DESIRE OF THE ALMIGHTY GOD Message 2

The Presence of God in the Tabernacle and the Temple.

Now, as I've said, you're very welcome to this morning as we're looking at 'The Presence of God in the Tabernacle and Temple'.

Allow me to give an outline that might help us understand and see the very HEART of the ALMIGHTY.

A. God’s PRESENCE in the Garden, We see GOD FOR US , But this was DISRUPTED or Interrupted By SIN , As a result the Garden of Eden became off limits

Genesis 3:24 KJV 1900

So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.

B. GOD’S PRESENCE in the TABERNACLE and the TEMPLE. Here we see GOD AMONG US but AS we will see God departed from the TEMPLE Ezek Chapters 8-11.

C. GOD’S PRESENCE in the Birth of Christ, EMMANUEL, GOD WITH US, But as we will see and as we Know Jesus was CRUCIFIED for the SIN that disrupted GOD’S GREAT DESIRE to dwell with and among and in His people.

D. GOD’S PRESENCE AT THE COMING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT, GOD IN US , And as we will see The child of God is thus taken up to heaven where we shall be forever more.

E. GOD’S PRESENCE IN THE NEW JERUSALEM, GOD AND US AND NOW NO MORE DISRUPTION FOR ETERNITY.

Last 2 weeks , we were looking at 'The Presence of God in the Garden' -We're looking next at 'The Presence of God in Immanuel', and then we're looking at 'The Presence of God in Pentecost' or the Holy Spirit, and then t 'The Presence of God in the New Jerusalem'.

We have said before now allow me to repeat it , that there is more in Scripture said about God's desire to dwell in the midst of His people than there is about human beings desires to be with God...

Perhaps if you want to turn to a passage of Scripture you could turn to Exodus 29 :42

Exodus 29:42 KJV 1900

This shall be a continual burnt offering throughout your generations at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation before the Lord: where I will meet you, to speak there unto thee.

Now I said last week, and I will repeat it, that there is more in Scripture said about God's desire to dwell in the midst of His people than there is about human beings desires to be with God.

It has always been the passion of the Divine heart to dwell in the midst of His people.

It continues to be His passion, and it always will be, as we will see to the end of this series.

It's a predominant theme in the book, this Bible that we have, from Genesis right through to Revelation.

Revelation 1 KJV 1900

The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John: Who bare record of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw. Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand. John to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace be unto you, and peace, from him which is, and which was, and which is to come; and from the seven Spirits which are before his throne; And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen. Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty. I John, who also am your brother, and companion in tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was in the isle that is called Patmos, for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ. I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet, Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and, What thou seest, write in a book, and send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia; unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea. And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks; And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle. His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire; And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters. And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength. And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last: I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death. Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter; The mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches: and the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches.

I have tried to encapsulate that, very briefly it has to be said, in five or more messages going from the beginning right to the end.

We looked last 2 weeks at the Garden of Eden, we will look here in message 2 at the Tabernacle and the Temple, we will look next at Immanuel, Then at at Pentecost, the work of the Holy Spirit, and then the New Jerusalem and the eternal state which is yet to be.

But we also said that if that is the weight of the emphasis of the word of God, surely it therefore must be a major and pre-eminent focus of our personal Christian experience?

To know the presence of God in our individual lives.

The question I asked at the outset of our last meeting, I ask again :

how much of the presence of God do you know in your personal life?

Now, I'm sorry to repeat myself for anyone who was here last night, but I think it's important to say this much: when we're talking these evenings about the presence of God, we are not meaning simply the omnipresence of God - that is, that God is everywhere.

We talked about that last message , and you can get a copy perhaps.

That's not what we're talking about, neither are we simply referring to the fact that Christ has promised to be where two or three are gathered in His name in the midst.

As Head of the church, and the One we gather to, He is in our midst in a sense - but that's not what we're talking about.

What we are saying is that we're speaking about something over and above that: a conscious sense of the presence of God in our midst, something that can be recognised, something that is manifest, something that is revealed, and something - essentially - that can be practised in our lives, and whenever we perceive it and recognise it we can preserve it.

Whether it is in our individual walk or corporately as groups of God's people, the presence of God, when it is discerned - and there's so much talk these days about discernment, particularly in relation to discerning false doctrine - but one of the greatest gifts of discernment you can have is to discern the presence of God.

I think that it's best described as 'the abiding presence'.

One of the major ways God manifested His presence and dwelt with His people in the Old Testament was in the Tabernacle and in the Temple...

Now, one of the major ways God manifested His presence and dwelt with His people in the Old Testament was in the Tabernacle and in the Temple.

Now I brought a slides, because I don't want to take anything for granted - because we assume that everybody knows what the Tabernacle is and what the Tabernacle looked like. Now we're not going to go into an extensive study of the Tabernacle today - that would be utterly impossible

- but just to give you an idea.

Essentially the Tabernacle was a tent, and God had given divine instructions of how it should be built, how it should be erected.

As the children of Israel moved around the desert, the wilderness, for 40 years, this was the focal point of God's presence.

The purpose of the Tabernacle is given in this portion I asked you to turn to in Exodus 29:42-46, we're beginning to read at verse 42, God says:

Exodus 29:42–46 KJV 1900

This shall be a continual burnt offering throughout your generations at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation before the Lord: where I will meet you, to speak there unto thee. And there I will meet with the children of Israel, and the tabernacle shall be sanctified by my glory. And I will sanctify the tabernacle of the congregation, and the altar: I will sanctify also both Aaron and his sons, to minister to me in the priest’s office. And I will dwell among the children of Israel, and will be their God. And they shall know that I am the Lord their God, that brought them forth out of the land of Egypt, that I may dwell among them: I am the Lord their God.

Now look at verse 43: 'There I will meet with the children of Israel, and the tabernacle shall be sanctified by My glory'. Now God's glory that He's speaking of there, I referred to last message without too much comment as 'Shekinah' glory.

There are several ways you can spell it - and I'm not going to spell any of them! - but the Shekinah glory of God is very simply...well, let me explain it by telling you where that word is derived from. It's derived from the Hebrew for 'to dwell', 'shakan'.

It's not a word that you'll find in the Bible as such, but you will find the root 'to dwell' in the Bible.

So 'Shekinah' is the manifest presence of God - or you could put it like this: the visible manifestation of the presence of the invisible God.

So, whenever God reveals Himself visibly, though He Himself is invisible, He often does it by Shekinah glory.

In the Old Testament, most of these visible manifestations took various forms such as light, fire, smoke or cloud, or even a combination of two or three of those manifestations.

Now, when we come to the New Testament, as we will see tomorrow night, the Shekinah takes a new form: the incarnate Word - the Word becomes flesh and dwells among us.

Here in the Old Testament at this particular juncture we see in verse 45 that the Tabernacle was for the purpose that God should dwell with the children of Israel in His Shekinah glory - verse 45: 'I will dwell among the children of Israel and will be their God'.

The Hebrew for 'I will dwell' in verse 45 has the same root as 'Shekinah glory'.

