Who is the King of Glory? (Psalm 24 Devotional)
“Who is the King of Glory, the Lord strong and mighty, The Lord mighty in battle.” - Psalm 24:8
Once, I was on a trip to play in Germany. Next to me on the plane was a middle-aged gentleman. He was gray-haired and dressed very casually. A beat-up old winter jacket with a tear in the arm, army hat, and jeans that were a bit worn. We talked a little. In the course of our conversation, he mentioned his little house in Boston and his dying car. His fake leather luggage, like his clothes, looked old and worn. He mentioned he did not like to check his luggage because the airlines often lost them.
Later, when I was talking to some friends on the flight, someone said, “Do you know who that is you’re talking to?” I did not. They said, he owns a mutual fund company that only takes on investors with significant money to invest. He is worth millions.
Here was this unassuming guy, powerful and wealthy, but he dressed, spoke, and lived in a very modest way. Unless someone told me I could have never guessed that I was speaking to a very influential and powerful man.
We often think of Jesus in light of His unglorified humanity. And we should.
He was, after all fully human. But part of Him was veiled to us. During His time here on Earth, we only caught short glimpses of who He really was. When we picture Him, we might envision a painting with Him holding a little child or a lamb. But that is only part of the story. As it was said of Aslan in the Narnia stories, He is not a tame lion.
Though He was the fullness of deity-He came as a man, in one time, in one place: veiling his omnipresence. Though He was God in the flesh and knew all things-He grew and learned from an infant to adulthood, masking his omniscience. Though He had power beyond our wildest comprehension - He called Himself meek and gentle - the good Shepherd and came as a helpless baby born in a manger, masking His omnipotence.
But it was all a veil - something infinitely incomprehensible lurked behind. Jesus came in the flesh, seemingly weak, but stood above all power and might from before the beginning of time. He came the first time clothed in humility, but because of the cross, the veil has been torn and next time we see Him it will be in His great and terrible power.
He is the commander of Angel Armies. (Just one of those fearsome warriors wiped out an entire army - 2 Kings 19:35) He will be the One who opens seals and sends out the four horsemen of the apocalypse. He himself holds the keys to death and Hades and He will one day judge every human and every angel. There is none who can stand against Him and none who ever will.
He came as a gentle baby, He lived as a humble man, He died as a ‘worm, not a man’, but He will come again in power and glory. One day we will see the fullness of His deity unveiled.
A mighty fortress is our God, a bulwark never failing; on earth is not his equal.
Questions for Thought:
How do most people view Jesus? Weak or strong?
How do we reconcile the gentle Jesus with the wrathful Jesus?
How do you think most people will respond to Jesus when He comes again?
