2 Corinthians 4:17 - The Weight of Glory

For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison. (2 Corinthians 4:17 ESV)

The Weight of Glory

The word glory literally means 'weight' in Hebrew (kabod). The 'eternal weight' of glory evokes an incomprehensible weightiness: the weight of weight. This is the essence of God. Glory.

The most common image associated with glory is light. The glory shone in Moses face as he came off the mountain was bright enough that he had to cover himself for the sake of the Israelites. God could not reveal his full glory to Moses, "for man shall not see me and live" (Ex 33:20).

The glory of God is heavy light, the burden of which would crush a mortal.

Light Momentary Affliction
 

Paul says that our afflictions are preparing us for this glory. He calls these light momentary afflictions.

    We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed (2 Corinthians 4:8-9 ESV).

Bearing our cross is serious business, but the reason we endure (besides having the life of Jesus in us, v10-11) is the hope of incomparable glory. No matter how crushing our affliction, it does not, it cannot compare to the glory to come. That glory is so great that it dwarfs any earthly force.

The Greek for 'beyond all comparison' is "kath’ hyperbolēn eis hyperbolēn". No words can describe the weight of glory, for it is 'excessively to excessively' or 'hyperbole upon hyperbole'. A Universe of glory dwarfs the quark of momentary affliction.

Preparation

The real point of this verse is that the heat and pressure of trials prepares us for the eternal weight of glory. The glory that Moses could not bear, the infinite weight of God's essence, that which is hyperbole upon hyperbole will be our reality. God is preparing us for living in his presence through the grief of trial and the testing by fire. How much preparation have you experience in your life?

    Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls. (1 Peter 1:3-9 ESV)

2 Samuel 24: Costly Sacrifice

2 Samuel 24 lays the groundwork for the building of the temple. David takes a census of Israel with the wrong heart. Even Joab knows that David's command is sinful. [Note: If a deceitful murderer says you are wrong, perhaps you should listen!] God sends a pestilence through Israel as punishment, and relents when the destroying angel comes to Jerusalem. The 1 Chronicles 21 account allows your mind's eye to envision the terror.

    And God sent the angel to Jerusalem to destroy it, but as he was about to destroy it, the LORD saw, and he relented from the calamity. And he said to the angel who was working destruction, “It is enough; now stay your hand.” And the angel of the LORD was standing by the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite. And David lifted his eyes and saw the angel of the LORD standing between earth and heaven, and in his hand a drawn sword stretched out over Jerusalem. Then David and the elders, clothed in sackcloth, fell upon their faces...Now Ornan was threshing wheat. He turned and saw the angel, and his four sons who were with him hid themselves...And David built there an altar to the LORD and presented burnt offerings and peace offerings and called on the LORD, and the LORD answered him with fire from heaven upon the altar of burnt offering. Then the LORD commanded the angel, and he put his sword back into its sheath. (1 Chronicles 21:15-16,20,26-27 ESV)

David goes to build an alter on this land at Gad's direction and offers to buy it from Ornan (Araunah). Ornan is willing to quickly give it to David, but David insists on paying for the land saying:

     I will not offer burnt offerings to the LORD my God that cost me nothing.

The narrative shows that God ordained this site for the Temple, but other lessons can be coaxed from the text.

1. Obviously, our offerings to God must cost us something. If we do not sacrifice, it's not an offering. If your heart in giving to church is "I give what I can," then it's not really an offering. Consider Mark 12:41-44.
2. The offering does not avert disaster. God relents from the pestilence first, then David is called to build an alter and sacrifice to the Lord. After the offering is accepted, the angel sheaths his sword. God demonstrates grace first, David responds to the Word of the Lord in faith, and then David and Jerusalem are saved.
3. The grace offered to us in salvation through Jesus Christ is not free. It is freely offered, but it cost God dearly--the life of his only begotten Son. It is by the sacrifice of the infinitely worthy that we have hope in having our infinite debt satisfied.

