When we hear about the glory of the LORD, it brings to mind images of light, and splendor. There is more to understand about it, though, There is another side to the glory.
The Hebrew word for glory is "kabod". It means glory, honor, abundance, riches, reverence, splendor, weightiness. The root word of kabod is the word "kabad". It includes many of the meanings noted above, such as rich, honorable, be made abundant. Also included in the meaning of the root word for glory, "kabad", are the meanings to be heavy, weighty, grievous, to be hard, burdensome, to make heavy, dull, unresponsive. This root word "kabad" is used in some scriptures that deal with the judgment of God:
"And the LORD said, Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous..." Gen, 18:20
"But when Pharaoh saw that there was respite, he hardened his heart, and hearkened not unto them; as the LORD had said." Ex. 8:15, 8:32, 9:34, 10:1
"But the hand of the LORD was heavy upon Ashdod, and He destroyed them, and smote them with emerods, even Ashdod and the coasts thereof." 1 Sam. 5:6
As we can see in the above verses, there are two sides to the glory of God.
The glory of the LORD also presided over the judgment of the rebellion of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram (Num. 16:19-21).
The glory of God is also the measure that will measure all of us:
"for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." Rom. 3:23
By this measure, we all fail except for the fact that Jesus made it possible for us to see the other side of God's glory.
Those who love God, and have received Him as their LORD, see one side of the glory through Christ. It's beautiful, and shining. It is for their enrichment, sanctification, provision and for their covering and protection:
"...the glory of the LORD appeared in the cloud. And the LORD spoke to Moses saying, "...at twilight you shall eat meat, and in the morning, you shall be filled with bread."
Ex. 16:10-12
:And there I will meet with the children of Israel, and the tabernacle shall be sanctified by My glory." Ex. 29:43
"Then the LORD shall create above every dwelling place of Mount Zion, and above her assemblies, a cloud and smoke by day and the shining of a flaming fire by night. For over all the glory, there will be a covering. And there will be a tabernacle for shade in the daytime from the heat, for a place of refuge, and for a shelter from storm and rain." Isa. 4:5-6
"That He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man." Eph. 3:16
"And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus."
Phil. 4:19
Considering the above scriptures, it is no wonder that in Jesus' last prayer before His suffering, as He was praying for His disciples, it was important to Him to pray regarding the glory of His Father:
"And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me."
Jn. 17:22-23
We have become one with Christ and with the Father by the inclusion into His glory. This same glory perfects us, even as it unites us. Even if it seems that we are broken into millions of splintered parts in the Body of Christ, being in His glory unites us. It is vital that this glory of God shines from each of us as a witness and a testimony to others who desperately need it.
Numbers 14:21 and Habakkuk 2:14 tells us that the whole earth will be filled with the glory of the LORD, and with the knowledge of His glory, but, sadly, not all will see the same side of the glory. We are living in a time that is calling us to pray, calling us to sober watchfulness, for the glory is coming, and is even now here.
Our Father's glory has two sides.
"The Glory of Your Presence"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=psuYGOHJ-1s
"Battle Hymn of the Republic"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e4Xz7WV_qJs
I was reminded this morning of something the Lord taught me many years ago. When we are called by the Lord out of darkness and into His marvelous light, we wonder what place we have in the Body of Christ. I can remember so many saying that the Lord called them to be pastors, or prophets, or evangelists, and so on, but especially pastors. Everyone sitting next to me in church claimed they were supposed to be pastors. How could this be?! It was not my job to judge, but it seemed to me that many were coveting offices and positions that they weren't really called to. You probably remember a lot of this going on as well.
At this point, the Lord began to tell me the story of the submarine and the aircraft carrier. I kid you not!
He showed me a huge U.S. aircraft carrier sitting in the sea. Aircraft were being launched from its deck. The planes were coming and going from her. It's large crew were scurrying across its deck. It was very dramatic and impressive. You could almost hear the naval theme "Anchors Aweigh" blasting through the air! (Listen Here). The Lord said that some in the Body were like this aircraft carrier- certainly a mighty weapon in warfare.
Then He showed me a long, dark submarine. He made me think about the characteristics of this vessel. I saw it quietly submerge, going dark, and silent, disappearing beneath the waves. It could travel through shallower depths, even coming very close to a nation's coastline. It also travelled into the deep abysses and canyons of the oceans. It was designed for this purpose, to withstand the depths. Its smaller sized crew often had to spend lengths of time whispering, or not speaking at all, in order for the vessel to run silently. It "saw" differently, through a periscope. It "heard" differently, by the pings of sonar. It was at its most dangerous when you couldn't see it. It could stay silently submerged for up to six months. It could launch nuclear weapons. If all land and air armaments were attacked and destroyed, the last line of defense is the submerged nuclear submarine. But its strength is that fact that it is not seen, heard, nor detected. It is not a showy vessel, nor beautiful to look at, and you certainly can't launch or land aircraft on it, not even a helicopter. When it runs on the surface of the water, it is not very maneuverable, but under the water, it can turn beautifully, rise and dive sharply and quickly. It is your worst enemy, or your greatest tool of defense. It is specially designed to fill its purpose. It is not as outwardly impressive as an aircraft carrier, but it is perfect for what is needed.
When I considered it, I thought, "Aircraft carriers are very cool, but it's awesome to be a submarine."
Sometimes in the Body of Christ we all want to be aircraft carriers, and indeed, I'm sure many are. But if you have spent many years feeling frustrated or unhappy because you are not being used by God as an aircraft carrier, may I make the case for, and ask you to consider, that it may be time to think about the awesomeness of submarines. I am thrilled and fulfilled, and so grateful to my Father that I only have to surface every six months or so. Since He showed me this wonder, I am so happy in the deep, and in the silence, "hearing" and "seeing" in the special way that He has equipped me to operate. Bless Him always.
