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Created for His Name and Praise · Reformed Thinking

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Welcome to Reform Thinking. Today we are taking a deep dive
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into a concept that honestly it shifts the entire center of
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gravity of the Christian faith. Yeah, it really does.
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So think about looking through a massive telescope at the night
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sky. You adjust the dials, you know
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the lenses align, and suddenly this staggering Galaxy comes
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into focus. Right.
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It's breathtaking, right? And you realize in an instant
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how incredibly small you are. And that realization brings this
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this strange sense of awe. Yeah, a good kind of smallness.
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Exactly. Well, spot on.
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Yeah, but what if you look through that same telescope
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expecting to see the vastness of the universe, and instead you
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just saw a mirror reflecting your own face?
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That would be a huge let down. It really would, yeah.
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But I mean, we tend to approach our theology like that mirror.
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We naturally want to be the center of the story.
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Human nature 100%. We want it all to revolve around
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us. Right.
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Our needs, our growth, our outcomes.
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But today we are adjusting the lenses.
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We're pulling from a very specific stack of sources.
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We are primarily We're unpacking a section of Jonathan Edwards
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classic 18th century dissertation concerning the
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final reason God created the world.
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Which is a heavy text, but so worth it.
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Yeah, it really is. And we are also reading this
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alongside the historical context of the Westminster Confession
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to, you know, extract the core insights about the motivation
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behind all divine action. Yeah, getting to the absolute
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bedrock of it all. So our mission for this deep
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dive is clear. We are looking at the scriptural
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proofs Edwards brings to the table showing that God acts for
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His name to make his perfections known and for His praise.
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Right. So I want you, the listener, to
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consider a staggering concept right out of the gate here.
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What if the primary reason for your salvation, your daily life,
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and the existence of the physical universe itself isn't
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about you at all? That is a tough pill to swallow
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for a lot of. People, it is what if
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everything, literally everything, exists for the
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magnification of God's name? Well, to frame this properly, we
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need to look at the theological backdrop that both we and
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Edwards are operating within. Right set the stage for us.
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So as adherence to the Protestant tradition and
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Reformed theology, specifically looking at the Westminster
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Confession of Faith from the 1640s, this idea is the very
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first thing established #1 #1 the Confession Shorter Catechism
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begins with a very famous question.
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What is the chief end of man? And the answer, of course, is to
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glorify God and to enjoy him forever.
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Spot on. So this isn't like a peripheral
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or secondary doctrine? No, it is the absolute bedrock.
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When Jonathan Edwards wrote his dissertation, he was operating
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on this exact wavelength. He wasn't just pulling this out
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of thin air. No, not at all.
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He doesn't rely on abstract philosophy to make his point.
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He marshals an absolute mountain of scripture.
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Just verse after verse after verse.
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Yeah, he builds the systematic verse by verse case showing that
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the magnification of God is the epicenter of reality.
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Right. And he starts with a concept
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that we see all throughout the biblical text, though.
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I mean, we often just read right past.
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I do it all the time. We all do.
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He starts with the concept of God's name.
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OK, let's unpack that first major point from Edwards,
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because Scripture repeatedly cites God's name as the primary
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objective for his acts of goodness and mercy.
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It really does. We're talking about verses most
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of us have heard 1000 times in Sunday school.
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Or, you know, read on greeting cards.
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Oh yeah, the classic coffee mug verses, right?
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But maybe we haven't paid attention to the punctuation or
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the actual rationale with them. Take Psalm 23, OK, He restoreth
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my soul, He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness, and most
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of us just stop right there. We put a period where there
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isn't. One we do, we think great God is
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leading me so I don't get lost or so I can have a comfortable
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life. But the verse finishes with a
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very specific reason. For his name's sake.
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For his name's sake, right? Or look at Psalm 31.3.
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For thy name's sake lead me and guide me in Psalm One, O 9.21
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But do thou for me for thy name's sake.
