Glory of God Study (This teaching is still under construction)
Which of these statements sounds like something you have said or felt?
We are a part of a very narcissistic society, a very “me” centered world. For most of us, our actions betray a sense of “it’s about me” attitude. There is a saying that has been around for a few years that says, “it’s NOT about you. The bible says the same thing. So if “it” (life) isn’t about me, then what is it all about? I think that God really would like more of us to ask that question. If we would ask it and wait for an answer, we might be surprised to learn that God has a single word answer for it
Glory! Yes, that is what “IT” is all about. We see the word everywhere in the bible, we hear it in the hymns and chorus’ that we sing, yet most of us haven’t a clue about what it means and why it is so important.
What is God’s glory?
i. The greek word, Doxan is most commonly translated glory, its fullest meaning being “splendor, brightness, excellence, pre-eminence.”
ii. The bible uses the word to describe God’s most exalted state or condition.
iii. It means God’s pre-eminence, His being Higher than the Highest.
iv. If we were to try to define the Glory of God, we would have trouble, because the glory of God is beyond definition just as it is beyond the human capacity to see it unveiled.
1. The best we can do is to describe the Glory of God as encompassing ALL of the Attributes of God.
2. This simply put means that everything about God’s attributes, His characteristics, His holiness, His love, His grace, they all are elements of His great glory. Just as we can never completely comprehend his Attributes, neither can we comprehend His glory. Look up some passages concerning God's glory.
 Principle: Why
do we have you look up so many passages of Scripture as a part of this
interactive Bible study? Because if you study one or two verses,
you get the picture in "black and white." But when you look at
many scriptures that deal with the same subject, you get to see it in
its "living color." That is, you see things from a deeper
perspective and your understanding of a principle is much greater. |
God’s glory is something that is mystical, wonderful, and bright beyond any light. We sometimes hear the glory of God described as the Shekinah glory of God. The Jews, over time, gave a name to this. They called it "Shekinah [she-kee-nah]." Or, as most of us Gentiles mispronounce it: "Shekinah [she-ki-nah]." The word Shekinah is not in the bible, but it is so closely related to the word “dwelling” that we have come to associate the Glory of God with this term.It came to mean, over time, instead of literally "residence," or "dwelling,"—"God's visible presence."
That word "visible" is very important—God's visible presence. Shekinah: , "The Visible Majesty of the Divine Presence."
All descriptions of the Shekinah say that it was a most brilliant and glorious light enveloped in a cloud. So, when the Bible describes it as a pillar of cloud and a pillar of fire it is splitting into two what was actually one. It was always a pillar of fire and it was always a pillar of cloud.
In the passages above, did you also see the REASONS for God revealing His glory? Revealing His glory is His top priority. Isaiah 40:5 says, “And the glory of the Lord will be revealed and all mankind will see it. For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”
God’s to-do list has one thing on it:. “Reveal My Glory” He desires to make Himself known as God so that we might fulfill our purpose; the purpose for which we were created, and that is to worship Him.