Related Resources:
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...
Exodus 14:19,20, Isaiah 58:8, Isaiah 52:12 The Glory
In The Rear
John 1:14 The Glory Of Christ - Beheld
Exodus 33:18 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 is a transliteration of a Hebrew word meaning “the one who dwells”
or “that which dwells”. This specific word is not used in Scripture
but the root word
shakan
(07931) (to dwell) 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 (mishkan
from shakan) and the pattern of all its furniture, just
so you shall construct it." (Ex 25:8; 25:9)
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. (The
Shechinah Glory)
Shekinah originally was used in the
Jewish
Targums (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 Ex 25:8 as
And they shall make before me a sanctuary and I
shall cause my
Shekinah to dwell 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.
(John 1:14-note)
(Spurgeon's
sermon on -- John 1:14 The Glory Of Christ - Beheld)
Christ is the
Shekinah of God...
the
radiance (apaugasma) of His glory
(doxa) (Hebrews
1:3-note)
Paul adds
that...
it was the
Father's good pleasure for all the fulness to
dwell
in Christ (Col 1:19-note)
and that in Christ
all the fulness of Deity
dwells
in bodily form (in Christ) (Col 2:9-note)
Paul writes that Christ is "the Lord of
glory"
(1Cor 2:8).
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
(Ro 9:23-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" (Ep 1:18-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.
(Col 1:27-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" (Mt 5:16-note,
Phil 2:14,15-note),
works initiated and wrought by the Holy Spirit in the abiding (Jn 15:5),
surrendered, yielded, filled (Eph 5:18-note),
empowered saint, the saint who is making the moment by moment choice to
walk by the Spirit (Gal 5:16-note)!
(cp 2Cor 3:5,6-note)
The presence of the
Holy Spirit is also a representation of the Shekinah
as when the Spirit descended and remained on Jesus (Jn 1:33) 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” (Acts 2:3)
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. In the ancient times the shechinah took the form of a luminous cloud
which came and went. (Barclay,
W: The Daily Study Bible Series. The Westminster Press
or
Logos)
OLD TESTAMENT MANIFESTATIONS
OF
THE SHEKINAH GLORY:
A PROPOSED CHRONOLOGY
Genesis 3 - This
instance is a possible manifestation of the Shekinah glory and would be
the first recorded instance in Scripture...
Therefore the LORD God sent him (Adam)
out from the garden of Eden, to cultivate the ground from which he was
taken. 24 So He drove the man out; and at the east of the garden of Eden
He stationed (Hebrew = shakan = the word related to Shekinah) the
cherubim, and the flaming sword which turned every direction, to guard the
way to the tree of life. (Ge 3:23-24)
Comment: The definite article "the" is
present before "flaming sword" which makes this a very specific entity -
the flame of the sword. It is possible that this is the first
manifestation of the Shekinah glory of the Lord. It is also worthy noting
that Cherubim are elsewhere associated with the appearance of the Shekinah
Glory (see
below).
Genesis 15 - The Abrahamic Covenant
(See
Abrahamic versus Mosaic)
And it came about when the sun had set,
that it was very dark, and behold, there appeared a smoking oven and a
flaming torch which passed between these pieces. 18 On that day the LORD
made a covenant with Abram, saying, “To your descendants I have given this
land, From the river of Egypt as far as the great river, the river
Euphrates (Ge 15:17, 18)
Comment: This example of the
glory of God is another possible manifestation of the Shekinah Glory. It
would certainly be fitting that the Shekinah Glory would be present at
what amounts to Jehovah's "signing" of the unconditional Abrahamic
Covenant.
ENTHRONED
ABOVE THE CHERUBIM
2Samuel 6:2 And David arose and
went with all the people who were with him to Baale-judah, to bring
up from there the ark of God which is called by the Name, the very
name of the LORD of hosts Who is enthroned above the cherubim.