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It's everywhere. It is even in the historical
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books. In First Samuel 12.22, Samuel
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tells the Israelites the Lord will not forsake His people for
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His great name's sake. It is everywhere once you start
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looking for it. Yeah, the consistency of that
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language across different authors, guys living in an
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entirely different historical periods is striking.
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It really forces you to pay attention it.
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Does and to grasp what these writers mean, we have to define
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what a name actually meant in the ancient Near East.
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Right, because it's different than how we use it.
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Really different in Hebrew thought.
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Specifically today, a name is mostly just a label.
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Yeah, it just distinguishes one person in a crowded room from
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another. Person, right?
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Hey, John over here. Not hey Steve, but in the
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biblical context, a name encapsulates character,
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reputation and essence. It holds a lot more weight.
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So much weight. Think about when God reveals his
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name to Moses at the burning Bush as I am.
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He is revealing His self existent nature right there in
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the name. Therefore, when God acts for His
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name's sake, He is acting to vindicate, demonstrate, and
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uphold His own perfect character in the eyes of the moral
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universe. So he's basically saying I am
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doing this to show you who I am. Yes, his actions are driven by
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an internal desire to make His unseen, eternal excellence
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visible and known to his creation.
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I want to use an analogy here to get at the mechanics of this
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because it helps ground it. Let's hear it.
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Think of a monarch signing a royal pardon for a prisoner on
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death row. OK, high sakes.
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Very high stakes. Now the pardon absolutely frees
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the prisoner. The guy gets to walk out of the
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dark cell, see the sun again, return to his family.
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The benefit to the prisoner is massive life.
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Changing. Right, but the document itself
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is stamped with a heavy wax seal of the King's signet ring.
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That seal is what gives the document its entire validity.
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Without the King's specific seal, that pardon is just a
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worthless piece of paper. The guards would just laugh at
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it. Exactly right.
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So the question we have to ask ourselves looking at Edwards
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text, is this is God's name just a stamp on our salvation or is
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the display of the King's character the actual point of
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the document? That is the $1,000,000 question.
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Right. Like, is the king pardoning the
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prisoner primarily to display the sheer magnitude of his own
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royal clemency to the Kingdom? Well, from a reformed
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perspective of unmerited favor, the King's display of his own
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clemency has to be the primary point.
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It has to be. Let's look at how Edwards
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applies this directly to the forgiveness of sins.
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He cites first John 2.12, where the apostle writes, I write unto
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you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you for
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his name's sake. For his name's sake.
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There it is again. He also looks at Psalm 25.11,
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where David prays. For thy name's sake, O Lord,
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pardon mine iniquity, for it is great.
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That's such a fascinating prayer.
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Notice the logic David uses there.
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He doesn't say. Pardon my iniquity, because I
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promise to be a better person tomorrow.
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Or because I'm trying really hard.
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Right. Or because I have intrinsic
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worth that you need, he says. Pardon my iniquity, for thy
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name's sake. Because if forgiveness relied on
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human merit, the prisoner from the analogy would have to earn
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his way out of the cell. Which is an impossible task for
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someone on death row. They have nothing to offer.
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Right, they're completely bankrupt.
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So because forgiveness is tied entirely to God's name, the
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pardon is perfectly secure. Man, that reframes the entire
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concept of grace. It really does.
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Edwards writes that God's name cannot simply be a subordinate
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goal in all of this. He says it would be absurd to
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think God promotes our happiness for his name's sake, but only
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insubordination to our good. Right.
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Meaning God doesn't just use his own glory as a tool to make us
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happy. It is the other way around.
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He makes us happy to put His glory on display.
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And the textual evidence Edwards brings in to support that is
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undeniable. Oh, it's so clear once you read
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it. Look at the phrasing God himself
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uses in the prophets in Isaiah 48.911.
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God says for my name's sake, while I defer mine anger for my
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own sake, even for mine own sake, will I do it?
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For How should my name be polluted?
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For mine own sake, even for my own sake, the repetition there
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is intense. Very intense.
