The Glory of God (Part 3)
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| In loving memory of my father Robert Louis (Bob) Padgett July 28, 1931-May 22, 2023 |
In our previous messages we introduced the subject of the glory of God. We saw that everything and everyone created by God had/has a glory associated with it. But the glory of God Himself far exceeds any other glory.
Let us consider the rise and fall of the glory of God upon and within man from an historical and prophetic perspective. We must keep in mind that the events that literally happened in the Old Testament are prophetic of our time. That is because human nature has never changed. We are witnessing a repeat performance today. Let us consider the experiences of Moses, Solomon, and Stephen.
Moses
Moses certainly had a sincere heart for the people of God for he said,
Probably very few believers can honestly make the statement that Moses made. The Apostle Paul, of course, was one of those very few. Paul said,
The Shekinah was first evident when the Israelites set out from Succoth in their flight from Egypt. After leaving Succoth the LORD went ahead of them by day in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by day or night. Neither the pillar of cloud by day nor the pillar of fire by night left its place in front of the people.
Moses and all of the Israelites saw the glory of the Lord seven times in the wilderness. The first mention of the glory of the Lord occurs in Exodus 16, when God rained down quails at evening and manna in the morning from heaven to a complaining, rebellious people. Moses had told the people,
The second time the Israelites saw the glory of the Lord occurs in Exodus 19:16-20,
The people told Moses, "Speak thou with us." That philosophy prevails until this very day. Millions of professing Christians flock to a gathering every Sunday morning and listen to what the pastor has to say. That is one reason why the visible church today is in apostasy.
"Let not God speak with us!" Any time any person makes that kind of statement the Lord will honor it. Many years ago a good brother in Christ spoke a startling word to me privately. He said that he was not moving on with the Lord and he didn't want to because he had seen too many good men get off-base when they tried to move on with the Lord. Tragic!
The 3rd occurrence of the glory of the Lord to all Israel is recorded in Exodus 24:16-17,
Then we read in Exodus 33 that the Lord told Moses, Exodus 33:3,
That is a real exhortation for all professing Christians today. If we, like the chosen people of God in the time of Moses, persist in murmuring and complaining or if we commit fornication, tempt Christ, or engage in idolatry, then the Lord may not go up with us. Those things are recorded in 1 Corinthians 10. Then Paul says in 1 Corinthians 10:14,
At that point Moses interceded for the people. Then God spoke to Moses out of the pillar of cloud, assuring him that His Presence would be with the Israelites. Moses certainly wanted an extra assurance that the Lord would go with them. The Lord did promise grace to Moses. Grace always precedes glory.
When the Israelites were making their exodus from Egypt, Moses asked for proof that both he and Israel had found grace in God's sight. He asked for this proof in the most surprising words, when he said, in Exodus 33:18, "I beseech Thee, show me Thy glory."
They had all witnessed the glory of the Lord in the cloud when manna from heaven was rained down and also on Mount Sinai when the law was given. In view of the fact that the glory of the Lord had already been shown on those two occasions, besides other spectacular evidences of God's power, including signs and miracles, as well as the Lord having just given assurance that His Presence would continue with them, this seems to be an astonishing request. For what, then, was Moses asking? It must have been for something which he had not yet seen. Moses had seen God in some degree of manifestation, for he talked with Him face to face. Moses' request must have been to see the infinite glory in which God dwells, to see God's face in all of His glory ... not apart from His glory ... as he had already seen it, but this could not be granted to a finite being. God's face as expressing His infinite glory and the light in which He dwells can be seen by no man. No man has seen God in all of His glory. God's glory is too awesome and powerful to be seen completely by man. The Lord's response was that His face shall not be seen. Outside of His full glory He has been seen by a few men with their natural eyes. A noted example of this is recorded in Matthew 17, when Jesus was transfigured on the mountain in the presence of Peter, James, and John.