2Kings 19:15 And Hezekiah prayed
before the LORD and said, "O LORD, the God of Israel, Who art
enthroned above the cherubim, Thou art the God, Thou alone, of
all the kingdoms of the earth. Thou hast made heaven and earth.
1Chronicles 13:6 And David and all
Israel went up to Baalah, that is, to Kiriath-jearim, which belongs
to Judah, to bring up from there the ark of God, the LORD Who is
enthroned above the cherubim, where His name is called.
Ps 80:1 (For the choir director;
set to El Shoshannim; Eduth. A Psalm of Asaph.) Oh, give ear,
Shepherd of Israel, Thou who dost lead Joseph like a flock; Thou
Who art enthroned above the cherubim, shine forth!
"Thou that dwellest between
the cherubims, shine forth." The Lord's especial presence was
revealed upon the mercyseat between the cherubim, and in all our
pleadings we should come to the Lord by this way: only upon the
mercyseat will God reveal his grace, and only there can we hope to
commune with him. Let us ever plead the name of Jesus, who is our
true mercyseat, to whom we may come boldly, and through whom we may
look for a display of the glory of the Lord on our behalf. Our
greatest dread is the withdrawal of the Lord's presence, and our
brightest hope is the prospect of his return. In the darkest times
of Israel, the light of her Shepherd's countenance is all she needs.
(see
Spurgeon's note)
Ps 99:1 The LORD reigns, let the
peoples tremble; He is enthroned above the cherubim, let the
earth shake!
He sitteth between the cherubims.
In grandeur of sublime glory, yet in nearness of mediatorial
condescension, Jehovah revealed himself above the mercy seat, whereon
stood the likeness of those flaming ones who gaze upon his glory,
and for ever cry, "Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God of hosts." The Lord
reigning on that throne of grace which is sprinkled with atoning
blood, and veiled with the covering wings of mediatorial love, is
above all other revelations wonderful, and fitted to excite emotion
among all mankind, hence it is added,
Our friend Mr. Charles
Stanford, in his delicious work, "Symbols of Christ," has
beautifully brought out the connection between Mt 23:37 and Mt
23:38. The house was left desolate because Christ, who was set forth
by the symbol of shelter, was rejected by them, and was not
permitted to cover them with his wings. It was customary for the
Jews to say of a proselyte, "He has taken refuge under the wings of
the Shekinah." We now see that to take shelter under the wings of
the Shekinah is to hide beneath the wings of Christ. Beneath that
living shield which beats back the destroying stroke, and is broad
enough to canopy a fugitive world, we take shelter, and there the
promise is fulfilled, "He shall cover thee with his feathers, and
under his wings shalt thou trust."
(see
Spurgeon's note)
Ps 132:8 Arise, O LORD,
to Thy resting place; Thou and the ark of Thy strength.
In essence we have here a prayer
by the psalmist for Jehovah to descend in the Shekinah (the
glory cloud) and dwell above the ark of the covenant. Spurgeon
comments that...
In these three verses we see
the finders of the ark removing it to its appointed place, using a
formula somewhat like to that used by Moses when he said, "Rise up,
Lord", and again, "Return, O Lord, unto the many thousands of
Israel." The ark had been long upon the move, and no fit place had
been found for it in Canaan, but now devout men have prepared a
temple, and they sing, Arise, O Lord, into thy rest; thou, and the
ark of thy strength. They hoped that now the covenant symbol had
found a permanent abode -- a rest, and they trusted that Jehovah
would now abide with it for ever. Vain would it be for the ark to be
settled if the Lord did not continue with it, and perpetually shine
forth from between the cherubim. Unless the Lord shall rest with us
there is no rest for us; unless the ark of his strength abide with
us we are ourselves without strength. The ark of the covenant is
here mentioned by a name which it well deserved; for in its
captivity it smote its captors, and broke their gods, and when it
was brought back it guarded its own honour by the death of those who
dared to treat it with disrespect. The power of God was thus
connected with the sacred chest. Reverently, therefore, did Solomon
pray concerning it as he besought the living God to consecrate the
temple by his presence. It is the Lord and the covenant, or rather
say the covenant Jehovah whose presence we desire in our assemblies,
and this presence is the strength of his people. Oh that the Lord
would indeed abide in all the churches, and cause his power to be
revealed in Zion.