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God is making sure there's absolutely no ambiguity about
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his motivation. Right, he wants it on the
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record. And in Ezekiel 36.2123, God is
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explaining why He will restore Israel after they profaned His
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name among the surrounding nations.
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He explicitly tells them, I do not this for your sakes, O House
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of Israel, but for my holy name's sake.
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That is such a humbling verse. I do not do this for your sake.
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He goes on to say, I will sanctify my great name.
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The motivation is entirely internal to God.
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It is God's self regard, His dedication to His own holy
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reputation, that drives the salvation and the restoration of
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His people. You know, when we look at our
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own motivations, we constantly find ourselves wanting to be the
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star of the show. Always.
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So when we 3 verses like that in Ezekiel, it can initially feel
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jarring. Like a cold splash of water.
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Yeah, but I want to pause and ask you, the listener, to
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reflect on how liberating this actually is in practice.
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It's incredible because if you were constantly looking in that
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mirror we talked about at the beginning, thinking you're
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standing with God depends on your flawless performance, your
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spiritual resume, or your ability to clean yourself up.
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You will be crushed by anxiety. Oh, you'll break under that
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weight. Every failure will feel like the
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end of your pardon, like the king is going to RIP up the
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document. Right, because it all depends on
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you. But if your salvation, your
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leading, your guiding, and your forgiveness are anchored
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entirely to God's dedication to His own holy reputation, you can
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finally breathe. Yes.
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Understanding is secure precisely because God's name is
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secure. He will not let his name be
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polluted by failing to save the ones he promised to save.
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That is the absolute bedrock of assurance.
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It is it is the ultimate security.
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And once Edwards establishes this on the individual level, he
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scales it up. Right, he goes big picture.
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If we zoom out from individual salvation, Edwards applies this
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to the grand movements of biblical history.
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He transitions from these personal statements of mercy to
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the massive nation altering events of the Old Testament.
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Geopolitics of the Bible. Yeah, he specifically looks at
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the 2 greatest temporal deliverances in Israel's
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history, the Exodus from Egypt and the subsequent return from
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the Babylonian captivity centuries later.
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Edwards argues that both of these monumental historical
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events were explicitly executed for the fame of God's name.
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Let's paint the picture of the Exodus to see how this works,
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because it's fascinating for it. God didn't just quietly sneak
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the Israelites out the back door of Egypt in the middle of night.
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No, he made a scene A. Huge scene.
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He systematically dismantled the Egyptian empire.
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The 10 plagues were not just like random acts of nature,
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right? They were specific, targeted
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strikes against the various deities of the Egyptian
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pantheon. He was proving a point.
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And then culminating the event he split the Red Sea.
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Why go to such dramatic lengths? Edwards points to tuple Samuel
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7.23 where it says God went to redeem Israel to make him a
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name. To make him a name.
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Psalm one O 6.8 says, Nevertheless He saved them for
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his name's sake. And Isaiah 63.1 is perhaps the
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most vivid, saying God LED them by the right hand of Moses with
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his glorious arm dividing the waters before them to make
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himself an everlasting name. It's all about the display.
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The Divided Waters were essentially a massive
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geopolitical billboard declaring the total superiority of Yahweh
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over the false gods of Egypt. Yeah, the mechanics of that
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event were designed to be broadcasted.
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The nations surrounding Egypt heard what happened at the Red
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Sea and fear fell upon. Them everyone was talking about.
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It the purpose was maximum visibility for the character of
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God, and the same pattern holds true for the deliverance from
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Babylon. Fast forward a few centuries,
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right? The Israelites were in exile,
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their temple was destroyed, and they were utterly defeated.
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Rock bottom. When the prophet Daniel prays
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for the return in Daniel 9.1 time, he doesn't appeal to their
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renewed obedience or their good behavior in exile.
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He doesn't say we've learned our lesson.
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No, he prays, O Lord, here the Lord forgive.
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O Lord, hearken and do defer not for thy known sake, O my God,
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there it is. God's own sake is the lever that
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moves the empires of the world. Furthermore, Edwards views these
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historical physical deliverances as figures and similitudes of
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the final spiritual redemption in Christ.
