Ephesians 1:17-18

‘That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, having the eyes of your heart enlightened.'

He prays to ‘the God of our Lord Jesus Christ' to grant to His people a full depth of understanding of spiritual truth, by the enlightenment of the Spirit. Indeed he desires that they might have ‘a full understanding and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ', a knowledge that will include all that He is, which will come about by the enlightening of our hearts by the Father of glory, as He Who is the light of the world shines in us through His Spirit.

For ‘Lord Jesus Christ' see on Ephesians 1:2.

‘The Father of glory.' The One Who lives in splendour and glory (see Revelation 21:23), Who is worthy of glory and has glory at His disposal to dispense as He will (Romans 8:17; Revelation 21:11). He is the focal point of all glory. ‘Glory' speaks of that which is most wonderful in every way. He is called ‘the God of glory' by Stephen (Acts 7:2; compare Psalms 29:3), and ‘the King of glory' by the Psalmist (Psalms 24). Jesus also is ‘the Lord of glory' (1 Corinthians 2:8; James 2:1; compare 2 Corinthians 3:18). The One Who is the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ must be glorious, for He is glorious.

Reference to God as the Father of glory relates Him back to the God Who revealed Himself in glory at the Exodus in the pillar of fire (Exodus 13:21 and often), in glory on Mount Sinai at the giving of the covenant (Exodus 24:16), and in glory in the Tabernacle (Exodus 40:34; Numbers 14:10) and the Temple (1 Kings 8:11), where His glory was revealed visibly. He is thus the God of power, grace and splendour of the Old Testament. His glory is revealed by the heavens which reveal His handywork (Psalms 19:1) and by His many mighty works and wonders (Psalms 96:3; Psalms 104:31). His glory is above the heavens (Psalms 113:4) and the whole earth is full of His glory (Isaiah 6:3), which is revealed in His delivering power (Isaiah 40:5).

He is also the One Who is worthy of being glorified, and His glory is revealed in His unchanging purity (Romans 3:23), and in that He is eternally God, unchanging and beyond physical corruption (Romans 1:19). The riches of His glory are revealed in His mercy (Romans 9:23), and the light of the knowledge of the glory of God is revealed in the face of Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 4:6). Indeed Jesus is the outshining of His glory (Hebrews 1:2), and the means by which His glory is made known to us.

‘May give to you a spirit (Spirit) of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, having the eyes of your heart enlightened.' Paul prays that as a result of the activity of the Father of glory their ‘spirits', the spiritual side of their natures, may be made wise in the true wisdom (see 1 Corinthians 1:21; 1Co 1:24; 1 Corinthians 1:30; Colossians 2:3) and that they might have revealed within them the full knowledge of Christ and what He has done, and is doing, for them. Thus he prays that their ‘hearts', their inner beings, will be enlightened by the Holy Spirit, Who is Himself the Spirit of wisdom and revelation (1 Corinthians 2:10), so that they may know Him Who is the Wisdom from God revealed in saving activity (1 Corinthians 1:30). The prior reference to the Father of glory connects with what is being revealed. It is all glorious in His glory and Paul wants them to behold that glory.