Text: Psalms 34: 3
Magnification is a theme encountered in the Scripture often more by actions than by words. While many incidences of magnification explicitly use the word "magnify" (Luke 1:46, Psalms 143: 6), it is not uncommon to come across instances where the word is not mentioned at all. (Exodus 15: 11-18)
Magnification concerns a personal estimation or reckoning of the worth of the object being magnified. In the natural, the efforts of human beings to magnify tend to be inappropriate and wrong. We either magnify the wrong things or magnify the right things wrongly. The reason for this is the inherent imperfection of the human nature. Yet, much of our success, or otherwise, depend on what and how we magnify in our earthly experience. Therefore, it becomes quite important for us as believers, to learn about the nature of magnification and how to engage its power to achieve our God-given roles and purposes on earth.
From the outset, let us understand that magnification may be either physical or spiritual, and the same basic principles apply to both. However, our direct concern in this message is on spiritual magnification.
Nature of Magnification
Magnification is a relational activity willfully performed by a person towards another being whereby the person develops a personal and private estimate of the worth of the target being and as a result associates such estimate with the being concerned. The magnified object may be living or non-living (God, angels, human, or institutions)
A Decision Based on Evidence
Naturally, we tend to magnify (or despise) a being based on subjective emotional considerations. However, the counsel of God is to engage in magnifying only based on rational impetus. The incidences of magnifying God recorded in Scripture are associated with objective evidence of God's faithfulness in provision, protection, favour, honour, giftings, etc. They are not baseless emotional outbursts. The principle involved is that God's kingdom is ruled by clear divine precepts rather than the emotional whims of some hoodwinked impressionable ignoramuses. Neither is it, as some unbelievers imagine, based on some haphazard caprices of a spiritual autocrat in the sky.
An Act of Faith
Spiritual magnification is an act of faith. Based on and internal divine enlightenment, it extrapolates from what is and/or what has been done, to arrive at a higher estimate of the worth of the object. The person doing the magnification is therefore able to ascribe to the object things that are not yet done or visible. This is not premised on an emotional spur of the moment but on an assurance of the veracity of the internal revelation. It means then that the extent of magnification can only be to the extent of the revelation received, otherwise, it will be no more than mere presumption.
The Impetus Need Not Be Fresh
Magnifying should be a regular, even habitual, spiritual exercise. It need not be in response only to current or fresh impetus. Previous reasons for magnifying should regularly be brought to remembrance and used to serve as stimulant for fresh magnification. For example, the Israelites of old certainly magnified the LORD immediately concerning the miracle of crossing the Red Sea. Still, such a response was oft-repeated decades and centuries after (even up to the present day) simply by bringing up the glorious event for remembrance.
Entirely Internal In Essence
The private and personal nature of spiritual magnification needs to be stressed. It is an internal movement in the soul of a person which may or may not be associated with any external manifestation. It is a personal reckoning by a person concerning the object being magnified which has absolutely no structural effect on the magnified object.
This truth is evident even in physical magnification with say, an optic lens. The object under the lens, such as a bacterium, may appear like 10cm long to the observer whereas its actual size remains the same being smaller than tip of a needle.
Similarly, when we spiritually magnify God (or any other being for that matter), we have not made Him bigger or smarter or more powerful. God does not change in His attributes. All we have don is to increase our ow appreciation of the worth of God.
External Expressions are Optional
While magnification is essentially internal to each person, what others sees are various external demonstrations of the act. This tends to make us to think that those external actions are the magnification. Nothing could be more wrong! The observed externalisations such as talking, singing, dancing, waving of hands, bowing or lying down, hugging, giving gifts, etc are just desirable and beautiful effects of a deep internal reality that is overflowing. They do not define magnification. Without them, magnification is not diminished.
The Importance of Magnification
The question may then be raised: how then is magnification important if it does not impart the inherent worth of its object?
Again, we may start our learning with physical magnification. Regardless of the magnification power of the lens, the characteristics of the bacterium are established and unchanged by the magnification event. However, magnification brings tremendous benefits to the observer, who is now able to gain more knowledge and insight into those characteristics which were unknown prior to magnification. He is better informed and empowered to properly deal with the bacterium.
Spiritual magnification operates in somewhat similar but much more complex and mysterious way. Generally, our success or failure with a person or a thing is not so much dependent on his/its power or weakness but on our magnification or despising of the person or thing. Spiritually, magnification is one of the requirements to see, receive and utilise the full worth of a person or thing. The household members and townspeople of the proverbial prophet fail to receive the benefits of the ministry of the prophet not because of the weakness of the ministry but because of a failure to appreciate and magnify that ministry (Mark 6: 4).
Whatever we magnify becomes big and powerful FOR OUR PERSONAL GOOD and whatever we fail to magnify (or, worse, demean) becomes small and weak FOR OUR PERSONAL GOOD, regardless of its real size and/or power. For us to succeed in our Christian walk, we must make a habit of magnifying righteous things and despising unrighteous things. A Christian that fails to magnifies righteous things will be weak spiritually and as well be on his/her way to becoming a prey to the enemy.
What Magnification is Not
In both the Old and the New Testaments, the words used to express the idea of magnification take their meanings in situational contexts. Because of this, acts such as basic praise, thanksgiving, glorifying, etc would be the proper rendering in some of the passages. The difference between such acts and magnification can be clarified as below, using God as the object of magnification.
Praise: This means appreciating God for who we already know Him to be. This is basically as revealed in the Scripture. Therefore, we need to know God to praise Him. We do this by proclaiming His attributes, names and titles, and wondrous works.
Thanksgiving: This means expressing gratitude to God for specific things He has done. Such things would be be individually identified and mentioned
Magnification: This means extrapolating existing deeds of God by revelation and faith, to arrive at an enhanced esteem of God.
Exaggeration: This is a lie. It happens when we embellish what God has done with fabrications. Those who practice it may suppose it they are trying to honour God but in reality, are liars whose evil acts may cause the name of the Lord to be blasphemed. Our praises and thanksgiving must be true to what they are about.
In the follow-up sermon, we shall be looking at the Scope of Magnification.
In closing, let me invite you as I join Don Moen in this chorus:
Be magnified O Lord,
You are highly exalted
And there is nothing you can't do
O Lord, my eyes are on you, be magnified,
O lord be magnified, O Lord be magnified.
God bless you.