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OK, let's define that term for the listener real quick.
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When you say similitudes, you were talking about typology,
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right? Right.
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The idea that these Old Testament events are historical
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shadows pointing to a future reality.
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Correct. So the physical exodus from
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slavery in Egypt is a historical shadow of the spiritual exodus
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from slavery to sin. The return from the physical
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exile in Babylon is a shadow of the Church being brought out of
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spiritual exile and into the Kingdom of heaven.
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So the pattern repeats. Yes, the motivation for the
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shadow is the exact same motivation for the substance.
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In the New Testament, we see this explicitly applied to the
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church. Edwards brings in Acts 15.14.
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What happens there? James is discussing the
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conversion of the non Jewish world, the Gentiles and James
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says Simeon hath declared how God at the first did visit the
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gentiles to take out of them a people for his name.
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Oh wow. So the expansion of the early
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church across the Roman Empire, the inclusion of the Gentiles,
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it was all driven by this one singular goal, acquiring a
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people who would bear and broadcast his name.
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But wait, let me play devil's advocate for a second.
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Sure, if I hear a human being say I am doing this for my own
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sake, not for yours, my immediate reaction is that they
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are incredibly selfish. Naturally.
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Right. So when God explicitly says in
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Ezekiel, I do not this for your sakes, oh House of Israel, but
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for my holy name's sake, does that sound cold?
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It does to our modern ears, yeah.
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If the whole enterprise is about his reputation, are we just
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pawns in a cosmic public relations campaign?
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Like does God like love for his people?
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That is the natural human reaction.
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But we have to completely reframe our understanding of
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what Love Actually is when applied to an infinite perfect
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being. OK, but walk me through that.
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We cannot project human psychological flaws onto the
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Creator. When a human being seeks their
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own glory above others, it is sin.
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Right, because they aren't that great.
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Well, right, because humans are not the highest good.
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We are flawed, finite creatures. For me to demand that you make
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much of me is a delusion. But God is the objective,
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supreme, perfect good in the universe.
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There's nothing higher, nothing more beautiful, and nothing more
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satisfying than God Himself. So he is just acknowledging
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reality. Right.
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And Reform thought God giving himself to his people is the
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absolute highest form of love he could possibly express.
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If that's true, it completely upends the modern self esteem
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movement. Completely.
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It means that looking inward for validation is a dead end.
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But walk me through the mechanics of that.
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How is seeking His own glory the exact same thing as loving us?
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Think about what God is doing when He exalts His name.
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He is putting His own infinite beauty, justice, mercy and grace
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on full display. He is sharing the most valuable
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thing in existence, the knowledge of Himself with His
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creatures. Oh, I track with that.
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If God were to say I am doing this entirely for you because
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you are the center of the universe, he would be lying to
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us. And he'd be pointing us to a
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broken mirror. Right, He would be giving us
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something infinitely lesser than himself to worship.
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By making his own name the center, he is actually securing
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the highest possible joy for the creature.
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Wow. The creature's highest joy is
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found in contemplating and resting in the perfection of the
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Creator. Therefore, God's self regard and
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His love for His people are completely harmonized.
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They aren't at odds at all. Not at all.
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His name, being exalted, is the very mechanism that secures our
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eternal happiness. Fundamentally changes how we
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view our relationship with God. His self exaltation isn't at the
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expense of our joy, it is the very source of our joy.
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It's the fountain of it. Let's look at the broader
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theater of the physical universe and the concept of justice,
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because Edwards goes there next. Yeah.
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He covers all the bases. He.
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Shifts the conversation away from mercy and salvation,
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arguing the judgments on the wicked and the very existence of
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the physical world also exists for God's name.
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Let's start with judgment. He quotes Exodus 9.1 scene where
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God speaks directly to Pharaoh. Such a powerful moment.
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It is, God says, and in very deed for this cause have I
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raised the up for to show in thee my power, and that my name
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may be declared throughout all the earth.
