The glory of God is everything that God is, says and does - So it is everywhere in Scripture and everywhere in His Creation - properly interpreted . For He is nothing less than absolute glory in every aspect of His infinite Being: His attributes, what He thinks, says and does which includes: His Magnificence, His Worth, His Loveliness, His Grandeur: all of His Absolute perfection which is nothing less. And that includes all that He displays in His creation; His acts in order to make His glory known to all of creation especially man and angel - especially His glorious redemption of mankind through His one and only Son, Jesus Christ Who al  in all His Glory, both God and Man. The glory of God is intrinsic in every word of the Bible. A note worthy passage is one of many which touch upon Who God is, John 1:1-18 often called the Prologue of the Gospel According to John which has a view of God from the very beginning of creation in all His Glory:

II) THE GLORY OF THE TRIUNE GOD AS PORTRAYED IN JOHN 1:1-18

A) TOPICAL HEADINGS

A surprising number of the great doctrines of the Bible including the doctrine of the Trinity can be clearly examined in the first 18 verses of the Gospel of John. This section of Scripture called the Prologue of the Gospel According to John brings home with great clarity the Diety of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Who is presented by author John as the Second Person of the Triune Godhead; as well as the great doctrine of our Glorious Triune God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit:

INTRODUCTION

[JN 1:1]"IN THE BEGINNING THE WORD, JESUS CHRIST WAS

[PHIL 2:5-8]: JESUS CHRIST IS GOD

SUMMARY POINT #1 ON THE TRINITY

Herein lies a mystery as revealed in Scripture. God has provided evidence that He does exist as a Triune God; but in the final analysis the belief that God is one God of three Personalities is based on trusting that what God says in His Word is true: Scripture always teaches that there is one God with three distinct Personalities:

God the Father

God the Son 

God the Holy Spirit

SUMMARY POINT #2 ON THE TRINITY

The testimony of others cannot be used as conclusive proof that the Trinity is true or false.

SUMMARY POINT #3 ON THE TRINITY

Truths from Scripture such as the Trinity are contrary to 'natural' human reasoning. They  are only understood through the teaching ministry of God the Holy Spirit.

SUMMARY POINT #4 ON THE TRINITY

Jesus Christ is God Himself

SUMMARY POINT #5 ON THE TRINITY

The Son of God, the Son of Man is God

SUMMARY PT #6 ON THE TRINITY

Only God can possess the qualities of God

SUMMARY POINT #7 ON THE TRINITY:

Exclusive attributes and prerogatives of God which are true of Jesus Christ

SUMMARY POINT #8 ON THE TRINITY

Jesus Christ is in an intimate communion which is on an equal level with God the Father

SUMMARY PT #9 ON THE TRINITY:

Old and New Testament parallel passages point to the Diety of Jesus Christ

SUMMARY POINT #10 ON THE TRINITY

The Messiah is God

The Messiah is Christ

SUMMARY POINT #11 ON THE TRINITY

The Holy Spirit is a Person Who is God and Scripture clearly testifies to this.

SUMMARY POINT #12 ON THE TRINITY:

Jesus Christ is neither a god nor the God all by Himself. God is one God with three Personalities.

SUMMARY POINT #13 ON THE TRINITY

Many passages in Scripture indicate that God is one God with three Personalities.

God the Father

God the Son

God the Holy Spirit

III) GOD'S GLORY IS REVEALED THROUGHOUT HIS CREATION  - THE GLORY OF GOD AS PORTRAYED IN GENESIS CHAPTER ONE

A) TOPICAL HEADINGS

I) GOD IS SOLE CREATOR OF THE UNIVERSE

II) STAGE ONE OF CREATION IS A RECENT AND NOT A RUINED OR CHAOTIC ONE

III) THE GOD OF CREATION IS INDICATED AS A SINGULAR GOD WITH MORE THAN ONE PERSONALITY

IV) THE UNIVERSE WAS CREATED OUT OF NOTHING

V) THE HEAVENS AND THE EARTH = BASIC SPACE-TIME-MATTER BEFORE FINAL DETAILS AND LIFEFORMS ARE ADDED

VI) A SERIES OF HISTORICAL 'AND'S' = 'WAW' ESTABLISH CONSECUTIVE & RECENT ACTION OVER SIX 24 HOUR DAYS

VII) AND AT THIS POINT THE EARTH WAS YET WITHOUT FORM AND LIFE AND LIGHT - TO BE ADDED IN THE NEXT FEW DAYS

VIII) A GAP THEORY OF TIME BETWEEN VERSES ONE AND TWO IS REFUTED

A) "FORMLESS AND VOID" IN GEN 1:2 INDICATES THE EARLY STAGE OF GOD'S CREATION PROCESS AND NOT A CONDITION OF DETERIORATION

B) THE DOCTRINES OF SCRIPTURE REFUTE THE POSSIBILITY OF THE GAP THEORY

IX) THE EARTH AT THIS STAGE WAS FORMLESS, VOID OF LIFE, WATERY AND DARK AS GOD THE HOLY SPIRIT CONTINUED HIS CREATION WORK

X) THE DAY = AGE THEORY REFUTED

XI) "LET THERE BE" = SIGNIFIES SOMETHING WHICH HAS JUST BEEN CREATED WHERE THERE WAS NOTHING LIKE IT BEFORE

XII) GOD CREATES LIGHT & THE EARTH EXPERIENCES EVENING & MORNING FOR THE FIRST TIME WITHOUT LIGHT EMANATING BODIES

XIII) ANGELS CREATED

XIV) THE LIGHT WAS THERE BEFORE LIGHT BEARING BODIES WERE CREATED.