On the next occasion the Shekinah came to sanctify the tabernacle, when the glory of the Lord not only appeared to all of the people, but filled the place, and then remained to dwell among them.
After Moses finished the work of building the tabernacle,
Why did the glory of the LORD fill the tabernacle? because Moses and the people of God perfectly fulfilled the building of the tabernacle. To obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams (1 Samuel 15:22). Perfect obedience brings perfect results.
The other times the glory of the Lord appeared to all of the Israelites are recorded in Numbers 16:9, Numbers 16:42, and Numbers 20:6.
For hundreds of years the ark of the covenant was Israel's material symbol of the Divine Presence. The glory of God was the cloud of light that shone between the cherubim in the holy of holies, and was the immaterial evidence of His Presence. Both the ark and the glory were visible, but one was made by man, the other by God alone.
Unfortunately, Moses later did not believe the Lord's word to speak unto the rock. As a result, he was not allowed to bring the congregation into the Promised Land (Numbers 20:8-12). The law can never bring man into the kingdom of God.
But gradually, apostasy set in the people. Exactly 350 years later, we read,
Solomon
Consider Solomon's (apparent) motivation when God asked him what he wanted. Solomon said that he wanted wisdom and knowledge in order to judge God's people. That attitude was very favorably received by God. Here again, just like Moses, Solomon was intently concerned for the people of God.
Now let us review some of the events that happened after the temple at Jerusalem was built by Solomon and dedicated to the LORD.
There is much prophetic significance to those verses. They speak of end time events which first occurred in Jerusalem on the Day of Pentecost when 120 disciples were likewise in one accord. But the same result will soon be made manifest in these last days in which we live. Would that every gathering of believers could achieve the same result! The glory of the Lord had filled the house to such a degree that the priests could not stand to minister. Only the Lord Himself can minister at those times. However, there is more.
Those Verses, just like the ones in 2 Chronicles 5, state that the glory of the LORD filled the house. However, there must have been a step-up of the presence of the glory of the LORD because now the priests could not even enter into the house of the LORD. Why was there a further increase in the manifest presence of glory? To answer that question we must see what happened in 2 Chronicles, Chapter 6. That entire Chapter speaks of the prayer and intercession of Solomon, who was given more wisdom and knowledge than any king on earth (2 Chronicles 1). Does that say anything to us for today? The intercession of one man made a difference! Is it possible that we could learn from that?
Unfortunately, Solomon likewise fell from grace. His many wives turned him into an idolater (Nehemiah 13:26 and 1 Kings 11:1-8). Pride of wealth and fame also contributed to his falling away. Very few men can handle all of the great natural (or supernatural) level "successes" that came Solomon's way.
Let us recall that for 350 years the glory of the Lord abode in the ark of the Tabernacle of Moses. Then the Philistines captured the ark in the time of Samuel. There is much more prophetic significance of that capture which we will go into in a later message. Likewise, for 350 years the glory of the Lord abode in Solomon's temple, but it left there at the time of the captivity. In the Book of Ezekiel we learn how it left, why it left, where it went, and when and why it will return. Even the fading out glory of God is awesome and wondrous to behold. How tragic that we can rarely see the glory of God departing from our midst!
But GOD! His grace and mercy are simply amazing!
Stephen
Now let us consider Stephen, from Acts 7. Stephen was one of the first deacons and was full of faith and power and did great wonders and miracles among the people. In Acts 7:2, Stephen's first words of defense in response to the Sanhedrin were,
We would suggest to you that the God of glory is greater than the glory of God, just as the God of peace is greater than the peace of God, the God of all grace is greater than the grace of God, and the God Who is love is greater than the love of God. God is exceedingly greater than any of His attributes. Stephen goes on to say,
Some may say that Stephen did not show much wisdom when he spoke so bluntly to the Sanhedrin. We do not agree. We believe that Stephen said exactly what the Holy Ghost prompted him to say. In Verse 55, note that Stephen saw the glory of God. We do not know the extent to which Stephen saw the glory of God, but we are confident he saw as much of God's glory as was possible for any human being.