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That is an astonishing statement of sovereignty.
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It really is. God is telling the most
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arrogant, powerful ruler on the planet that his entire reign,
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his stubborn resistance, and his ultimate downfall were
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orchestrated for one distinct reason, just one to declare
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God's name across the globe. We see a similar thought in
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Nehemiah 9.10, where the prayer recounts how God showed signs
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and wonders against Pharaoh and his servants because they dealt
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proudly. The text says, so didst thou get
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thee a name? As at this day?
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The execution of justice against tyranny and human pride is a
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direct revelation of God's holy character.
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And then Edwards points to the physical creation.
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So 8.1 says, O Lord, our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all
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the earth? Yeah, and Psalm 148.813 commands
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the entire created order to praise the Lord, for His name
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alone is excellent. His glory is above the earth and
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heaven. I want to build out an analogy
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here to help visualize this. I love a good analogy.
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Imagine walking into a master horologist workshop.
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You know a high end clock maker. You see this incredibly
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intricate, massive clock, but the clock maker didn't build it
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with a solid brass back. He built it as a skeleton watch
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with a completely clear sapphire glass back so observers could
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look right through the casing and marvel at the sheer genius
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of the gears. You can see everything moving.
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Everything you can see the mainspring transferring energy,
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the jewels reducing friction, the escapement mechanism ticking
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away in perfect harmony. The clock doesn't just exist to
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tell time, it exists to display the brilliant mind of the maker.
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Oh, that's really good. The universe is that clock, the
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physical creation from the farthest Galaxy seen through a
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telescope down to the microscopic cells in our bodies.
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It all has a glass back. It is designed from top to
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bottom to make observers stand in awe of the Creator's
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Excellency. That skeleton watch analogy
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captures the essence of Edward's argument perfectly.
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The universe is a grand theater constructed to display the
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attributes of God, and this links directly back to the
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Westminster understanding of God's sovereignty.
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The confession states that God has ordained whatsoever comes to
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pass for His own glory. Every single event.
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Every molecule in motion, every historical empire rising and
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falling, every act of justice and every act of mercy is a gear
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in that watch set in motion for the manifestation of His
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Excellency. That is a huge concept to wrap
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your head around. It is.
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Edwards brings in Romans 9.2223 which fits perfectly into this
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view. Paul writes.
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What if God, willing to show his wrath and make his power known,
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endured with much long-suffering, bring the
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vessels of wrath fitted to destruction, and that he might
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make known the riches of His glory on the vessels of mercy?
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The contrast there is stark. It is the dark backdrop of
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justice against the vessels of wrath only makes the brilliant
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colors of mercy shine brighter. On the vessels of mercy.
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Both realities exist to make His name known.
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So if the physical universe is a theater for God's glory, what
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happens when a human being dies and leaves that theater?
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Well, Edwards addresses that, too.
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He points out this bizarre pattern in the Old Testament,
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where Saints negotiate for their lives when facing death is a
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recurring argument that once you see it, you cannot Unsee it.
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Right. They plead their case.
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These Saints plead for their lives based on the premise that
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dead men cannot declare God's perfections.
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The logic of those prayers is highly revealing.
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It shows us what the ancient writers understood concerning
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the core reason for their own existence.
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Let's read a few of them so we can see the pattern.
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Psalm 88 .1 All 1012 asks, Shall thy loving kindness be declared
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in the grave, or thy faithfulness and destruction
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shall thy wonders be known in the dark?
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Psalm 30.9 says, What profit is there in my blood when I go down
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to the pit? Shall the dust praise thee?
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Shall it declare thy truth? And Isaiah 3818 to 19 has King
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Hezekiah saying, For the grave cannot praise thee, death cannot
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celebrate thee, the living, the living he shall praise thee.
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It's a consistent theme. It is.
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I tried to think of a modern equivalent to this kind of
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negotiation. If I am terribly sick and I tell
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my doctor you have to cure me because if I die I won't be able
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to leave you a 5 star review online, my doctor's going to
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think I am completely unhinged. He'd.
