What is the Shekinah glory?
Question : Could you be kind to give us more understanding about God's Shekinah Glory?
Answer : The word 'shekinah' does not appear in the Bible, but the concept of it can be clearly seen through out the Bible. It is a Hebrew word which was actually coined by Jewish rabbis who meant it to be "he caused to dwell," signifying that God has caused Himself to dwell with His people on earth by His own choice and have revealed Himself to them in the weightiness of His glory. It is indeed a divine visitation or dwelling of Jehovah God among His people on earth.
God revealed Himself in His 'shekinah' glory first when He delivered and brought Israelites out of Egypt. Here is what the Bible says about this, " 17 Then it came to pass, when Pharaoh had let the people go... 20 ...they took their journey from Succoth and camped in Etham at the edge of the wilderness. 21 And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so as to go by day and night. 22 He did not take away the pillar of cloud by day or the pillar of fire by night from before the people." (Exo 13:17, 20-21). Here we see for the first time that God in a tangible way dwelt among His people to give them protection from all the dangers of their wilderness journey. The cloud by day and pillar of fire by night is called symbolically as the 'Shekinah' glory cloud and fire which is none other than God Himself.
When Moses entered the tabernacle, the pillar of cloud descended and stood at the door of the tabernacle, then the Lord talked with Moses "Face to face" as God himself testified (Num 12:8; Exod 33:9), yet the Bible says that when Moses asked God to show forth His glory privately in an encounter, God told that no man can see His face and live physically without dying because of fragility of human limitations (Exo 33:18). Then the word of God reveals that God has promised to put Moses on the cleft of the rock and cover Him with His hand while He passes by and that He will take His hand to uncover Himself so that Moses will be empowered to see His back and not His face (Exod 33:18-23). This conveys to us that the very person of God is the Shekinah Presence that revealed His ways and traveled with Moses and caused him to rest spiritually (Exod 33:14). God conceals Himself through His Shekinah Presence and reveals as much as man is able to handle his glory in his natural state, so that He will not die the moment he sees God (Exod 33:20). Shekinah glory of God not only reveals the powerful acts of God's sovereign protection as it did to the Israelites who are God's people, but also the ways of God [i.e. to get acquainted to know and understand His very personality] to those who are intimately passionate towards God's glory and are sold out to fulfill His will for themselves and others who are with them (Psa 103:7). Shekinah glory has also been revealed as God's defending power to those unbelievers of Egypt, so that those unbelieving Egyptians were given a last chance to believe Jehovah God and refrain from going against His sovereign will in to destruction (Exod 14:24-25). Shekinah glory was enough to convince them of their futility and foolishness in coming against the true Creator God.
Like this, there are various places in the Old Testament where God revealed His shekinah glory tangibly to all people. For example, Elijah brought fire from heaven and revealed the shekinah glory of God to all the people of Israel, which made them to boldly declare the true greatness of their Jehovah Lord as the true God of their lives (1 Kings 18:37-40). The cloud of God's shekinah glory filled the temple when the priests after having placed the ark in the newly built temple, came out of the Holy place. Then the priests could not continue ministering in the temple because of the cloud of shekinah glory filling the house of the Lord (1 Kings 8:10-11). When Solomon the king finished the dedicating the same temple of the LORD Jehovah through praying to the Lord, shekinah fire from heaven came and consumed the sacrifices in the temple so that again the priests could not even this time enter the temple after the prayer, instead all bowed their faces to the ground on the pavement and worshiped and praised the Lord (2 Chron 7:1-3; 1 Kings 8:22-66).
What ever physical shekinah manifestation of God's glory happened in the Old Testament, it was because God could not reveal to His people the Shekinah glory within, because they were not born again in their spirit man. Only when Jesus rose up from the grave, they were born again within along with the first century New Testament saints (Heb 11:39-40). But in the New Testament, praise God that all of us who believe Jesus have been born again gloriously in our spirit-man (John 3:3-7). Now as a child of God we have the ability to hear the voice of God within us and sense His Presence as like when a wind or breeze blows over us (John 3:8). Now we are the temple of God in which God has "caused Himself to dwell" in His shekinah glory and wants to reveal His very character to us and through us personally to others just as He revealed His ways to Moses and through him to others. He has promised and caused Himself to dwell among us and be our God so that we can be His people because of His personal Presence within and also among us which sets us apart from other unbelievers who are religious and not born again (2 Cor 6:16-18; Exo 33:13-16). Now the shekinah glory of God is beheld by us who are bring transformed in to the same image of the Character of God within, from one level of glory to another level of glory constantly (2 Cor 3:18). The mystery of God has been now revealed to His saints which is Christ in us, the hope of experiencing the very shekinah glory of God within (Col 1:27). Now we have this treasure of shekinah glory within us so that the excellence of the God's power which is manifested through us directly [i.e. rather than externally through a cloud, fire...or some other manifestation] may be of God and not of us (2 Cor 4:7). The more our outward physical man gets old and we are hard pressed on all sides by severe trials and troubles of all kind, we should not lose heart because our light affliction which is for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternally permanent weight of God's glory over our spirit-man within as we are considered as the sons and daughters of God because of accepting these trials willingly (2 Cor 4:16-17; Heb 12:7). Therefore as we have these promises that God is working all things for the good of those who love Him, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God (Rom 8:28; 2 Cor 7:1). In the New Testament God deals and supplies us with eternally permanent weight of God's Shekinah glory within which we do not see over us now but can sense it on the inside of us, rather than the passing Old Testament shekinah glory which was seen externally but have not continued eternally in their lives (2 Cor 4:18).