Note also that Stephen saw Jesus standing at the right hand of God. What an experience! All Scripture says that after the ascension, Jesus sat down at the right hand of God. He still sits there. It seems that when the Lord Jesus saw the extreme sacrifice that Stephen had made, He stood up, as if to applaud Stephen. Stephen had no thought for himself. He simply was obedient to the rhema word of the Lord, knowing full well the end result for himself. He glorified the Lord as much as was humanly possible. Greater love has no man than this, that he lay down his life for his friend. Stephen gladly laid down his life for the Lord. We also believe very strongly that the stoning of Stephen was a big determining factor in the openness of Saul of Tarsus to be apprehended by the Lord. Saul, later Paul, and a number of others heard Stephen say, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. What a testimony!
Which heart and actions of these three (Moses, Solomon, and Stephen) do you believe would be more pleasing to the Lord? Is it possible for Christians today to attain to that same level of commitment to the Lord? Yes! but only by the power of the Holy Ghost. Who is willing to be brought to that level of commitment as was Stephen?
In our next message we will begin to share some thoughts about the sovereignty of God.
Let us consider the rise and fall of the glory of God upon and within man from an historical and prophetic perspective. We must keep in mind that the events that literally happened in the Old Testament are prophetic of our time. That is because human nature has never changed. We are witnessing a repeat performance today. Let us consider the experiences of Moses, Solomon, and Stephen.
Moses
Moses certainly had a sincere heart for the people of God for he said,
Yet now, if Thou wilt forgive their sin; and if not, blot me, I pray Thee, out of Thy book which Thou hast written. Exodus 32:32
Probably very few believers can honestly make the statement that Moses made. The Apostle Paul, of course, was one of those very few. Paul said,
Romans 9:1-3,
"I say the truth in Christ, I lie not, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost, That I have great heaviness and continual sorrow in my heart. For I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh:"
The Shekinah was first evident when the Israelites set out from Succoth in their flight from Egypt. After leaving Succoth the LORD went ahead of them by day in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by day or night. Neither the pillar of cloud by day nor the pillar of fire by night left its place in front of the people.
Moses and all of the Israelites saw the glory of the Lord seven times in the wilderness. The first mention of the glory of the Lord occurs in Exodus 16, when God rained down quails at evening and manna in the morning from heaven to a complaining, rebellious people. Moses had told the people,
And in the morning, then ye shall see the glory of the Lord. Exodus 16:7
And it came to pass, as Aaron spake unto the whole congregation of the children of Israel, that they looked toward the wilderness, and, behold, the glory of the LORD appeared in the cloud. Exodus 16:10
The second time the Israelites saw the glory of the Lord occurs in Exodus 19:16-20,
"And it came to pass on the third day in the morning, that there were thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud upon the mount, and the voice of the trumpet exceeding loud; so that all the people that was in the camp trembled. And Moses brought forth the people out of the camp to meet with God; and they stood at the nether part of the mount. And Mount Sinai was altogether on a smoke, because the LORD descended upon it in fire: and the smoke thereof ascended as the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mount quaked greatly. And when the voice of the trumpet sounded long, and waxed louder and louder, Moses spake, and God answered him by a voice. And the LORD came down upon Mount Sinai, on the top of the mount: and the LORD called Moses up to the top of the mount; and Moses went up."
Exodus 20:18-21, And all the people saw the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the noise of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking: and when the people saw it, they removed, and stood afar off. And they said unto Moses, Speak thou with us, and we will hear: but let not God speak with us, lest we die. And Moses said unto the people, Fear not: for God is come to prove you, and that His fear may be before your faces, that ye sin not. And the people stood afar off, and Moses drew near unto the thick darkness where God was.
The people told Moses, "Speak thou with us." That philosophy prevails until this very day. Millions of professing Christians flock to a gathering every Sunday morning and listen to what the pastor has to say. That is one reason why the visible church today is in apostasy.
