Sermon Tone Analysis

http://www.preceptaustin.org/shekinah_glory

Shekinah-In Depth Discussion by James Murphy (1846);

The Shekinah by John Cumming (1854)

Shekinah Sermon by Dave Roper

Sermons by C H Spurgeon related to God's glory…

,, , The Glory In The Rear

The Glory Of Christ - Beheld

A View Of God's Glory

In order to help understand the specific manifestations of God's glory it is important to understand the frequently used term, Shekinah.

Shekinah (Shechinah) is a transliteration of a Hebrew word meaning “the one who dwells” or “that which dwells” and was used to describe the light on the mercy-seat of the Ark of the Covenant in the Holy of Holies, the Shekinah symbolizing the Divine presence ().

Shekinah is not found in Scripture but the root word shakan (07931) (to dwell, to settle down, to tabernacle with, to have a habitation) and the related word mishkan(04909) (tabernacle) are both frequently used and both are associated with the presence of God (and His glory) dwelling with man.

The meaning of the word Shekinah (the One Who dwells) reminds us that we did not seek to dwell with God but He with us and this truth should evoke continual thanksgiving in those who have been brought into covenant with Him under the shelter of His wings.

And so in Exodus, we see that it was God Who first expressed His desire to dwell among men, instructing Moses to tell the people to

construct a sanctuary for Me, that I may dwell (shakan) among them.

According to all that I am going to show you, as the pattern of the tabernacle (mishkanfrom shakan) and the pattern of all its furniture, just so you shall construct it."

(; )

Comment: Even the Hebrew verb shakan underscores the idea not of loftiness but of nearness and closeness.

This recalls the words of David who prays to Jehovah "Oh draw near to my soul and redeem it.

Ransom me because of my enemies!" () Are you suffering even now dear believer?

As Spurgeonsays "The near approach of God is all the sufferer needs; one smile of heaven will still the rage of hell.

It shall be redemption to me if Thou wilt appear to comfort me.

This is a deeply spiritual prayer, and one very suitable for a deserted soul.

It is in renewed communion that we shall find redemption realized."

Arnold Fruchtenbaum defines Shechinah Glory as…

the visible manifestation of the presence of God.

It is the majestic presence or manifestation of God in which He descended to dwell among men.

Whenever the invisible God becomes visible, and whenever the omnipresence of God is localized, this is the Shechinah Glory.

The usual title found in the Scriptures for the Shechinah Glory is: the glory of the Lord.

The Hebrew form is Kvod Adonai (word study), which means “the glory of the Lord,” and describes what the Shechinah Glory is.

The Greek title, Doxa Kurion (kurios), is also translated as “the glory of the Lord.”

Doxa (word study)means “brightness,” “brilliance,” or “splendor” and it depicts how the Shechinah Glory appears.

Other titles give it the sense of “dwelling,” which portrays what the Shechinah Glory does.

The Hebrew for Shechinah, from the root shachan, means “to dwell.”

The Greek word skeinei (see study of related words - skenos and skenoma) means “to tabernacle,” and is derived from the Hebrew Shechinah.

John Cumming writing on the pillar in …

The pillar of cloud by day and of fire by night, when it settled between the cherubim, as a perpetual bright light, and token of the presence of God in the temple, was named the “shechinah,” so called from the Hebrew verb shakan, which meant “to dwell.”

Our Lord was thus the “Shechinah” incarnate (cf ); and when the Bible speaks of his Second Coming, it speaks of his coming “in the cloud.”

(, ) The apostles were told that he would come in like manner as they had seen him go ().

So that this pillar of cloud by day, and of fire by night, seems to have been the dwelling-place, or the place of special manifestation of God our Saviour before He became Man, and was incarnate.

(Sabbath Morning Readings on the Old Testament Book of Exodus)

Shekinah originally was used in the Jewish Targum (Aramaic translation of Hebrew Bible) and rabbinic literature whenever the Hebrew text would mention the presence of God in a way that implied certain human limitations.

The Targum Onkelos for example paraphrases Jehovah's declaration in as

And they shall make before Me a sanctuary and I shall cause My Shekinah to dwell (shakan) among them.

In summary, the term Shekinah as commonly used describes the visible manifestation of God's presence and glory usually in the form of a cloud as discussed below under Past Glory.

The picture of the Shekinah cloud of glory dwelling on the Temple has a parallel "fulfillment" in the New Testament (obviously written by Jews familiar with the Shekinah in the Old Testament) where John writes that

the Word became flesh, and dwelt (tabernacled) among us, and we beheld His glory, glory as of the Only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.

(-note) (Spurgeon's sermon on -- The Glory Of Christ - Beheld)

Spurgeon Commenting on observes believers have something (Someone) far better than the Shekinah Glory Cloud of Israel in the Old Testament: In and around the tent (The OT Tabernacle) wherein the Lord dwelt in the center of the camp there was a manifestation of the presence of God.

This was the glory of that house:

but how scanty was the revelation!

A bright light which I have already mentioned, the Shekinah, is said to have shone over the Mercy-Seat; but the high priest only could see it, and he only saw it once in the year when he entered with blood within the veil.

