Seeking the Glory of the Lord

In my Sacred Scripture class this past semester, we spent some time tracking the movement of the glory of the Lord throughout Scripture.

In Exodus, we see the glory of the Lord is very close to His people Israel. God speaks to Moses directly on Mount Sinai through the glory of the Lord:

The glory of the Lord settled on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days; and on the seventh day He called to Moses out of the midst of the cloud. Now the appearance of the glory of the Lord was like a devouring fire on the top of the mountain in the sight of the people of Israel (Ex 24:16-17).

Then after the beautiful tabernacle to the Lord is finished being constructed, “the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle” (Ex 40:34).

Later, after Solomon finishes building and dedicating the Temple, on which he unstintingly lavished time and work and ornate materials to honor God, when the Ark of the Covenant is brought into the Temple, “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” (1 Kings 8:10-11).

The glory of the Lord then dwells in the Temple. But God’s people turn further and further away from Him, becoming more and more entrenched in idolatry and sin, rejecting the Presence of God among them. After numerous warnings and prophesies and invitations to return to Him, we finally see, in a vision of Ezekiel, the glory of the Lord moving again: first it moves from the golden cherubim statues on which it rested to the threshold of the Temple (Ez 9:3), then leaves the Temple by the east gate (Ez 10:19-22).

Then God’s people fall into captivity, as God warned them they would if they persisted in sinning and breaking their covenant with Him. We see them returning to Him in the Books of Ezra and Nehemiah, turning zealously back to the Law and rebuilding Jerusalem and the Temple. But the glory of the Lord does not return.

The glory of the Lord does not return…

…until it returns in the Person of Jesus Christ.

But humanity did not give the glory of the Lord the welcome it deserved. We knew we fell short of the goodness of God, and rather than repenting, we resented our sinfulness being brought to the light. So we slew the glory of the Lord, and the earth trembled, the sky went dark, and the temple veil was torn in two at the enormity of the sin.

But today, the glory of the Lord has risen again and returned to us. Taking the just punishment for our sins upon Himself in His Passion, Christ has opened the invitation for us all to partake in His glory. In the unfathomable wisdom and love of God, by the Source of Goodness being slain the floodgates of goodness were opened for us.

Let us rejoice, for the glory of the Lord has defeated death and will never leave us again.

The strife is o’er, the battle done,
Now is the Victor’s triumph won,
Now be the song of praise begun:
Alleluia!

Death’s mightiest powers have done their worst,
And Jesus has His foes dispersed.
Let shouts of praise and joy outburst:
Alleluia!

He closed the yawning gates of hell;
The bars from Heaven’s high portals fell,
Let hymns of praise His triumph tell:
Alleluia!

On the third morn He rose again
Glorious in majesty to reign,
O let us swell the joyful strain:
Alleluia!

Have a happy, blessed, glorious Easter Sunday and Easter season!

EDIT FROM EASTER MONDAY: This morning I heard the very sad news of Pope Francis’s death. Please pray for the repose of his soul, for the Church, and for his successor.