"Let not God speak with us!" Any time any person makes that kind of statement the Lord will honor it. Many years ago a good brother in Christ spoke a startling word to me privately. He said that he was not moving on with the Lord and he didn't want to because he had seen too many good men get off-base when they tried to move on with the Lord. Tragic!
The 3rd occurrence of the glory of the Lord to all Israel is recorded in Exodus 24:16-17,
"And the glory of the LORD abode upon Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days: and the seventh day he called unto Moses out of the midst of the cloud.And the sight of the glory of the LORD was like devouring fire on the top of the mount in the eyes of the children of Israel."
Then we read in Exodus 33 that the Lord told Moses, Exodus 33:3,
"for I will not go up in the midst of thee; for thou art a stiffnecked people: lest I consume thee in the way."
That is a real exhortation for all professing Christians today. If we, like the chosen people of God in the time of Moses, persist in murmuring and complaining or if we commit fornication, tempt Christ, or engage in idolatry, then the Lord may not go up with us. Those things are recorded in 1 Corinthians 10. Then Paul says in 1 Corinthians 10:14,
"Wherefore, my dearly beloved, flee from idolatry."
You might be surprised at the idolatry within the visible church today. By definition, from the Columbia Encyclopedia, idolatry is reducing what should be spiritual to the natural realm.
Then we read, in Exodus 33:9-10,
Then we read, in Exodus 33:9-10,
"And it came to pass, as Moses entered into the tabernacle, the cloudy pillar descended, and stood at the door of the tabernacle, and the LORD talked with Moses. And all the people saw the cloudy pillar stand at the tabernacle door: and all the people rose up and worshipped, every man in his tent door."
At that point Moses interceded for the people. Then God spoke to Moses out of the pillar of cloud, assuring him that His Presence would be with the Israelites. Moses certainly wanted an extra assurance that the Lord would go with them. The Lord did promise grace to Moses. Grace always precedes glory.
17 And the LORD said unto Moses, I will do this thing also that thou hast spoken: for thou hast found grace in My sight, and I know thee by name.18 And he said, I beseech thee, shew me Thy glory.19 And He said, I will make all My goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before thee; and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy.20 And He said, Thou canst not see My face: for there shall no man see me, and live.21 And the LORD said, Behold, there is a place by Me, and thou shalt stand upon a rock:22 And it shall come to pass, while My glory passeth by, that I will put thee in a clift of the rock, and will cover thee with My hand while I pass by:23 And I will take away Mine hand, and thou shalt see My back parts: but My face shall not be seen. Exodus 33:17-23
When the Israelites were making their exodus from Egypt, Moses asked for proof that both he and Israel had found grace in God's sight. He asked for this proof in the most surprising words, when he said, in Exodus 33:18, "I beseech Thee, show me Thy glory."
They had all witnessed the glory of the Lord in the cloud when manna from heaven was rained down and also on Mount Sinai when the law was given. In view of the fact that the glory of the Lord had already been shown on those two occasions, besides other spectacular evidences of God's power, including signs and miracles, as well as the Lord having just given assurance that His Presence would continue with them, this seems to be an astonishing request. For what, then, was Moses asking? It must have been for something which he had not yet seen. Moses had seen God in some degree of manifestation, for he talked with Him face to face. Moses' request must have been to see the infinite glory in which God dwells, to see God's face in all of His glory ... not apart from His glory ... as he had already seen it, but this could not be granted to a finite being. God's face as expressing His infinite glory and the light in which He dwells can be seen by no man. No man has seen God in all of His glory. God's glory is too awesome and powerful to be seen completely by man. The Lord's response was that His face shall not be seen. Outside of His full glory He has been seen by a few men with their natural eyes. A noted example of this is recorded in Matthew 17, when Jesus was transfigured on the mountain in the presence of Peter, James, and John.
