The Glory of the Lord Manifested
And he said, "Hear me, brethren and fathers! The God of glory [doxa – superior reputation, splendor, perfection] appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Haran. Acts 7:2
So Moses and Aaron said to all the sons of Israel, “At evening you will know that the Lord has brought you out of the land of Egypt; and in the morning, you will see the glory [kabod – weighty, splendor, noteworthy, impressive] of the Lord, for He hears your grumblings against the Lord; and what are we, that you grumble against us?” Moses said, “This will happen when the Lord gives you meat to eat in the evening, and bread to the full in the morning; for the Lord hears your grumblings which you grumble against Him. And what are we? Your grumblings are not against us but against the Lord.” Then Moses said to Aaron, “Say to all the congregation of the sons of Israel, ‘Come near before the Lord, for He has heard your grumblings.’” It came about as Aaron spoke to the whole congregation of the sons of Israel, that they looked toward the wilderness, and behold, the glory of the Lord appeared in the cloud. Exodus 16:6-10
The first references to the glory of God in the Scriptures are found during the days of Moses, after the people crossed the Red Sea, headed to Mt. Sinai, and then into the wilderness. Prior to this, God’s ministry was to individuals rather than His nation; the glory of the Lord was experienced individually. In the above passage, Aaron instructs the people that Yahweh has heard their grumblings and would provide for their basic needs, as evidenced by the appearance of the (pillar of) cloud, the glory of the Lord manifested for the people to behold. He would lead the people with a cloud by day and fire by night, supplying their food and clothing throughout their forty years in the wilderness.
Glory is an image of divine transcendence as it makes itself visible to people. It combines awe and terror, inviting both approach and distance. When Moses encounters the glory of God on Mt. Sinai, the visible manifestation is a cloud that covers the mountain and brilliance like a devouring fire (Exodus 24:16-17). When Moses requests to see God's glory, it is so intense that God has to shield him from the full effect (Exodus 33:18-23). Moses could not view the face of Yahweh, only from behind. "Then I will take My hand away, and you shall see My back, but My face shall not be seen" (Exodus 33:23).
Dedicating Solomon’s Temple
Now, when Solomon had finished praying, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of the Lord filled the house. The priests could not enter the house of the Lord because the glory of the Lord filled the Lord’s house. All the sons of Israel, seeing the fire come down and the glory of the Lord upon the house, bowed down on the pavement with their faces to the ground, and they worshiped and gave praise to the Lord, saying, “Truly He is good, truly His lovingkindness is everlasting.” Then the king and all the people offered sacrifice before the Lord. 2 Chronicles 7:1-4
The ark of the covenant, representing the presence of God in the Tabernacle, was carried by the sons of Levi during the wilderness wanderings. The priests carried it into the Jordan River, and the ark caused the waters to part so Israel could cross on dry ground. During the conquest of the land of Canaan, the ark was carried at the fall of Jericho; later, it was deposited at Shiloh, which had become the home of the Tabernacle prior to Solomon’s Temple.
At the dedication of the Temple, Solomon prayed, and the Lord responded in the above passage by filling the Temple with His glory, the shekinah glory, the visible presence of God for all to see. The Lord commended the Temple to the people with His command in 2 Chronicles 7:14, and My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray [palal – pray, intercede in time of distress] and seek My face [paniyim – presence] and turn [sub – change] from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal [rapa – restoring to health] their land. The conditions for the old covenant believer to experience His presence, His glory, were to humble themselves, pray, seek His presence, and maintain a godly walk.
The Glory Will Be Revealed
A voice is calling, “Clear the way for the Lord in the wilderness; make smooth in the desert a highway for our God. “Let every valley be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; and let the rough ground become a plain, and the rugged terrain a broad valley; Then the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all flesh will see it together; for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.” A voice says, “Call out. ”Then he answered, “What shall I call out?” All flesh is grass, and all its loveliness is like the flower of the field. The grass withers, the flower fades, when the breath of the Lord blows upon it; surely the people are grass. The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever. Get yourself up on a high mountain, O Zion, bearer of good news, lift up your voice mightily, O Jerusalem, bearer of good news; lift it up, do not fear. Say to the cities of Judah, “Here is your God!” Behold, the Lord God will come with might, with His arm ruling for Him. Behold, His reward is with Him and His recompense before Him. Like a shepherd, He will tend His flock, in His arm He will gather the lambs and carry them in His bosom; He will gently lead the nursing ewes. Isaiah 40:3-11
God used Isaiah to reveal the coming Messiah in many passages throughout his 66 chapters. It was all about revealing His glory to the people. The 40th chapter of Isaiah includes the above passage, which the people understood to be a reference to the coming Kingdom Age, when the Messiah would take control. But the above passage was first fulfilled in Jesus's first coming when John the Baptist was the voice declaring in the wilderness. The Messiah will be like a shepherd and will tend His flock, in His arm He will gather the lambs and carry them in His bosom. A number of the later chapters of Isaiah refer to a suffering servant, an apparent reference to the Messiah's first coming.
