(Excerpt from The Human Spirit, Vol. 2)

We shall never be able to fully realize the sacrifice the Father made in sending His Son to the earth to save us. . . . One of the New Testament passages which concerns the departure of the Son in His condescension to earth through the Incarnation and Virgin Birth reveals something of this sacrifice.

Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God (Heb. 12:2). . . .

O what must that glory have been like to our Savior? An Old Testament passage reminds us, in word pictures, of something of that glory.

All thy garments smell of myrrh, and aloes, and cassia, out of the ivory palaces, whereby they have made thee glad (Ps. 45:8).

The original meaning of "ivory palaces" (shen hekal) carries with it not only the thought of an ivory-lined palace, but also a treasure box. The king is the treasure of the palace, and the riches of His grace come from the treasure box of His blessed attributes. Our Lord Jesus Christ fulfilled all of this when He came into the world. Instead of the joy and glory which He had with His Father in that Heavenly Palace, enjoying the many treasures of glory together, Jesus came to this earth for our redemption. Out of the 150 times the word cloud is used, it is identified one hundred times with the "glory" of God. The cloud, like a garment, sets forth the Attire of Deity—garments, fragrant, beautiful—in God. In both the separation of the Father from His Son through the Incarnation, and the extended humiliation ending on the Cross through the great lamentation of the Son, He poured out His soul unto death.

My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? Why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring? (Ps. 22:1)

Although the Son of God left that glory of His Father in heaven, yet He brought glory to His saints!

And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them (Lk. 2:8-9a).

Did you note what the coming of Christ into the world brought to mankind? "The glory of the Lord shone round about them." Christ left the glory He had with the Father, temporarily gave up that glory; but His own glory He brought to the earth. The glory of the "ivory palaces" was sacrificed for the time, space, history of redemption through the blood of the Lord Jesus. Whereby, however, we were made glad (Ps. 45:8b). All of the fragrant odors of heaven clothed Him, and the royal robe of righteousness became ours as His people.

I will always enjoy emphasizing the two different Greek words involved in His arrival on earth (kataluma and pandocheion). Christ was born in a manger because there was no room for Him in the "inn" (kataluma). This kataluma is a very meager word for some kind of an "out house," a run-down hotel, if you please. We can hardly imagine the lowliness of the manger itself. It is now remembered in plaster-of-paris manger scenes which look so beautiful. However, it was not like that. Later on, Jesus, at the end of His life, would once again request a kataluma (Lk. 22:11), but the Record reads that his host gave him "a large upper room furnished" (verse 12). His friends gave Him better than the world gave Him. But our Lord, on one occasion, in the parable of the Good Samaritan, speaks of another "inn" (pandocheion; Lk. 10:34). This is a part of that "glory" He brought to earth; His redemption provides the riches of His grace couched in the language of a palatial inn, the meaning of that word. Once again, we are reminded of the "ivory palaces" that He left for us. The figure magnifies the glory of the grace of God given through the Lord Jesus Christ.

He left the glory He had with His Father; He brought glory to His saints: "the glory of the Lord shone round about them."

But we shall never forget, and may the Holy Spirit bring it to our remembrance: Because Christ left the glory of the Father and came to the Cross, we have become the recipients of His glory in our own hearts on earth.

Father, glorify thy name. Then came there a voice from heaven, saying, I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again (John 12:18).

The Father did not love the world only to the degree that He would send angels to bring us the gospel; He did not send even an archangel to bring it. The Word is clear: The Father loved us so much that His own Son would bring salvation—"For the grace of God that bringeth salvation . . ." (Titus 2:11a).