A Man After God's Own Heart

I've been a bit harsh on David recently (see these posts: Web of Sin, David Does Right Too Late), but when it comes down to it, David is the only man in the Bible who is called "a man after God's own heart." How could someone who has messed up so badly have that title? There are several reasons, but the main one is that David had a relationship with God and did not seek good except in God (Psalm 16:2), usually. David had glaring weaknesses and stumbled because of them, but he knew when he was wrong and he was quick to repent (2 Samuel 12:13).

This should be encouraging. You can still have God's heart without perfection as prerequisite. We sin and fall short of the glory of God, but in faith our heart can be made right. We find confidence in this because of David's Greater Son who had the actual heart of God and willingly sacrificed himself to become our propitiation.

You and I can be a person after God's own heart if we are in Christ. As we are conformed to his image, our hearts can surpass that of David's because Christ dwells in our heart. We not only have a heart after God's, but God will dwell in our heart.

    For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
    Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen. (Ephesians 3:14-21 ESV)

And oh do I pray for this heart, for faith. Why? To be filled with all the fullness of God.

2 Samuel 19: David Does Right Too Late

Sin is a nasty little bugger. It wraps its tentacles around parts of life that you might not see, so when you try to remove it, it rips out good with the bad. The longer the sin can fester and grow, the thicker and deeper the tentacles will reach, and far more collateral damage will ensue.

Looking at David's life as he tries to restore family and kingdom after Absalom's rebellion, it's not hard to see the pervasive effects of sin reverberate through the lives of those closest to David.

The restored king makes a very bold decision: Amasa replaces Joab as commander over King David's army.

And say to Amasa, ‘Are you not my bone and my flesh? God do so to me and more also, if you are not commander of my army from now on in place of Joab’” (2 Samuel 19:13).

Frankly, Joab should have been deposed long ago, but David never took decisive action. Though this wasn't final enough, for Joab (along with Abishai and Ittai) was still in charge of a third of the army.

The ESV Study Bible notes say that David may have done this to punish Joab for killing Absalom. That's a bit speculative, because there are many good reasons to install Amasa. Joab may have upset David when rebuking him (2 Samuel 19:1-8). Perhaps Amasa was installed as a political maneuver. Since Amasa was chosen to be commander of Abaslom's army, David may have wanted to integrate the two factions and show unity (he was also David's nephew along with Joab and Abishai according to 1 Chronicles 2). David may not like that Joab was a bit of a loose cannon, first murdering Abner then killing Absalom against David's instruction. Or, perhaps it was a little bit of all these reasons.

Whatever the reason, as David starts to take the right steps, it doesn't solve the problem. He has allowed sin to fester in his own life and in the life of Joab for too long, and with little surprise, Joab murders Amasa from apparent jealousy.

When they were at the great stone that is in Gibeon, Amasa came to meet them. Now Joab was wearing a soldier's garment, and over it was a belt with a sword in its sheath fastened on his thigh, and as he went forward it fell out. And Joab said to Amasa, “Is it well with you, my brother?” And Joab took Amasa by the beard with his right hand to kiss him. But Amasa did not observe the sword that was in Joab's hand. So Joab struck him with it in the stomach and spilled his entrails to the ground without striking a second blow, and he died.
    Then Joab and Abishai his brother pursued Sheba the son of Bichri. And one of Joab's young men took his stand by Amasa and said, “Whoever favors Joab, and whoever is for David, let him follow Joab.” (2 Samuel 20:8-11 ESV)

The saddest part about all of this is that, yet again, David does nothing. He doesn't even mourn this time. It is matter of fact that Joab is commander again (2 Samuel 20:23), and no justice is sought.

But Joab does not ultimately escape justice. For those reading the M'Cheyne Bible reading plan, they will see on September 30th that it takes David's son to finally seek the life of the murderer that David should have demanded years ago.