XV) GOD THEN CREATES A FIRMAMENT IN HEAVEN DIVIDING THE WATERY MASS IN THE STRATOSPHERE INTO TWO HEAVENLY MASSES OF WATER

XVI) GOD THEN GATHERS THE TERRESTRIAL WATERS TO ONE PLACE CREATING A SINGLE MASSIVE TERRESTRIAL LAND MASS

XVII) GOD CREATES VEGETATION ON THE EARTH

XVIII) GOD CREATES THE LIGHT EMANATING HEAVENLY BODIES

XIX) LIVING CREATURES ARE CREATED:

XX) NEXT, LIVING CREATURES OF THE LAND ARE CREATED ON DAY 6

XXI) LET US MAKE MAN IN OUR IMAGE

XXII) MAN WAS COMMANDED TO BE FRUITFUL AND MULTIPLY AND FILL THE EARTH WITH HIS KIND WITHIN THE FRAMEWORK OF MONOGAMOUS MARRIAGE

GOD PROVIDED ALL VEGETARIAN FOOD FOR MAN AND ALL ANIMALS - NO CARNIVORES IN ORIGINAL CREATION. THERE EVIDENTLY WAS A PROTECTIVE WATER CANOPY OVER THE EARTH WHICH PROVIDED OPTIMUM CONDITIONS FOR THE GROWTH OF PLANTS, ANIMALS AND HUMAN LIFE, WHEREIN LONGEVITY AND SIZE WAS UNSURPASSED

XXIII) THE STAGES OF CREATION OF THE HEAVENS & THE EARTH WERE COMPLETED IN SIX DAYS - THERE WAS NOTHING LEFT TO BE DONE, NO EVOLUTION REQUIRED - AND IT ALL WAS VERY GOOD

XXIV) (Gen 2:1-3) GENESIS 2:1-3

(AS WELL AS GEN 2:4a EXAMINED BELOW )

ACTUALLY CONCLUDE CHAPTER ONE. VERSES ONE AND TWO STIPULATE THE COMPLETION OF GOD'S CREATION WORK BY THE SEVENTH DAY. VERSE 3 BLESSES THAT SEVENTH DAY AND SANCTIFIES IT TO COMMEMORATE THE CESSATION OF HIS CREATION WORK

XXV) (Gen 2:4a) THE HEBREW WORD TRANSLITERATED "TOLEDOTHS," RENDERED "GENERATIONS" IN THE SENSE OF "ACCOUNTS OF" IS THE PIVOTAL WORD IN GENESIS 2:4a WHICH - BY WAY OF A SUMMARY STATEMENT - CONCLUDES THE CONTEXT OF THE SIX DAYS OF CHAPTER ONE - AFTER WHICH CHAPTER TWO BEGINNING WITH GEN 2:4b TURNS TO DETAILS OF WHAT HAD ALREADY OCCURRED IN CHAPTER ONE

XXVI) ONCE COMPLETELY CREATED AND PERFECT IN GOD'S EYES BUT THEN CONTAMINATED BY THE FALL, THE HEAVENS & THE EARTH ARE NOW DEVOLVING AND DETERIORATING

XXVII) THE GENESIS ACCOUNT OF CREATION REFERRING TO CHAPTERS ONE AND TWO IS NOT MYTHOLOGICAL

XXVIII) THE GENESIS CHAPTER 2 ACCOUNT DOES NOT CONTRADICT THE GENESIS CHAPTER 1 ACCOUNT, AS SOME CONTEND

IV) GOD'S GLORY IS REVEALED THROUGHOUT HIS CREATION  - THE GLORY OF GOD AS PORTRAYED IN GENESIS CHAPTER TWO

A) TOPICAL HEADINGS

I) [Gen 2:1-4]:

A) (Gen 2:1-3) GENESIS 2:1-3

(AS WELL AS GEN 2:4a EXAMINED BELOW )

ACTUALLY CONCLUDE CHAPTER ONE. VERSES ONE AND TWO STIPULATE THE COMPLETION OF GOD'S CREATION WORK BY THE SEVENTH DAY. VERSE 3 BLESSES THAT SEVENTH DAY AND SANCTIFIES IT TO COMMEMORATE THE CESSATION OF HIS CREATION WORK

B) (Gen 2:4a) THE HEBREW WORD TRANSLITERATED "TOLEDOTHS," RENDERED "GENERATIONS" IN THE SENSE OF "ACCOUNTS OF" IS THE PIVOTAL WORD IN GENESIS 2:4a WHICH - BY WAY OF A SUMMARY STATEMENT - CONCLUDES THE CONTEXT OF THE SIX DAYS OF CHAPTER ONE - AFTER WHICH CHAPTER TWO BEGINNING WITH GEN 2:4b TURNS TO DETAILS OF WHAT HAD ALREADY OCCURRED IN CHAPTER ONE

C) ONCE COMPLETELY CREATED AND PERFECT IN GOD'S EYES BUT THEN CONTAMINATED BY THE FALL, THE HEAVENS & THE EARTH ARE NOW DEVOLVING AND DETERIORATING

1) PRESENT PROCESSES ARE OF CONSERVATION & DISINTEGRATION NOT THE CREATIVE PROCESSES OF INNOVATION AND INTEGRATION CONTINUE TO CK LINKS

2) THE TWO UNIVERSAL LAWS OF THERMODYNAMICS REFLECT CREATION'S DEVOLUTION & DETERIORATION

3) SCIENTIFIC OBSERVATION OF TODAY'S PROCESSES, INCLUDING CONSERVATION AND DISINTEGRATION INDICATES THAT SUCH PROCESSES COULD NEVER HAVE PRODUCED LIFE, THE EARTH AND THE UNIVERSE

4) SINCE WE CANNOT OBSERVE WHAT HAPPENED AT THE CREATION OF THE UNIVERSE WE ARE LEFT WITH GOD'S REVELATION TO MANKIND IN THE BIBLE OF WHAT HAPPENED

II) [Gen 2:4b-25]:

A) (Gen 2:4b) THE NAMES FOR GOD DIFFERING BETWEEN CHAPTERS ONE AND TWO BEGINNING AT GEN 2:4b INDICATE A CONTEXT CHANGE NOT A CONTRADICTION OR A CHANGE IN AUTHORS, AS SOME CONTEND. THE NAME CHANGE SIGNIFIES AND CORROBORATES THE BEGINNING OF CHAPTER TWO TO BE AT GEN 2:4b

B) (Gen 2:4b) THE SECOND PHRASE OF GENESIS 2:4, (GEN 2:4b), REFERS TO THE DAY IN THE SENSE OF THE TIME OF THE SIX DAYS OF CREATION DELINEATED IN GENESIS CHAPTER ONE. HENCE GEN 2:4b MUST BE READ AS THE ACTUAL BEGINNING OF GENESIS CHAPTER TWO. THE VERSES PRECEDING GEN 2:4b ARE PART OF GENESIS CHAPTER ONE

