Shekinah Glory

"Who among the gods is like you, O LORD ? Who is like you— majestic in holiness, awesome in glory, working wonders?" (Exodus 15: 11 NIV)

"The voice of the LORD is over the waters; the God of glory thunders, the LORD thunders over the mighty waters." (Psalm 29: 3 NIV)

Lord God is the "God of glory" or "the glorious LORD"! (Isaiah 33: 21 KJV)

What is "glory"? How do we define it? One verse that throws much light on it is the following, which describes the Hebrew "Shekinah" glory of God. He is "glorious" in every respect.

"For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory." (II Corinthians 4: 17 KJV)

"Shekhinah is the English spelling of a feminine Hebrew language word that means the dwelling or settling, and is used to denote the dwelling or settling presence of God, especially in the Temple in Jerusalem."

Shekinah is a Hebrew word which means "the visible manifestation of the glory of God." Lord God's Shekinah glory is really a manner of divine self-revelation or self disclosure. Lord God’s presence in the Shekinah was an outward manifestation of himself, of his nature and character. Lord God’s presence in Christ was the Shekinah Glory Incarnate.

"When the word (glory) is used to signify what is within, or in the possession of the subject, it very commonly signifies excellency, dignity, or worthiness of regard. This, according to the Hebrew idiom, is, as it were, the weight of a thing, as that by which it is heavy; as to be light, is to be worthless, without value, contemptible. Numb. xxi. 5. “This light bread.” 1 Sam. xviii. 2 3. “Seemeth it a light thing.” Judg. ix. 4 “Light persons,” i.e. worthless, vain, vile persons. So Zeph. iii. 4. To set light by is to despise, 2 Sam. xix. 43. Belshazzar’s vileness in the sight of God is represented by his being Tekel, weighed in the balances and found light, Dan. v. 27. And as the weight of a thing arises from its magnitude, and its specific gravity conjunctly; so the word glory is very commonly used to signify the excellency of a person or a thing, as consisting either in greatness, or in beauty, or in both conjunctly; as will abundantly appear by considering the places referred to in the margin."

"The word glory is used in Scripture often to express the exhibition, emanation, or communication of the internal glory. Hence it often signifies an effulgence, or shining brightness, by an emanation of beams of light. Thus the brightness of the sun, and moon, and stars, is called their glory, in 1 Cor. xv. 41. But in particular, the word is very often thus used, when applied to God and Christ."

"Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high." (Hebrews 1: 3 KJV)

"There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another." (I Corinthians 15: 40 KJV)

"The glory of young men is their strength: and the beauty of old men is the grey head." (Proverbs 20: 29 KJV)

The above verses help identify and define the word "glory" and is in keeping with the prior Hebrew definition. The "glory" of a thing is its excellence, its worth and beauty, and its perfection, and with its "weight." It is also associated with its "shining" or "brightness" (or 'effulgence'), with its "brilliance." The glory of the Lord is thus "dazzling" and "awesome" to the eyes. Notice these verses that emphasize these other words (or ones similar) in connection with the word "glory," and especially of the word "excellence."

"Touching the Almighty, we cannot find him out: he is excellent in power, and in judgment, and in plenty of justice: he will not afflict." (Job 37: 33 KJV)

"O LORD, our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! who hast set thy glory above the heavens." (Psalm 8: 1 KJV)

"How excellent is thy lovingkindness, O God! therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings." (Psalm 36: 7 KJV)

"Thou art more glorious and excellent than the mountains of prey." (Psalm 76: 4 KJV)

"Let them praise the name of the LORD: for his name alone is excellent; his glory is above the earth and heaven." (Psalm 148: 13 KJV)

"Praise him for his mighty acts: praise him according to his excellent greatness." (Psalm 150: 2 KJV)

"This also cometh forth from the LORD of hosts, which is wonderful in counsel, and excellent in working." (Isaiah 28: 29 KJV)

From the above verses we observe how Lord God is "excellent" in every respect. In every way that is good, he is the greatest. He has no superiors in anything. His glory surpasses the glory of all created things. In fact, anything in creation that is "glorious" is only so because God has imparted to it glory, yea, his own glory. This is why the prophet could say that the "earth is full of his glory."

"And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory." (Isaiah 6: 3 KJV)

Notice also from all the above verses how the word "excellent" is often associated with the word "glory." Notice also the coupling of the words in these words of Peter describing the events upon the Mount of Transfiguration.