2 Corinthians 12: A Leader's Resume

When applying for a new job or a promotion, what type of resume would you submit? Naturally, you would share your education and work credentials to show your qualification for the job. In gospel work, however, the ways of the world are foolishness.

In 2 Corinthians, Paul defends his ministry to the church at Corinth against the so-called super-apostles. They not only boasted in their accomplishments (2 Cor 10:12), but they derided Paul because he would not (2 Cor 10:10). From here he takes an interesting tactic. Paul reinforces that all boasting is to be done in the Lord, and not in self-commendation (2 Cor 10:17-18). He shows them what foolishness boasting in the flesh is:

I repeat, let no one think me foolish. But even if you do, accept me as a fool, so that I too may boast a little. What I am saying with this boastful confidence, I say not as the Lord would but as a fool. Since many boast according to the flesh, I too will boast...But whatever anyone else dares to boast of—I am speaking as a fool—I also dare to boast of that. Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they offspring of Abraham? So am I. Are they servants of Christ? I am a better one—I am talking like a madman—with far greater labors, far more imprisonments, with countless beatings, and often near death. (2 Corinthians 11:16-18,21-23).

Paul really was far more qualified than anyone else, but he loathed fleshly boasting. He mentioned that he was playing the fool six times in chapter 11.

Paul finishes his foolishness in chapter 12 and then demonstrates the real strength of his resume.

On my own behalf I will not boast, except of my weaknesses. (2 Corinthians 12:4)

Why would he do that? Because the real source of qualification does not come from within but from God. So there is no room for personal boasting, and Paul demonstrates all boasting is in the Lord.

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
(2 Corinthians 12:9-10 ESV)

How many churches would hire a pastor if all he interviewed on was his weaknesses? I'm guessing none, but he would probably be the most qualified applicant they've ever seen.

2 Samuel 18: The Web of Sin

Today's chapter in 2 Samuel is a tragic one. David's men fight against Absalom, and it ends with Joab killing Absalom. So despite explicit instructions from David, "Deal gently for my sake with the young man Absalom," he mourns at the end, "O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! Would I had died instead of you, O Absalom, my son, my son!"

The sequence of events can be traced to David's earlier failings, and they're all related to David's passivity. Even men after God's own heart are not perfect. David sacrificed his moral integrity for political expediency.

The first problem is that David did not bring Joab to justice when he murdered Abner, "And when Abner returned to Hebron, Joab took him aside into the midst of the gate to speak with him privately, and there he struck him in the stomach, so that he died, for the blood of Asahel his brother" (2 Samuel 3:27). Abner killed Asahel in battle, within the rules of war, but Joab murdered Abner in premeditated revenge. David did not punish Joab for this sin, so Joab was still the commander of David's army. Perhaps David feared Joab or thought he was an irreplaceable commander. David's rationalization does not excuse Joab's sin.

The second problem came when David failed to act yet again. Amnon, David's son, raped his half-sister Tamar. "When King David heard of all these things, he was very angry" (2 Samuel 13:21), but he did not lift a finger. Absalom was Tamar's full brother, both born of Maacah. When David did not execute justice on behalf of Tamar, Absalom took justice into his own hands two years later by killing his own brother Amnon (2 Samuel 13:23-33).

The third problem is a complex assortment of scheming by both Joab and Absalom. Absalom fled, but again David threw his arms up and did nothing. Through the actions of Joab and Absalom, who were not on great terms with each other (2 Samuel 14:30), Absalom returned to Jerusalem and grew a heart that despised his father and lusted after power. So Absalom won the hearts of the Israelites, conspired a coup and warred to finish off David [2 Samuel 14-17].

