We Have Seen His Glory

Jesus is preoccupied with the glory of God. Our catechism says we live to glorify God. We tend to ask how we do that. There is very little we do; God reveals himself in glory in us, to us. GLORY IS THE ESSENCE OF INVISIBLE GOD: His name: 1 Samuel 15:29; Psalm 24,29:3; Ephesians 1:17. He creates so we can see it in his universe: Romans 1:19; Psalm 19:1ff. … in history – Exodus and Christ’s Resurrection. in judgment: in salvation: Ephesians 1:12-14. in the sheer weight of his character: Psalm 115:1; Isaiah 42:8.
HE CREATES A SHEKHINAH GLORY CLOUD for Israel, massive to hide them from Pharaoh’s armies, with the brilliance of heaven at night, and mobile to lead his people. God meets his prophets within it: Psalm 99:1, 6-7. Linked to the Holy Spirit: Nehemiah 9:18-20. At Pentecost believers received miniatures of the Glory Cloud, Acts 2:3. It hovers like the Spirit: Genesis 1:2
GLORY CLOUD REMAINS AS A SIGN OF GOD’S SUPERNATUAL NEARNESS: In the Wilderness, on Sinai and in Tabernacle: Exodus 24:15-18; Exodus 40:34-35. Glory is associated with Ark of the Covenant: 1 Samuel 4:21. Finally, comes to Solomons’ Temple: 2 Chronicles 7:1-3. Visible from a distance, so why lust after other ‘gods’?
DEPARTURE OF THE GLORY: Ezekiel 1;3:22,8:4,10,11:23; Haggai 2:3-9. No glory in the temple after Exile: Ezra 8:12. Isaiah links the next appearance of God’s glory to a person: Isaiah 4:2,11:1,60:21.
AFTER 800 YEARS, GLORY RETURNS THROUGH ANOTHER CREATED THING: Luke 1:30-33,2:11,2:13-14,2:32,John 1:14. Glory breaks through: Matthew 17:1ff. & Luke 9:28ff.; Acts 7:55.
SHEKHINAH GLORY WILL BE SEEN AGAIN: 1 Thessalonians 1:10, Revelation 5:13,21:3-4. Therein lies our hope and confidence!