Two Sides of Glory
But though He had performed so many signs before them, yet they were not believing in Him. This was to fulfill the word of Isaiah the prophet, which he spoke: "LORD, WHO HAS BELIEVED OUR REPORT? AND TO WHOM HAS THE ARM OF THE LORD BEEN REVEALED?" [Isaiah 53:1] For this reason, they could not believe, for Isaiah said again, "HE HAS BLINDED THEIR EYES, AND HE HARDENED THEIR HEART, SO THAT THEY WOULD NOT SEE WITH THEIR EYES AND PERCEIVE WITH THEIR HEART, AND BE CONVERTED, AND I HEAL THEM." [Isaiah 6:9-10] These things Isaiah said because he saw His glory, and he spoke of Him. John 12:37-41
The Apostle John glimpses this principle in the above passage. Isaiah had a vision of the coming Messiah in Isaiah 53, with a clear reference to Calvary; at the same time, Isaiah 6 is his vision of the Lord on a throne, lofty and exalted, with seraphim all around Him, saying, Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord of hosts (Isaiah 6:1-3). Isaiah saw two sides of the glory of the Lord: the one who suffers and the one who is lofty and exalted.
We Beheld His Glory
“I kept looking in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven One like a Son of Man was coming, and He came up to the Ancient of Days and was presented before Him. “And to Him was given dominion, glory, and a kingdom, that all the peoples, nations, and men of every language might serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion which will not pass away; and His kingdom is one which will not be destroyed. Daniel 7:13-14
And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw [theaomai – beheld with wonder] His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14
According to John Calvin: “For though all men might have beheld the glory of Christ, yet it was unknown to the greater part on account of their blindness. It was only a few, whose eyes the Holy Spirit opened, that saw this manifestation of glory. In a word, Christ was known to be man in such a manner that he exhibited in his Person something far more noble and excellent. Hence it follows that the majesty of God was not destroyed, though it was surrounded by flesh; it was concealed under the weaknesses of the flesh, but to cause its splendor to be seen.”
Transfigured
Six days later, Jesus took with Him Peter, James, and John, his brother, and led them up on a high mountain by themselves. And He was transfigured before them; and His face shone like the sun, and His garments became as white as light. And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him. Peter said to Jesus, "Lord, it is good for us to be here; if You wish, I will make three tabernacles here, one for You, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah." While he was still speaking, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and behold, a voice out of the cloud said, "This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased; listen to Him!" When the disciples heard this, they fell face down to the ground and were terrified. And Jesus came to them and touched them and said, "Get up, and do not be afraid." And lifting up their eyes, they saw no one except Jesus Himself alone. Matthew 17:1-8
Philippians 2:6 tells us that Jesus hid His deity while in His humanity, but chose to reveal that glory to His three closest disciples. His Father had specific instructions for the disciples. Peter thought it was the Kingdom Age and it was time to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles, the only of the seven Jewish Festivals that would still be recognized in the Kingdom Age. The Father’s instruction was for the disciples to listen to Him and no longer worship God through the Law (Moses) and the Prophets (Elijah). The Father was revealing the new covenant, a better covenant than the one initiated by Moses.
A Greater Glory
But if the ministry of death, in letters engraved on stones, came with glory, so that the sons of Israel could not look intently at the face of Moses because of the glory of his face, fading as it was, how will the ministry of the Spirit fail to be even more with glory? For if the ministry of condemnation has glory, much more does the ministry of righteousness abound in glory. For indeed what had glory, in this case, has no glory because of the glory that surpasses it. For if that which fades away was with glory, much more that which remains is in glory.
2 Corinthians 3:7-11
The Apostle Paul understood that the old covenant had a glory as in the face of Moses, but the greater glory is found through the ministry of the Spirit of Christ, since it is a ministry of righteousness. Righteousness cannot be legislated, but lived from the heart, the realm of the Holy Spirit. The greater glory, the new covenant has now eliminated, made obsolete (Hebrews 8:13), the old covenant. For if that which fades away was with glory, much more that which remains is in glory.
