I am sure this must have been amazing to behold… our God is so much more than just words on a page in the Bible. He is the Creator of all. Sometimes, He reveals His glory in powerful ways on earth.
The Shekinah Glory
1Now when Solomon had finished praying, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of the LORD filled the house. 2The priests could not enter into the house of the LORD because the glory of the LORD filled the LORD’S house. 3All the sons of Israel, seeing the fire come down and the glory of the LORD upon the house, bowed down on the pavement with their faces to the ground, and they worshiped and gave praise to the LORD, saying, “Truly He is good, truly His lovingkindness is everlasting.”
The presence was so strong that the priests could not enter the temple at that time. Pause and reflect on that. The people chose to bow down to, worship and praise the LORD. What a great response! I would hope I would do the same.
God will not always reveal Himself in this way, so do not be discouraged if you have not had one of these rather uncommon experiences with our LORD. But I do find it worth reflecting on the glory of God, something I do not do often enough.
Here is a link to an article discussing the Shekinah Glory:
The Shekinah glory – What is it? (compellingtruth.org).
I am not familiar with the site, but the article linked here is an interesting introduction to Shekinah Glory. I am sure there are a variety of views we could study and perhaps some of you will do so.
“The Shekinah glory is the Hebrew name given to the presence of God dwelling on the earth. The word “shekinah” does not actually appear in the Bible, but in Hebrew it can mean “he caused to dwell” and it was the term given to a divine visitation of Yahweh. A notable example of the Shekinah glory is the pillar of cloud by day and pillar of fire by night that guided the Israelites through the desert after their exodus from Egypt (Exodus 13:20–22).”
I invite you to pray with me:
Father, thank You for those times that You reveal Your glory to Your people in dramatic ways and also when You reveal Your glory in more private or personal encounters. Help me to focus more often on Your glory and not just the words of scripture. You are so much more than just words on the page in the Bible. You are a living and dynamic God, Creator of the universe. Help me live my life for Your glory.
Shalom
Devotion by John in service to Christ
—-
Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.