Now, once the Tabernacle was finished according to the specifications that God gave to Moses on the Mount, the Shekinah glory of God, the visible manifestation of the invisible God, took up residence within the tent.

Now let me show you where this happened - turn with me to chapter 40 of Exodus. Exodus40:34 'Then the cloud', the Shekinah, 'covered the tabernacle of meeting, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle.

Exodus 40:34 KJV 1900

Then a cloud covered the tent of the congregation, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.

And Moses was not able to enter the tabernacle of meeting, because the cloud rested above it, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle.

Whenever the cloud was taken up from above the tabernacle, the children of Israel would go onward in all their journeys.

But if the cloud was not taken up, then they did not journey till the day that it was taken up.

For the cloud of the LORD was above the tabernacle by day, and fire was over it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel, throughout all their journeys'.

Now verse 34 describes how the cloud covered the Tabernacle, and then the glory of the Lord, the glory of Jehovah, His Shekinah visible manifestation filled the whole house.

Now, incidentally, the Hebrew word for 'tabernacle', the tent of meeting, is actually the Hebrew word 'mishkan' (sp?) - and again the root of that word has the same root as 'Shekinah', 'shakan', which means 'to dwell'.

So you could translate the word Tabernacle: 'The dwellingplace of the Shekinah'. The tabernacle, therefore, was the earthly dwellingplace of the visible manifestation of the invisible God.

Where is God working today?

Where is God moving?

Where is God blessing?

What is God owning?

What is God honouring?

At this time allow us to have a small look from Scripture about this Shekinah Glory form some notes that the precept austin website gives us.

The Glory of God

PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE

PAST GLORY

WHY STUDY THE GLORY OF THE LORD?

WHAT SHOULD BE OUR RESPONSE AS WE STUDY HIS GLORY?

MEDITATE ON WHAT SCRIPTURE INSTRUCTS US TO DO…

(Words Highlighted are commands in Hebrew)

Sing to Jehovah, all the earth;

Proclaim good tidings of His salvation from day to day.

Tell of His glory among the nations,

His wonderful deeds among all the peoples.

For great is Jehovah, and greatly to be praised;

He also is to be feared above all gods.

For all the gods of the peoples are idols,

But Jehovah made the heavens.

Splendor and majesty are before Him,

Strength and joy are in His place.

Ascribe to Jehovah, O families of the peoples,

Ascribe to Jehovah glory and strength.

Ascribe to Jehovah the glory due His name;

Bring an offering, and come before Him;

Worship Jehovah in holy array.

Tremble before Him, all the earth;

Indeed, the world is firmly established, it will not be moved. Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice;

And let them say among the nations, “Jehovah reigns.”

1 Chron 16:23,31). GLORY IN THE

1 Chronicles 16:23 KJV 1900

Sing unto the Lord, all the earth; Shew forth from day to day his salvation.

1 Chronicles 16:31 KJV 1900

Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice: And let men say among the nations, The Lord reigneth.

GARDEN OF EDEN

Gen 3:8 And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence (Hebrew = appearance, face, form or characteristics of something as seen, the personal existence of something in a particular place or space, that usually interacts with objects around it) of the LORD God among the trees of the garden.

Why did they hide? Why were they ashamed? Millennia later the apostle Paul wrote that "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Rom 3:23)

Genesis 3:8 KJV 1900

And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God amongst the trees of the garden.

Romans 3:23 KJV 1900

For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

John MacArthur commenting on Gen 3:8 writes that "God appeared, as before, in tones of goodness and kindness, walking in some visible form (perhaps

Genesis 3:8 KJV 1900

And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God amongst the trees of the garden.

Shekinah light as He later appeared in Exod 33:18 ; 40:34 ). He came not in fury, but in the same condescending way He had walked with Adam and Eve before."

Although it is conjectural, the Romans passage does suggest that Adam and Eve experienced the presence of the Shekinah glory of God that had given them great delight, but now caused them great dread and shame because of their sin which made them fall short of His glory .

Exodus 33:18 KJV 1900

And he said, I beseech thee, shew me thy glory.

Exodus 40:34 KJV 1900

Then a cloud covered the tent of the congregation, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.

GLORY BEFORE MOSES

AT THE BURNING BUSH

Exod 3:2-3 And the angel of the LORD appeared to him (Moses) in a blazing fire from the midst of a bush; and he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, yet the bush was not consumed. So Moses said, "I must turn aside now, and see this marvelous sight, why the bush is not burned up."

Although the Shekinah glory is not stated in this verse, it is notable that the Hebrew word for “bush” occurs in only one other passage, Deut 33;16, where we find the phrase “Him who dwelt in the bush” where the word for “dwelt” is “shakan“, the root word of Shekinah.

Exodus 3:2–3 KJV 1900

And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed. And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt.

Deuteronomy 33 KJV 1900

And this is the blessing, wherewith Moses the man of God blessed the children of Israel before his death. And he said, The Lord came from Sinai, And rose up from Seir unto them; He shined forth from mount Paran, And he came with ten thousands of saints: From his right hand went a fiery law for them. Yea, he loved the people; All his saints are in thy hand: And they sat down at thy feet; Every one shall receive of thy words. Moses commanded us a law, Even the inheritance of the congregation of Jacob. And he was king in Jeshurun, When the heads of the people And the tribes of Israel were gathered together. Let Reuben live, and not die; And let not his men be few. And this is the blessing of Judah: and he said, Hear, Lord, the voice of Judah, And bring him unto his people: Let his hands be sufficient for him; And be thou an help to him from his enemies. And of Levi he said, Let thy Thummim and thy Urim be with thy holy one, Whom thou didst prove at Massah, And with whom thou didst strive at the waters of Meribah; Who said unto his father and to his mother, I have not seen him; Neither did he acknowledge his brethren, Nor knew his own children: For they have observed thy word, And kept thy covenant. They shall teach Jacob thy judgments, And Israel thy law: They shall put incense before thee, And whole burnt sacrifice upon thine altar. Bless, Lord, his substance, And accept the work of his hands: Smite through the loins of them that rise against him, And of them that hate him, that they rise not again. And of Benjamin he said, The beloved of the Lord shall dwell in safety by him; And the Lord shall cover him all the day long, And he shall dwell between his shoulders. And of Joseph he said, Blessed of the Lord be his land, For the precious things of heaven, for the dew, And for the deep that coucheth beneath, And for the precious fruits brought forth by the sun, And for the precious things put forth by the moon, And for the chief things of the ancient mountains, And for the precious things of the lasting hills, And for the precious things of the earth and fulness thereof, And for the good will of him that dwelt in the bush: Let the blessing come upon the head of Joseph, And upon the top of the head of him that was separated from his brethren. His glory is like the firstling of his bullock, And his horns are like the horns of unicorns: With them he shall push the people together to the ends of the earth: And they are the ten thousands of Ephraim, And they are the thousands of Manasseh. And of Zebulun he said, Rejoice, Zebulun, in thy going out; And, Issachar, in thy tents. They shall call the people unto the mountain; There they shall offer sacrifices of righteousness: For they shall suck of the abundance of the seas, And of treasures hid in the sand. And of Gad he said, Blessed be he that enlargeth Gad: He dwelleth as a lion, And teareth the arm with the crown of the head. And he provided the first part for himself, Because there, in a portion of the lawgiver, was he seated; And he came with the heads of the people, He executed the justice of the Lord, And his judgments with Israel. And of Dan he said, Dan is a lion’s whelp: He shall leap from Bashan. And of Naphtali he said, O Naphtali, satisfied with favour, And full with the blessing of the Lord: Possess thou the west and the south. And of Asher he said, Let Asher be blessed with children; Let him be acceptable to his brethren, And let him dip his foot in oil. Thy shoes shall be iron and brass; And as thy days, so shall thy strength be. There is none like unto the God of Jeshurun, Who rideth upon the heaven in thy help, And in his excellency on the sky. The eternal God is thy refuge, And underneath are the everlasting arms: And he shall thrust out the enemy from before thee; And shall say, Destroy them. Israel then shall dwell in safety alone: The fountain of Jacob shall be upon a land of corn and wine; Also his heavens shall drop down dew. Happy art thou, O Israel: Who is like unto thee, O people saved by the Lord, The shield of thy help, and who is the sword of thy excellency! And thine enemies shall be found liars unto thee; And thou shalt tread upon their high places.

