Show Me Your Glory

What is the glory of God?

The word glory, in Hebrew, is “kabowd,” which means “weight, splendor, copiousness, glorious, honour.” (Strong 1983)

When the cloud of glory filled the Temple of God, the priests had a problem – they couldn’t stand up.

Then the temple of the Lord was filled with the cloud, and the priests could not perform their service because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled the temple of God. (2 Chronicles 5:13,14 NIV)

It’s hard to stand in the glory; there’s a weight to it.

When the glory falls, as in 2 Chronicles, it sometimes looks like a cloud, as it did in Exodus 40:

Moses could not enter the tent of meeting because the cloud had settled on it, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. (Exodus 40:35 NIV)

Other times, the glory looks like a fire:

To the Israelites the glory of the Lord looked like a consuming fire on top of the mountain.  (Exodus 24:17 NIV)

Still other times, it looks like a rainbow:

Like the appearance of a rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the radiance around him. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord.  When I saw it, I fell facedown, and I heard the voice of one speaking.  (Ezekiel 1:28 NIV)

The glory wasn't confined to Old Testament times.  Throughout the years, there have been moments of time when the glory of God again appeared to people.  According to witnesses, when the glory appears (as a cloud or as a fire), people don’t just fall down – supernatural things happen.  There are miracles, visions, and healings. 

Also, in the glory, people suddenly understand the greatness of God, and break out into praise, as in 2 Chronicles:

When Solomon finished praying, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of the Lord filled the temple. The priests could not enter the temple of the Lord because the glory of the Lord filled it. When all the Israelites saw the fire coming down and the glory of the Lord above the temple, they knelt on the pavement with their faces to the ground, and they worshiped and gave thanks to the Lord, saying, “He is good; his love endures forever.” (2 Chronicles 7:1-3 NIV)

People feel God’s love, forgiveness, joy, acceptance, and peace.

God’s glory surrounds Him in a way that can be felt.  It's almost as if a River of His majesty, character, and power flows out and swirls around Him.  The air surrounding Him is heavy with love, joy, power, and miracles.

When God comes near, we know it because the atmosphere instantly changes. 

I've never seen the glory, and I don’t really understand it, but I, like Moses, cry out for it:

Then Moses said, “Now show me your glory.” (Exodus 33:18 NIV)

And I believe it’s God’s great joy to answer that prayer:

Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world.  (John 17:24 NIV)

 

… we, who were the first to put our hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory. (Ephesians 1:12 NIV)

And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.  (2 Corinthians 3:18 NIV)

For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ. (2 Corinthians 4:6 NIV)

References:

Strong, James. Strongs Exhaustive Concordance: Showing Every Word of the Text of the Common English Version of the Canonical Books, and Every Occurrence of Each Word in Regular Order, Together with Dictionaries of the Hebrew and Greek Words of the Original, with References to the English Words. Baker Book House, 1983.

 

Scripture quotations marked (NIV) are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version, NIV  Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.  Used by permission of Zondervan.  All rights reserved worldwide.www.zondervan.com.  The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.