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Probably call a psychiatrist. Right, that argument carries 0
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weight. So why does this argument carry
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weight with God? Well, the doctor analogy breaks
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down because a doctor's primary goal is simply your physical
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health, not receiving praise for their medical skills.
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Good point. But imagine an artist whose
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entire purpose in creating a specific masterpiece is to evoke
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emotion and awe from an audience.
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If the audience is dead, the art fails to achieve its intended
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purpose. God is the artist and the
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universe is the masterpiece. To understand this, we need to
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introduce the concept of teleology.
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Teleology define that for us. A telos is the ultimate end
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purpose or goal of a thing. A hammer's telos is to drive
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nails. A human being's telos, according
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to the biblical writers, is to make known God's glorious
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Excellency. OK, that makes sense.
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The logic of these Old Testament Saints is mathematically precise
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regarding their telos. They are essentially saying,
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Lord, you created me to be an instrument that broadcasts your
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glory. A state of destruction being
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turned to dust in the grave prevents that instrument from
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functioning. I can't do my job if I'm dead.
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Right, since your highest goal is to receive praise from your
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creation, keeping me alive aligns completely with your
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highest goal. They aren't appealing to their
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own desire to keep enjoying their earthly lives, like going
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to parties or watching the sunset.
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No, they're appealing directly to God's desire to keep
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receiving praise. God is persuaded by this plea
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because it aligns perfectly with His own highest priority.
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Exactly. It shows that these individuals
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had completely internalized the teleology of the universe.
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They knew what they were made for.
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They were designed to be mirrors reflecting light, and a broken
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mirror sitting in a dark pit reflects nothing.
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That understanding naturally leads into the sheer variety of
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avenues Edwards identifies where God makes his perfections known.
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Yeah, he covers a lot of ground. Edwards is incredibly thorough
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here. He lists so many different
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arenas. It isn't just in grand
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historical moments like the parting of the Red Sea, and it
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isn't just in sweeping cosmic decrees about empires.
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God's name is manifested in the ordinary, in the institutional,
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and in the redemptive. Let's look at common Providence
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first. Yeah, everyday weather, Edward
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cites Job 37.67. For he saith to the snow be thou
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on the earth, likewise to the small rain.
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He sealeth up the hand of every man, that all men may know his
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work. I want to focus on the mechanics
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of that verse in Job. How does a snowstorm teach
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humanity about God? It's fascinating.
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When a massive winter storm hits, commerce stops, flights
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are grounded and human industry is literally frozen in its
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tracks. Job says.
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The reason for this weather pattern is so that all men may
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know his work. We usually just complain about
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the roads, right? We think of weather is just
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meteorological data, low pressure systems moving across
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the map on the nightly news. But the text says God is using
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meteorology to make his name known.
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Yeah. When human industry halts, it
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forces a confrontation with our own human finitude.
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We realize we are not in control.
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That realization creates a vacuum that only an infinite God
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can fill. The weather is a pedagogical
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tool. That is an excellent way to
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unpack it. It forces humanity to
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acknowledge a sovereign hand from the weather, Edwards moves
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to the ordinances, the religious institutions of Israel.
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Like the Sabbath? Right.
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Exodus 31.3 talks about the Sabbath.
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Verily, my Sabbath shall ye keep, for it is a sign between
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me and you, that ye may know that I'm the Lord that doth
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sanctify you. So even a day off has a purpose.
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A huge purpose, the rhythm of resting one day a week, was
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explicitly designed to communicate knowledge about
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God's character. To the Israelites, the cessation
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of Labor was a weekly physical reminder that God is the source
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of their life and holiness. Not their own two hands, right?
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Let's move to the very pinnacle of divine action, which Edwards
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inevitably addresses, Christ's work of redemption, the cross.
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He quotes Romans 3.2526. This is arguably the most
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concentrated dense theological statement in the New Testament.
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Paul writes that Christ was set forth to be a propitiation to to
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declare his righteousness, that he might be just and the
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justifier of him that believeth in Jesus.