When shekinah glory of God rubbed upon Moses, his body was charged up like a battery with the power of God so that His face began to shine like a bulb. The Israelites were not able to see the face of Moses directly because of this reason, so he finally put a veil over his face whenever he came out of God's Presence to meet people and speak with them. Think about it saints, the Bible asks us to think about the following question, "7 But if the ministry of death, written and engraved on stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of the glory of his countenance, which glory was passing away, 8 how will the ministry of the Spirit not be more glorious? 9 For if the ministry of condemnation had glory, the ministry of righteousness exceeds much more in glory. 10 For even what was made glorious had no glory in this respect, because of the glory that excels. 11 For if what is passing away was glorious, what remains is much more glorious. 12 Therefore, since we have such hope, we use great boldness of speech— 13 unlike Moses, who put a veil over his face so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the end of what was passing away." (2 Cor 3:7-13). This above passage says that, compared to the glorious ministry of the Holy Spirit, the ministry of Moses was nothing. The ministry of Law did not give people the power to live abundant life as it was faulty and conditional in nature (Heb 8:7), but the ministry of grace is a glorious and a excellent ministry that gives us power to overcome sin, sickness and death because it has better promises based on a better covenant that is unconditional in nature (Heb 8:6). Truly if we believe this awesome mind blowing truth, the ministry of the Spirit in the New Testament will be so glorious that we will not be able to realize the divine light upon our own faces, but the world will see it in awe and wonder how we could be able to shine forth the glory of God like this (Exo 34:29-35). Then we can point to the Lord's shekinah glory and tell them to seek the Lord to get it in their own lives too. If we shine forth the glory of God like this on our faces, people will flock to the Presence of God to get a glory facial done for themselves rather than flocking to waste their time in the beauty parlors everywhere. O what a privilege to be a New Testament Saint! Praise the Lord!
Much Blessings....
Answer : The word 'shekinah' does not appear in the Bible, but the concept of it can be clearly seen through out the Bible. It is a Hebrew word which was actually coined by Jewish rabbis who meant it to be "he caused to dwell," signifying that God has caused Himself to dwell with His people on earth by His own choice and have revealed Himself to them in the weightiness of His glory. It is indeed a divine visitation or dwelling of Jehovah God among His people on earth.
God revealed Himself in His 'shekinah' glory first when He delivered and brought Israelites out of Egypt. Here is what the Bible says about this, " 17 Then it came to pass, when Pharaoh had let the people go... 20 ...they took their journey from Succoth and camped in Etham at the edge of the wilderness. 21 And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so as to go by day and night. 22 He did not take away the pillar of cloud by day or the pillar of fire by night from before the people." (Exo 13:17, 20-21). Here we see for the first time that God in a tangible way dwelt among His people to give them protection from all the dangers of their wilderness journey. The cloud by day and pillar of fire by night is called symbolically as the 'Shekinah' glory cloud and fire which is none other than God Himself.
When Moses entered the tabernacle, the pillar of cloud descended and stood at the door of the tabernacle, then the Lord talked with Moses "Face to face" as God himself testified (Num 12:8; Exod 33:9), yet the Bible says that when Moses asked God to show forth His glory privately in an encounter, God told that no man can see His face and live physically without dying because of fragility of human limitations (Exo 33:18). Then the word of God reveals that God has promised to put Moses on the cleft of the rock and cover Him with His hand while He passes by and that He will take His hand to uncover Himself so that Moses will be empowered to see His back and not His face (Exod 33:18-23). This conveys to us that the very person of God is the Shekinah Presence that revealed His ways and traveled with Moses and caused him to rest spiritually (Exod 33:14). God conceals Himself through His Shekinah Presence and reveals as much as man is able to handle his glory in his natural state, so that He will not die the moment he sees God (Exod 33:20). Shekinah glory of God not only reveals the powerful acts of God's sovereign protection as it did to the Israelites who are God's people, but also the ways of God [i.e. to get acquainted to know and understand His very personality] to those who are intimately passionate towards God's glory and are sold out to fulfill His will for themselves and others who are with them (Psa 103:7). Shekinah glory has also been revealed as God's defending power to those unbelievers of Egypt, so that those unbelieving Egyptians were given a last chance to believe Jehovah God and refrain from going against His sovereign will in to destruction (Exod 14:24-25). Shekinah glory was enough to convince them of their futility and foolishness in coming against the true Creator God.
