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The Glory of the Lord



We’ve heard the Christmas story many times and it is read aloud during this time of the season as well. The focus, of course, is that the Angels appeared out in the fields to tell the Shepherds that the baby Jesus had been born.

I know some of you already know this, but have you ever stopped to really “dissect” the events of that night? Yes…the Angels. Yes…the Heavenly Host. Yes…the Shepherds. We get it!! But, wait, there is something else “there” during that announcement. Actually, I should say, SOMEONE else is there. In Luke 2:9, “…and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them.”

It wasn’t the Angels or the Heavenly Host that terrified them (although their sudden appearance could do that). They were terrified because God suddenly appeared in radiant form along with the Angels. The announcement was of such indescribable importance to the world that God was physically present as a testament to its truth.

Yes, God was physically "there" that holy night with the Angels and Shepherds during the announcement that His Son had been born, a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. How do we know that? Well, the Greek word for “glory” is “doxa” that refers to God’s visible presence.

We find the Hebrew word for “glory” in Exodus 24:16-17 when “…the glory of the Lord” settled upon Mount Sinai. The Israelites at the base of the mountain declared that the Lord’s glory “…looked like a consuming fire on top of the mountain.”

This “glory” that the Bible speaks of is the divine transcendence of God as He makes Himself visible to His people and His creation. What is so amazing to me is that this “glory” combines awe and terror (the Shepherds were terrified indeed) while simultaneously inviting us to approach yet keep some distance.

God’s glory is so brilliant and beyond full human comprehension that, even Moses, in Exodus 33:18-23, had to be shielded by God from the full effect of His presence. We also see in Psalm 29 that God’s glory was so immeasurable that the people witnessing it were filled with such wonder and terror at the presence of God’s voice that they cried out “GLORY!”

On a side-note, did you know that there are fifty references to the glory of God in just the Psalms alone? God is, indeed, that glorious! How amazing it is to think that even though the full glory of God is beyond our human ability to grasp, He still reveals enough of it for us to share it.

After all, even though we are human, it is possible to grasp what is revealed to us. Even our first Martyr, Stephen, while being stoned to death, looked up and gazed into Heaven where he (with the help of the Holy Spirit) “…saw the glory of God.” (Acts 7:55)

Focus on the glory of the Lord this Advent and Christmas season. Seek the glory of God always and never retreat. Seek God and all things eternal! No matter what happens in this world or to us, personally, keep your eyes on Jesus!

As it says in 2 Corinthians 4:16-18, “That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.

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