On the next occasion the Shekinah came to sanctify the tabernacle, when the glory of the Lord not only appeared to all of the people, but filled the place, and then remained to dwell among them.
After Moses finished the work of building the tabernacle,
34 Then a cloud covered the tent of the congregation, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle.35 And Moses was not able to enter into the tent of the congregation, because the cloud abode thereon, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle.36 And when the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, the children of Israel went onward in all their journeys:37 But if the cloud were not taken up, then they journeyed not till the day that it was taken up.38 For the cloud of the LORD was upon the tabernacle by day, and fire was on it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel, throughout all their journeys.Exodus 40:34-38
Why did the glory of the LORD fill the tabernacle? because Moses and the people of God perfectly fulfilled the building of the tabernacle. To obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams (1 Samuel 15:22). Perfect obedience brings perfect results.
Next, in Leviticus 9:23, "And Moses and Aaron went into the tabernacle of the congregation, and came out, and blessed the people: and the glory of the LORD appeared unto all the people."
The other times the glory of the Lord appeared to all of the Israelites are recorded in Numbers 16:9, Numbers 16:42, and Numbers 20:6.
For hundreds of years the ark of the covenant was Israel's material symbol of the Divine Presence. The glory of God was the cloud of light that shone between the cherubim in the holy of holies, and was the immaterial evidence of His Presence. Both the ark and the glory were visible, but one was made by man, the other by God alone.
Unfortunately, Moses later did not believe the Lord's word to speak unto the rock. As a result, he was not allowed to bring the congregation into the Promised Land (Numbers 20:8-12). The law can never bring man into the kingdom of God.
But gradually, apostasy set in the people. Exactly 350 years later, we read,
21 And she named the child Ichabod, saying, The glory is departed from Israel: because the ark of God was taken, and because of her father in law and her husband.22 And she said, The glory is departed from Israel: for the ark of God is taken.1 Samuel 4:21-22
Solomon
Consider Solomon's (apparent) motivation when God asked him what he wanted. Solomon said that he wanted wisdom and knowledge in order to judge God's people. That attitude was very favorably received by God. Here again, just like Moses, Solomon was intently concerned for the people of God.
Now let us review some of the events that happened after the temple at Jerusalem was built by Solomon and dedicated to the LORD.
11 And it came to pass, when the priests were come out of the holy place: (for all the priests that were present were sanctified, and did not then wait by course:12 Also the Levites which were the singers, all of them of Asaph, of Heman, of Jeduthun, with their sons and their brethren, being arrayed in white linen, having cymbals and psalteries and harps, stood at the east end of the altar, and with them an hundred and twenty priests sounding with trumpets:)13 It came even to pass, as the trumpeters and singers were as one, to make one sound to be heard in praising and thanking the LORD; and when they lifted up their voice with the trumpets and cymbals and instruments of musick, and praised the LORD, saying, For He is good; for His mercy endureth for ever: that then the house was filled with a cloud, even the house of the LORD;14 So that the priests could not stand to minister by reason of the cloud: for the glory of the LORD had filled the house of God. 2 Chronicles 5:11-14
There is much prophetic significance to those verses. They speak of end time events which first occurred in Jerusalem on the Day of Pentecost when 120 disciples were likewise in one accord. But the same result will soon be made manifest in these last days in which we live. Would that every gathering of believers could achieve the same result! The glory of the Lord had filled the house to such a degree that the priests could not stand to minister. Only the Lord Himself can minister at those times. However, there is more.
