David wrote, "O magnify YHWH with me, and let us exalt His name together" (Psa 34:3). That's interesting. The Hebrew word means "to make large." Yeah ... magnify. But ... how do you "magnify" -- make large -- the infinite? That's a pretty good trick.
In our language, we use the term in two senses. Consider the microscope. A microscope is a super "magnifying glass." Good! We're in the neighborhood. What does a microscope magnify? It "makes large" something that is very small. A microbe or a germ or something. Too small for the naked eye to see. Make it big enough to see. That's clear enough ... but that's not what we're doing when we "magnify" the Lord, is it? So we also have telescopes. A telescope also uses lenses to "make large," but it's not making a small thing large. It's making a distant thing large. It's bringing very large objects into closer view so we can see them as they really are.
How can we be telescopes for Him? David wrote, "I will praise the name of God with song and magnify Him with thanksgiving" (Psa 69:30).We can magnify Him -- help others see Him as He really is -- with thanksgiving. Suddenly, "in everything give thanks" (1 Thess 5:18) takes on new meaning. Beyond that, Peter wrote, "You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for His own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light" (1 Peter 2:9). There it is. By our words and deeds, we can be telescopes for God, proclaiming His excellencies for everyone to see Him as He really is.
2 comments:
We like to think that our choosing Christ is a good for Christ. But He is fully sufficient by Himself. All we can do is make His glory known. We don't increase it, but we should be making it more visible. Amen, Stan!
I really like the reference to a telescope bringing far distant objects more closely into our view. Of all the fields of science, astronomy is not one that I explore very much--mostly because I am overwhelmed by the magnificence of the universe and its contents; it just doesn’t seem something I can comprehend (so I am uninclined to try). How much more does the Lord’s glory and splendor overwhelm me--"I scarce can take it in!” To observe even a speck of His majesty--through the “telescope” of nature, the Lord Jesus Christ, and His Word--is truly magnificent! Oh, for the day when I shall see it all in full! (1 Cor. 13:12)
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