C) [(Gen 2:4b-6) THE BEGINNING VERSES OF GENESIS CHAPTER TWO]:

FURTHERMORE, THERE WAS A RIVER GOING OUT FROM EDEN TO WATER THE GARDEN WHICH PARTED INTO FOUR RIVERHEADS: THE PISHON RIVER, WHICH SKIRTS THE WHOLE LAND OF HAVILAH, WHERE THERE IS GOLD, BDELLIUM AND ONYX STONE; THE GIHON RIVER WHICH GOES AROUND THE WHOLE LAND OF CUSH; THE HIDDEKEL WHICH GOES TOWARD THE EAST OF ASSYRIA, AND THE EUPHRATES. AND JEHOVAH GOD [TAKES, IMPERFECT MOOD] THE MAN, AND [CAUSES HIM, IMPERFECT MOOD] TO SETTLE DOWN AND REST IN THE GARDEN OF EDEN, TO WORK IT AND TO KEEP IT [THE GROUND, (CF. GEN 2:5)]. WHEREUPON GOD COMMANDED ADAM, "OF EVERY TREE OF THE GARDEN YOU MAY FREELY EAT; AND OF THE TREE OF KNOWLEDGE OF GOOD AND EVIL, [YOU DO] NOT EAT OF IT, FOR IN THE DAY OF [YOUR] EATING OF IT — DYING [YOU DO] DIE."

F) (Gen 2:18-25) JEHOVAH GOD DELARED, "IT IS NOT GOOD FOR MAN TO BE ALONE, I DO MAKE TO HIM AN HELPER - AS HIS COUNTERPART." IN THE PROCESS OF DOING THIS, GOD FORMS EVERY ANIMAL OF THE FIELD, AND EVERY BIRD OF THE HEAVENS AND BRINGS THEM INTO THE MAN TO NAME. THEREBY CREATING ADDITIONAL ANIMALS AND BIRDS AFTER ADAM WAS FORMED. BUT THERE IS NO IMPLICATION IN GENESIS THAT GOD WOULD BE THROUGH CREATING ANIMALS AND BIRDS UNTIL AFTER DAY SIX WAS OVER. AND IN THE PROCESS OF NAMING THE ANIMALS, ADAM DID NOT FIND A HELPER - A COUNTERPART OF HIS OWN. WHEREUPON GOD CAUSED A DEEP SLEEP TO FALL ON ADAM, TOOK ONE OF HIS RIBS, CLOSED UP THE FLESH; AND GOD BUILDS UP THE RIB INTO A WOMAN, BRINGS HER INTO THE MAN. ADAM SAID, "THIS ONE IS BONE OF MY BONE AND FLESH OF MY FLESH; THIS ONE WILL BE CALLED WOMAN, FOR SHE WAS TAKEN FROM MAN." THEREFORE, IT WAS DECLARED, A MAN LEAVES HIS FATHER AND HIS MOTHER AND CLEAVES UNTO HIS WIFE, AND THEY HAVE BECOME ONE FLESH. AND THEY ARE BOTH OF THEM NAKED, THE MAN AND HIS WIFE, AND THEY ARE NOT ASHAMED OF THEMSELVES. WHEREUPON CAME THE END OF GOD'S CREATION WORK, JUST AS ACCOUNTED FOR IN GENESIS CHAPTER ONE

III) THE GENESIS ACCOUNT OF CREATION REFERRING TO CHAPTERS ONE AND TWO IS NOT MYTHOLOGICAL

A) NEITHER POPULAR OPINION NOR PRIOR EXISTENCE OF SIMILAR ACCOUNTS INVALIDATES THE GENESIS ACCOUNT OR ANY ACCOUNT

B) PROPER APPROACH TO THE INTERPRETATION OF THE CONTENTS OF AN ANCIENT MANUSCRIPT

C) CONCLUSION

IV) THE GENESIS CHAPTER 2 ACCOUNT DOES NOT CONTRADICT THE GENESIS CHAPTER 1 ACCOUNT, NOR PROVIDE ANY ILLOGICAL ACCOUNT AS SOME CONTEND

A) OBJECTORS ALLEGE THAT THERE IS NO INTENDED TRANSITION AND CONTINUATION BETWEEN CHAPTERS ONE AND TWO - THAT IT IS THE IRRECONCIABLE WORK OF TWO DIFFERENT AUTHORS. BUT THERE IS A CLEAR TRANSITION AND A CLEAR CONTINUITY BETWEEN GENESIS CHAPTERS 1 AND 2 - THE CONSISTENT, NON-CONTRADICTORY WORK OF ONE AUTHOR

B) (Gen 2:4b) THE NAMES FOR GOD DIFFERING BETWEEN CHAPTERS ONE AND TWO BEGINNING AT GEN 2:4b INDICATE A CONTEXT CHANGE NOT A CONTRADICTION OR A CHANGE IN AUTHORS, AS SOME CONTEND. THE NAME CHANGE SIGNIFIES AND CORROBORATES THE BEGINNING OF CHAPTER TWO TO BE AT GEN 2:4b

C) CHAPTERS ONE AND TWO OF THE BOOK OF GENESIS ARE ALLEGED BY MANY COMMENTATORS TO BE TWO CONTRADICTORY ACCOUNTS OF CREATION. ACCORDING TO THE FIRST ACCOUNT MAN AND WOMAN WERE CREATED TOGETHER AS THE CROWN AND CLIMAX OF CREATION, AFTER THE BIRDS AND ANIMALS; WHEREAS THEY ALLEGE THAT ACCORDING TO CHAPTER TWO THE CREATION OF MAN IS PRECEDED BY THE CREATION OF ALL THE ANIMALS AND BIRDS WHILE THE CREATION OF WOMAN FOLLOWED THEIR CREATION. BUT THERE IS NO CONTRADICTION IN THE ORDER OF CREATION BETWEEN GENESIS CHAPTERS ONE AND TWO. CHAPTER TWO PROVIDES MORE DETAIL, BUT IT DOES NOT CONTRADICT CHAPTER ONE

D) DIFFERENCES IN STYLE BETWEEN GENESIS CHAPTERS ONE AND TWO DEMAND NEITHER DIFFERENT AUTHORS, NOR CONFLICTING ACCOUNTS, NOR THE CONCLUSION THAT THE BIBLE IS NOT RELIABLE