"For he received from God the Father honour and glory, when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." (II Peter 1: 17 KJV)

We also read of the "riches of his glory." (Romans 9: 23; Ephesians 3: 16 KJV)

Further, Jesus Christ is declared to be the "glory of God," or the "brightness" of it. Paul says men "crucified the Lord of glory." (I Corinthians 2: 8 KJV)

Men, because of the corruption of their natures and the blindness and hardness of their hearts and minds, do not "see" the "glory" of God, there being a "veil" upon their "hearts" and "minds" that keeps that glory obscured and concealed. Yet, it is in "beholding" this glory and looking to it that men are gloriously changed and "born again," becoming "all glorious within."

"But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord." (II Corinthians 3: 18 KJV)

"For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ." (IICorinthians 4: 6 KJV)

This "glory," and this "light," is none other than what radiates in the face and person of Christ, and in his gospel. His gospel is therefore called "the glorious gospel." (vs.4 & I Timothy 4: 11) The "knowledge" of the gospel believed and received as true is what changes the most wicked sinner into a glorious saint.

The Christian is one who has had this glorious light "shine into" his "heart" and such an entrance has transformed him in his inner being, and continues to transform him throughout his life, so that he grows and evolves, and is regularly "changed from glory to glory."

"And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things." (Romans 1: 23 KJV)

"It is not good to eat much honey: so for men to search their own glory is not glory." (Proverbs 25: 27 KJV)

This is how rebellious sinners, when they behold glimpses of God's glory, react to it. They corrupt the glory of God. They deface it in the way they worship God. They "bring him down" to their level by their doctrines concerning him and by the way they behave before him. Rather than having eyes to see God's true glory, and having it shine into their hearts and minds, they rather have eyes than can only see their own pretended glory.

"To go into the clefts of the rocks, and into the tops of the ragged rocks, for fear of the LORD, and for the glory of his majesty, when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth." (Isaiah 2: 21 KJV)

Such who have corrupted the glory of God and sought their own false glory will one day be called to account for their failures to give to Lord God the glory that belongs only to him. One day they will be terrified and destroyed by the glory of God, the very glory that could now save them if they would but come to Christ, the one who is the very glory of God.

"That ye would walk worthy of God, who hath called you unto his kingdom and glory." (I Thessalonians 2: 12 KJV)

That is what Lord God is calling men to in the gospel, when he calls them to come to Jesus his Son, and to believe in him, and to repent of sins in his name and by his grace and power. It is God's intention to "bring many sons unto glory" (Hebrews 2: 10 KJV). The question for every sinner is - "will I be one of them?"

"The king's daughter is all glorious within: her clothing is of wrought gold." (Psalm 45: 13 KJV)

The "king" is Jesus Christ. The "king's daughters" are those who have come to Christ and become his disciples. How have they become "all glorious within"? Is it not as Paul said in the preceding verses? Is it not by allowing this glorious gospel light to shine into our hearts and minds? By asking the Lord to remove the "veil"? Is this "glory within" not the result of this divine "transformation" and "regeneration"? Will not also this glory be "excelled" to "perfection" in the day of resurrection and glorification?

Paul taught that those whom God foreordained and predestined are the ones who are in time called and justified, and in the coming day, "glorified." (See Romans 8: 29, 20)

"If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified." (I Peter 4: 14 KJV)

This is a glorious word! To know that we have the "spirit of glory" and of God now "resting upon" us is truly indeed the greatest of all experiences! Who can fathom or describe fully the phenomenology of it? No wonder Peter spoke of the Christian as now "rejoicing with joy unspeakable and full of glory" (I Peter 1: 8 KJV).

But, what he experiences now is but a foretaste of the glory he shall yet behold and participate in.

"But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God." (Acts 7: 55 KJV)

The "beatific vision" of Lord God and of Christ our Lord! Oh how thrilling and transforming it will be! The Christian, like Stephen, goes to be with Christ when he dies and is in the place of glory forever.

"But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you." (IPeter 5: 10 KJV)

Notice that full glory and perfection for the Christian comes after his life of suffering and trial on earth. "Eternal glory"! Inexpressible is the thought!

"Having the glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal...And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof. And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it." (Revelation 21: 11, 23, 24 KJV)

Friend, if you would go to this place of glory, then your must come to Christ and believe on him. "Repent and be converted that your sins might be blotted out." (Acts 3: 19 KJV)