What About This Thing Called Glory?

22-24 Aaron lifted his hands over the people and blessed them. Having completed the rituals of the Absolution-Offering, the Whole-Burnt-Offering, and the Peace-Offering, he came down from the Altar. Moses and Aaron entered the Tent of Meeting. When they came out they blessed the people and the Glory of God appeared to all the people. Fire blazed out from God and consumed the Whole-Burnt-Offering and the fat pieces on the Altar. When all the people saw it happen they cheered loudly and then fell down, bowing in reverence. Leviticus 9:22-24 (MSG)

1-3 When Solomon finished praying, a bolt of lightning out of heaven struck the Whole-Burnt-Offering and sacrifices and the Glory of God filled The Temple. The Glory was so dense that the priests couldn’t get in—God so filled The Temple that there was no room for the priests! When all Israel saw the fire fall from heaven and the Glory of God fill The Temple, they fell on their knees, bowed their heads, and worshiped, thanking God: Yes! God is good! His love never quits! 2 Chronicles 7:(MSG)

The above two passages are examples of what happened when the Glory of God fell upon His people. These are both Old Testament examples, but we know that God is still God – “the same yesterday, today, and forever!” If He chooses (and He does in the most unexpected ways and the most unexpected places) to let His glory fall – there is pretty much the same reaction: when the “glory falls” – worship, praise, exceeding great joy, reverence, and humility are by-products of the “Glory”!

Could our failure to fall within these paramenters be one reason we don’t experience the “glory” more in our generation? In both of these passages of scripture we see the petition made to the Lord in sacrifice and prayer. As the people gathered all together in obedience, they stood in awe at the labor intensive work done to petition God for the removal of the penalty of their sins – and when God signified a “yes” with His Glory – they received that glory with all due reverence and with great humility.

We live in a time when there is so much familiarity with God that we often fail to remember that HE IS GOD – creator of all things, ruler of all men – and there so are so many other attributes of Him that words fail to adequately convey the many facets of who He really is and wants to be to us. Yet with all that He is and wants to be, HE IS HOLY! HE IS RIGHTEOUS! HE IS THE ONE WHO WILL ONE DAY BE OUR JUDGE! If we want to experience the glory of God, then we must as a corporate body recognize HIM AS GOD! He alone can forgive our sins, He alone can make us whole again! He alone decides when His Glory falls and upon who! There is no prescription or formula that can replica tethe “glory of God”. Make no mistake about it, if you think that diamonds are to be held in esteem, because of their scarcity – how much more should we hold our Father God in awe and reverence as we peition Him for meet us in the tabernacle – and fill it with His glory!

Selah (pause and think about that)
Maria