To understand the glory of God, we must first grasp the meaning of “kavod”—not simply as a shining or ethereal presence, but as the very weight, substance, and fullness of who God is. Kavod speaks of God’s self-sufficiency, His richness, His “fatness,” and His unchanging nature. God’s glory is not dependent on our praise or our presence; He is enthroned by Himself, complete and lacking nothing. Yet, when we recognize and honor the kavod of God, we align ourselves with the reality of His greatness and abundance, acknowledging that He is the source of all things and that our worship is a response to His overwhelming worth. [04:30]
Psalm 24:7-10 (ESV)
Lift up your heads, O gates!
And be lifted up, O ancient doors,
that the King of glory may come in.
Who is this King of glory?
The Lord, strong and mighty,
the Lord, mighty in battle!
Lift up your heads, O gates!
And lift them up, O ancient doors,
that the King of glory may come in.
Who is this King of glory?
The Lord of hosts,
he is the King of glory! Selah
Reflection: In what area of your life do you need to acknowledge God’s weight and sufficiency, letting go of self-reliance and giving Him the honor due His name today?
While kavod is the weight and fullness of God’s glory, Shekinah is the manifest presence of that glory among His people. Shekinah requires a dwelling, a habitation—a people who make room for God’s presence. God’s desire has always been to dwell not just among cherubim or in temples, but within His people, making His glory tangible in their midst. This is not about perfection, but about invitation: God seeks hearts and communities willing to host His presence, to become carriers of His glory, so that the fullness of who He is can be experienced and revealed on earth. [42:09]
Exodus 25:21-22 (ESV)
And you shall put the mercy seat on the top of the ark, and in the ark you shall put the testimony that I shall give you. There I will meet with you, and from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim that are on the ark of the testimony, I will speak with you about all that I will give you in commandment for the people of Israel.
Reflection: How can you intentionally make space in your daily life for God’s presence to dwell, rather than just visit, in your heart and home?
From the beginning, humanity was created to be stewards and priests—managers of God’s resources and carriers of His presence. Adam was called to “tend and keep” the garden, a priestly service that reflected the divine. Even after the fall, God’s desire was to restore this priesthood, making us not just recipients but administrators of His glory. Through Christ, we are invited to reclaim our role as those who cover, steward, and reflect God’s presence in the world, not by our own righteousness but by His grace. [19:10]
Genesis 2:15 (ESV)
The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it.
Reflection: What is one practical way you can steward God’s presence and resources today, serving as a priest in your family, workplace, or community?
There are moments when God’s glory becomes so tangible, so weighty, that it fills every space—leaving no room for anything else. This is not just a mystical fog or a vision, but the reality of God’s fullness occupying our lives, our gatherings, and our hearts. When the glory of God fills the temple, it is an invitation to deeper realms, to lose ourselves in His presence, and to allow Him to transform us from the inside out. Such encounters are not reserved for the perfect, but for the hungry—those who long for more of Him and are willing to press in beyond the ordinary. [53:50]
Exodus 40:34-35 (ESV)
Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. And Moses was not able to enter the tent of meeting because the cloud settled on it, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.
Reflection: When was the last time you allowed yourself to be fully immersed in God’s presence? What would it look like to set aside time this week to seek and wait for His glory to fill your life?
God’s ultimate desire is not just to dwell among cherubim or in temples, but to make His home in us. Through Jesus, who became like us and intercedes for us as a man, God has made a way for His glory to inhabit imperfect people. It is not our righteousness that qualifies us, but Christ’s finished work that makes us suitable hosts for the divine presence. Because of Jesus, God looks beyond our dysfunction and chooses to dwell within us, making us living temples of His glory and grace. [46:51]
2 Corinthians 4:6-7 (ESV)
For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.
Reflection: Where do you feel unworthy or inadequate to carry God’s presence? How can you invite Jesus to fill those places with His glory and grace today?
Kabod—often translated as “glory”—is a word that carries far more depth than our English language can capture. Its Hebraic roots speak of heaviness, weight, and substance, not just a shining or a feeling, but the very fullness and richness of God’s being. Kabod is not limited to God alone; in Scripture, it is used to describe the honor, wealth, and influence of people like Solomon, Joseph, and David. Yet, when applied to God, it points to His self-sufficiency, His “fatness,” His inexhaustible abundance. God’s kabod is independent of us; He is enthroned by Himself, unchanging and unthreatened by our actions or inactions.
But there is another dimension: Shekinah. While kabod is the weight of God’s glory, Shekinah is that glory finding a dwelling among people. Shekinah is the manifest presence of God, the indwelling, the habitation. For Shekinah to be present, there must be a people, a community, a place for God to settle. This is the difference between knowing about God’s greatness and experiencing His presence in our midst. The garden of Eden, the tabernacle, and the temple all serve as archetypes of this reality—God’s desire has always been to dwell among His people, not just to be acknowledged from afar.
The narrative of Scripture shows that after the fall, God’s presence was guarded by cherubim, but His longing was always to return to intimate fellowship with humanity. The priesthood, the sacrifices, the tabernacle—all pointed to this restoration. Jesus, as the ultimate intercessor, became like us so He could bring us into this habitation. Intercession requires identification; only one who shares in our humanity can truly stand in the gap. Because of Christ, God’s kabod can now find a home in us—Immanuel, “God with us.”
This understanding transforms how we approach God. It’s not enough to simply honor Him for His greatness (kabod) or to seek His blessings and presence (Shekinah) without giving Him the preeminence He deserves. True worship is giving God the first and the best, not just a portion or an afterthought. When we make room for Him, when we become His habitation, the weight of His glory fills our lives, our gatherings, and our communities in tangible, transformative ways.
Genesis 3:23-24 (ESV) — > Therefore the Lord God sent him out from the garden of Eden to work the ground from which he was taken. He drove out the man, and at the east of the garden of Eden he placed the cherubim and a flaming sword that turned every way to guard the way to the tree of life.
2. Exodus 40:34-35 (ESV)
> Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. And Moses was not able to enter the tent of meeting because the cloud settled on it, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.
3. 1 Kings 8:10-11 (ESV)
> And when the priests came out of the Holy Place, a cloud filled the house of the Lord, so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled the house of the Lord.
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