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What do we
mean when we pray and sing for God to show us His glory?
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What does it
mean to when way we say, “Glory to God”?
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How does an
experience of the Glory of God change one’s life?
So often we use expressions that our
understanding of is limited, or that we may not have any real understanding.
Sometimes I’ve heard people pray things, or sing phrases in songs and asked
myself if those saying what they say have any understanding of what they are
asking for, could they stand the answer to those prayers? Perhaps the lack of
apparent answers is due to lack of readiness for the answer. To deal with these
questions I decided it is time to do an in depth word study on “glory.” In
Biblical context, I believe before even starting to dig, that this is a big,
multi-faceted topic, similar to “grace.”
The intent is not to write a lengthy
dissertation, but to wet appetites for more. You will find links to some great writings on the topic at the end of
this blog.
Much of what I have always clung to about God’s
glory is from Exodus 33:18 where Moses asks God to show him HIS glory. Moses
uses the Hebrew word, “kabod.” This
is the word used most often in the scriptures of glory. In this verse it is
translated with the two words that are most often translated in reference to,
weight and honor. This Hebrew word is used 120 times in the Old Testament. It
is used in reference to weight and heaviness 20 times and in reference to honor
45 times. Some say that in ancient Hebrew culture, reference to weight had to
do with having a lot of, such as a rich man being heavy in wealth, or as we
might say today, “so and so is loaded.”
What the Lord is “loaded” with is revealed in
His response to Moses in Ex. 33:19 the Lord tells Moses, “I will make all my
goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the Lord before
thee.” That word “goodness” is not synonymous with glory; He just says that
Moses will experience God’s goodness in a supernatural way. The Lord gets a bit
more specific,
19 The Lord replied, “I will
make all my goodness pass before you, and I will call out my name, Yahweh, before
you. For I will show mercy to anyone I
choose, and I will show compassion to anyone I choose. (emphasis added)
I would have to say based on that that mercy
and compassion are very high up on God’s list of what He wants men to know
about His character. Jesus said it clearly,
Matt. 5:16 "Let your light
so shine before men that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father
who is in heaven"
As you study the Gospels, take note of what
Jesus did and realize that everyone in the body of Christ is called to be
doing,
Jn.14:12 I tell you the truth,
anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater
works, because I am going to be with the Father.
There is another side to the experience of
God’s glory. The vision of God’s glory is something human flesh cannot handle
in its fullness. I think the Lord was cautioning Moses about what was about to
transpire. Two verses later God uses the word “kabod” and does some very special things to protect Moses from it:
Exodus 33:22 As my glorious
presence passes by, I will hide you in the crevice of the rock and cover you
with my hand until I have passed by.
23 Then I will remove my hand
and let you see me from behind. But my face will not be seen.” (NLT)
Look at Isaiah’s vision of the Glory in
chapter 6. Take heed to Isaiah’s reaction to what he experiences in reference
to the “kabod”
Isaiah 6:1 It was in the year
King Uzziah died that I saw the Lord. He was sitting on a lofty throne, and the
train of his robe filled the Temple.
2 Attending him were mighty
seraphim, each having six wings. With two wings they covered their faces, with
two they covered their feet, and with two they flew.
3 They were calling out to each
other,
“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Heaven’s Armies!
The whole earth is filled with
his glory!”
4 Their voices shook the Temple
to its foundations, and the entire building was filled with smoke.
5
Then I said, “It’s all over! I am doomed, for I am a sinful man. I have
filthy lips, and I live among a people with filthy lips. Yet I have seen the
King, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.” (NLT)
Ezekiel also had a vision of the Glory,
Ezek. 10:4 Then the glory of the
Lord rose up from above the cherubim and went over to the door of the Temple.
The Temple was filled with this cloud of glory, and the courtyard glowed brightly
with the glory of the Lord.
5 The moving wings of the
cherubim sounded like the voice of God Almighty and could be heard even in the
outer courtyard.
Perhaps the most striking reaction to God’s
glory was at the dedication of the Temple Solomon built,
2 Chronicles 7:1 When Solomon
finished praying, fire flashed down from heaven and burned up the burnt
offerings and sacrifices, and the glorious presence of the Lord filled the
Temple.
2 The priests could not enter
the Temple of the Lord because the glorious presence of the Lord filled it.
3 When all the people of Israel
saw the fire coming down and the glorious presence of the Lord filling the
Temple, they fell face down on the
ground and worshiped and praised the Lord, saying,
“He is good!
His faithful love endures
forever!”
A most wonderful and well known experience of
the glory in this supernatural form was the “transfiguration.” The Disciples
that Jesus took with Him up the mountain had a very definite, life changing
experience and received a supernatural Word from the Father,
Mark 9:2-4 Six days later, three
of them did see it. Jesus took Peter, James, and John and led them up a high
mountain. His appearance changed from the inside out, right before their eyes.
His clothes shimmered, glistening white, whiter than any bleach could make
them. Elijah, along with Moses, came into view, in deep conversation with
Jesus.
5-6 Peter interrupted, “Rabbi,
this is a great moment! Let’s build three memorials—one for you, one for Moses,
one for Elijah.” He blurted this out without thinking, stunned as they all were
by what they were seeing.
7 Just then a light-radiant
cloud enveloped them, and from deep in the cloud, a voice: “This is my Son,
marked by my love. Listen to him.”
Many of God’s people have experience a
measure of the “kabod,” especially in an anointed time of worship in the
corporate setting. We’ve experienced such intensity of this Manifestation of
His Presence that standing, or sitting, erect are not options, we find
ourselves on the floor or at least bending over with little to say except,
“Praise you Jesus” and words spoken in tongues – English just don’t say what is
going on in the heart. These are incredible experiences but they beg the
question, “What’s different when you get up?” What was different for Moses was
that he knew another name of the Lord and that the Lord is compassionate and
merciful with those He chooses to be. Thank God for John 3:16 where we see that
He loved the world (all the people in it) so much. Amen
I have written extensively on this topic in
the blog called Life Lessons from Revelation - http://andy-levine.blogspot.com/ ). You will find practical,
down to earth, applications of the revelations John had in the heavenly realms.
Links to additional articles on this topic
http://www.gospeltruth.net/1843OE/431220_gods_glory.htm
This sermon by the great 19th century evangelist & teacher,
Charles Finney is “loaded”. It will change your life if you take the time to
think about what Finney says. Read his biography to understand what real
revival is all about.
http://www.thehighcalling.org/reflection/what-gods-glory#.U4oj8_ldVPc Mark D. Roberts draws attention to Ezekiel 10 were the prophet
saw God’s glory in a very overwhelming way. He then provides some great
definitions of glory that provoke one to be more like that by apprehending God
in our lives.
http://www.desiringgod.org/interviews/what-is-gods-glory John Piper talks about making God’s glory
public so as to bring Him glory. He sums up his brief comments with, “So God's
glory is the radiance of his holiness, the radiance of his manifold, infinitely
worthy and valuable perfections.” (©2014 Desiring God Foundation. Website: desiringGod.org)
http://www.wadetaylor.org Most of the articles by Wade Taylor or in
the button on the left of the home page, “Articles by Others” are about the
presence of God and His Glory. I love especially the series of articles by
Walther Beutler on the Manifest Presence of God.
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