Like this, there are various places in the Old Testament where God revealed His shekinah glory tangibly to all people. For example, Elijah brought fire from heaven and revealed the shekinah glory of God to all the people of Israel, which made them to boldly declare the true greatness of their Jehovah Lord as the true God of their lives (1 Kings 18:37-40). The cloud of God's shekinah glory filled the temple when the priests after having placed the ark in the newly built temple, came out of the Holy place. Then the priests could not continue ministering in the temple because of the cloud of shekinah glory filling the house of the Lord (1 Kings 8:10-11). When Solomon the king finished the dedicating the same temple of the LORD Jehovah through praying to the Lord, shekinah fire from heaven came and consumed the sacrifices in the temple so that again the priests could not even this time enter the temple after the prayer, instead all bowed their faces to the ground on the pavement and worshiped and praised the Lord (2 Chron 7:1-3; 1 Kings 8:22-66).
What ever physical shekinah manifestation of God's glory happened in the Old Testament, it was because God could not reveal to His people the Shekinah glory within, because they were not born again in their spirit man. Only when Jesus rose up from the grave, they were born again within along with the first century New Testament saints (Heb 11:39-40). But in the New Testament, praise God that all of us who believe Jesus have been born again gloriously in our spirit-man (John 3:3-7). Now as a child of God we have the ability to hear the voice of God within us and sense His Presence as like when a wind or breeze blows over us (John 3:8). Now we are the temple of God in which God has "caused Himself to dwell" in His shekinah glory and wants to reveal His very character to us and through us personally to others just as He revealed His ways to Moses and through him to others. He has promised and caused Himself to dwell among us and be our God so that we can be His people because of His personal Presence within and also among us which sets us apart from other unbelievers who are religious and not born again (2 Cor 6:16-18; Exo 33:13-16). Now the shekinah glory of God is beheld by us who are bring transformed in to the same image of the Character of God within, from one level of glory to another level of glory constantly (2 Cor 3:18). The mystery of God has been now revealed to His saints which is Christ in us, the hope of experiencing the very shekinah glory of God within (Col 1:27). Now we have this treasure of shekinah glory within us so that the excellence of the God's power which is manifested through us directly [i.e. rather than externally through a cloud, fire...or some other manifestation] may be of God and not of us (2 Cor 4:7). The more our outward physical man gets old and we are hard pressed on all sides by severe trials and troubles of all kind, we should not lose heart because our light affliction which is for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternally permanent weight of God's glory over our spirit-man within as we are considered as the sons and daughters of God because of accepting these trials willingly (2 Cor 4:16-17; Heb 12:7). Therefore as we have these promises that God is working all things for the good of those who love Him, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God (Rom 8:28; 2 Cor 7:1). In the New Testament God deals and supplies us with eternally permanent weight of God's Shekinah glory within which we do not see over us now but can sense it on the inside of us, rather than the passing Old Testament shekinah glory which was seen externally but have not continued eternally in their lives (2 Cor 4:18).
When shekinah glory of God rubbed upon Moses, his body was charged up like a battery with the power of God so that His face began to shine like a bulb. The Israelites were not able to see the face of Moses directly because of this reason, so he finally put a veil over his face whenever he came out of God's Presence to meet people and speak with them. Think about it saints, the Bible asks us to think about the following question, "7 But if the ministry of death, written and engraved on stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of the glory of his countenance, which glory was passing away, 8 how will the ministry of the Spirit not be more glorious? 9 For if the ministry of condemnation had glory, the ministry of righteousness exceeds much more in glory. 10 For even what was made glorious had no glory in this respect, because of the glory that excels. 11 For if what is passing away was glorious, what remains is much more glorious. 12 Therefore, since we have such hope, we use great boldness of speech— 13 unlike Moses, who put a veil over his face so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the end of what was passing away." (2 Cor 3:7-13). This above passage says that, compared to the glorious ministry of the Holy Spirit, the ministry of Moses was nothing. The ministry of Law did not give people the power to live abundant life as it was faulty and conditional in nature (Heb 8:7), but the ministry of grace is a glorious and a excellent ministry that gives us power to overcome sin, sickness and death because it has better promises based on a better covenant that is unconditional in nature (Heb 8:6). Truly if we believe this awesome mind blowing truth, the ministry of the Spirit in the New Testament will be so glorious that we will not be able to realize the divine light upon our own faces, but the world will see it in awe and wonder how we could be able to shine forth the glory of God like this (Exo 34:29-35). Then we can point to the Lord's shekinah glory and tell them to seek the Lord to get it in their own lives too. If we shine forth the glory of God like this on our faces, people will flock to the Presence of God to get a glory facial done for themselves rather than flocking to waste their time in the beauty parlors everywhere. O what a privilege to be a New Testament Saint! Praise the Lord!
Much Blessings....
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