What Is the Glory of the Lord?

God's Shining Greatness

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When the angel came, “the glory of the Lord shone around them” (Luke 2:9). What is the glory of the Lord, and why did it make the shepherds so afraid?

What glory means. God's glory is His greatness, goodness and holiness shining out so that people can see it. It shows how great God really is.

Bright and holy. In the Bible God's glory often looks like bright light, fire or a shining cloud. It shows that God is holy, which means pure and set apart from all sin.

The heavens. “The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament shows His handiwork” (Psalm 19:1). Every sunrise tells us something about how great God is.

Moses asked. Moses prayed, “Please, show me Your glory” (Exodus 33:18). God answered, “You cannot see My face; for no man shall see Me, and live” (Exodus 33:20).

Hidden in the rock. God put Moses “in the cleft of the rock” and covered him with His hand while His glory passed by (Exodus 33:22). God was protecting Moses.

The tent. When the tabernacle was finished, “the cloud covered the tabernacle of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle” (Exodus 40:34).

Too much for Moses. “Moses was not able to enter the tabernacle of meeting” (Exodus 40:35). God's glory was so great that even Moses had to stay outside.

The temple. When Solomon finished praying, “fire came down from heaven… and the glory of the Lord filled the temple” (2 Chronicles 7:1).

Holy, holy, holy. Isaiah saw heavenly beings calling to one another, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; The whole earth is full of His glory!” (Isaiah 6:3).

In a sheep field. On the night Jesus was born, that same glory shone in a field near Bethlehem. God's glory came close because His Son had come.

Why afraid? Sinful people cannot stand easily before a holy God. “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).

Do not be afraid. The angel's next words were, “Do not be afraid” (Luke 2:10). God showed His glory to bring good news, not to destroy. The same God who is holy is also kind, and He sent His Son to bring us near.

What to do. Go outside this week and look at the sky. Thank God for His glory, and ask Him to help you honor Him in everything you do. You can also sing or say a praise to Him, just as the angels did.

The glory of the Lord appears all through the Bible, and it shone over the shepherds on the night Jesus was born. Its history helps us see why that night mattered so much.

Kavod. The Hebrew word kavod (say: kah-VODE) comes from a root meaning heavy or weighty. God's glory is the full weight of who He is: His holiness, power, beauty and goodness.

From kavod to Luke 2. The Greek Old Testament translated kavod with the same Greek word for glory that Luke uses in 2:9 and 2:14. To give God glory is to praise Him for His true worth.

Exodus 33:18-23. Moses asked to see God's glory. God let His goodness pass by but would not show His face, because “no man shall see Me, and live.” God's glory gives life, but sinners cannot survive its full blaze.

Exodus 40:34-35. The glory cloud filled the tabernacle so completely that Moses could not enter. The word tabernacle means a dwelling place, a tent where God lived among His people. God came to live among His people, but they had to keep their distance.

1 Kings 8:10-11. When the temple was dedicated, “the priests could not continue ministering because of the cloud; for the glory of the Lord filled the house of the Lord.”

Isaiah 6:3-5. The seraphim cried, “Holy, holy, holy.” Isaiah answered that he was undone, a man of unclean lips. When God's glory shines, our sin shows.

Luke 2:9. The same glory that once filled the tabernacle and the temple “shone around” poor shepherds in an open field. God's presence had come out to ordinary people, because the Son of God had been born.

Luke 2:14. The angels' praise, “Glory to God in the highest,” gives God the honor He deserves. Glory is both what God shows and what His creatures give back to Him.

Romans 3:23. “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” People were made to reflect God's glory, and sin left us falling short of it.

Fear answered. The words “Do not be afraid” came with the news of a Savior. The answer to the terror of God's glory is not hiding from God but trusting the Savior He sent.

Psalm 19:1. Creation also shows God's glory. Every sky is a small picture of His greatness, but only His Son shows that glory fully.

Application. Treat God as weighty in your life. Pray with reverence, worship with joy and let your praise say something true about Him.

Glory in the Face of Jesus

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In the Old Testament, God's glory filled a tent and a temple. On the night in Bethlehem, God's glory came closer than ever before. God's Son was born as a baby.

The Word became flesh. John wrote, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory” (John 1:14). The Word is Jesus.

Full of grace and truth. Jesus' glory was “the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14). His glory looks like kindness and truth together.

Seeing God. “No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him” (John 1:18). Jesus shows us what God is like.

The brightness of His glory. Jesus is “the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person” (Hebrews 1:3). Seeing Jesus is like seeing the light that shines out from the sun.

The first sign. When Jesus turned water into wine, He “manifested His glory; and His disciples believed in Him” (John 2:11). Manifested means showed.

On the mountain. One day Jesus “was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light” (Matthew 17:2).

Glory and the cross. Before He died, Jesus said, “The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified” (John 12:23). Jesus showed God's glory most of all when He gave His life for sinners.

Worthy is the Lamb. In heaven a great crowd says with a loud voice, “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain To receive power and riches and wisdom, And strength and honor and glory and blessing!” (Revelation 5:12).

Light in our hearts. God “has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ” (2 Corinthians 4:6).

Changed by looking. When we look to Jesus, we “are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory” (2 Corinthians 3:18). He makes us more like Himself.

Hope of glory. Christians “rejoice in hope of the glory of God” (Romans 5:2). One day we will see Jesus face to face.

Giving glory. Jesus said, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:16).

What to do. Read about Jesus this week and ask, What does this show me about God? Then let your kindness point people to Him.

The glory that shone over the shepherds was not a passing light show. It was the sign that God's glory had come to live among people in the person of Jesus.

John 1:14. “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” The Greek word for dwelt is eskenosen (say: es-KAY-noh-sen), which means pitched His tent. It is the language of the tabernacle, where God's glory lived. Jesus is God's dwelling place with us.

Grace and truth. In Exodus 34:6 God described Himself as “abounding in goodness and truth.” John says Jesus is “full of grace and truth.” The God who passed by Moses in glory now walks among people in Jesus.

John 1:18. Moses could not see God's face. Jesus, the only begotten Son, “has declared Him.” The word means to explain or make known. Jesus is God made visible.

Hebrews 1:3. The word for brightness means the shining that comes out from a light, like sunlight streaming from the sun. Jesus is not a mirror that reflects God's glory from outside. He is that glory shining out, because He is God.

Glory in humility. The angels gave God glory over a baby in a manger (Luke 2:12-14). God's glory is shown not only in power but in humble love (Philippians 2:5-8).

John 2:11. Jesus' first sign “manifested His glory.” His miracles were windows into who He is.

The transfiguration. On the mountain, Moses and Elijah “appeared in glory” beside Jesus and spoke of His death at Jerusalem (Luke 9:30-31). Peter later wrote that he had been an eyewitness of His majesty (2 Peter 1:16).

John 12:23. Jesus called the hour of His death the hour He would be glorified. At the cross God's holiness and love shine brightest: sin is judged, and sinners are forgiven.

2 Corinthians 4:6. The God who commanded light to shine out of darkness shines into human hearts, to give “the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” Seeing Jesus by faith is seeing God's glory.

2 Corinthians 3:18. Believers, beholding the glory of the Lord, “are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.” The Holy Spirit does this changing work in us.

Romans 5:2. Through Jesus we “rejoice in hope of the glory of God.” What sin made us fall short of, Jesus restores, and one day His people will share His glory.

Application. Matthew 5:16 says to let your light shine so that people glorify your Father. Live so that people think more highly of God, not of you.

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