E) OBJECTORS CLAIM THAT ADAM COULD NOT HAVE NAMED EVERY LIVING CREATURE IS ANSWERED: THE BIBLE INDICATES THAT ONLY CERTAIN ANIMALS WERE BROUGHT TO ADAM, NOT EVERY CREATURE

V) GOD'S GLORY IS REVEALED THROUGHOUT HIS CREATION  - RO 1:20-25

A) TOPICAL HEADINGS

XVIII) [Ro 1:20]:

A) FOR SINCE THE CREATION OF THE WORLD GOD'S INVISIBLE QUALITIES - HIS ETERNAL POWER AND DIVINE NATURE - HAVE BEEN CLEARLY SEEN, BEING UNDERSTOOD FROM WHAT HAS BEEN MADE, SO THAT ALL MANKIND OF ALL AGES ARE WITHOUT EXCUSE - INCLUDING THOSE WHO DO NOT WORSHIP GOD AT ALL

B) GOD'S ETERNAL POWER AND DIVINE NATURE AND WHAT CAN BE KNOWN ABOUT HIM HAS BEEN MADE PLAIN AND CAN CLEARLY BE SEEN IN CREATION

XIX) [Ro 1:21-23]:

A) IF ONE SUPPRESSES THE TRUTH ABOUT GOD BY WICKEDNESS WHICH INCLUDES NEITHER GLORIFYING GOD NOR GIVING THANKS TO HIM, ONE DETERIORATES INTO FUTILE THINKING WHEREIN ONES FOOLISH HEART (MIND) BECOMES DARKENED (EVIL) - IMMORAL UNBELIEVERS ARE IN VIEW

B) THE WICKED, UNGODLY BEHAVIOR OF IMMORAL UNBELIEVERS SUPPRESSES TRUTH ABOUT AND EXCHANGES THE GLORY OF THE IMMORTAL GOD - HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS, ETERNAL POWER AND DIVINE NATURE - FOR IMAGES MADE TO LOOK LIKE MORTAL MAN, BIRDS, ANIMALS AND REPTILES

(Ps 8:1 NASB) "O LORD, our Lord, How majestic is Your name in all the earth, Who have displayed Your splendor above the heavens!

(Ps 8:2 NASB) From the mouth of infants and nursing babes You have established strength Because of Your adversaries, To make the enemy and the revengeful cease.

(Ps 8:3 NASB) When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, The moon and the stars, which You have ordained;

(Ps 8:4 NASB) What is man that You take thought of him, And the son of man that You care for him?

(Ps 8:5 NASB) Yet You have made him a little lower than God, And You crown him with glory and majesty!

(Ps 8:6 NASB) You make him to rule over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet,

(Ps 8:7 NASB) All sheep and oxen, And also the beasts of the field,

(Ps 8:8 NASB) The birds of the heavens and the fish of the sea, Whatever passes through the paths of the seas.

(Ps 8:9 NASB) O LORD, our Lord, How majestic is Your name in all the earth!"

A) [(Ps 8:1-9) Bible Knowledge Commentary]:

"The Lord's majesty (8:1)

 8:1. The beginning and ending of the psalm (vv. 1, 9) give the same exclamation of God's majestic... name. The name, that is, the revealed character of God, is exalted above all Creation. The word majestic suggests splendor and magnificence. It is a fitting note of praise for the Lord of Creation.

The vocative O Lord, our Lord is important in this idea. Addressing God by His personal name Yahweh ("Lord"), David then identified Him as "our Lord" (ʾăd̠ōnay), the Sovereign or Master. "Lord" stresses God's dominion over His Creation.

The Hebrew of the last part of verse 1 is difficult. Though the text has an imperative verb, most translations (including the niv) apparently take it as an infinitive and render it as a statement about God's majesty: You have set. It describes His exaltation (glory) as being high above the heavens.

The Lord's strength (8:2)

8:2. David marveled that God uses strength (cf. niv marg.) from children to silence His enemies (and the foe and the avenger). (The niv translates ʾōz, "strength" by the word praise because "strength" here may indicate "praise for [God's) strength"; cf. Matt. 21:15-16.) The idea is that the Lord has ordained that the weakest shall confound the strong (cf. 1 Cor. 1:27). Mankind, even weak children and infants, represents the strength of God in the earth.

The Lord's Creation (8:3-8)

8:3-4. The psalmist first observed the great work of Creation (including the heavens... the moon, and the stars) as God's finger work."

B) [(Ps 8:1-9) enduringword.com/bible-commentary/psalm-8/]:

The title of this psalm reads, To the Chief Musician. On the instrument of Gath. A Psalm of David. It indicates the audience of the psalm (the Chief Musician), the author of the psalm (of David) and the sound of the psalm (the instrument of Gath). In this psalm David speaks of the glory of God, and how the glory of man and his destiny reflect upon God.

A. The plainly seen glory of creation.

1. (1) The glory of God in the earth and the heavens.
O LORD, our Lord,
How excellent is Your name in all the earth,
Who have set Your glory above the heavens!

a. O LORD, our Lord: Here, David recognized both the covenant name of God (LORD) and the position of Yahweh to His people (Lord). It was a simple, straightforward, and common way to say that “Our God is our Master.”

i. “Yehovah Adoneynu; O Jehovah our Prop, our Stay, our Support.… The root dan signifies to direct, rule, judge, support. So Adonai is the Director, Ruler, Judge, Supporter of men.” (Clarke)

b. How excellent is Your name in all the earth: David also recognized that though the LORD was Israel’s covenant God, He was also God of more than just Israel. His name is excellent…in all the earth.

c. Who have set Your glory above the heavens: At the same time, the earth was not enough to measure the glory and excellence of God. His glory is above the heavens.