Deuteronomy 16 KJV 1900

Observe the month of Abib, and keep the passover unto the Lord thy God: for in the month of Abib the Lord thy God brought thee forth out of Egypt by night. Thou shalt therefore sacrifice the passover unto the Lord thy God, of the flock and the herd, in the place which the Lord shall choose to place his name there. Thou shalt eat no leavened bread with it; seven days shalt thou eat unleavened bread therewith, even the bread of affliction; for thou camest forth out of the land of Egypt in haste: that thou mayest remember the day when thou camest forth out of the land of Egypt all the days of thy life. And there shall be no leavened bread seen with thee in all thy coast seven days; neither shall there any thing of the flesh, which thou sacrificedst the first day at even, remain all night until the morning. Thou mayest not sacrifice the passover within any of thy gates, which the Lord thy God giveth thee: But at the place which the Lord thy God shall choose to place his name in, there thou shalt sacrifice the passover at even, at the going down of the sun, at the season that thou camest forth out of Egypt. And thou shalt roast and eat it in the place which the Lord thy God shall choose: and thou shalt turn in the morning, and go unto thy tents. Six days thou shalt eat unleavened bread: and on the seventh day shall be a solemn assembly to the Lord thy God: thou shalt do no work therein. Seven weeks shalt thou number unto thee: begin to number the seven weeks from such time as thou beginnest to put the sickle to the corn. And thou shalt keep the feast of weeks unto the Lord thy God with a tribute of a freewill offering of thine hand, which thou shalt give unto the Lord thy God, according as the Lord thy God hath blessed thee: And thou shalt rejoice before the Lord thy God, thou, and thy son, and thy daughter, and thy manservant, and thy maidservant, and the Levite that is within thy gates, and the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, that are among you, in the place which the Lord thy God hath chosen to place his name there. And thou shalt remember that thou wast a bondman in Egypt: and thou shalt observe and do these statutes. Thou shalt observe the feast of tabernacles seven days, after that thou hast gathered in thy corn and thy wine: And thou shalt rejoice in thy feast, thou, and thy son, and thy daughter, and thy manservant, and thy maidservant, and the Levite, the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, that are within thy gates. Seven days shalt thou keep a solemn feast unto the Lord thy God in the place which the Lord shall choose: because the Lord thy God shall bless thee in all thine increase, and in all the works of thine hands, therefore thou shalt surely rejoice. Three times in a year shall all thy males appear before the Lord thy God in the place which he shall choose; in the feast of unleavened bread, and in the feast of weeks, and in the feast of tabernacles: and they shall not appear before the Lord empty: Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the Lord thy God which he hath given thee. Judges and officers shalt thou make thee in all thy gates, which the Lord thy God giveth thee, throughout thy tribes: and they shall judge the people with just judgment. Thou shalt not wrest judgment; thou shalt not respect persons, neither take a gift: for a gift doth blind the eyes of the wise, and pervert the words of the righteous. That which is altogether just shalt thou follow, that thou mayest live, and inherit the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee. Thou shalt not plant thee a grove of any trees near unto the altar of the Lord thy God, which thou shalt make thee. Neither shalt thou set thee up any image; which the Lord thy God hateth.

Thus while one cannot be absolutely dogmatic, this parallel description of the Moses' bush experience would support that the Shekinah glory was displayed to the wondering eyes of Moses.

So just as the “the angel of God" manifested in the Shekinah-glory in guiding and guarding Israel in their wilderness wanderings (see Scriptures that follow), here we see Moses' initial encounter with the Shekinah glory of the “Angel of the Lord” who is none other than the Lord Jesus in visible manifestation.

(Angel of the LORD) Before Moses was to be sent forth on his important mission he was called first to behold the ineffable glory of the Lord.

Beloved, the principle is inescapable, that every servant of Jehovah who would serve acceptably must work with an eye singly set upon God’s glory.

Have you taken time to gaze upon His glory? It was so here with Moses. It was thus with Isaiah (Isa 6 ).

Isaiah 6 KJV 1900

In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple. Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly. And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts: The whole earth is full of his glory. And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke. Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts. Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar: And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged. Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me. And he said, Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; And see ye indeed, but perceive not. Make the heart of this people fat, And make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; Lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, And understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed. Then said I, Lord, how long? And he answered, Until the cities be wasted without inhabitant, And the houses without man, And the land be utterly desolate, And the Lord have removed men far away, And there be a great forsaking in the midst of the land. But yet in it shall be a tenth, and it shall return, and shall be eaten: As a teil tree, and as an oak, whose substance is in them, when they cast their leaves: So the holy seed shall be the substance thereof.

It was the same in the case of the apostle Paul (Acts 9 ). Make no mistake fellow co-laborer, a vision of the glory of God is an essential prerequisite if we are to serve Him acceptably.

