reverence for Me consists of tradition learned by rote, Therefore behold, I will once again deal marvelously with this people, wondrously marvelous; And the wisdom of their wise men will perish, And the discernment of their discerning men will be concealed.”
Several times when the Bible says God “hardened” Pharaoh’s heart, it literally means He put weight/glory on it. He made it heavy. In Exodus 14:25, God made the Egyptian chariot wheels swerve and slow down by putting His weight/glory on them.
God was literally grinding Egypt’s most powerful war machines into the dirt before they could even fight!
The Weight of God’s Glory Cautions Us to Silence
The Weight of God’s Glory Cautions Us to Silence
As Pharaoh drew near, the sons of Israel looked, and behold, the Egyptians were marching after them, and they became very frightened; so the sons of Israel cried out to the Lord. Then they said to Moses, “Is it because there were no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? Why have you dealt with us in this way, bringing us out of Egypt? “Is this not the word that we spoke to you in Egypt, saying, ‘Leave us alone that we may serve the Egyptians’? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.” But Moses said to the people, “Do not fear! Stand by and see the salvation of the Lord which He will accomplish for you today; for the Egyptians whom you have seen today, you will never see them again forever. “The Lord will fight for you while you keep silent.”
When we complain about our circumstances as Christians, we accuse God of being unable or unwilling to provide for us and bless us. Instead, we should be silent and trust that His will and His power are “heavy” enough to save us.
When we complain about our circumstances as Christians, we accuse God of being unable or unwilling to provide for us and bless us. Instead, we should be silent and trust that His will and His power are “heavy” enough to save us.
God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change And though the mountains slip into the heart of the sea; Though its waters roar and foam, Though the mountains quake at its swelling pride. Selah. There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, The holy dwelling places of the Most High. God is in the midst of her, she will not be moved; God will help her when morning dawns. The nations made an uproar, the kingdoms tottered; He raised His voice, the earth melted. The Lord of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our stronghold. Selah. Come, behold the works of the Lord, Who has wrought desolations in the earth. He makes wars to cease to the end of the earth; He breaks the bow and cuts the spear in two; He burns the chariots with fire. “Cease striving and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” The Lord of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our stronghold. Selah.
The Weight of God’s Glory Pushes Us To Action
The Weight of God’s Glory Pushes Us To Action
Then the Lord said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to Me? Tell the sons of Israel to go forward. “As for you, lift up your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it, and the sons of Israel shall go through the midst of the sea on dry land. “As for Me, behold, I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they will go in after them; and I will be honored through Pharaoh and all his army, through his chariots and his horsemen. “Then the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord, when I am honored through Pharaoh, through his chariots and his horsemen.”
In 1940 Britain as WWII raged, Major Wellesley Tudor-Pole approved the King of England and the Prime Minister about what became know as the “Silent Minute.” Every evening at 9 PM during the war, the famous clock known as Big Ben would strike and everyone would stop for one minute of prayer for peace.
Sir Winston Churchill was known to pause meetings with Parliamentary Cabinet during this time for prayer even in the middle of war planning.
As they became still and sought God’s help for peace, they were able to better plan an end to WWII.
When we are still, we see God begin to move. When we see God moving, we follow Him. When we follow Him, we see His glory.
When we are still, we see God begin to move. When we see God moving, we follow Him. When we follow Him, we see His glory.
The Weight of God’s Glory Motivates Us To Worship
The Weight of God’s Glory Motivates Us To Worship
One common topic of conversation among pastors is the confusion and, at times, even frustration with people in their churches who claim to be Christians but don’t seem changed by the Gospel or committed to God’s Church.
“Why does it seem like everything in their life is more important than gathering with the Church?”
“Why does it seem like everything in their life is more important than gathering with the Church?”
“I wish my people were as serious about telling others how to be saved as they are about _________.”
“I wish my people were as serious about telling others how to be saved as they are about _________.”
“Why do they expect God to do _______ for them when they aren’t doing what He already told them?”
“Why do they expect God to do _______ for them when they aren’t doing what He already told them?”
We all know that everyone is different and we can’t fully know why another person does anything, but as I studied this passage, I now think that there are better questions we should be asking:
“Is this person spending enough time being still and silent to see God’s will for them?”
“Is this person spending enough time being still and silent to see God’s will for them?”
“Does this person understand that they communicate to others what is ‘weighty’ in their hearts by their use of time, energy, and resources?”
“Does this person understand that they communicate to others what is ‘weighty’ in their hearts by their use of time, energy, and resources?”
“Are we doing our part in helping our brothers and sisters in Christ by pointing out God’s glory at work in our lives and in the world on a regular basis?”
“Are we doing our part in helping our brothers and sisters in Christ by pointing out God’s glory at work in our lives and in the world on a regular basis?”
When we see God’s glory at work in our lives, He becomes weightier in our hearts and minds.
When we see God’s glory at work in our lives, He becomes weightier in our hearts and minds.
Then Moses and the sons of Israel sang this song to the Lord, and said, “I will sing to the Lord, for He is highly exalted; The horse and its rider He has hurled into the sea.
CONCLUSION
In the text today, Pharaoh learned that God’s glory is not something to compete with, and the Hebrews learned that God’s glory is not something to doubt. Because of Christ, God is glorifying us even in the midst of hard times, and we should give Him praise for it!
For all things are for your sakes, so that the grace which is spreading to more and more people may cause the giving of thanks to abound to the glory of God. Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day. For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.
Pray and Sing