2. (2) The glory of God in His strength over His enemies.
Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants
You have ordained strength,
Because of Your enemies,
That You may silence the enemy and the avenger.

a. Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants You have ordained strength: In the first verse, David considered the greatness of God by His evident power and glory in creation, both across the earth and in the heavens. Now, he considers that the power and glory of God can be seen in small children – babes and nursing infants – as God’s strength is evident in them.

i. David here touched on a familiar theme in the Bible: the idea that God uses otherwise weak things to display His glory and strength. 1 Corinthians 1:27 is an example of this idea: But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty.

ii. It is hard to think of anything more weak and helpless than a baby; yet the same God who can ordain strength out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants can give strength and support to me in the midst of my weakness.

iii. “The word here rather means a strength…that, out of such frail material as children’s speech, God builds a tower of strength, which, like some border castle, will bridle and still the restless enemy.” (Maclaren)

iv. “The praises of the Messiah, celebrated in the church by his children, have in them a strength and power which nothing can withstand; they can abash infidelity, when at its greatest height, and strike hell itself silent.” (Horne)

v. Significantly, Jesus quoted this passage to His indignant accusers in Matthew 21:16, as Jesus did wonderful miracles in the temple area, and as He received the praise of children who cried out Hosanna to the Son of David! (Matthew 21:15).

b. Because of Your enemies, that You may silence the enemy: The reason why God displays His strength in unlikely vessels is because it works to silence the enemy; Satan and his fellow adversaries have nothing to say when God works so mightily in an otherwise weak person.

i. One dramatic example of this is the story of Job. In it, God silenced the accusations of Satan against both God and Job by the way that He sustained Job with His unseen hand in the midst of profound weakness.

ii. In quoting this passage in Matthew 21:15-16, Jesus told His accusers who He was and who they were. Since the babes and nursing infants praise God in Psalm 8, Jesus identified Himself as God. In this, Jesus also identified the indignant scribes and teachers as the enemy and avenger described in this psalm.

iii. “Aha! Aha! O adversary! To be overcome by behemoth or leviathan might make thee angry; but to be smitten out of infants’ mouths causes thee to bite the dust in utter dishonor. Thou art sore broken, now that ‘out of the mouth of babes and sucklings’ thou art put to shame.” (Spurgeon)

B. The surprising glory of mankind.

1. (3-5) Though seemingly insignificant, man is crowned with glory and honor.
When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers,
The moon and the stars, which You have ordained,
What is man that You are mindful of him,
And the son of man that You visit him?
For You have made him a little lower than the angels,
And You have crowned him with glory and honor.

a. When I consider Your heavens: David knew the value of simply considering the glory of God’s creation. He knew what it was like to look up into the starry sky and consider what a great God had made this vast, wonderful universe.

i. With the naked eye, one can see about 5,000 stars. With a four-inch telescope, one can see about 2 million stars. With a 200-inch mirror of a great observatory, one can see more than a billion stars. The universe is so big that if one were to travel at the speed of light, it would take 40 billion years to reach the edge of the universe. Considering the heavens makes us see the greatness of God.

ii. These great heavenly objects such as the moon and the stars are the work of God’s fingers. “Notwithstanding the amazing magnitude of the sun, we have abundant reason to believe that some of the fixed stars are much larger: and yet we are told they are the work of GOD’S FINGERS! What a hand, to move, form, and launch these globes!” (Clarke)

b. What is man that You are mindful of him: Considering the greatness of the heavens also made David consider the relative smallness and insignificance of man. David wondered why such a big, great God would be mindful of such small beings.

i. “We gave you but a feeble image of our comparative insignificance, when we said that the glories of an extended forest would suffer no more from the fall of a single leaf, than the glories of an extended universe would suffer though the globe we tread upon, and all that it inherits, should dissolve.” (Chalmers, cited in Spurgeon)

ii. God is so big that He makes the universe with His fingers; man is so small that he is dwarfed by the universe. Yet David did not doubt that God was mindful of man; he simply said “You are mindful of him” and only wondered why. Before we share David’s question, we should first share his assured confidence that God is mindful of us; He thinks of us and considers what we do.

iii. “Sorry, sickly man, a mass of mortalities, a map of miseries, a mixture or compound of dirt and sin…and yet God is mindful of him.” (Trapp)

iv. “David’s question can be asked with many nuances. In Psalm 144:3-4 it mocks the arrogance of the rebel; in Job 7:17 it is a sufferer’s plea for respite; in Job 25:6 it shudders at human sin. But here it has no tinge of pessimism; only astonishment that thou are mindful and thou dost care.” (Kidner)

c. And the son of man that You should visit him: Indeed, using the poetic method of repetition, David repeated the idea in a stronger way. Son of man is a title that emphasizes the “humanness” of man, and we might say that visit him is yet stronger than are mindful of him.

i. David was confident that God not only carefully thought about man, but that He had some kind of personal connection and contact with men (that You visit him). He thinks about us and acts in our lives.

ii. Morgan considered the use of the terms manand son of man as a “contrast between the stately splendor of the moon and the stars, and man – Enosh – frail man – and the son of man Ben-Adam – of apparently earthly origin. The contrasts are graphic.” (Morgan)

d. For You have made him a little lower than the angels: David saw that God made man a little lower than the angels, and this is evident in the way that man is beneath the angels in present glory, power, and nearness to God.

i. The word translated angels is Elohim, and most often refers to God Himself. There are some (such as Boice) who believe that David meant to say that man is a little lower than God, stressing the idea that man is made in God’s image.

ii. Yet the ancient translators of the Bible from Hebrew to Greek understood elohim here to speak of angelic beings; more importantly, that was how the writer to the Hebrews understood it. “The Hebrew for [angels] is simply ‘God’ or ‘gods’ (‘Elohim’). It may refer to angelic beings.” (VanGemeren)

iii. Significantly, David did not say that man was “a little higher than the beasts,” though one could say that is true. Theologians since Thomas Aquinas have noted that man is in a middle position between the angels and the animals: lower than the angels yet higher than the animals. Yet David rightly makes us look upward and not downward, though many think of mankind as more animal than angelic, David wrote that You have made him a little lower than the angels.

iv. “Although made in God’s image and ordained to become increasingly like the God to whom they look, men and women have turned their backs on God. And since they will not look upward to God, which is their privilege and duty, they actually look downward to the beasts and so become increasingly like them.” (Boice)

v. This very passage is quoted in Hebrews 2:5-9 to reinforce and build upon this exact point. In it he notes that man’s low estate relates only to this world, and not the world to come (Hebrews 2:5). More pointedly, the writer of Hebrews used this passage from Psalm 8 to show that Jesus really did add a genuinely human nature to His divine nature and thus also became a little lower than the angels.

