GOD’S WORD FOR YOU
LUKE 2:20
20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.
Eyewitnesses have had a mixed reputation throughout history. Multiple eyewitness accounts of the same event can seem to contradict one another, especially if something violent or remarkable takes place. On the other hand, when eyewitnesses agree in their accounts, their story increases in its weight and certainty. God declared to Moses that “a matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses” (Deuteronomy 19:15; Matthew 18:16).
The shepherds were the first eyewitnesses of the birth of Jesus outside the holy family. They had the testimony of the angels, and they had found everything “just as they had been told.” Now as they left the village and returned to their flocks, they gave glory to God and praised him.
What’s the difference between giving God glory, and giving him praise? They are similar, that much is clear. When God speaks about them, they are often grouped together (“I will not give my glory to another or my praise to idols,” Isaiah 42:8). When used separately (especially to praise God), they take on the same circle of meaning. But sometimes when they are used together, their emphasis is different, and we should notice the difference. This isn’t just to understand what the shepherds did, but to understand what we do, or fail to do.
Glory is what God has. To give God glory is primarily to give him his place; to confess who he his. We do this with what we do, or with what we say. We do it when we use his name correctly, or teach people about him. We also do this when we pray to God and describe his majesty, his love, his eternal nature, and so forth.
Praise is what we give. To praise God is to confess what he has done. We do this especially with what we say, but also with the faith in our own hearts. We praise God for bringing us to that faith, for creating the universe, for giving us our lives and our loved ones, and for sending Christ to forgive us by atoning for our sins on the cross.
It’s good to do both of these. When we give God glory and proclaim who he is, we are saying who it is we believe in. When we praise God for what he has done, we are saying why it is we love him and thank him. The differences between the religions of the world and even between Christian denominations almost always comes down to a different understanding (or a complete misunderstanding) of either who God is, or what he has done for us. So we focus on these things and keep our faith centered firmly and immovably on Jesus Christ our Savior from sin, and we remain his true children. We are truly forgiven, and we truly possess eternal life. When we confess these things together, we are his witnesses even today—glorifying and praising God.
In Christ,
Pastor Timothy Smith
Archives by Wisconsin Lutheran Chapel: http://www.wlchapel.org/worship/daily-devotion/
Pastor Smith serves St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, New Ulm, Minnesota