The Lord’s Prayer
I glorified You on the earth, having accomplished the work which You have given Me to do. Now, Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was. "I have manifested Your name to the men whom You gave Me out of the world; they were Yours, and You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word. Now they have come to know that everything You have given Me is from You; for the words which You gave Me I have given to them; and they received them and truly understood that I came forth from You, and they believed that You sent Me. I ask on their behalf; I do not ask on behalf of the world, but of those whom You have given Me; for they are Yours; and all things that are Mine are Yours, and Yours are Mine; and I have been glorified in them. John 17:4-10
"The glory which You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one, just as We are one; I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me. Father, I desire that they also, whom You have given Me, be with Me where I am, so that they may see My glory which You have given Me, for You loved Me before the foundation of the world. "O righteous Father, although the world has not known You, yet I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me; and I have made Your name known to them, and will make it known, so that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them." John 17:22-26
John 17 is Jesus's prayer to His Father the night before His crucifixion. His focus was on the glory of the Lord. He began by acknowledging that He accomplished the work His Father gave Him, thus glorifying the Lord on the earth. The same applies to every disciple. Jesus confessed that he had been faithful to declare His Father's words to the disciples, to those given to Him, and Jesus has been glorified in them. He had been faithful in fulfilling every aspect of the Father’s will.
It is also clear that Jesus recognized that He was passing on the glory He received from His Father to His disciples, and the effect of that glory would be unity, just as the Father and Son are united. The ultimate purpose of this glory would be that each disciple would come to know the Father and Son by His love.
All Things Are Possible with God
Jesus answered, "It was neither that this man sinned, nor his parents; but it was so that the works of God might be displayed in him." We must work the works of Him who sent Me as long as it is day; night is coming when no one can work. "While I am in the world, I am the Light of the world." John 9:3-5
Jesus answered, "Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world. But if anyone walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him." This He said, and after that He said to them, "Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I go, so that I may awaken him out of sleep." John 11:9-11
Two of Jesus’s most notable miracles are the healing of the man born blind in John 9 and the raising of Lazarus from the dead in John 11. In both cases, Jesus was instructing that the miracles were necessary to display the glory of God to those who were watching. Jesus said, We must work the works of Him who sent Me as long as it is day. As the Light of the world, Jesus, by the Holy Spirit, enlightens everyone who wishes to understand and walk with God. It is a matter of faith. Jesus said to Martha, "Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?" (John 11:40). Seeing God’s glory requires a willingness to believe in God and all that is possible with God. Miracles are still meant for today if we would only believe.
Creation Testifies
The heavens are telling of the glory of God, and their expanse is declaring the work of His hands. Psalm 19:1
For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. Romans 1:20
According to the above verses, the glory
of the Lord is evident in creation. The magnificence of His created work cannot
be attributable to chance, evolution, or any other foolish theory of man. This
is also true of God's perfect plan for each human being. The details of life
and the way things seem to fall into place canalso not be attributed to chance.
In Colossians 1:17, Paul says, He is before all things, and in Him all
things hold together [sunistano – join parts together into a whole].
Ever-Increasing Glory
But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory [ever-increasing glory], just as from the Lord, the Spirit. 2 Corinthians 3:18
For God, who said, "Light shall shine out of darkness," is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face [prosopon – presence] of Christ. 2 Corinthians 4:6
The glory evident in Moses' face was a diminishing radiance. By contrast, in the faces of Christians is God's ever- increasing glory. A Christian’s glory, like that of Moses, is a reflection of the Lord's glory. But unlike Moses's transitory glory, a believer's glory is eternal. This is because of God's abiding presence through the Holy Spirit. This glory is the experience of salvation available in the new covenant and mediated by the Spirit who leads Christians from justification through sanctification to glorification. As believers manifest the fruit of the Spirit, they are progressively being transformed into His likeness.
We have Seen God's Glory
Steve Green
There they are again, the
witnesses of Jesus take their stand
Twelve amazing men, their
testimony spreads across the land
Such a story told! How
can they believe?
That God has walked upon
the earth? Could they be deceived?
But how their words
persuade, the truth is in their eyes
And many hearts are won
to faith, as they testify:
Chorus:
We have seen God's glory,
we have lived and walked with Christ the King
We have seen Him heal
the wounded, we have heard the brokenhearted sing
We have seen God's glory,
we have seen Him dead and raised to life
We will worship Him
forever, we have seen God's glory, Jesus Christ
Here we are again, the
witnesses of Jesus take their stand
May it never end, through
us let God keep stretching out His hand
Reaching those who doubt,
touching those who cry
Lifting up the Word of
God, as we testify
Walking with our God, in
such a living way
That when we share our
faith in Him, we can truly say
Comments
Post a Comment