Seeking Out Shekhinah

"In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the

Majesty in heaven." Hebrews 1:1-3

Have you ever thought about the “glory” of God?  What is IT?  To the audience that is listening to Hebrews for the first time, they are very familiar with God’s glory.  Most scholars believe that we aren’t quite sure who the author of the book of Hebrews is, but they tend to agree that the book (or sermon) is directed towards a group of Jewish Christians who are now reconsidering their faith in Christ due to trials or persecution. 

The Jewish people knew about God’s glory.  They had SEEN it.

Remember when Moses began leading the people out of Egypt?  There was a cloud to guide them by day and a pillar of fire to guide them by night.  God’s glory. 

Remember when Moses went up to Mt Sinai and the cloud covered the mountain?  When he came down, his face was radiant, and he had to hide it from the people.  The glory of God.

Remember when Moses asked to SEE God’s glory?  God had to hide him behind a rock and pass by, while covering with His hand.  THAT is the glory of God.

So, for the readers (or listeners) of Hebrews, they understood the weight of God’s glory.  This was something powerful and majestic.  It’s the essence of God.  And no man can stand in it’s presence. 

And Moses wasn’t the only one in the Bible who wanted to encounter this powerful yet deadly force of God.  This morning I read Psalm 44.  In this heart-felt confession, David seeks out the glory of God as well.

"Send out your light and your truth;
   
let them lead me;
let them bring me to your holy hill
   
and to your dwelling!
Then I will go to the altar of God,
   
to God my exceeding joy,
and I will praise you with the lyre,
   
O God, my God."

David ASKS to go to the “holy hill,” to the dwelling of God.  David grew up hearing the stories of the cloud on the mountain.  He knew what it meant to ascend the hill.  Exodus 24 calls God’s glory on the mountain a “devouring fire.”  Even God tells Moses, “man shall not see me and live.”  Yet, this is what David requests—to be brought to God’s holy dwelling.

I can’t help but compare myself to David.  I have to ask myself if I have the same amount of desire.  If I KNEW that it could cost me my life, would I still be willing to ask to experience God’s presence?

The funny thing is, it does cost me my life.

Hebrews 1:2 tells us that Jesus is the “radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being.” To encounter Christ is to encounter the Shekhinah glory of God.  Yet, just as it was with Moses and David, it’s not without a cost. 

Christ paid that price for me to be able to encounter the glory of God and still live.  Yet, despite the weight of this sacrifice, I am so easily satisfied with the things in my life that I don’t actively seek out more of God’s glory.  I am challenged by the desire of Moses and David, who wanted to experience God in His fullness, even if it meant laying their own lives down.

Today, I have been given an even greater opportunity than Moses and David had. I have Christ living inside of me—“the exact representation of God.”  This was something they could only dream of and long for.  So, what’s next?  To what extent am I willing to go to experience more of God? Moses and David only had to ask.  Perhaps I should start there too.