Publisher's Note: This article was published by admin, but written by Thomas Klein, writer here at Rock Solid Apologia.
In Isaiah it says,
8 I am the Lord; that is my name;
my glory I give to no other,
nor my praise to carved idols. [1]
Later in the book it says,
7 everyone who is called by my name,
whom I created for my glory,
whom I formed and made.” [2]
This passage clearly states that people were created for the glory of God. What does “glory” really mean? The word glory means: Fame, honor, respect, greatness or majesty.
How did God use the people He made for His glory?
Jesus explains this topic very well,
40 Jesus replied to him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.”
He said, “Say it, teacher.”
41 “A creditor had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. 42 Since they could not pay it back, he graciously forgave them both. So, which of them will love him more?”
43 Simon answered, “I suppose the one he forgave more.”
“You have judged correctly,” he told him. 44 Turning to the woman, he said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave me no water for my feet, but she, with her tears, has washed my feet and wiped them with her hair. 45 You gave me no kiss, but she hasn’t stopped kissing my feet since I came in. 46 You didn’t anoint my head with olive oil, but she has anointed my feet with perfume. 47 Therefore I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven; that’s why she loved much. But the one who is forgiven little, loves little.”[3]
The way the woman felt is the way that God wants us to feel. He wants us to feel loved and forgiven so that that we praise him. Because the woman knew she was a sinner she felt the love of Jesus more than if she thought she was just a “good” person. In the same way, God’s chosen people will glorify God more when He forgives them even though they turn away, than if they had not turned away at all.
If God chose a people that would NOT turn away from Him, God would not gain honor and respect for Himself by forgiving them through the cross. Did God “predestine” the Israelites to turn from Him? Yes.
This passage is from Isaiah 53:10. It was God’s will to crush Jesus.
10 Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him;
he has put him to grief.
when his soul makes an offering for guilt,
he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days;
the will of the Lord shall prosper in his hand. [4]
If it was God’s will to crush Jesus on our behalf, then God must have known why He would crush Jesus. God predestined the Israelites to turn from Him and predestined His Son Jesus to die for them and us.
Final answer: God knew the Israelites would turn from Him, in order to show his great power through the cross (Jesus’ dying for us) so that we may praise Him for eternity – and that gives Jesus the most amount of honor, majesty, praise, and respect.
[1] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Is 42:8.
[2] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Is 43:7.
[3] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), Lk 7:40–47.
[4] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Is 53:10.
Note: Some Ideas from desiring God.