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Hold on. Propitiation is a heavy
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theological word. It is a $50 word.
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For the listener who might be rusty on their seminary terms,
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what is the actual mechanism happening there?
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So propitiation refers to an atoning sacrifice that turns
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away the wrath of God by satisfying his holy justice.
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OK, in Reformed theology we speak of substitutionary
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atonement. This means Jesus Christ stood in
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the place of sinners substituting Himself and took
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the punishment that their sins deserved.
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He took the hit. He took the hit.
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The cross wasn't a mechanism to sweep human sin under the rug or
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ignore it. If a judge let's a guilty
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criminal walk free with no penalty, that judge is corrupt.
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Right. We'd protest that judge.
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He would The cross was a blazing declaration of God's absolute,
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uncorrupted justice. It proved that He does not let
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sin slide. He punishes it entirely, pouring
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out His wrath either on the substitute who is Christ, or on
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the Sinner. So nothing is swept under the
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rug. Nothing.
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So when Paul says Christ was set forth to declare his
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righteousness, he means the cross is the loudest megaphone
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in the universe, declaring the perfection of God's justice.
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God remains entirely just while simultaneously justifying the
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One who believes. And it isn't just the cross, it
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is the church that results from the cross.
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Edwards points to Ephesians 3.810.
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This is one of those verses that forces you to zoom out to a
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cosmic scale. I love this passage.
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Paul says the intent of the church is that now went to the
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principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known
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by the church. The manifold wisdom of God, the
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existence of the Church. This messy gathering of saved
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sinners is an exhibition put on for the angelic and demonic
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realms. The angels are looking at the
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church and learning about the multifaceted wisdom of God.
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We are the display case. We are the artifact that
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demonstrates the genius of the Creator to the celestial beings.
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They are watching us to learn about Him.
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That is wild to think about. Edwards concludes the survey of
27:11
avenues by pointing to the end of history itself.
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Romans 2.5 calls the final judgement the day of the
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revelation of the righteous judgement of God.
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Even the conclusion of human history, the final sorting of
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humanity, is entirely about revelation.
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So it all points back to the same thing.
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If we tie these diverse threads together, a stunning picture
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emerges. There's no separation between
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the sacred and the secular and Edwards theology known at all.
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The snow falling outside your window, the taking of communion
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on a Sunday morning, the substitutionary atonement of
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Christ on the cross, the existence of your local
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congregation and the final judgement at the the end of
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time. They are all instruments playing
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the exact same chord. They are all varied methods
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designed for the singular manifestation of God's
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Excellency. So what is the desired
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consequence of all this manifestation?
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Why broadcast all these perfections?
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What end, right? That brings us to the final
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pillar of Edward's text, praise. God manifests His name and His
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perfections so that it results in praise.
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Edwards shows this from the beginning of existence to the
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end. Matthew 21.17 says Out of the
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mouth of babes and sucklings, hast thou perfected praise?
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Ephesians chapter 1 repeats a phrase over and over regarding
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our redemption that we should be to the praise of His glory.
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It's a drum beat in that chapter.
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Edwards also includes A fascinating historical detail
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that highlights how woven into the fabric of the biblical
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narrative this is he notes that Jacob's fourth son, from whom
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the line of the Messiah would proceed, was named Judah.
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And Judah means. In Hebrew, Judah translates
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literally to praise. The Savior of the world.
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The one who accomplishes the great redemption comes from the
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tribe of praise. This is not a coincidence.
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The entire redemptive arc is a trajectory aimed at praise.
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It is the inevitable conclusion of God making himself known.
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However, we have to address a common modern objection to this.
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Yes, I want to bring up that objection right now.
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In human terms, if we meet a person who demands constant
29:11
praise, who sets up every single situation so that people will
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applaud them and sing songs about them, we view that person
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as insecure, toxic or egomaniacal.
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We run away from people like that fast.
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So why is it righteous for God to demand it?
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If God is completely self-sufficient and perfect, he
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doesn't need an ego boost, so why does he require us to
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constantly declare how great he is?
