Out Of The Ivory Palaces

Philippians 2:5-11

How much would you be willing to give up for someone you loved?  For some people, if they truly loved someone enough, and presumably that person also loves them in return, they might give up a lot.  Nobody gave up more for those He loved, mankind, than our Savior, Jesus Christ.  In my last couple of meditations I spoke of all that Jesus suffered for us on Good Friday.  Today I would like to look at all that Jesus gave up to come to Earth, something we often overlook.

Jesus always existed with God.  He is the second Person of the Trinity, and is equal with God the Father, as He is God.  (John 1:1; Colossians 1:15-19).  As part of the eternal Godhead He is as much the God of the universe as the Father is, as He is co-equal with Him (vs. 6).  Thus, as we ponder this, what a wonder it is for God to be willing to become a man and live here on earth as one of us, not in splendor, but in relative poverty.

When Jesus came to earth, He was not born a prince in a royal palace, or the son of a multi-millionaire business tycoon.  He was born the son of a lowly teenaged girl, and step-son to her young husband who was a carpenter.  Humble people with a humble job.  Their home was simple, the clothes and few belongings they would have would also be simple.

Imagine the courts of splendor that surround the throne of God in heaven!  We see glimpses of that in the Book of Revelation.  The pomp and circumstance that surrounds royalty today is nothing compared to what it was in times past.  Even the magnificence of royalty in those days, though, pales to nothing compared to what God’s throne and majesty is like.   I love the old-time hymns, and there is one, which is almost forgotten today, that speaks of all that Jesus gave up in heaven to come to earth as a man. The hymn is called “Ivory Palaces”, and its words are primarily taken from Psalm 45:8.  Jesus came down from the ivory palaces in heaven, gave up His beautiful robes, and came into this world of sin, all for you, for me.

Jesus exchanged a heavenly throne for a small, poor house.  Then when Jesus started His ministry, no house.  He slept on the ground outside, or perhaps occasionally in the home of a generous follower.  Jesus exchanged the robes of glory He had in heaven for one change of simple clothing, which the soldiers took when He was crucified.  He had no belongings, no bank account, no donkey of His own to ride across the country.  His food was whatever someone gave Him, whatever the apostles would cook up around a campfire.

Not only did Jesus give up all of that when He came to earth, but He also set aside for a time, the powers of being God, and took on Himself the limitations of being man.  He would get tired, hungry, thirsty.  If He tripped and fell, He felt pain.  If the sun beat down on Him, He might get a headache.  In heaven as God, He was served by angels.  As a man, though, He chose not to be waited upon by others, but instead, to serve others (vs. 7).  We especially see this on the night before Jesus died, when He got down on His knees and washed the feet of the apostles.  That was a job that only the lowest of the servants performed.

And then, as we looked at in earlier meditations, the horrible, cruel suffering and death that the Lord Jesus endured for our sins.  Verse 8 says that Jesus was “obedient”.  Before creation, it had been determined by both God the Father and the Son that He would come to earth and die for our sins.  He could, though, have changed His mind if He wanted to.  He was God!  But Jesus didn’t.  He sacrificed all for us.

This is not the end, though. This was not defeat.  There was victory! Because Jesus was willing to be obedient, and do this out of love for us, God exalted Him (vs. 9 - 11).  All those who mocked and jeered at Him, all those who spat on Him, put Him to death, all those who from the dawn of time and on through today, and in times to come have treated Him with scorn and turned their back on Him, will bow their knee at His Name!!  All those who have mocked Christianity and fought against the Bible will bow to the Lord Jesus, and they will confess that He is Lord, that He is God.