David's men were mightier and won the war, but Joab purposely killed Absalom in the forest in a less than honorable fashion:

And Absalom happened to meet the servants of David. Absalom was riding on his mule, and the mule went under the thick branches of a great oak, and his head caught fast in the oak, and he was suspended between heaven and earth, while the mule that was under him went on... And [Joab] took three javelins in his hand and thrust them into the heart of Absalom while he was still alive in the oak. And ten young men, Joab's armor-bearers, surrounded Absalom and struck him and killed him. [2 Samuel 18:9,14-15]

Sin has consequences, and often one sin leads to a chain of others, even when (perhaps especially when) it's refusing to do what's right via non-action. There are many things David could have done differently so that neither he nor Absalom had to die.

A final point of reflection is that God can and does use all of the actions of men (good and bad) to accomplish his purposes. In a complex plot that even Shakespeare couldn't invent, God used the royal drama to fulfill two plans.

1. Absalom was the the instrument of punished against David that Nathan promised in 2 Samuel 12:11.
2. God brought justice to Absalom for his sin against Amnon and David while being God's agent: 2 Samuel 17:14.

This ends up being a microcosm of the issues Israel struggled with during the exile, that God would use a sin-overflowing, evil, pagan nations to punish his chosen people.

Should We Pursue Holiness When We Don't Feel Like It?

What is man's role in sanctification? Do I not have the Holy Spirit, and doesn't God do the work inside me? What can I possibly add that God is not doing or cannot do? And if I choose to do something, to perform a work, am I simply reverting to a works-righteousness mentality instead of living by faith and believing in the free gift of God's grace? What does that look like if I don't have a desire to pursue specific disciplines in regards to sanctification (like prayer)? Is it simply legalism to perform the duty? This is a hard topic that's worth giving some thought to.

I see this topic having the same logic as that of God's sovereignty and man's free will. Most people ask the question as a dichotomy: is God sovereign (thus making us his puppets) or do we have free will (thus limiting the power of God)? But they don't have to be mutually exclusive even if our (finite) brains perceive them that way. God is sovereign and man has free will, and that's the sort of system that only an omnipotent God could create. In the same way, we might ask if it's God work in us that produces sanctification, or is it our actions? Yes! And how those things come together, especially when it appears we have so much control over one half of the equation, remains a bit of a mystery. The Bible does teach that it is entirely God's work, but it also teaches that we have responsibility (Philippians 2:12-13, 2 Peter 1:5, 2 Corinthians 7:1 and others).

A big part of the hangup, I think, comes from what you do when you don't feel like being disciplined. If God is at work within me, why don't I have a stronger desire to read my Bible and pray everyday (as examples)? And what am I supposed to do in that case, suck it up and do it with the wrong heart, or wait for God to stir the feelings up within me? I think the rub is that we don't feel like being disciplined because we're not disciplined. We don't feel like praying because we don't pray. What do we do in this case? We need repentance of that heart, the one that doesn't want to be holy. We need to go back to the cross in faith, believe in the work of Christ, confess our lack of care and turn our eyes again toward God. There, that was doing something, like a discipline! And as we confess our sin and dependence on God, as we continually repent and rest in our justification by the work of his Son, I am confident our hearts will be stirred by God's Spirit and that flame of desire will be stoked so that when we consider a discipline, the heart to do it will be there.

I think we all acknowledge that if we robotically and lovelessly perform our Christian duties (i.e. without faith), then our works are nothing more than filthy rags. None of us want to be there, none of us want to have that heart. So I think we need an extra measure of prayer that God would give us the right heart as we discipline our bodies and minds out of faith. At the same time, just because we don't feel like being disciplined is not an excuse to give up and not do anything. Like Paul (2 Tim 4:7) we need to fight the good fight, finish the race, keep the faith.

Kevin DeYoung is finishing a book called The Hole in Our Holiness, and this has stirred conversation in the reformed circles. Here are some resources for those interested in thinking through this topic even more.


John Piper and Kevin DeYoung, Part 1
John Piper and Kevin DeYoung, Part 2
Reformed Survey on Sanctification
When I Don't Desire God