1 Now when Solomon had made an end of praying, the fire came down from heaven, and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices; and the glory of the Lord filled the house.2 And the priests could not enter into the house of the Lord, because the glory of the Lord had filled the Lord's house.3 And when all the children of Israel saw how the fire came down, and the glory of the Lord upon the house, they bowed themselves with their faces to the ground upon the pavement, and worshipped, and praised the Lord, saying, For He is good; for His mercy endureth for ever. 2 Chronicles 7:1-3
Those Verses, just like the ones in 2 Chronicles 5, state that the glory of the LORD filled the house. However, there must have been a step-up of the presence of the glory of the LORD because now the priests could not even enter into the house of the LORD. Why was there a further increase in the manifest presence of glory? To answer that question we must see what happened in 2 Chronicles, Chapter 6. That entire Chapter speaks of the prayer and intercession of Solomon, who was given more wisdom and knowledge than any king on earth (2 Chronicles 1). Does that say anything to us for today? The intercession of one man made a difference! Is it possible that we could learn from that?
Unfortunately, Solomon likewise fell from grace. His many wives turned him into an idolater (Nehemiah 13:26 and 1 Kings 11:1-8). Pride of wealth and fame also contributed to his falling away. Very few men can handle all of the great natural (or supernatural) level "successes" that came Solomon's way.
Let us recall that for 350 years the glory of the Lord abode in the ark of the Tabernacle of Moses. Then the Philistines captured the ark in the time of Samuel. There is much more prophetic significance of that capture which we will go into in a later message. Likewise, for 350 years the glory of the Lord abode in Solomon's temple, but it left there at the time of the captivity. In the Book of Ezekiel we learn how it left, why it left, where it went, and when and why it will return. Even the fading out glory of God is awesome and wondrous to behold. How tragic that we can rarely see the glory of God departing from our midst!
But GOD! His grace and mercy are simply amazing!
Stephen
Now let us consider Stephen, from Acts 7. Stephen was one of the first deacons and was full of faith and power and did great wonders and miracles among the people. In Acts 7:2, Stephen's first words of defense in response to the Sanhedrin were,
Men, brethren, and fathers, hearken; The God of glory appeared unto our father Abraham, when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Charran,
We would suggest to you that the God of glory is greater than the glory of God, just as the God of peace is greater than the peace of God, the God of all grace is greater than the grace of God, and the God Who is love is greater than the love of God. God is exceedingly greater than any of His attributes. Stephen goes on to say,
51 Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye.52 Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted? And they have slain them which shewed before of the coming of the Just One; of Whom ye have been now the betrayers and murderers:53 Who have received the law by the disposition of angels, and have not kept it.54 When they heard these things, they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed on him with their teeth.55 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,56 And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God.57 Then they cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and ran upon him with one accord,58 And cast him out of the city, and stoned him: and the witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man's feet, whose name was Saul.59 And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.60 And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep. Acts 7:51-60
Some may say that Stephen did not show much wisdom when he spoke so bluntly to the Sanhedrin. We do not agree. We believe that Stephen said exactly what the Holy Ghost prompted him to say. In Verse 55, note that Stephen saw the glory of God. We do not know the extent to which Stephen saw the glory of God, but we are confident he saw as much of God's glory as was possible for any human being.
Note also that Stephen saw Jesus standing at the right hand of God. What an experience! All Scripture says that after the ascension, Jesus sat down at the right hand of God. He still sits there. It seems that when the Lord Jesus saw the extreme sacrifice that Stephen had made, He stood up, as if to applaud Stephen. Stephen had no thought for himself. He simply was obedient to the rhema word of the Lord, knowing full well the end result for himself. He glorified the Lord as much as was humanly possible. Greater love has no man than this, that he lay down his life for his friend. Stephen gladly laid down his life for the Lord. We also believe very strongly that the stoning of Stephen was a big determining factor in the openness of Saul of Tarsus to be apprehended by the Lord. Saul, later Paul, and a number of others heard Stephen say, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. What a testimony!
Which heart and actions of these three (Moses, Solomon, and Stephen) do you believe would be more pleasing to the Lord? Is it possible for Christians today to attain to that same level of commitment to the Lord? Yes! but only by the power of the Holy Ghost. Who is willing to be brought to that level of commitment as was Stephen?
In our next message we will begin to share some thoughts about the sovereignty of God.
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