Isa 37:16
"O LORD of hosts, the
God of Israel, Who art enthroned above the cherubim, Thou art
the God, Thou alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth. Thou hast
made heaven and earth.
A devotional comment from F B
Meyer on the Shekinah...
It should never be forgotten
that nothing can afford to us protection and succor but vital union
with Christ. We must hide in His secret place if we would
abide under His shadow. We must dwell in the most holy place if we
would be shadowed by the wings of the Shekinah. There must be
nothing between us and God, if we are to walk together, and enjoy
fellowship with the Father, and with His Son, Jesus Christ.
Dost thou know the hope of His
calling to a life within the veil, with the veil behind thee, and
the light of the Shekinah ever on thy
face?
Harry Ironside...
An uncreated light, the
Shekinah glory, shone above the mercy seat between the golden
cherubim, whose wings were spread out over it. Into this sacred
enclosure, where the presence of GOD was manifested, the ordinary
priests were not permitted to enter; only the High Priest, and that
just once a year. He went in carrying a golden basin filled with
atoning blood, which he sprinkled upon the mercy seat and before it,
where he himself took his stand.
Commenting on Exodus 24:16
Robert Rayburn
writes...
The verb the NIV translates
“covered” is literally the verb שכן)) “dwelt.” The glory of the Lord
dwelt upon the mountain. It will be used later in a technical sense
of God’s Shekinah, the outward manifestation of his presence to men.
From this we get the idea of the God “tabernacling” with men in John
1:14. “We have seen his glory,” John says, when the Word dwelt among
men.
In 1Cor 10:1 Paul says "10:1 FOR
I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that our fathers were all
under the cloud, and all passed through the sea
Guzik: The cloud of
Shekinah glory overshadowed Israel throughout their journey from
Egypt to the Promised Land. During the day, the cloud sheltered them
from the brutal desert sun, and during the night, it burned as a
pillar of fire. It was a constant, ready reminder of God’s glory and
presence (Exodus 13:21-22).
Acts 1:9 And after He had said
these things, He was lifted up while they were looking on, and a
cloud received Him out of their sight.
Steven Cole comments: Luke
succinctly repeats the story of Jesus’ ascension, which he told at
the end of his gospel. The cloud that received Jesus out of their
sight was probably the Shekinah glory of God.
"The Indwelling of the
Spirit" makes the believers body a temple for the indwelling of the
Lord Jesus Christ, the Shekinah Glory (Rom. 8:9-11; 1 Cor. 3:16;
6:19-20; 2 Cor. 6:16).
"The Indwelling of the Spirit" makes the believers body a temple for
the indwelling of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Shekinah Glory (Rom.
8:9-11; 1 Cor. 3:16; 6:19-20; 2 Cor. 6:16).