Acts 9 KJV 1900

And Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest, And desired of him letters to Damascus to the synagogues, that if he found any of this way, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem. And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven: And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks. And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do. And the men which journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice, but seeing no man. And Saul arose from the earth; and when his eyes were opened, he saw no man: but they led him by the hand, and brought him into Damascus. And he was three days without sight, and neither did eat nor drink. And there was a certain disciple at Damascus, named Ananias; and to him said the Lord in a vision, Ananias. And he said, Behold, I am here, Lord. And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the street which is called Straight, and inquire in the house of Judas for one called Saul, of Tarsus: for, behold, he prayeth, And hath seen in a vision a man named Ananias coming in, and putting his hand on him, that he might receive his sight. Then Ananias answered, Lord, I have heard by many of this man, how much evil he hath done to thy saints at Jerusalem: And here he hath authority from the chief priests to bind all that call on thy name. But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel: For I will shew him how great things he must suffer for my name’s sake. And Ananias went his way, and entered into the house; and putting his hands on him said, Brother Saul, the Lord, even Jesus, that appeared unto thee in the way as thou camest, hath sent me, that thou mightest receive thy sight, and be filled with the Holy Ghost. And immediately there fell from his eyes as it had been scales: and he received sight forthwith, and arose, and was baptized. And when he had received meat, he was strengthened. Then was Saul certain days with the disciples which were at Damascus. And straightway he preached Christ in the synagogues, that he is the Son of God. But all that heard him were amazed, and said; Is not this he that destroyed them which called on this name in Jerusalem, and came hither for that intent, that he might bring them bound unto the chief priests? But Saul increased the more in strength, and confounded the Jews which dwelt at Damascus, proving that this is very Christ. And after that many days were fulfilled, the Jews took counsel to kill him: But their laying await was known of Saul. And they watched the gates day and night to kill him. Then the disciples took him by night, and let him down by the wall in a basket. And when Saul was come to Jerusalem, he assayed to join himself to the disciples: but they were all afraid of him, and believed not that he was a disciple. But Barnabas took him, and brought him to the apostles, and declared unto them how he had seen the Lord in the way, and that he had spoken to him, and how he had preached boldly at Damascus in the name of Jesus. And he was with them coming in and going out at Jerusalem. And he spake boldly in the name of the Lord Jesus, and disputed against the Grecians: but they went about to slay him. Which when the brethren knew, they brought him down to Caesarea, and sent him forth to Tarsus. Then had the churches rest throughout all Judaea and Galilee and Samaria, and were edified; and walking in the fear of the Lord, and in the comfort of the Holy Ghost, were multiplied. And it came to pass, as Peter passed throughout all quarters, he came down also to the saints which dwelt at Lydda. And there he found a certain man named Æneas, which had kept his bed eight years, and was sick of the palsy. And Peter said unto him, Æneas, Jesus Christ maketh thee whole: arise, and make thy bed. And he arose immediately. And all that dwelt at Lydda and Saron saw him, and turned to the Lord. Now there was at Joppa a certain disciple named Tabitha, which by interpretation is called Dorcas: this woman was full of good works and almsdeeds which she did. And it came to pass in those days, that she was sick, and died: whom when they had washed, they laid her in an upper chamber. And forasmuch as Lydda was nigh to Joppa, and the disciples had heard that Peter was there, they sent unto him two men, desiring him that he would not delay to come to them. Then Peter arose and went with them. When he was come, they brought him into the upper chamber: and all the widows stood by him weeping, and shewing the coats and garments which Dorcas made, while she was with them. But Peter put them all forth, and kneeled down, and prayed; and turning him to the body said, Tabitha, arise. And she opened her eyes: and when she saw Peter, she sat up. And he gave her his hand, and lifted her up, and when he had called the saints and widows, presented her alive. And it was known throughout all Joppa; and many believed in the Lord. And it came to pass, that he tarried many days in Joppa with one Simon a tanner.

Today we see His glory most completely in His holy word (e.g., we see some of the fringes of God's glory in His Names and His Attributes)

Paul writes… 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, just as from the Lord, the Spirit. (2 Corinthians 3:18 -note)

2 Corinthians 3:18 KJV 1900

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.

GLORY AFTER ISRAEL'S

EXODUS FROM EGYPT

1 Corinthians 10:1-note For I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea

Paul in warning the Corinthians to exercise personal discipline and self control and not to let happen to them what happened to ancient Israel, reminds them (and all believers) that one of the advantages Israel had was the constant supernatural guidance by God in the form of the Shekinah Glory Cloud ("were all under the cloud" see see Exod 13:21-22 ).

1 Corinthians 10:1 KJV 1900

Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea;

Exodus 13:21–22 KJV 1900

And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night: He took not away the pillar of the cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, from before the people.

The reference to "our fathers" refers foremost to Abraham who was the father of all the faithful. Therefore in this sense Paul’s reference to "our fathers" applies to believing Gentiles as well as believing Jews for they are both spiritual descendants of Abraham. (Rom 4 ; Gal 3:7,29 )

Romans 4 KJV 1900

What shall we say then that Abraham our father, as pertaining to the flesh, hath found? For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God. For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness. Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works, Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin. Cometh this blessedness then upon the circumcision only, or upon the uncircumcision also? for we say that faith was reckoned to Abraham for righteousness. How was it then reckoned? when he was in circumcision, or in uncircumcision? Not in circumcision, but in uncircumcision. And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had yet being uncircumcised: that he might be the father of all them that believe, though they be not circumcised; that righteousness might be imputed unto them also: And the father of circumcision to them who are not of the circumcision only, but who also walk in the steps of that faith of our father Abraham, which he had being yet uncircumcised. For the promise, that he should be the heir of the world, was not to Abraham, or to his seed, through the law, but through the righteousness of faith. For if they which are of the law be heirs, faith is made void, and the promise made of none effect: Because the law worketh wrath: for where no law is, there is no transgression. Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all, (As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were. Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations; according to that which was spoken, So shall thy seed be. And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sara’s womb: He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform. And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness. Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him; But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead; Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.

Galatians 3:7 KJV 1900

Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham.

Galatians 3:29 KJV 1900

And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.

Exod 13:20-22 Then (the children of Israel) set out from Succoth and camped in Etham on the edge of the wilderness.

And the LORD was going before them in a pillar of cloud by day to lead them on the way, and in a pillar of fire by night to give them light, that they might travel by day and by night. He did not take away the pillar of cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, from before the people. (cf Ps 78:14 ;105:29 )

Exodus 13:20–22 KJV 1900

And they took their journey from Succoth, and encamped in Etham, in the edge of the wilderness. And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night: He took not away the pillar of the cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, from before the people.

Psalm 78:14 KJV 1900

In the daytime also he led them with a cloud, And all the night with a light of fire.

Psalm 105:29 KJV 1900

He turned their waters into blood, And slew their fish.

Jehovah symbolized by the Shekinah glory-cloud guided Israel: "Cloud" is the Hebrew word 'anan, the same noun was used in first Kings where we read that when Solomon's Temple was finished and the priests had brought the ark of the covenant of Jehovah into the inner sanctuary, the most holy place, under the wings of the cherubim, that

it came about when the priests came from the holy place, that the cloud filled the house of the LORD, so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud, for the glory of the LORD filled the house of the LORD.

Then Solomon said, "The LORD has said that He would dwell (shakan = to settle down = root of Shekinah) in the thick cloud. ('anan)" 1 Kings 8:10-12).

In this context, "cloud" ('anan) is clearly a reference to the Shekinah cloud, symbolic of the glory of Jehovah dwelling in the most holy place in the midst of His people Israel.

It should be noted as we trace the Old Testament Scriptural appearances of the Shekinah glory-cloud in the history of Israel, there is no specific reference made to the glory-cloud once Joshua led Israel into the promised land.

1 Kings 8:10–12 KJV 1900

And it came to pass, when the priests were come out of the holy place, that the cloud filled the house of the Lord, So that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud: for the glory of the Lord had filled the house of the Lord. Then spake Solomon, The Lord said that he would dwell in the thick darkness.

