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220 How Are the Christian Scriptures Confirmed by the Peculiar Glory of God?
are glorified not merely in their majesty, but in the paradoxical juxtaposition
of the intrinsic height of holiness and intentional lowliness of
service. Isaiah states the principle clearly: “He exalts himself to show
mercy to you” (Isa. 30:18).
So Isaiah portrays God as self-authenticating in his glorious uniqueness.
There is no god, and there is no human, like this God. He is too
high to be the product of fear and too lowly to be the product of pride.
He is not the creation of man, and he is not in the pantheon of the gods.
He is real, and he is true.
The Glory of God in History and Psalms
This vision of the glory of God, as majestic in mercy and meekness, is
not unique to Isaiah. It pervades the biblical books of history and poetry
as well as prophecy. It explodes in the New Testament with unparalleled
clarity in the incarnation of the Son of God, Jesus Christ.
For example, when Asa, the king of Judah, refused to humble himself
and trust God to fight for him but instead relied on the king of Syria,
God censures him with remarkable words:
Because you relied on the king of Syria, and did not rely on the
Lord your God, the army of the king of Syria has escaped you.
Were not the Ethiopians and the Libyans a huge army with very
many chariots and horsemen? Yet because you relied on the Lord,
he gave them into your hand. For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro
throughout the whole earth, to give strong support to those whose
heart is blameless toward him. (2 Chron. 16:7–9)
Verse 9 gives an astonishing picture of God. He is not waiting for people
to come serve him or help him or fight for him. On the contrary, his eyes
are running to and fro looking for people whom he can serve in their
battles. God exalts his strength by searching out weak people whose
heart is blameless toward him, so that he can fight for them and work
for them.
Similarly, in the Psalms, God takes his people to court, so to speak,
in Psalm 50. His case against them is that they are treating him as
though he needed their service and their sacrifices. They have forgotten
the peculiar glory that he has among all the gods. He does not need