Outside, above the holy place, there was the manifest glory of the pillar of cloud by day, and of fire by night.

This sufficed to bear witness that God was there; but still, cloud and fireare but physical appearances, and cannot convey a true appearance of God, who is a spirit.

God cannot be perceived by the senses; and yet the fiery, cloudy pillar could appeal to the eyes only.

The excellence of the indwelling of God in Christ is this — that there is in Him a glory as of the only begotten of the Father, the moral and spiritual glory of Godhead.

This is to be seen, but not with the eyes — this is to be perceived, but not by the carnal senses: this is seen, and heard, and known, by spiritual men, whose mental perceptions are keener than those of sight and hearing.

In the Person of the Lord there is a glory which is seen by our faith (, ), which is discerned of our renewed spirits, and is made to operate upon our hearts.

The glory of God in the sanctuary was seen only by the priest of the house of Aaron; the glory of God in the face of Christ is seen by all believers, who are all priests unto God.

That glory the priest beheld but once in the year; but we steadily behold that glory at all times, and are transformed by the sight ().

The glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ () is not a thing of outward appearance, to be beheld with the eyes, like the pillar of cloud and fire; but there is an abiding, steady luster of holy, gracious, truthful character about our Lord Jesus Christ, which is best seen by those who by reason of sanctification are made fit to discern it.

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God (); yea, they do see Him in Christ Jesus.

“No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.”

() Many of us besides the apostles can say, “We beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.”

() We have not seen Jesus raise the dead; we have not seen Him cast out devils; we have not seen Him hush the winds and calm the waves; but we do see, with our mind’s eye, His spotless holiness, His boundless love, His superlative truth, His wondrous heavenliness; in a word, we have seen, and do see, His fullness of grace and truth; and we rejoice in the fact that the tabernacling of God among men in Christ Jesus is attended with a more real glory than the mere brilliance of light and the glow of flame.

The condescension of Christ’s love is to us more glorious than the pillar of cloud, and the zeal of our Lord’s self-sacrifice is more excellent than the pillar of fire.

As we think of the divine mysteries which meet in the person of our Lord, we do not envy Israel the gracious manifestations vouchsafed her when “a cloud covered the tent of the congregation, and the glory of the Lord covered the tabernacle” (); for we have all this and more in our incarnate God, Who is with us always, even to the end of the world.

(The True Tabernacle and Its Glory of Grace and Peace)

We see a manifestation of the Shekinah Glory at the Transfiguration…

While he was still speaking, behold, a bright (photeinos = splendid, full of light, well illuminated) cloud overshadowed them; and behold, a voice out of the cloud, saying, “This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased; listen to Him!” ()

Peter comments…

For when He received honor and glory from God the Father, such an utterance as this was made to Him by the Majestic Glory, "This is My beloved Son with whom I am well-pleased" ()

Plumptre: This description (the Majestic Glory) relates to the transcendent brightness of the Shekinah cloud and identifies the person of God the Father with the glory which betokens his presence

Bigg: (The Majestic Glory) is a respectful paraphrase for God.

It is probably rightly identified as a reference to the ‘bright cloud’ (the Shekinah) of

Green: The bright cloud which overshadowed Jesus expresses in another way the same reality, that is, none other than God Himself.

Christ is visible presentation of the Shekinah Glory, or as the writer of Hebrews says…

the radiance (apaugasma) of His glory (doxa) (-note)

Paul adds that…

it was the Father's good pleasure for all the fulness to dwell in Christ (-note) and that in Christ

all the fulness of Deity dwells in bodily form (in Christ) (-note)

Paul writes that Christ is "the Lord of glory" ().

This same Shekinah glory now rests (dwells) upon all those who are in Christ.

Thus Paul records that God made

known the riches of His glory upon vessels of mercy, which He prepared beforehand for glory (-note)

He prays for the Ephesian saints that

the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints" (-note)

Paul reminds the Colossian saints that

God willed to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ ("dwelling") in you, the hope of glory.

(-note)

Comment: Ponder (meditate on) this truly awesome thought for a moment - the Shekinah Glory of God in us as Christ followers!

How can we comprehend such mystery and majesty?

And yet it is our privilege to show forth the Shekinah glory for all the world to see! How?

Answer: Our "good (God) works" (-note, ,-note, cf , ), works initiated and wrought by the Holy Spirit in the abiding (), surrendered, yielded, filled (-note), empowered saint, the saint who is making the moment by moment choice to walk by the Spirit (-note)!

(cp ,-note)

The presence of the Holy Spirit is also a representation of the Shekinah as when the Spirit descended and remained on Jesus () and at Pentecost the Spirit came down and rested on the 120 disciples appearing

to them tongues as of fire distributing themselves, and they rested on each one of them” ()

William Barclay adds an interesting note regarding Shekinah writing that

There are two words totally different in meaning but similar in sound which in early Christian thought became closely connected.

Skēnē is one; and the Hebrew shechinah, the glory of God, is the other.

SKĒNĒ—SHECHINAH—the connection in sound brought it about that men could not hear the one without thinking of the other.

As a result, to say that the skēnē of God is to be with men immediately brought the thought that the shechinah of God is to be with men.