The next specific reference is in first Kings but there is an indirect reference to Ichabod (the glory has departed) after the reference to 1 Sam 4:21 Exod 14:19 -20 And the Angel of God, who had been going before the camp of Israel, moved and went behind them; and the pillar of cloud moved from before them and stood behind them.

1 Samuel 4:21 KJV 1900

And she named the child I-chabod, saying, The glory is departed from Israel: because the ark of God was taken, and because of her father in law and her husband.

Exodus 14:19–20 KJV 1900

And the angel of God, which went before the camp of Israel, removed and went behind them; and the pillar of the cloud went from before their face, and stood behind them: And it came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel; and it was a cloud and darkness to them, but it gave light by night to these: so that the one came not near the other all the night.

20 So it came between the camp of Egypt and the camp of Israel; and there was the cloud along with the darkness, yet it gave light at night. Thus the one did not come near the other all night.

Jehovah symbolized by the Shekinah glory-cloud guarded Israel: Moses and the children had been released from Egyptian bondage and were following the Shekinah glory-cloud but soon realized they were being hotly pursued by the Egyptians.

(Parenthetically teaching that being in the center of God's will does not assure absence of trials!) They became very frightened and cried out to the LORD. (Exod 14:8-10) Moses calmed them with these words:

Do not fear. Standby and see the salvation of the LORD which He will accomplish for you today… " (Exod 14:13)

In this context we see the appearance of the Shekinah glory-cloud ("the pillar of cloud"), the Angel of the LORD.

Exodus 14:8–10 KJV 1900

And the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he pursued after the children of Israel: and the children of Israel went out with an high hand. But the Egyptians pursued after them, all the horses and chariots of Pharaoh, and his horsemen, and his army, and overtook them encamping by the sea, beside Pi-hahiroth, before Baal-zephon. And when Pharaoh drew nigh, the children of Israel lifted up their eyes, and, behold, the Egyptians marched after them; and they were sore afraid: and the children of Israel cried out unto the Lord.

Exodus 14:13 KJV 1900

And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will shew to you to day: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to day, ye shall see them again no more for ever.

From this Scripture we see that the "pillar of cloud… and fire" that was going before the people ( Exod 13:21 "the LORD was going before them"), protected them from the Egyptian army and that this is was not just any "angel" but was the Angel of God which is most likely a description of the pre incarnate Messiah.

Earlier Moses recorded that

the Angel of the Lord appeared to him in a blazing fire from the midst of a bush; and he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, yet the bush was not consumed… God called to him from the midst of the bush..." (Exod 3:2,4 ).

Exodus 13:21 KJV 1900

And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night:

Exodus 3:2 KJV 1900

And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed.

Exodus 3:4 KJV 1900

And when the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I.

Exod 16:7,10 (In the context of Israel grumbling because of no food Moses declared that) "in the morning you will see the glory of the LORD, for He hears your grumblings against the LORD; and what are we, that you grumble against us?"…

Exodus 16:7 KJV 1900

And in the morning, then ye shall see the glory of the Lord; for that he heareth your murmurings against the Lord: and what are we, that ye murmur against us?

Exodus 16:10 KJV 1900

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.

10 And 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.

MacArthur comments that "In seeing the start of the provision of daily bread on the next day, Israel would also see the Lord’s glory, an appropriate term to use because what He did showed His presence with them. “Glory” typically refers to God’s manifested presence, which makes Him impressive and leads to worship." (MacArthur, J. J. The MacArthur Study Bible. Nashville: Word Pub)

GLORY ON

MT. SINAI

Exod 24:16-17 And the glory of the LORD rested (Hebrew = shakan, root of "Shekinah") on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it for six days; and on the seventh day He called to Moses from the midst of the cloud.

Exodus 24:16–17 KJV 1900

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.

17 And to the eyes of the sons of Israel the appearance of the glory of the LORD was like a consuming fire on the mountain top. 18 And Moses entered the midst of the cloud as he went up to the mountain; and Moses was on the mountain forty days and forty nights.

This event occurred during the first of 2 (40 day and 40 night) trips by Moses to Mt Sinai.

The awesome sight of God’s Shekinah glory cloud resting on the mountain was meant to deeply impress all Israel (e.g., see Deut 4:9-16 ).

Deuteronomy 4:9–16 KJV 1900

Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen, and lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life: but teach them thy sons, and thy sons’ sons; Specially the day that thou stoodest before the Lord thy God in Horeb, when the Lord said unto me, Gather me the people together, and I will make them hear my words, that they may learn to fear me all the days that they shall live upon the earth, and that they may teach their children. And ye came near and stood under the mountain; and the mountain burned with fire unto the midst of heaven, with darkness, clouds, and thick darkness. And the Lord spake unto you out of the midst of the fire: ye heard the voice of the words, but saw no similitude; only ye heard a voice. And he declared unto you his covenant, which he commanded you to perform, even ten commandments; and he wrote them upon two tables of stone. And the Lord commanded me at that time to teach you statutes and judgments, that ye might do them in the land whither ye go over to possess it. Take ye therefore good heed unto yourselves; for ye saw no manner of similitude on the day that the Lord spake unto you in Horeb out of the midst of the fire: Lest ye corrupt yourselves, and make you a graven image, the similitude of any figure, the likeness of male or female,

What is so amazing is that even in the visible presence of the Shekinah glory on Mt Sinai (= Mt Horeb), even like a consuming fire, Israel stubbornly proceeded to make a golden calf to worship, thus corrupting themselves (Ex 32:1-8)!

Exodus 32:1–8 KJV 1900

And when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down out of the mount, the people gathered themselves together unto Aaron, and said unto him, Up, make us gods, which shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him. And Aaron said unto them, Break off the golden earrings, which are in the ears of your wives, of your sons, and of your daughters, and bring them unto me. And all the people brake off the golden earrings which were in their ears, and brought them unto Aaron. And he received them at their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool, after he had made it a molten calf: and they said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt. And when Aaron saw it, he built an altar before it; and Aaron made proclamation, and said, To morrow is a feast to the Lord. And they rose up early on the morrow, and offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings; and the people sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to play. And the Lord said unto Moses, Go, get thee down; for thy people, which thou broughtest out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves: They have turned aside quickly out of the way which I commanded them: they have made them a molten calf, and have worshipped it, and have sacrificed thereunto, and said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which have brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.

How many times we've had wonderful sense of communion with God, seeing truths about Him in the Word we had heretofore never seen, and yet we like Israel choose for self rather than His Shekinah Glory!

John Cumming: How thankful should we be, that the God revealed in the Gospel is not the inapproachable glory, the consuming fire, but our Father.

How thankful should we be that no individual upon earth—the loftiest prince or the highest priest—has any precedence in his approach to God: the humblest Christian has as free a right of access to God as the greatest and most illustrious in the land.

It is true of all, it is written for all, “Let us come boldly to the throne of grace; that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help us in the time of need.”

And let us praise God that we are not come to Mount Sinai, and to the blackness of darkness, and tempest, and the voice of words so terrible that Moses said, “I exceedingly fear and quake,” and if a beast should touch the mountain, it was to be destroyed;

but we are come to a brighter and happier dispensation—we are come to Mount Zion, unto the city of the living God, to the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels, and the spirits of just men made perfect, and unto Jesus the Mediator of the new Covenant, whose blood speaketh better things than the blood of Abel.