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That is the crux of the issue for many modern readers who try
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to understand reformed theology. But let's analyze the mechanics
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of this. As you noted, God does not
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demand praise because he is lacking something.
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He is entirely self-sufficient. So why demand it?
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Because God is the objective highest good in the universe.
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He is the standard of beauty, truth, and moral perfection.
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If God were to direct our praise to anything else, if He were to
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say don't praise me, praise human ingenuity, or praise the
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mountains, or praise yourselves, he would be promoting idolatry.
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You'd be asking us to settle for less.
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He would be pointing us toward a lesser good that would be
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fundamentally deceitful. By requiring praise, God is
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acting in perfect truthfulness. He is directing His creation
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toward the only thing that can actually satisfy it.
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I mean, praise is the proper joyful resting state of a holy
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creature encountering ultimate beauty.
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Think about the mechanics of human joy when you witness
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something breathtaking, like standing at the edge of the
30:34
Grand Canyon or hearing a brilliant Symphony.
30:37
It just bubbles up. The natural human impulse is to
30:39
express admiration, to turn to the person next to you and say,
30:41
look how incredible that is. The joy isn't complete until it
30:45
is expressed in praise. Edwards observes that the Saints
30:48
in heaven rapturously cry Hallelujah not out of a sense of
30:51
forced obligation, but because praise is the natural comely
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result of holy principles reaching their goal.
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When a saved creature sees the Creator clearly, praise erupts
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as the inevitable joyous consequence.
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The Scriptures Edward sites, particularly in the Psalms in
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the Book of Revelation, describe a state where the manifestation
31:10
of God's perfections and the resulting praise from his
31:13
creatures bounced back and forth and a continuous escalating loop
31:16
of joy forever. That is a beautiful image.
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The end for which God created the world is finally and fully
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realized when a redeemed people see His glory and sing His
31:25
praise endlessly. I want you, the listener, to
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evaluate your own view of worship right now based on that
31:32
definition. When we look at our own
31:33
motivations, we often view worship as a chore.
31:37
Is it a box you check on a religious To Do List?
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Sadly, a lot of the time it is. Or do you see it as the very
31:43
reason you have breath in your lungs?
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If Edwards is right, and the Scripture seems to
31:48
overwhelmingly support his thesis, then praising God is the
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most natural, authentic thing a human being can do when they are
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operating according to their original design.
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It is the consummation of your joy.
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This has been a massive deep dive.
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Very deep. To briefly synthesize what we
32:04
have covered today, Edwards has proven through an undeniable
32:07
mountain of Scripture that God's name, His perfections, and His
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praise are the singular target of all things creation,
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Providence, salvation, justice, and judgement.
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They all point to this one reality.
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Everything is from Him, through Him and to Him.
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Before we close, I want to leave a listener with one final
32:26
thought to Mull over regarding practical application.
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Please do. We talked earlier about how the
32:30
snow falling to the ground in Job 37 and the very breath in
32:34
your lungs are designed to make God's name known.
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How does that reframe your most mundane daily frustrations?
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Oh man, it changes everything. We often view interruptions or
32:42
annoyances as meaningless friction in our day.
32:45
But if God orchestrates all of Providence to display His
32:49
character, could an interrupted schedule, a difficult Co worker,
32:53
or a delayed commute be a specifically designed stage for
32:56
you to echo His patience, demonstrate His grace, and
33:00
thereby praise His name in the ordinary moments?
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That's a challenging thought. If the universe is the theater
33:05
of God's glory, then your cubicle, your kitchen, and your
33:08
traffic jam are all part of the stage.
33:10
That brings the theology right down to ground level.
33:13
The lenses of the telescope aren't just for looking at the
33:15
distant stars. They change how we see the dirt
33:18
right in front of us. Thank you for joining us for
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this session of reformed thinking.
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We warmly invite you to keep seeking out the highest good in
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all you do. And remember to look through the
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telescope to see the Creator, not just a reflection of
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yourself.