MAJESTY OF GOD (Daniel 5:18-19, Psalm 21:5)
What do we mean when we talk about the “Majesty” of God? Only 30 verses in the Bible (KJV) mention the word so it is easy to let the Bible itself explain to us what God’s Majesty really is. As we read Daniel 5:18-19 we are struck by the scriptural revelation of the true meaning of Majesty.
“O thou king, the most high God, gave Nebuchadnezzar thy father a kingdom, and majesty and glory, and honour: and for the majesty that he gave him, all people, nations, and languages, trembled and feared before him: whom he would he slew; and whom he would he kept alive; and whom he would he set up; and whom he would he put down.”
Nebuchadnezzar’s majesty had something to do with the power delegated to him by almighty God to be “a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil” (Rom. 13:4). Whom he would he slew. Whom he would he kept alive. Whom he would he set up {promoted}. Whom he would he put down. What awesome majesty Nebuchadnezzar had. But how much greater is the Majesty of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (Ps. 21:1-5)!
I.) Majesty is an attribute unique to Kings (We address Kings as “Your Majesty”)
It is a royal attribute (I Chron. 29:25)
A.) The first mention of the word in the bible is found on the lips of Israel’s greatest King (I Chron. 29:10-12). Only a king could have understood the true meaning of God’s majesty.
“Thine O LORD, is the . . . majesty: for all that is in the heaven and in the earth is thine: thine is the kingdom, O LORD. Thou art exalted as head above all. Both riches and honour come of thee, and thou reignest over all.”
B.) Because Jesus is the King of Kings
(Rev. 19:16; 17:14) all majesty
belongs to Him. Jesus delegates some
of his majesty to earthly kings.
1.) David (as a type of Christ)
(Ps. 21:1, 5; Ps. 45:1,3)
2.) Solomon (as a type of Christ)
(I Chron. 29:25)
3.) Even pagan unbelievers like
Ahasuerus (Esther 1:4)
4.) Even the basest of men like
Nebuchadnezzar (Dan. 5:18-19)
a.) Notice that
Nebuchadnezzar is
judged with insanity when he
refused to acknowledge his
majesty had been delegated to him by God and was not his
own. (Dan. 4:30-33)
b.) When he repented and
humbled himself
before God, seven years
later, his majesty was
restored to him (Dan. 4:6)
c.) He learned what God’s
majesty really means
to man: it means: “none can
stay God’s hand, or say unto
him, What doest thou?” (Dan.
4:35)
d.) “Where the word of a
king is, there is
power: and who may say unto
him, What doest thou?” (Eccl.
8:4). “For he doeth whatsoever pleaseth him”
(Eccl. 8:3)
II.) God’s Majesty is something the Bible calls
“Terrible” and which causes men to fear Him
(Job 37:22-24)
A.) As the King of Kings our God is the
Sovereign ‘Judge’ of the Universe!
Thus one synonym for ‘judge’
is ‘majestrate’
1.) It is God’s majesty that
causes him to use his Kingly
power to execute judgment and
justice in the earth.
2.) Isaiah 2:10-21 tells us how
greatly men fear before the
LORD when the glory of His majesty
shakes the earth to judge man’s pride and idols! God’s terrible
majesty will “shake terribly the earth (Isa. 2:21; Heb. 12:25-29).
a.) Should not every
earthquake help us to
truly fear God’s terrible
majesty as we realize the
real judgment day has not yet come!
3.) The King hath power to punish
all treason, rebellion, and indignities whatsoever. All that
will not hear and obey him shall be destroyed!
B.) Solomon typifies the millennial reign
of Jesus (Matt. 12:42). But even as the prince of peace he exercises his majestic
power to gather out of his kingdom “all
things that offend and them which do
iniquity” (Matt. 13:41)
1.) The LORD bestowed on Solomon
his “royal majesty” (I Chron. 29:25).
2.) Majesty was bestowed on
Solomon so he could judge
Israel in wisdom (I Kings 3:9 with 2
Chron. 1:10-11)
a.) He puts Adonijah to
death (I Kings 2:23-25)
b.) He spares Abiathar
though he should have
died (I Kings 2:26). Notice
you can commit sins that
disqualify you from continuing as a priest unto
God (I Kings 2:27).
c.) He puts Joab to death
(I Kings 2:29-34)
d.) He puts Shimei to
death for cursing (I
Kings 2:36-46)
3.) Solomon had such great
majesty that as judge he
could order a baby to be cut in half
with a sword and it whould have been
done (I Kings 3:9, 16-28)
a.) After this incident
all Israel “feared
the king: for they saw that
the wisdom of God was in him,
to do judgment” (I Kings 3:28)
b.) The sword is thus
symbolic of the
Kings ‘terrible majesty.’ For as judge he has the
power “to slay whom he would
and to keep alive whom he
would”
4. Psalm 45:3-5 reveals that the
sword is related to the Kings
majesty. His ‘terrible majesty’ will
cause him to eliminate all his
enemies (Prov. 20:8; 29:4)
5.) “See that ye refuse not him
that speaketh. For if they
escaped not who refused him that
spake on earth, much more shall not
we escape, if we turn away from him
that speaketh from heaven: . . . for our God is a consuming fire”
(Heb. 12:25-29; Ps. 21:5)
In an interview in the March-April 2003 issue of The Door, preacher/author Calvin Miller observed, "Michael Card and I are kind of amateur astronomers, and he’s much better at it than I am. We were in his backyard one night, and he gave me a book by an astronomer that opened my eyes. When you look through these telescopes you see a pinpoint of light, and you call it a star. We can chart big maps of where the stars are, but the truth is they’re nowhere. They’re moving horribly fast, but at these great distances at which we live they appear to be stationary.
"This book said something like, if you could just move close enough to them they would no longer be pinpoints of light. They’re raging hydrogen explosions that would engulf you in flame and destroy everything. They’re immense in size. But at a great distance they seem stolid.
"I think the same thing is true of God. A lot of (us) see Him through a Sunday school quarterly at a safe distance. He seems to be locatable and knowable in these little logical terms and theologies that we throw at him, but up close He is indeed a raging fire. When we’re near Him we understand what humility is."
May the Holy Spirit grant us such a life transforming up close vision of the majesty of our LORD Jesus Christ that it will cause us to live in genuine humility and faithful obedience to His loving commands.
Finally, Jesus Christ’s majesty is associated with His second coming. “Honor and majesty are before him” (Ps. 96:6). "Fear before him all the earth" (Ps. 96:9). “Let the earth be glad (96:11) for he cometh to judge the earth. He shall judge the world with righteousness, and the people with truth” (Ps. 96:13; 2 Pet. 1:16-21).
“Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of thy name: and deliver us, and purge away our sins, for thy name’s sake” (Ps. 79:9).
May we ever live with the knowledge that our Lord Jesus Christ is returning soon in all His "terrible Majesty." And may our Christian life be a worthy testimony of our faith in the return of our glorious King. Why should we live a holy life and put aside every weight of sin which so easily besets us? Because "unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation" (Heb. 9:28). And my oh my; what a day of glorious majesty that will be!