GLORY IN

THE WILDERNESS TABERNACLE

Exod 25:8-9,20-22

Exodus 25:8–9 KJV 1900

And let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them. According to all that I shew thee, after the pattern of the tabernacle, and the pattern of all the instruments thereof, even so shall ye make it.

Exodus 25:20–22 KJV 1900

And the cherubims shall stretch forth their wings on high, covering the mercy seat with their wings, and their faces shall look one to another; toward the mercy seat shall the faces of the cherubims be. And thou shalt put the mercy seat above upon the ark; and in the ark thou shalt put the testimony that I shall give thee. And there I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubims which are upon the ark of the testimony, of all things which I will give thee in commandment unto the children of Israel.

Moses uses five synonymous terms/phrases for the wilderness tabernacle:

(1) Sanctuary (miqdas) which means "place of holiness", a place set apart as sacred and holy as opposed to the secular, common and profane;

(2) Tent,” (ohel) denotes a temporary or collapsible dwelling.

(3) Tabernacle (miskan) means "dwelling place" and is derived from the verb shakan, which means to settle down, to dwell or to pitch a tent. God is “pitching His tent” among men. The Shekinah glory cloud between the cherubim symbolized God's abiding presence with His people.

(4) Tabernacle of meeting (moed) where “meeting” means a deliberate prearranged rendezvous or appointment and not a casual accidental meeting, reflecting God's design and desire to meet with man.

(5) Tabernacle of the testimony (edut) emphasizes that the structure was the repository of God's Law especially the testimony of the Ten Words on the tables as a solemn divine charge.

Exod 33:9 And it came about, whenever Moses entered the tent, the pillar of cloud would descend and stand at the entrance of the tent; and the LORD would speak with Moses.10 When all the people saw the pillar of cloud standing at the entrance of the tent, all the people would arise and worship, each at the entrance of his tent. Exod 33:18 Then Moses said, “I pray Thee, show me Thy glory!” Moses wanted to know God in His essence, “Manifest Thyself to me”.

Exodus 33:9 KJV 1900

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.

Exodus 33:18 KJV 1900

And he said, I beseech thee, shew me thy glory.

The Greek has no word for "glory" but replaces it with "Thyself".

It is interesting that the Jewish Publication Society's version known as the Tanakh translates this verse as follows "Oh, let me behold Your Presence!"

Spurgeon Comments: Why, it is the greatest petition that man ever asked of God.

It seems to me the greatest stretch of faith that I have either heard or read of… when he offers this petition, “I beseech thee, shew me thy glory,” he stands alone, a giant amongst giants; a colossus even in those days of mighty men.

His request surpasses that of any other man: “I beseech thee, shew me thy glory.” Amongst the lofty peaks and summits of man’s prayer, that rise like mountains to the skies, this is the culminating point; this is the highest elevation that faith ever gained;

it is the loftiest place to which the great ambition of faith could climb; it is the topmost pillar of all the towering structures that confidence in God ever piled.

I am astonished that Moses himself should have been bold enough to supplicate so wondrous a favor.

Surely, after he had uttered the desire, his bones must have trembled, his blood must have curdled in his veins, and his hair must have stood on end. Did he not wonder at himself?

Did he not tremble at his own hardihood? We believe that such would have been the case had not the faith which prompted the prayer sustained him in the review of it…

Allow me to refer you to the Exod 33:13, where Moses speaks unto his God, “Now therefore, I pray thee, if I have found grace (Hebrew = chen; Lxx = charis - translated favor in NAS) in thy sight, shew me now thy way.”

Exodus 33:13 KJV 1900

Now therefore, I pray thee, if I have found grace in thy sight, shew me now thy way, that I may know thee, that I may find grace in thy sight: and consider that this nation is thy people.

(see Ps 103 :13 for "commentary" on this request) Moses asked a smaller favor before he requested that greater one.

Psalm 103:13 KJV 1900

Like as a father pitieth his children, So the Lord pitieth them that fear him.

He asked to see God’s way before he prayed to see His glory.

Mark you, my friends, this is the true mode of prayer. Rest not content with past answers, but go again, and double your request.

Look upon your past petitions as the small end of the wedge opening the way for larger ones.

The best way to repay God, and the way he loves best, is to take encouragement from past answers to prayer, and ask him ten times as much each time.

Nothing phases God so much as when a sinner comes again very soon with twice as large a petition, saying, “Lord, thou didst hear me last time, and now I have come again.”

Faith is a mighty grace, and always grows upon that on which it feeds.

When God has heard prayer for one thing, faith comes and asks for two things; and when God has given those two things, faith asks for six.

Faith can scale the walls of heaven.

She is a giant grace.

She takes mountains up by their roots, and piles them on other mountains, and so climbs to the throne in confidence with large petitions, knowing that see shall not be refused.

We are most of us too slow to go to God. We are not like the beggars who come to the door twenty times if you do not give them anything.

But if we have been heard once, we go away, instead of coming time after time, and each time with a larger prayer.

Make your petitions larger and larger.

Ask for ten, and if God gives them, then for a thousand, then for ten thousand, and keep going on until at last you will positively get faith enough to ask, if it be right and proper, as great a favor as Moses did, “I beseech thee, shew me thy glory.” (Read full sermon A View of God's Glory - Exod 33:18 )

Exod 40:34-37 Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle (miskan from shakan = settle down).

Exodus 33:18 KJV 1900

And he said, I beseech thee, shew me thy glory.

Exodus 40:34–37 KJV 1900

Then a cloud covered the tent of the congregation, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. 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. And when the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, the children of Israel went onward in all their journeys: But if the cloud were not taken up, then they journeyed not till the day that it was taken up.

35 And Moses was not able to enter the tent (describes a mobile structure) of meeting (of "appointment" - designates a determined time and place) because the cloud ('anan) had settled (shakan = root of Shekinah) on it, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle.

36 And throughout all their journeys whenever the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, the sons of Israel would set out;

37 but if the cloud was not taken up, then they did not set out until the day when it was taken up.

38 For throughout all their journeys, the cloud of the LORD was on the tabernacle by day, and there was fire in it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel.

This was the final confirmation for Moses and the people that all the work for setting up God’s dwelling place had been properly done and all the tedious instructions obediently followed.

The Shekinah glory-cloud was the ever present guide in the wilderness.

Today He is Christ in us the hope of glory and as the indwelling Spirit of Christ is our constant guide in the wilderness of this lost and ever increasingly corrupt generation.

Beloved, are you obedient to His guidance, setting out when He gives you clear indicators (using His Word, trusted counselors, prayer, circumstances), and not setting out on your own path in those times when He indicates you should not move out?

Lev 9:23 And Moses and Aaron went into the tent of meeting. When they came out and blessed the people, the glory of the LORD appeared to all the people.

