What God Does Not Share (Isaiah 42:8)

Isaiah 42:8 – I am the LORD; that is my name; my glory I give to no other, nor my praise to carved idols.
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We protect the things that are important to us. In life, there are only a few things that we have that we would not willingly share with others; but those things are the things that are most precious to us. In this verse in the middle of Isaiah, God shares with us what is precious to him and why it is so precious to him.

God first tells us that this verse is about him by using his covenant name. He makes this personal for himself. And then he tells us that he will not give his glory to another or share his praise with any idol. Thus, as we think it through, we see that, of utmost importance to God, is his glory and his praise. God’s glory is at the dead center of what is important. In fact, God’s name and his glory is simply most important.

When we recognize that God’s glory is of utmost importance, we also can recognize that we must focus our own lives on what is most important. If God sets up his glory as supreme, he must also make that a part of why we exist. God created us in his image, for his glory. We are here because of God, for God’s purposes. Thus, we should see that our lives must center around God’s praise and God’s glory. God’s praise, his glory, is why we are here. And, simply put, we can not do anything that will ever give our lives fulfillment if we do not focus our lives on the true reason for our existence, namely the glory of God.

For many of us, this is a reminder of something that we have read a thousand times. For others, this may be a new thought. Either way, set your life around the glory of God this day. God is jealous for his own glory, and rightly so. You exist to give glory to God, and thus it would be wise for you to make sure that, this day, you do the things that will most bring him that glory. Let the glory of God and the praise of God become the central purpose of your existence. When you do so, you will find our soul satisfied as your life’s purpose is fulfilled.

Dear Lord, I see that you do not share your praise and your glory, and indeed you should not. You are the mightiest of the mighty. You are the highest of the high. You are the greatest of the great. All glory belongs to you. All praise is rightly yours. For you to share your praise would be for you to allow the lesser to be praised instead of the greater, and you should not do such a thing. I pray that my life will be an offering of praise to you. I pray that you will use me, even this day, to bring glory and honor to your holy name.