“If you are reproached for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. On their part He is blasphemed, but on your part He is glorified.”
for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you.
There are many titles for the Holy Spirit in the Bible, but this is the only place where he is called “the Spirit of glory.” In other sites, the New Testament calls him the “Spirit of truth,” the “Spirit of life,” the “Spirit of Christ,” the “Spirit of God,” the “Spirit of the Father,” the “Spirit of adoption.” “The Spirit of glory and of God” refers to the Holy Spirit’s divine presence with us. He bestows glory on us. This glory is the reflected glory of God. In this context, the idea is that the Holy Spirit enables us to glorify God by suffering for his name (Jn 12:23; 13:31).
“Rests upon you” refers to the Holy Spirit’s indwelling of Christians. God blesses us because he is with us. He is not only with us, but he “rests upon” us.
Jn 14:16-17, “And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper [the Holy Spirit], that He may abide with you forever— “the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.”
Jesus uses “rests upon” in the phrase “I will give you rest.”
Matthew 11:28-30, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. “For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”
PRINCIPLE:
Christians can rest in the sustaining power of the Holy Spirit when they share their faith.
APPLICATION:
We do not usually think in terms of the Holy Spirit resting on us. The Holy Spirit has many ministries to the Christian. He guides, teaches, convicts, provides and protects us. This is the reason Christians are blessed when slander comes their way. The Spirit of God is there to fortify and strengthen us.
The Lord takes it upon himself to give us rest. In this passage, the Spirit of glory rests upon and causes us to cope with the venom and hate that people cast upon us. This is not a rest from work but the harmonious working of all faculties of the Holy Spirit upon us.
