I will say to the north, ‘Give them up!’
and to the south, ‘Do not hold them back.’
Bring my sons from afar
and my daughters from the ends of the earth—
everyone who is called by my name,
whom I created for my glory,
whom I formed and made.”
- Isaiah 43:6-7
And they were calling to one another:
“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty;
the whole earth is full of his glory.”
- Isaiah 6:3
Moses and Aaron went from the assembly to the entrance to the tent of meeting and fell facedown, and the glory of the Lord appeared to them.
- Numbers 20:6
The trumpeters and musicians joined in unison to give praise and thanks to the Lord. Accompanied by trumpets, cymbals and other instruments, the singers raised their voices in praise to the Lord and sang:
“He is good;
his love endures forever.”
Then the temple of the Lord was filled with the cloud, and the priests could not perform their service because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled the temple of God.
- 2 Chronicles 5:13-14
The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
- Psalm 19:1
The voice of the Lord twists the oaks and strips the forests bare. And in his temple all cry, “Glory!”
- Psalm 29:9
“I am the Lord; that is my name! I will not yield my glory to another or my praise to idols.
- Isaiah 42:8
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
- John 1:14
What Jesus did here in Cana of Galilee was the first of the signs through which he revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him.
- John 2:11
The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.
- Hebrews 1:3
His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.
- 2 Peter 1:3
So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.
- 1 Corinthians 10:31
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
- Romans 3:23
Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.
- 2 Corinthians 3:17-18
The Boilerplate
My wife took a Bible Study in 2011. (There was a note in the study guide that identified September 2 and that the study was being held on Friday mornings, or I might not have ever figured out what year.) My wife had become a Christian in 2000. She greatly respected the pastor’s wife who was also a pastor. The pastor’s wife spent time as the interim associate pastor, and this Bible study might have been during that time.
My wife passed away in March 2023, and I found this study guide as I was cleaning up. It is a Beth Moore study guide. Most of the questions are close-ended, mostly fill-in-the-blank. But my wife was eager to learn. She wrote her thoughts in the margins, sometimes encouraged to do so by Beth Moore. I will use her comments as I did once before, calling this a “with a little help” series in that my wife contributes. There is more to follow in that she wrote Scriptures and prayers in a notebook. Probably what she found in her personal Bible study, giving her encouragement through the long illness that took her life.
So, instead of writing about a topic at random, I am going to write on my wife’s comments in the Study Guide. It may follow the study guide topics, but it may not.
Discussion on this topic
Beth Moore starts by asking what captivity means.
“Anything that keeps us from being with God.”
- My wife’s inner thoughts
In Isaiah 43:7, it mentions “for my glory.” What does that mean? This being asked before reading the other Scriptures.
“God’s creation and for Him to honor Him in everything.”
- My wife’s inner thoughts
What was my wife’s thoughts of the OT Scriptures above?
“Isaiah 6:3 – Even the angels give Him the full glory.
“Numbers 20:6 – God’s brilliance, love and power requires respect from the ones who love Him.
“2 Chronicles 5:13-14 – In God’s presence, the sounding of instruments, and He filled the temple. Everyone is in awe – nothing could be done.
“Psalm 19:1 – Even nature glorifies God.
“Psalm 29:9 – In God’s temple, everyone will glorify Him – all of creation.
”Isaiah 42:8 – He’s the one and only, we’ll not have any other gods.”
- My wife’s inner thoughts
What was my wife’s thoughts of the NT Scriptures above?
“John 1:14 – God became flesh, from a spirit.
“John 2:11 – Through Christ’s marvelous miracles, He was glorified.
“Hebrews 1:3 – Jesus is the redeemer of God’s glory – Absolute being of God.
“2 Peter 1:3 – God’s excellence is exhibited. His perfect attributes and being.”
- My wife’s inner thoughts
Now, let’s return to Isaiah 43:7. What does God’s glory mean?
“Accepting God, we’re given His favor. He recognizes us and we recognize Him.”
- My wife’s inner thoughts
God’s glory, found in everything is our reason to glorify God, but God raises us up through His Mercy and Grace. He recognize God in His glory, and God loves us.
Looking at 1 Corinthians 10:31, what can we add?
“Give God the glory in everything.”
- My wife’s inner thoughts
And how does Romans 3:23 relate to God’s glory?
“Through Christ, we are reconciled to God in our former glory.”
- My wife’s inner thoughts
Adam and Eve had a sinless glory in the Garden of Eden, and Christ Jesus reconciles us to that glory, but only through His power.
And finally, let’s look at 2 Corinthians 3:17-18.
“The more you are in God (Jesus Christ), the more you become sanctified.”
- My wife’s inner thoughts
Sanctification is a life-long process of the born-again Christian. Sometimes it is a painful process, but we never miss what we might lose, for what we gain is eternal compared to sinful earthly, temporal pleasures.
Soli Deo Gloria. Only to God be the Glory
Thoughts from Mark "Hat" Rackley 
Leave a comment