The Holy Spirit indwells
every believer in order to provide a temple for the indwelling of
the Shekinah Glory, the Lord Jesus Christ, which serves as
the principle of victory over the indwelling old sin nature. The
Holy Spirit’s purpose during the church is to indwell every believer
in order to provide a temple for the indwelling of the Shekinah
Glory, the Lord Jesus Christ, which serves as the principle of
victory over the indwelling old sin nature and provides the believer
the spiritual capacity to understand the Word of God since the
Spirit serves as the believer’s true teacher and mentor in place of
the absent Christ. (William Wenstrom)
Adrian Rogers - When King
Solomon dedicated that magnificent temple on Mount Moriah, it was
among other things an object lesson, an illustration of every
believer in the Lord Jesus Christ. For now, after Pentecost, at the
moment of our salvation we become temples of the Holy Spirit. God
through His Holy Spirit indwells us, just as His Spirit came and filled
the holy of holies of Solomon’s temple with shekinah glory when it
was fully dedicated to Him: “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” (1 Kings 8:10-11). Yet, some Christians appear not to be filled
with the Holy Spirit. Glory does not fill their house. They have
allowed the self-life and the cares of this world to move the Lord
Jesus from that place of preeminence that is rightfully His. They
are no longer Spirit-filled but are what the Bible calls “carnal” or
fleshly. Therefore, we have this admonition of the Apostle Paul: “Be
not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the
Spirit” (Ephesians 5:18). (The power of his presence)
2Cor 12:9 And He has said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you,
for power is perfected in weakness." Most gladly, therefore, I will
rather boast about my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may dwell
(episkenoo)
in me.
Wuest: And He has said to
me, and His declaration still stands, My grace is enough for you,
for power is moment by moment coming to its full energy and complete
operation in the sphere of weakness. Therefore, most gladly will I
the rather boast in my weaknesses in order that the power of the
Christ [like the Shekinah Glory in the Holy of Holies of the Tent
of Meeting] may take up its residence in me [working within me
and giving me help]. (Eerdmans)
Hodge commenting
on most gladly writes that Paul is saying...
most sweetly, with an
acquiescence delightful to himself. His sufferings thus became the
source of the purest and highest pleasure.
I will rather boast about my weaknesses does not mean "I glory in
the midst of infirmities", but on account of them. This rejoicing on
account of his sufferings or those things which implied his weakness
and dependence, was not a fanatical feeling, (but) it had a rational
and sufficient basis, viz., that the power of Christ may rest upon
me; i.e., dwell in me as in a tent, as the Shekinah dwelt in olden
days on the tabernacle. To be made thus the dwelling place of the
power of Christ, where He reveals His glory, was a rational ground
of rejoicing in those infirmities which were the his present
condition and the occasion for the manifestation of Christ's power.
Most Christians are satisfied in trying to be resigned under
suffering. They think it a great thing if they can bring themselves
to submit to be the dwelling-place of Christ's power. To rejoice in
their afflictions because thereby Christ is glorified, is more than
they aspire to. Paul's experience was far above that standard.
The power of Christ is not
only thus manifested in the weakness of His people, but in the means
that He employs to achieve his purposes. Believers are in all cases
utterly inadequate in themselves and the means disproportionate to
the results to be obtained. This treasure is in clay jars so that
the excellency of the power may be God’s. By the foolishness of
preaching he saves those who believe. By twelve illiterate men the
church was established and extended over the civilized world. By a
few missionaries heathen lands are converted into Christian
countries. So in all cases the power of Christ is perfected in
weakness. (An
exposition of the Second epistle to the Corinthians. By Charles
Hodge.)
Robertson writes
that episkenoo means...
to fix a tent upon, here
upon Paul himself by a bold metaphor, as if the
Shekinah of the Lord was
overshadowing him (cf. Lk 9:34), the power
(Dunamis)
of the Lord Jesus.
"May dwell in me" is picture
similar to that which describes God descending from heaven and
dwelling in the tabernacle among the people of Israel
Then the cloud covered the
tent (Lxx = skene) of meeting, and the glory (Shekinah)
of the LORD filled the tabernacle (Lxx = skene). (Ex 40:34).
Comment: Here in
2Corinthians 12:9 Paul employs the same dramatic imagery teaching NT
believers that the glorious Christ “pitches His tent” with His
people in their weaknesses, not with the "rich and famous and
powerful"! As Hughes says "Christ pitches his tent with the weak and
the unknown, the suffering shut-in, the anonymous pastor and
missionary, the godly, quiet servants in the home and the
marketplace." (Ibid)
14 If you are reviled for
the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and
of God rests upon you.