e. You have crowned him with glory and honor: Though for a little while set lower than the angels, man’s destiny is one day to be crowned with a glory and honor that surpasses even the angels. It is the destiny of redeemed men and women to one day be lifted above the angels (1 Corinthians 6:3, Revelation 1:6, 5:10).

i. “Little can sometimes mean ‘for a little while’ in both Hebrew and Greek, which is the sense probably implied in [Hebrews].” (Kidner)

ii. “A little lower in nature, since they are immortal, and but a little, because time is short; and when that is over, saints are no longer lower than the angels.” (Spurgeon)

iii. God’s glory is above the heavens; yet He put this same glory and honor on man as a crown. “This is an effective way of identifying man with God and of saying that he has been made in God’s image, reflecting God’s glory in a way other parts of the creation do not.” (Boice)

iv. As the writer of Hebrews points out, it seems that this divine call and gift given to man of great dominion over the whole earth is tragically unfulfilled; fallen man seems so weak and incapable of dominion over his own thoughts and desires, much less crowned with glory and honor. Yet, as Hebrews properly says, but we see Jesus (Hebrew 2:9).

v. “In Him we have had the full revelation of the greatness of man. But we have seen more than that. We have seen Him ‘crowned with glory and honour, that by the grace of God He should taste death for every man.’ That vision creates our confidence that man will at last realize the Divine purpose.” (Morgan)

vi. “Satan is no doubt filled with scorn of man when he looks at him and measures him with himself. ‘Is this the creature that is to be set over all the works of God’s hands, made of earth and water, phosphates and metals? I am nobler far than he. Can I not flash like lightning, while he must creep about the world to find himself a grave?’” (Spurgeon)

2. (6-9) The dominion of man and the excellence of God.
You have made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands;
You have put all things under his feet,
All sheep and oxen –
Even the beasts of the field,
The birds of the air,
And the fish of the sea
That pass through the paths of the seas.
O LORD, our Lord,
How excellent is Your name in all the earth!

a. You have made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands: David understood the mandate given to Adam and His descendants at creation (Genesis 1:26-28 and 9:2). By both God’s decree and through superior ability, man indeed has dominion over the other creatures and resources of the earth.

i. “In this section of the psalm, allusions to the first chapter of Genesis are inescapable, which shows that David was thoroughly acquainted with this book.” (Boice) Perhaps this knowledge of God’s word came from David’s mother, whom he twice in Psalms refers to as a maidservant of the LORD (Psalm 86:16 and 116:16).

ii. As part of this authority, mankind has the responsibility to wisely manage the creatures and resources of this earth in a way that gives God glory and is good for man. It means that it is wrong to see man as merely part of the ecosystem (thus denying his God-ordained dominion). It is also wrong for man to abuse the ecosystem, thus making him a bad manager of that which ultimately belongs to God (Psalm 24:1). The mandate of dominion asks man to use the creatures and resources of the earth, but to use them wisely and responsibly.

b. You have put all things under his feet: Here, David developed the idea introduced in the first line of Psalm 8:6. The dominion of man extends to all things, including sheep, oxen…beasts of the field, the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea.

i. The Apostle Paul quoted this passage in 1 Corinthians 15:27. Paul quoted it in much the same way that the writer of Hebrews did in Hebrews 2:5-9, showing that this promise of dominion is now only incompletely fulfilled among men. Yet it will be ultimately fulfilled in Jesus, the ultimate Man, and will be one day also completely fulfilled in His resurrected followers.

ii. In light of all this, it is a great tragedy when a man is captured and held in bondage by the things of this world. We were born to have dominion over such material things, instead of being in bondage to them.

c. O LORD, our Lord, how excellent is Your name in all the earth: When David thought about how vast a dominion God had given to man, it made him praise God all over again. That this humble creature – humble in light of the majesty of the universe, humble in light of its present standing under angelic beings – should be given such authority is a demonstration of both the excellence and the goodness of God.

i. David understood that the position of man in creation says far more about the glory of God than saying anything about the glory of man. Understanding it all should make us praise God, not man. “For man’s dominion over nature, wonderful though it is, takes second place to his calling as servant and worshipper, to whose very children the name of the Lord has been revealed.” (Kidner)

ii. There are three wonderful and important truths about man found in this psalm; when these truths are denied or neglected, man never is what God made him to be.
·God made man.
·God made man something glorious.
·God made man for a high and worthy destiny.

iii. All three of these principles are rooted in what God has made man; they do not exist nor are they fulfilled from the plan or work of man. That is why this glorious psalm about man is even more so a psalm about God. “The most striking feature of Psalm 8…is its description of man and his place in the created order. But the psalm does not begin by talking about man. It begins with a celebration of the surpassing majesty of God.” (Boice)

iv. “He made us to have dominion by the word of creation. He made us kings unto God by his blood. His name shall, therefore, be honoured through all the earth.” (Meyer)

v. “Even thou, silly worm, shalt honour him, when it shall appear what God hath done for thee, what lusts he hath mortified, and what graces he hath granted thee.” (Spurgeon)'''

VII) GOD'S HIS GLORY IS REVEALED THRU SCRIPTURE

The glory of God is the magnificence, worth, loveliness, and grandeur of his many perfections, which he displays in his creative and redemptive acts in order to make his glory known to those in his presence.

2) SUMMARY

The glory of God is interwoven throughout the biblical story and forms the origin, content, and goal of the entire cosmic narrative. God’s glory is the magnificence, worth, loveliness, and grandeur of his many perfections. God communicates his glory through his creation, image-bearers, providence, and redemptive acts. God’s people respond by glorifying him. God receives glory and, through uniting his people to Christ, shares his glory with them. And all of this contributes to his glory, as God in his manifold perfections is exhibited, known, rejoiced in, and prized.

The glory of God is a magnificent biblical theme. It is addressed in every major biblical section, related to every major biblical doctrine, and interwoven throughout the biblical story. It is so central to Scripture that the story of the Bible is in some sense the drama of God’s glory.

3) THE CENTRALITY OF GLORY

Many key turning points in the biblical story stress God’s glory and attest to its varied manifestations. 