You know that the Apostle Paul taught us in scripture that we are not all the same part of the Body, and each part has its own value and purpose. Each part needs the valuable gift of the other parts in order to function as a whole. Yet we still desire certain parts over others. This can turn out very sadly, and be very destructive.
The rebellion of Korah, Dathan, Abiram, and On against the anointing, and calling of Moses and Aaron is just such an example. They coveted the leadership position, and encouraged 250 of the best leaders of the Israelites to join in their rebellion. I would like to look at Korah's story for a moment. Korah was a descendent of Levi's third son, Kohath. Levi's other two sons were Gershon and Merari. The descendants of Gershon and Merari were given charge of the outer areas of the Tabernacle and court, the panels, curtains, frames, ropes, pegs, etc. that went into that assembly. These items were loaded onto carts to be moved from place to place with the people of Israel as they travelled through the wilderness. But the Kohathites were in charge of the inner curtains and furnishings. This included the altars, the lamp stand, the showbread table, the ark of the covenant. These items differed from the others because they could not be loaded onto carts to be moved. The Kohathites had to carry these things on poles on their shoulders. Not only that, but they could not touch the items, which had to be wrapped in special protective coverings (Num. 4). Touching the items meant death. So the Kohathites, which included Korah, had to shoulder these things on poles, rather than put them on a cart. Korah and others were dissatisfied with their place, and assignment. Though they expressed their resentment with Moses, they really resented God, because their roles were determined and assigned by Him.
Their rebellion ended in the horror of their destruction, as they, and all who were with them, were swallowed up by an earthquake (Num. 16). But Num. 26:11 tells us something interesting:
"Nevertheless, the children (sons) of Korah did not die."
The sons of Korah were not destroyed with their father. One descendant of Korah is the prophet Samuel (the descendants of Levi are listed in 1 Chron.6). The Sons of Korah fought alongside David, and were appointed by him as singers and psalmists in the Tabernacle, and Temple later. The Sons of Korah wrote 25 of the Psalms: 42-50, 62, and 72-85. Their Psalms express a spirit of great gratitude and longing for God. Psalm 42 is the inspiration for our great worship song "As the Deer Panteth for the Water".
Korah wanted to be Moses, and coveted his position. But Korah was a worshipper. God specially gifted and designed him and his progeny for this great purpose. How sad that he only saw what someone else had, and did not see his own great gift and destiny.
We cannot afford to live our lives coveting someone else's calling and purpose. Our Father has designed each of us for a specific purpose. We cannot continue to reject His headship, and His design for us.
Our Father has designed spiritual submarines too!
"As the Deer"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-gaT4q9eJ1U
I realized a wonderful moment with the word of God recently. It is not a major teaching, or a deep concept, but when I saw it, the beauty, love, and wisdom of it brought tears to my eyes, and I marveled that I had not realized the principle long before.
The LORD God speaks beautifully, and with great wisdom, about teaching our children about Him, and about His word.
From Deut. 11:18-21 He commands us:
"Therefore you shall lay up these words of mine in your heart and in your soul, and bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes.
You shall teach them to your children, speaking of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up.
...that your days and the days of your children may be multiplied in the land of which the LORD swore to your fathers to give them, like the days of the heavens above the earth."
Our heavenly Father is giving us the perfect way to teach our children about Him. It is a simple way. It is a way that is natural, spiritual, and understands the way children learn.
After all, not many of us can sit for an hour or more, and take in all someone is telling us. But the Father tells us that learning is more effectively done a little at a time:
"Whom will He teach knowledge? And whom will He make to understand the message?...
For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept,
line upon line, line upon line,
Here a little, there a little." Isa. 28:9-10
According to Deut. 11, above, the perfect opportunities to teach children about the LORD, are found in small everyday activities that we all share as families. Even the most common activities can be used to tell our children something about the LORD, and His word. I'm sure if I just give a few examples, many more will come to your mind.
When we wake up in the morning, we can tell our children that the LORD's mercies are new every morning. So if something went wrong yesterday, or if we made a mistake, or did something to hurt someone else, we can be sure that the LORD is waiting to give us a new start. We can tell them that if we ask the LORD to forgive us, He is faithful to do so. There are new gifts and mercies appointed to our lives every day.
When we sit down to eat, we can tell our children how the LORD miraculously supplied His people with manna from heaven, when they were in a place where there was no food. We can tell them that while we enjoy bread to eat, Jesus is our Bread of Life. He feeds us life, He sustains our lives more than natural food does.
When we enter our house, we can tell our children how Jesus told us that in His Father's house, there are many mansions, and how Jesus has prepared a place for us in that awesome house. We can tell our children how King David said in the Psalms "I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the LORD."
When we walk somewhere with our children, we can tell them how Jesus said "I am the way, the truth and the life."
When we just sit down together, we can use that as an opportunity to tell the children how Jesus is seated at the right hand of the Father, and we are seated there with Him, even while we are seated here on the earth.
I'm sure many more examples are coming to your mind of how we can use simple daily opportunities to teach our children about the LORD.
The results of teaching our children according to Deut. 11, is like the days of the heavens above the earth!
How simple, but how wise, and brilliant He is in telling us this. How much easier it is for a child to learn the ways of God by hearing some gem of truth every day, from everyday life.
Our Father wants us to teach our children about Him.
"Jesus Loves Me"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6JxCgo6iPrg
"Teach Me Your Ways"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lfTTU5w8Vb4
