DEVOTION / The glory of the LORD
Have you caught this in the Luke 2 account of Jesus' birth?
The glory of the LORD
In the New International Version of the Bible, the term "the glory of the LORD" appears 35 times. (By the way notice that the Hebrew word LORD is God's favorite name, Yahweh.) All but one of those 35 times is in the Old Testament. The only one in the New Testament is in Luke 2:9, "An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified."
The glory of the LORD in the Old Testament
"The glory of the LORD" is first named in Scripture when the Children of Israel camp at Mount Sinai. Exodus 24:17 reports, "To the Israelites the glory of the LORD looked like a consuming fire on top of the mountain." Sometime later, "the glory of the LORD" filled the newly commissioned Tabernacle to the point that "Moses could not enter the tent of meeting" (Exodus 40:35). Five hundred years after that, at the dedication of Solomon's temple, the priests had the same experience as Moses (1 Kings 8:10,11). In addition, "fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices" they were able to offer (2 Chronicles 7:1).
Isaiah writes about the glory of the LORD, promising it would soon appear on Earth. Ezekiel describes six encounters with the glory of God. And Habbakkuk promises that a time would come when "the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD as the waters cover the sea" (Habakkuk 2:14). After that, Scripture makes no additional mention of the glory of the LORD.
The glory of the LORD in the New Testament
Until, on an otherwise quiet Judean night outside of Bethlehem, where shepherds cared for their flocks, the sky exploded with divine brilliance. The shepherds reacted just as people before them reacted. "They were terrified" (Luke 2:9).
But there was no reason for terror. “Do not be afraid," the angel told them. Let incredible joy fill your hearts, joy that belongs to all people for all time. The Messiah, who is also the LORD God himself, has come to earth as a human being. And because he is a human being his life will become the stand-in for your lives and his death will be the sacrifice that forgives your sins. There is no longer any reason for terror when confronted with the glory of the LORD. The Messiah has come to give us his glory, his grandeur, his grace.
The glory of the LORD in us
The glory of the LORD -- the LORD's transcendence, his beauty, his holy brilliance -- no longer separates us from God but enfolds us. No wonder a sky-filled with angels shouted, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests” (Luke 2:14).