Nu 11:24-25 So Moses went out and told the people the words of the LORD. Also, he gathered seventy men of the elders of the people, and stationed them around the tent. 25 Then the LORD came down in the cloud and spoke to him; and He took of the Spirit who was upon him and placed Him upon the seventy elders.

Leviticus 9:23 KJV 1900

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.

Numbers 11:24–25 KJV 1900

And Moses went out, and told the people the words of the Lord, and gathered the seventy men of the elders of the people, and set them round about the tabernacle. And the Lord came down in a cloud, and spake unto him, and took of the spirit that was upon him, and gave it unto the seventy elders: and it came to pass, that, when the spirit rested upon them, they prophesied, and did not cease.

And it came about that when the Spirit rested upon them, they prophesied. But they did not do it again.

Nu 12:5 Then the Lord came down in a pillar of cloud and stood at the doorway of the tent, and He called Aaron and Miriam. When they had both come forward,

Numbers 12:5 KJV 1900

And the Lord came down in the pillar of the cloud, and stood in the door of the tabernacle, and called Aaron and Miriam: and they both came forth.

Ps 99:6-7: Moses and Aaron were among His priests, and Samuel was among those who called on His name.

Psalm 99:6–7 KJV 1900

Moses and Aaron among his priests, And Samuel among them that call upon his name; They called upon the Lord, and he answered them. He spake unto them in the cloudy pillar: They kept his testimonies, and the ordinance that he gave them.

They called upon the Lord, and He answered them. He spoke to them in the pillar of cloud.

They kept His testimonies, and the statute that He gave them.

In the preceding passages, the Shekinah Glory Cloud was the "platform" from which God spoke.Nu 14:10 But all the congregation said to stone them with stones.

Numbers 14:10 KJV 1900

But all the congregation bade stone them with stones. And the glory of the Lord appeared in the tabernacle of the congregation before all the children of Israel.

Then the glory of the LORD appeared in the tent of meeting to all the sons of Israel.

Nu 16:19 Thus Korah assembled all the congregation against them at the doorway of the tent of meeting.

Numbers 16:19 KJV 1900

And Korah gathered all the congregation against them unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation: and the glory of the Lord appeared unto all the congregation.

And the glory of the LORD appeared to all the congregation.

Nu 16:42 It came about, however, when the congregation had assembled against Moses and Aaron, that they turned toward the tent of meeting, and behold, the cloud covered it and the glory of the LORD appeared.

Numbers 16:42 KJV 1900

And it came to pass, when the congregation was gathered against Moses and against Aaron, that they looked toward the tabernacle of the congregation: and, behold, the cloud covered it, and the glory of the Lord appeared.

Nu 20:6 Then Moses and Aaron came in from the presence of the assembly to the doorway of the tent of meeting, and fell on their faces. Then the glory of the LORD appeared to them;

Numbers 20:6 KJV 1900

And Moses and Aaron went from the presence of the assembly unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and they fell upon their faces: and the glory of the Lord appeared unto them.

1Sam 4:21 And she called the boy Ichabod, saying, “The glory has departed from Israel,” because the ark of God was taken and because of her father-in-law and her husband

1 Samuel 4:21 KJV 1900

And she named the child I-chabod, saying, The glory is departed from Israel: because the ark of God was taken, and because of her father in law and her husband.

Summary of the movement of the glory of God:

The glory of the LORD had initially dwelt in the finished tabernacle in the wilderness (Ex 40:34 Ex 30:34, 35, 36, 37, 38).

Exodus 40:34 KJV 1900

Then a cloud covered the tent of the congregation, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.

Exodus 30:34 KJV 1900

And the Lord said unto Moses, Take unto thee sweet spices, stacte, and onycha, and galbanum; these sweet spices with pure frankincense: of each shall there be a like weight:

Exodus 30:35 KJV 1900

And thou shalt make it a perfume, a confection after the art of the apothecary, tempered together, pure and holy:

Exodus 30:36 KJV 1900

And thou shalt beat some of it very small, and put of it before the testimony in the tabernacle of the congregation, where I will meet with thee: it shall be unto you most holy.

Exodus 30:37 KJV 1900

And as for the perfume which thou shalt make, ye shall not make to yourselves according to the composition thereof: it shall be unto thee holy for the Lord.

Exodus 30:38 KJV 1900

Whosoever shall make like unto that, to smell thereto, shall even be cut off from his people.

Apparently, the glory of God departed when the Philistines captured the Ark of the Covenant, which God allowed because of Israel’s sin.

In the next Scriptural occurrence God’s glory came into the temple of Solomon upon completion and consecration (1 Ki 8:10).

1 Kings 8:10 KJV 1900

And it came to pass, when the priests were come out of the holy place, that the cloud filled the house of the Lord,

Then, as depicted schematically on the previous page the glory of the LORD progressively departed the Temple, in preparation from the destruction of the nation of Israel which had turned irrevocably to the worship of abominable idols.

. God had clearly declared "I am the LORD, that is My name; I will not give My glory to another, nor My praise to graven images." (Isa 42:8).

Isaiah 42:8 KJV 1900

I am the Lord: that is my name: And my glory will I not give to another, Neither my praise to graven images.

The Temple that was rebuilt after Judah's seventy years of exile in Babylon did not possess the Shekinah glory of the LORD.

For a brief moment in Israel's history, the glory did return to the Temple and the land of Israel in the incarnation of Jesus Christ (John 1:1, 14), but His glory "departed" when the nation nailed the glorious One to a Cross.

John 1:1 KJV 1900

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

John 1:14 KJV 1900

And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

1 Ki 8:10 And it came about when the priests came from the holy place, that the cloud filled the house of the LORD, 11 so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud, for the glory of the LORD filled the house of the LORD.

Warren Wiersbe commented "Solomon’s temple was a place of glory. However, despite its extraordinary beauty, it was just another building until God moved in and consecrated it (cf Ex 40:34).

1 Kings 8:10 KJV 1900

And it came to pass, when the priests were come out of the holy place, that the cloud filled the house of the Lord,

Exodus 40:34 KJV 1900

Then a cloud covered the tent of the congregation, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.

So it is with our lives (1Cor 6:19, 20) and our assemblies (1Cor 14:23, 24, 25).

1 Corinthians 6:19 KJV 1900

What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?

1 Corinthians 6:20 KJV 1900

For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.

1 Corinthians 14:23 KJV 1900

If therefore the whole church be come together into one place, and all speak with tongues, and there come in those that are unlearned, or unbelievers, will they not say that ye are mad?

1 Corinthians 14:24 KJV 1900

But if all prophesy, and there come in one that believeth not, or one unlearned, he is convinced of all, he is judged of all:

1 Corinthians 14:25 KJV 1900

And thus are the secrets of his heart made manifest; and so falling down on his face he will worship God, and report that God is in you of a truth.

The presence of God is the important thing. A. W. Tozer aptly stated, “If God were to take the Holy Spirit out of this world, much of what the church is doing would go right on, and nobody would know the difference.” (Wiersbe, W. W. With the word Bible commentary. Nashville: Thomas Nelson)

1Ki 8:27 “But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain You, how much less this house which I have built!

