"Glory"

And the Lord said unto Moses, “It shall come to pass, while my glory passeth by, that I will put thee in a cleft of the rock.” Glory is presented in the Scriptures in two aspects. When Moses made supplication to Jehovah, saying, “I beseech thee shew me thy glory,”—the Lord replied, by promising first, to make all His goodness to pass before him. He made mention of certain glorious moral attributes that characterized the name of Yahweh. The mystery contained within this shadow is revealed through “the knowledge of the glory of God,” as manifested through Jesus Christ.

That “the glory of God” consists in those divine attributes and qualities that shine out through the character of Jehovah,—as well as that radiance of visible brightness revealed in Spirit light,—many testimonies abundantly prove. The Psalmist in supplication saith: “Help us, O God, for the glory of thy name” (Ps. lxxix. 9). In exhortation saith: “Give unto the Lord, the glory due unto his name” (Ps. xxix. 1, 2). By this we understand, that it is required of us to ascribe unto Jehovah, the lustre of those divine attributes which belong to His name. And let all who are able to understand and appreciate those marvellous excellences, render the homage of obedience and adoration.

Those wonderful exhibitions of miraculous power, described in the testimony, also form part of the glory of His name. Moses, in his song of triumph, says, “Thy right hand, O Lord, is become glorious in power” (Exod. xv.). And the words of the apostle Paul, concerning Christ’s resurrection, saith: “Like as Christ was raised up from the dead, by the glory of the Father” (Rom. vi.). This display of miraculous spirit-power, in performing such marvellous deeds of goodness, in delivering the first-borns from the power of the enemy, is the glory ascribed to Jehovah in these passages. The Psalmist disclaims any glory for mortals, saying: “Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but unto thy name give glory, for thy mercy, and for thy truth’s sake” (Ps. cxv. 1, 2).

“The glory of the Lord,” in the sense of visible spirit-brightness, is spoken of as having appeared, occasionally, during the ministration of Moses. At the time of the first giving of the law from Mount Sinai, the testimony saith: “A cloud covered the mount”: “And the sight of the glory of the Lord was like devouring fire, on the top of the mount, in the eyes of the children of Israel” (Exod. xxiv. 17). On other special occasions, it is said, “the glory of the Lord appeared in the cloud” (Exod. xvi. 10, Num. xvi. 42). “And the glory of the Lord appeared in the Tabernacle of the congregation” (Numb. xiv. 10).

In the scene of this record of the name, however, the glory infolded within the cloud, is not said to have appeared, or shone out in visible brightness. Its sign-language, seemed to speak of a “Hidden period.” The Mosaic “Olahm” was a period full of “shadows.” Those glimpses of spirit-glory that were permitted on special occasions to illumine the cloud, were but the shadowings of the glory that is yet to be revealed. A transient reflection of the glory, veiled by the covering hand, that passed over the rock, shone out from the countenance of Moses when he descended from the mount, with the two tables of testimony in his hand. So that Aaron, and all the children of Israel, when they saw that the skin of his face shone, “were afraid to come nigh him.” …. “And till Moses had done speaking with them, he put a veil upon his face” (Exod. xxxiv. 33).

The significance of this figure is unfolded by the apostle Paul, in his letter to the Corinthians. He there reveals the “hidden wisdom” contained in this shadow,—as he saith: > “If the ministration of death, written and engraven in stones, came with glory, so that the children of Israel could not steadfastly behold the face of Moses for the glory of his countenance; which glory was passing away: How shall not the ministration of the Spirit be rather glorious? For, if the ministration of condemnation be glory, much more doth the ministration of righteousness exceed in glory.”

The veil which Moses had put upon his face is then explained to signify that the glory pertaining to the “ministration of righteousness” could not be seen by the children of Israel: the testimony reading thus: > “Moses put a veil upon his face, that the children of Israel could not steadfastly look to the end of that which was passing away.”

That is,—to the end of the Mosaic order of things,—when the “ministration of righteousness” was brought in. > “But their minds were blinded: for until this day remaineth the same veil untaken away in the reading of the Old Testament: which veil is done away in Christ. But unto this day when Moses is read, the veil is upon their heart. Nevertheless, when it shall turn to the Lord, the veil shall be taken away: Now, the Lord is that Spirit” (2 Cor. iii. 7—17).

Thus we are led to apprehend that the Spirit of glory, veiled within the overshadowing cloud that encircled the cleft rock, was the Spirit that came to be indwelling in Him who is styled, “the Lord of glory” (2 Cor. ii. 8).

Moses, as a type of Christ, was privileged to reflect some of the glory pertaining to the work and mission of the Anointed. He spake to the children of Israel, and said: > “The Lord thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet, from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me: unto him shall ye hearken. … And the Lord said: I will put my words in his mouth: and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him. And it shall come to pass, that whosoever will not hearken unto my words, that he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him” (Deut. xviii.).