Do we exalt or insult God?

We are living in perilous times, and the end of days. More than ever there is an urgency in my spirit for us to check our hearts, and to make sure we are walking in the ways of God, in His truth and we are upholding His purity and holiness. 1 Peter 1:16 says, “Be holy, because I am holy.”

This week the Lord spoke the following in my spirit: Do we exalt Him or insult Him? Such a question offers plenty of food for thought. An insult is any disrespectful or scornfully abusive remark or act. To show insult is also to offend someone. Do our actions, conduct, words and faith exalt the Lord, or do we bring insult to His Name, to the Blood, and the Kingdom? For let us understand, any action, word or conduct that bring not honour to God’s holiness, greatness, goodness and kingship is an insult. Paul said to Timothy in 1 Timothy 4:12 that he must set an example for the believers “in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity.”

At the time of Jesus, we sadly read in “Luke 18:32 For He will be delivered to the Gentiles and will be mocked and insulted and spit upon.” Believers, do we truly love and fear the Lord? Do we seek His holiness? Or do we insult Him and spit upon Him all over again because of our carnal and dark ways?

Hebrews 10 says, “29 Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace? 30 For we know Him who said, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord.” We insult the Spirit of grace through our impurity, immorality, sins, and iniquity when we condone any form of evilness, corruption, deception and lies. For this reason, the Bible speaks of guarding the heart and renewing the mind. We are called to tame the tongue, and we are called to work out our salvation with fear and trembling, meaning we bring God all the honour and glory in all that we do. Grace is never meant to be a licence to sin, or to do as what we please. We honour the Spirit of grace by yielding and submitting to God’s ways, and His ways are of righteousness and is morally good.

The greatest commandment in Matthew 22 is clear: “37 Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and great commandment.” Exodus 20:3 says, “You shall have no other gods before Me.” We are called to love God above all else. He is called to be our first love. When we fail to walk in such reverence, obedience, love and faithfulness, we insult God.

Can we truly say that God is our first love? For in this world there are so many things that seek our adoration, attention and love, such as money and fame. Of the church of Ephesus, we read in Revelation 2 that they have left their first love (verse 4). Are we in such danger? For the Lord reminds us He is always to be our first love. He is a jealous God, and when He speaks, we should listen and we should obey, lest we insult Him because of rebellion, disobedience and blatant disregard of His divinity. Have we not become complacent with our love for Him, for the world so often steals our love? 1 John 4:19 says, “We love Him because He first loved us.”

To insult God we also take into consideration Leviticus 22:32 that says, “You shall not profane My holy name, but I will be hallowed among the children of Israel. I am the Lord who sanctifies you.” Although many people believe taking the Lord’s name in vain refers to using the Lord’s name as a swear word, there is much more involved with a vain use of God’s name. To understand the severity of taking the Lord’s name in vain, we must see the Lord’s name from His perspective as outlined in Scripture. The God of Israel was known by many names and titles, but the concept embodied in God’s name plays an important and unique role in the Bible. God’s nature and attributes, the totality of His being, and especially His glory are reflected in His name (Psalm 8:1). For God is glorious, powerful, magnificent, holy, omnipresent and the creator of all!

The name of the Lord is holy, as He is holy. The name of the Lord is a representation of His glory, His majesty, and His supreme deity. We are to esteem and honour His name as we revere and glorify God Himself. To do any less is to take His name in vain. We are forbidden from taking the name of God (or taking up the name or bearing the name, as the phrase could be translated) in a manner that is wicked, worthless, or for wrong purposes. And we do so when we act contradictory to His holiness, for then our actions betray His worthiness and majesty. We then insult our Lord.

Indeed, do we exalt or insult Him? Matthew 13 says, “41 The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness, 42 and will cast them into the furnace of fire.” There is nothing good that comes from insulting God through our rebellion, idolatry, spiritual apostasy and carnality. There is nothing holy or pure about saying we love God and follow Him as His disciples yet our hearts and minds betray such love and devotion.

Yes, our entire lives must be an expression of exalting God, which speaks of thinking or speaking very highly of someone or something. We must exalt God in our lives, marriages and our homes. He must be all and everything. David wrote in “Psalm 18:46 The Lord lives! Blessed be my Rock! Let the God of my salvation be exalted,” and also “Psalm 21:13 Be exalted, O Lord, in Your own strength! We will sing and praise Your power,” and “Psalm 34:3 Oh, magnify the Lord with me, And let us exalt His name together.” In Exodus 15:2 we read, “The Lord is my strength and song, And He has become my salvation; He is my God, and I will praise Him; My father’s God, and I will exalt Him.”

Peter 5:6 says, “Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time.” Yes, we must exalt God and not insult Him, for God’s eye is upon the righteous. What Peter wrote ties in with Matthew 6:33 about first seeking God’s Kingdom and His righteousness above all else. If we fail to uphold the greatest commandments, we insult the Lord. Luke 7:23 says, “And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me.” Luke 7 can also be interpreted to say blessed are those who do not insult God!

Let us be reminded who God is, for the world and it seems some in the church has forgotten whom we serve. He is a mighty and glorious God. He is holy and powerful. So exalt Him, for Psalm 46 says, “10 Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!”