God’s glory is revealed: 

through creation (Gen. 1; Ps. 19:1–2; Rom. 1:18–25); 

is identified with humans’s creation in the image of God, crowned with glory (Gen. 1–2; Ps. 8:3–5; 1 Cor. 11:7); 

is linked to the exodus (Exod. 3; 13:31; 16:10; 24:9–18; 34:29), 

to fire/ shining/bright light (Exod. 3; 13:31; 16:10; 24:9–18; 34:29; Lev. 9:23; Isa. 60:1–3; 60:19; Ezek. 1:28; 10:4; 43:2; Luke 2:9; 2 Cor. 3:7; 4:4–6; Heb. 1:3; Rev. 18:1; 21:11, 23), 

to a cloud (Exod. 16:7, 10; 24:16; 40:34; Lev. 9:6, 23; Num. 14:21; 16:19, 42; 20:6; Deut. 5:22–24; 1 Kings 8:10; 2 Chron. 5:14; Luke 9:26–36; Acts 1:8–11), 

and to the Sabbath (Exod. 19, 24); 

is revealed to Moses (Exod. 33:18–23); 

fills the tabernacle (Exod. 40:34; cf. Lev. 9:6, 23; Num. 14:21; 16:19, 42; 20:6);

fills the earth (Num. 14:20–23; Ps. 19:1–2; Isa. 6:3); 

fills the temple (1 Kings 8:11); 

is above the heavens (Ps. 8:1; 113:4); 

is revealed in visions to Isaiah (Isa. 6:1–5) 

and Ezekiel (Ezek. 1:28; 3:12, 23; 8:4; 9:3; 10:4, 18; 11:22); 

and is identified with God’s people, Israel (Isa. 40:5; 43:6–7; 60:1).

God's glory is revealed in the Exodus to fire/ shining/bright light (Exod. 3; 16:10; 24:9–18; 34:29; Lev. 9:23; Isa. 60:1–3; 60:19; Ezek. 1:28; 10:4; 43:2; Luke 2:9; 2 Cor. 3:7; 4:4–6; Heb 1:3; Rev. 18:1; 21:11, 23), 

to a cloud (Exod. 16:7, 10; 24:16; 40:34; Lev. 9:6, 23; Num. 14:21; 16:19, 42; 20:6; Deut. 5:22–24; 1 Kings 8:10; 2 Chron. 5:14; Luke 9:26–36; Acts 1:8–11), 

and to the Sabbath (Exod. 19, 24);

is above the heavens (Ps. 8:1; 113:4);

and Ezekiel (Ezek. 1:28; 3:12, 23; 8:4; 9:3; 10:4, 18; 11:22);

Glory is also identified with Christ. It is linked to his incarnation (John 1:1–18; Mark 9:2; Heb. 1:3), 

birth narratives (Luke 2:9, 14, 32), 

miracles (John 2:11; 11:38–44), 

transfiguration (Matt. 17:1–13; Mark 9:2–13; Luke 9:28–36; 2 Pet. 1:16–21), 

suffering and crucifixion (John 7:39; 12:16, 23–28; 13:31–32; 17:1–5; 21:19; Luke 24:26; Rom. 3:25–26; 1 Pet. 1:10–11), 

resurrection/exaltation (Acts 3:13–15; Rom. 6:4; Phil. 2:5–11; Heb. 2:5–9; 1 Pet. 1:21; Rev. 5:12–13; cf. Acts 2:32–33; 3:13; 1 Tim. 3:16), 

ascension (Acts 1; 1 Tim. 3:16), 

session/reign (Stephen’s vision in Acts 7:55–56; Mark 10:37), 

and coming/victory/judgment (Matt. 16:27; 19:28; 24:30; 25:31; Mark 8:38; 10:37; 13:26; Luke 9:26; 21:27; Rom. 8:21; Titus 2:13; 2 Thess. 1:6–9).

Further, glory is identified with the Holy Spirit (1 Pet. 4:14; cf. John 16:14; Eph. 1:13–14); 

is identified with the church (Eph. 1:22–23; 3:20–21; 5:22–29); 

and is manifested in the new creation (Isa. 66; Rom. 8:18–27; Rev. 21–22). 

4) THE MEANING OF GLORY

With such wide-ranging manifestations, glory is virtually impossible to define. In a sense, God’s glory is the magnificence, worth, loveliness, and grandeur of his many perfections. More often, glory communicates God’s special presence, as in the pillars of glory and of fire (Exod. 13:21–22) or the glory that filled the tabernacle (40:34–38).

The primary Hebrew term for glory is kabod. This word stems from a root that means “weight” or “heaviness.” Depending on its form, it could have the sense of “honorable,” “dignified,” “exalted,” or “revered.” C. John Collins explains that it became a “technical term for God’s manifest presence.” It is similar in many respects to the concept of God’s name in the Old Testament (see “kabod” in New International Dictionary of Old Testament Theology and Exegesis).

The primary Greek term for glory is doxa. According to Sverre Aalen, doxa in secular Greek referred to an “opinion,” “conjecture,” “repute,” “praise,” or “fame.” He maintains that the concepts were transformed by the Septuagint. Aalen also maintains that doxa translated kabod and took on the same meaning, referring to God’s manifestation of his person, presence, and/or works, especially his power, judgment, and salvation (see the entry on “doxa” in New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology).

It is also helpful to notice that the glory of God is sometimes used in the Bible as an adjective, sometimes a noun, and sometimes a verb. God is glorious (adjective), reveals his glory (noun), and is to be glorified (verb).

Further, God’s glory is intrinsic and extrinsic. God’s intrinsic glory refers to the inherent glory that belongs to him alone as God, independent of his works. He is glorious in his perfections; he is magnificent; he is beautiful. God’s extrinsic glory is his intrinsic glory partially communicated in his works of creation, providence, redemption, and consummation.

Even more particularly, the triune God who is glorious displays his glory, largely through his creation, image-bearers, providence, and redemptive acts. God’s people respond by glorifying him. God receives glory and, through uniting his people to Christ, shares his glory with them—all to his glory.

5) THE SENSES OF GLORY

Clearly, then, the Bible uses glory in multiple senses.

First, glory is used as a designation for God himself. 