1 Kings 8:27 KJV 1900

But will God indeed dwell on the earth? behold, the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain thee; how much less this house that I have builded?

2Chr 5:13-14 in unison when the trumpeters and the singers were to make themselves heard with one voice to praise and to glorify the LORD, and when they lifted up their voice accompanied by trumpets and cymbals and instruments of music, and when they praised the LORD saying, “He indeed is good for His lovingkindness is everlasting,” then the house, the house of the LORD, was filled with a cloud, 14 so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud, for the glory of the LORD filled the house of God.

2 Chronicles 5:13–14 KJV 1900

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; 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 Chr 7:1 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 (this is the Shekinah glory, the same glory that had filled the Tabernacle in the wilderness) filled the house.

2 And the priests could not enter into the house of the LORD, because the glory of the LORD filled the LORD'S house.

3 And 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."

2 Chronicles 7:1 KJV 1900

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.

Isaiah 6:1-note In the year of King Uzziah's death, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted, with the train of His robe filling the temple.

2 Seraphim stood above Him, each having six wings; with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew.

3 And one called out to another and said, "Holy, Holy, Holy, is the LORD of hosts, The whole earth is full of His glory."

Isaiah 6:1 KJV 1900

In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple.

John 12:41 These things Isaiah said, because he saw His glory, and he spoke of Him."

John 12:41 KJV 1900

These things said Esaias, when he saw his glory, and spake of him.

In Isaiah 6 the prophet was described as seeing the glory of God. John explains that Isaiah saw and spoke of Christ and His.

Isaiah 6 KJV 1900

In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple. Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly. And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts: The whole earth is full of his glory. And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke. Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts. Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar: And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged. Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me. And he said, Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; And see ye indeed, but perceive not. Make the heart of this people fat, And make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; Lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, And understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed. Then said I, Lord, how long? And he answered, Until the cities be wasted without inhabitant, And the houses without man, And the land be utterly desolate, And the Lord have removed men far away, And there be a great forsaking in the midst of the land. But yet in it shall be a tenth, and it shall return, and shall be eaten: As a teil tree, and as an oak, whose substance is in them, when they cast their leaves: So the holy seed shall be the substance thereof.

Thus John's commentary is an important link in the Scriptural evidence that the Man Jesus Christ was God in the flesh. In this verse John repeats what he had declared in the prologue, that Christ is the glory of the Father unveiled for human eyes (John 1:14).

John 1:14 KJV 1900

And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

THE GLORY OF THE LORD IN EZEKIEL

Ezek 1:28-note As the appearance of the rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the appearance of the surrounding radiance.

Ezekiel 1:28 KJV 1900

As the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud in the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness round about. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. And when I saw it, I fell upon my face, and I heard a voice of one that spake.

Such was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD.

And when I saw it, I fell on my face and heard a voice speaking.

Ezek 3:12-note Then the Spirit lifted me up, and I heard a great rumbling sound behind me, "Blessed be the glory of the LORD in His place."

Ezekiel 3:12 KJV 1900

Then the spirit took me up, and I heard behind me a voice of a great rushing, saying, Blessed be the glory of the Lord from his place.

Ezek 3:23-note So I got up and went out to the plain; and behold, the glory of the LORD was standing there, like the glory which I saw by the river Chebar, and I fell on my face.

Ezekiel 3:23 KJV 1900

Then I arose, and went forth into the plain: and, behold, the glory of the Lord stood there, as the glory which I saw by the river of Chebar: and I fell on my face.

Ezek 10:4-note Then the glory of the LORD went up from the cherub to the threshold of the temple, and the temple was filled with the cloud, and the court was filled with the brightness of the glory of the LORD.

Ezekiel 10:4 KJV 1900

Then the glory of the Lord went up from the cherub, and stood over the threshold of the house; and the house was filled with the cloud, and the court was full of the brightness of the Lord’s glory.

Ezek 10:18-note Then the glory of the LORD departed from the threshold of the temple and stood over the cherubim.

Ezekiel 10:18 KJV 1900

Then the glory of the Lord departed from off the threshold of the house, and stood over the cherubims.

Ezek 11:23-note And the glory of the LORD went up from the midst of the city, and stood over the mountain which is east of the city.

Ezekiel 11:23 KJV 1900

And the glory of the Lord went up from the midst of the city, and stood upon the mountain which is on the east side of the city.

WEEPING OVER THE DEPARTED GLORY OF THE LORD

Ezra 3:12 Yet many of the priests and Levites and heads of fathers’ households, the old men who had seen the first temple (see note below on this, the "second" temple), wept with a loud voice when the foundation of this house was laid before their eyes, while many shouted aloud for joy;

Ezra 3:12 KJV 1900

But many of the priests and Levites and chief of the fathers, who were ancient men, that had seen the first house, when the foundation of this house was laid before their eyes, wept with a loud voice; and many shouted aloud for joy:

Although the ark was gone, even more disappointing was the absence of the Shekinah Glory Cloud. And those who had seen the Shekinah ("the old men") wept.

The first temple had been destroyed 50 years earlier.

The old men, who would have been about 60 years or older, knew that this second temple did not begin to match the splendor of Solomon’s temple nor did the presence of God reside within it.

Those who shouted for joy had never seen the Shekinah Glory in Solomon's' Temple.

In Haggai (Hag 2:3) we read "'Who is left among you who saw this temple in its former glory? And how do you see it now? Does it not seem to you like nothing in comparison?"

Haggai 2:3 KJV 1900

Who is left among you that saw this house in her first glory? And how do ye see it now? Is it not in your eyes in comparison of it as nothing?

Then note the comfort the prophet Haggai gives in (Hag 2:9)

Haggai 2:9 KJV 1900

The glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former, saith the Lord of hosts: And in this place will I give peace, saith the Lord of hosts.

Note that The term “second temple” as commonly used refers to both the restoration temple and the Herodian temple that followed it.

The second temple underwent changes occasionally, the major changes taking place as a result of Herod’s renovations.

These improvements were still in progress in our Lord’s day (John 2:20).

John 2:20 KJV 1900

Then said the Jews, Forty and six years was this temple in building, and wilt thou rear it up in three days?

This second temple stood from about 515 B.C. until the Romans destroyed it in A.D. 70.

Acts 7:2 And he said, "Hear me, brethren and fathers! The God of glory (a title God used only one other time Ps 29:3) appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Haran,

Acts 7:2 KJV 1900

And he said, Men, brethren, and fathers, hearken; The God of glory appeared unto our father Abraham, when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Charran,

Psalm 29:3 KJV 1900

The voice of the Lord is upon the waters: The God of glory thundereth: The Lord is upon many waters.

Ro 9:4-note who are Israelites, to whom belongs the adoption as sons and the glory and the covenants and the giving of the Law and the temple service and the promises, Comment: Paul states that the Shekinah glory cloud that symbolized God’s presence had blessed Israel.

Romans 9:4 KJV 1900

Who are Israelites; to whom pertaineth the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises;

The Tabernacle was the Portable , that is why often referred to as the tent , because the children of Israel were a journeying people They were to Journey for some 40 years.