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
"But my God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus."
Philippians 4:19
The word "supply" used above means to fill up, cause to abound, to complete, nothing shall be wanting. The root meaning of the word refers to hollow vessels being filled, also to being covered in every part. Of the soul, it pertains to being thoroughly permeated, perfect.
The place of the provision of our Father is found in the Spirit. The source of the provision of God is His glory, which in this case can mean splendour and brightness, but also means, His opinon, His judgment, and that which is pleasing to Him. These blessings, or riches can certainly manifest in the natural circumstances of our lives, but the natural circumstances of our lives is not the source of those riches, nor is it the complete meaning of these riches.
For example, using most of the same words that He uses in the above verse, the LORD addresses a very rich church in a place called Laodicea in Rev. 3:17-18:
"Because you say, "I am rich, and increased in goods, and have need of nothing";
and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked-
I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed;
and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see."
The natural state of this church was abundance and wealth. They thought their safety, esteem, power, and position was in their wealth. They were full of pride and arrogant. Anyone looking at the outward appearance of this church would have said that they were favored and blessed by God, because of their wealth. But the spiritual state of this church, according to the LORD, was extreme poverty and shame. The source of their wealth was not the spiritual place mentioned in the first scripture above, Phil. 4:19, but the source of their wealth was the system of this world. Outwardly blessed, but inwardly bankrupt. They would never be able to accomplish their spiritual purpose, if they remained as they were.
The gold that survives, the gold that remains, that Jesus speaks of according to Rev. 3:18, is gold that has come through the fire of refinement, a place of spiritual cleansing and strengthening. This gold can only be obtained through the LORD, through Christ. The gold that comes from Christ is not from a source that relies upon the worldly systems. The gold that Jesus speaks of has a spiritual source from His Father, and is, therefore, not subject to the eradict conditions of the world. It is from everlasting, and will not pass away. He instructs the church that this is the source upon which they must rely. Even their clothing is first to be spiritual clothing of righteousness (white garments). Our thinking must be in accord with these principles. Our dependence and source must be our Father. If we haven't sought this place in the Father's glory before, the same glory that Jesus has asked us to share with Him, we must begin to turn our hearts towards it. The days of shaking are upon us.
The United States is a very wealthy nation. But if we depend upon our nation, our jobs, our own strengths and talents, our natural inventiveness and ambition to be the source of success, wealth and provision in our lives, we will be like the church of Laodicea.
There is a commercial on television celebrating the State of New Jersey's recovery from the hurricane that caused so much damage to homes and lives. It invites people to come do commerce in the state. The song on the commercial says "We are stronger than the storm".
The source of this outward success, according to their proclamation, is their own strength. They have relied on themselves, the governments of their state and the nation, to rebuild them. In the same way, we also tend to rely on our employers and our government to be the source of our provision. Outwardly we may appear to be successful, but inwardly, we are bankrupt. The fact that we have relied first upon the world economic systems to be our provision, rather than our Father, has left us potentially poor, wretched, blind, naked and miserable, like the church of Laodicea, whether we realize it or not.
We have also judged the calling and success of other people and even other churches by their outward wealth or poverty, which may not be a true indicator of the anointing of God upon them. Many anointed servants of God have been through the place where they have only been able to depend on God for their provision. Man may have abandoned them, or come to them empty-handed. The systems of this world have been of no help. But these servants of God are blazing a trail that many of us may have to walk in the future. We will thank God for these men and women of God who will be able to lead us through in the days ahead where they have already had to travel. If our discernment of the anointing of God is influenced by the outward appearance of wealth, we will be as blind as the Laodicean church. Jesus did not judge a work by its affluence. To the church of Smyna, in Rev. 2:9, the LORD says:
"I know your works, tribulation, and poverty (but you are rich)..."
He is teaching them that they possess the spiritual wealth that comes from relying upon the Father. This is the first place of provision and blessing.
Relying upon the world for economic provision can be undependable, at best. There are those in our nation who refer to the currency of this country as "the almighty dollar". But the dollar is not almighty. In fact, the dollar is facing one of its greatest perils. The world has been turning against the continuing use of the U.S. dollar as its "reserve currency". Reserve currency means that the other nations of the world use the dollar to buy and sell. It has been the universal method of exchange, accepted by all nations in doing business. But times have changed. In the last few years, nations are rejecting the dollar as its reserve currency, and have put in place other currencies to use in buying and selling. The International Monetary Fund is even now recommending that the dollar no longer be used as the reserve currency, and a different currency be put in place. If these events continue, the dollar could become useless against our national debt, and even become devalued here in America. The consequences would be that you would need many more dollars in order to purchase what you used to be able to purchase. Inflation would soar. The U.S. economy could suffer a blow that would be difficult, perhaps impossible to recover from.
The riches and provision of the LORD do not have their source in the dollar, or any other natural riches. The riches of the LORD start in a supernatural place in our Father's glory, immersed in the person of Christ. This is a place where our souls sink into the being of Christ and are filled to overflowing. The spiritual overflowing also manifests in the natural overflowing of all blessings in our lives. We would be making a grave mistake to believe that the source of our provision lies in anyone, or anything other than the glory of God.
Our Father is Provision.
"In You Alone"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4hzKK36Ayrs
"God, I Look to You"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CR5IoWH9OiI
"More Precious Than Silver"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1HWf8YpH-3Q
Reference Articles:
"Is the Almighty Doomed?" Time Business
http://www.time.com/time/business/article/0,8599,1889588,00.html
"Dollar Could Be in Danger..." Reuters
http://rt.com/usa/dollar-danger-as-world-currency-977/