For example, Peter refers to God the Father as the “Majestic Glory” (2 Pet. 1:17). This rare phrase seems to be a Hebrew approach to referring to God without stating his name.

Second, glory sometimes refers to an internal characteristic, attribute, or a summary of the attributes of God. 

This sense would be similar to saying that glory is sometimes used as an adjective. God is intrinsically glorious in the sense of fullness, sufficiency, majesty, beauty, and splendor. Examples of this sense are used throughout Scripture. The Psalms refers to God as the “King of glory” (24:7–10) as well as the “God of glory” (29:3). Stephen refers to the “God of glory” (Acts 7:2), and the apostle Paul prays to the “Father of glory” (Eph. 1:17). James makes reference to Jesus as the “Lord of glory” or the “glorious Lord,” depending on how one renders the Greek. Either way, the point is the same: like the Father, Jesus is characterized by glory. The Spirit, also, is identified with glory (1 Pet. 4:14; cf. John 16:14; Eph. 1:13–14), especially through the language of presence, indwelling, and temple (John 14–16; Rom. 8:9–11; 1 Cor. 3:16; 6:19–20; 14:24–25; 2 Cor. 6:16; Eph. 2:11–22; 5:18; 1 Thess. 4:8).

Third, Scripture speaks of glory as God’s presence.

This understanding of glory is unmistakable in the events surrounding the exodus. The glory cloud (Exod. 13–14; 16:7; 20; 24; cf. Rev. 15:8), the manifestations to Moses (Exod. 3–4; 32–34), and God’s presence in the tabernacle (Exod. 29:43; 40:34–38) all highlight God’s covenant presence. This connotation of God’s glory also emerges in passages related to the ark of the covenant (1 Samuel 4–5), the temple (1 Kings 8:10–11; 2 Chron 5–7), the eschatological temple in Ezekiel (43:1–5), the person of Christ (John 1:1–18; Col. 1–2; Heb 1), the Holy Spirit (John 14–16), and heaven itself (Rev. 21–22).

Fourth, the Bible often depicts glory as the display of God’s attributes, perfections, or person.

John’s Gospel speaks of glory in this way, as Jesus performs “signs” that demonstrate his glory (2:11). The Word uses various terms for this notion, but the idea is clear: God glorifies himself in displaying himself. As God puts his works on display, he glorifies himself. His mercy, grace, justice, and wrath are all revealed through salvation and judgment (cf. Rom. 9:20–23; Eph. 2:4–10).

A fifth sense or concept is of glory as the ultimate goal of the display of God’s attributes, perfections, or person. 

Exodus and Ezekiel are abounding with passages that unfold God’s actions for the sake of his name, that people will know he is the Lord. Jesus informs that Lazarus’s death and subsequent resurrection had an ultimate purpose: it was for the glory of God (John 11:4; cf. 14:13). Peter’s death also shared this purpose (John 21:19). Paul points out that God chooses, adopts, redeems, and seals believers “to the praise of the glory of his grace” (Eph. 1:6, 12, 14). That is, in saving a people for himself, God displays his grace, and in displaying his grace he brings glory to himself. Further, the whole Trinitarian plan of redemption displays this goal, as seen in the mutual glorification of each person of the Trinity. The glorious Father sends the glorious Son, who voluntarily humbles himself and glorifies the Father through his incarnation, obedient life, and substitutionary death (Phil. 2:5–11; cf. John 6, 10, 17). In response the Father glorifies the Son, resurrecting him from the dead and exalting him to the highest place (Acts 3:13–15; Rom. 6:4; Phil. 2:9–11). The Father sends the glorious Spirit, who glorifies the Son (John 16:14), which all contributes to the glory of the Father (Phil. 2:11).

Sixth, glory sometimes points to heaven, the heavenly, or the eschatological consummation of the full experience of the presence of God. 

Hebrews 2:10 speaks of “bringing many sons to glory,” and Philippians 4:19 presents the covenant promise, “My God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus” (cf. Eph. 3:16). The people of God will ultimately receive glory, honor, immortality, and eternal life, which can all be used somewhat synonymously (Rom. 2:7). Such glory was prepared for God’s people in eternity (Rom. 9:23). Jesus is also said to be “taken up in glory” (1 Tim. 3:16), which could be understood as “to heaven,” as “gloriously,” or as a combination of the two. The bodies of believers, too, will be raised “in glory” (1 Cor. 15:43), and faithful elders will receive an unfading crown of glory (1 Pet. 5:4).

Seventh, giving glory to God also may refer to an appropriate response to God in the form of worship, exaltation, or exultation. 

Psalm 29:2 urges, “Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name.” At Jesus’ birth, after God’s glory shines (Luke 2:9), the heavenly host resounds with “glory to God in the highest” (Luke 2:14), and the shepherds are “glorifying and praising God” (Luke 2:20). Further, the Bible is filled with doxologies, such as Romans 16:27, that accentuate our need to give glory to God: “To the only wise God be glory forevermore through Christ Jesus” (cf. Rom. 11:36; Gal. 1:5; Eph. 3:20–21; Phil. 4:20; 2 Tim. 4:18; Jude 24–25; Rev. 1:5–6). Some doxologies are directed toward Christ (2 Pet. 3:18; cf. Heb. 13:21). Similarly, other passages instruct God’s people to glory in Christ (2 Cor. 10:17), in his cross (Gal. 6:14), and in suffering by virtue of their union with Christ (2 Cor. 11–12). Glorifying God is an expected and fitting response of God’s people (Matt. 5:13–16; 15:31; Mark 2:12; Luke 4:15; John 15:8). Christians are even commanded to glorify God in their bodies (1 Cor. 6:20), in their food and drink choices along with their corresponding relationships (1 Cor. 10:31), and in the proper exercise of spiritual gifts (1 Pet. 4:11). Romans 14–15 underlines the importance of the church glorifying God with a unified voice and points to the truth that as the church displays unity to the glory of God (15:6–7), the Gentiles will glorify God (15:8–9; cf. Rev 4–5).

So, the triune God who is glorious joyfully and gracious communicates his glory, largely through his creation, image-bearers, providence, and redemptive acts. God’s people respond by glorifying him. God receives glory and, through uniting his people to Christ, shares his glory with them. And all of this contributes to his glory, as God in his manifold perfections is exhibited, known, rejoiced in, and prized."