Shekhinah Glory

[Waterfall]

I've been reading about the Shekhinah Glory. I'm curious if others are familiar with this. The word Shekhinah is not found in the biblical texts but the concept is through rabinical sources.

Roughly translated it means "Him who dwells" The Shekhinah was present during the parting of the red sea, and was also present with Israelites while they were in the desert and later in the temple. It is often referred to as the glory of God and is most often represented as fire or light.

I'm interested in learning more on this subject.

 

[Waterfall]

So I'm wondering...is this a physical representation or manifistation of God or God Himself? Is this the Holy Spirit?

I've also been reading that the Shekhina existed as the source of light before creation and it will be the Shekhina that the whole world will see when Christ returns. His Glory will fill the heavens.

 

[revjohn]

Roughly translated it means "Him who dwells" The Shekhinah was present during the parting of the red sea, and was also present with Israelites while they were in the desert and later in the temple. It is often referred to as the glory of God and is most often represented as fire or light.

Or simply cloud such as the cloud that would appear on top of Mt. Sinai or descend upon the tabernacle (which means dwelling place).

This is not a physical manifestation of God so much as it is an indication that God is present. God is never equated with the cloud though God is said to look down from inside the cloud. It is not unusual for fire to appear in the cloud during the night. I'm guessing because at night clouds have less ambient light to reflect and become less visible.

Since the cloud acts as a boundary between God and others it is probably good to make the boundary as visible as possible to prevent anyone from encroaching.

 

[Waterfall]

Was Jesus the Shekhinah? Is there any significance to knowing what the shekhinah represents?

For some reason I find this concept fascinating so anything someone has to offer I would appreciate it.

 

[revjohn]

Was Jesus the Shekhinah? Is there any significance to knowing what the shekhinah represents?

No. I would think any such position fails to take into account the difference between a cloud marking the presence of God and God's very self.

For some reason I find this concept fascinating so anything someone has to offer I would appreciate it.

It is a fascinating concept and illuminates God's willingness to accommodate the needs of the people of God while leading them to a place beyond need for such accommodation.

 

[Waterfall]

To carry over a question that Chansen asked on another thread...How do we know it is God speaking to us and not our own thoughts.....Does the appearance of the Shekhina offer us assurance?

 

[chansen]

You described "Shekhina" above as "the glory of God and is most often represented as fire or light."

Don't tell that to people who think they have the Holy Spirit, unless you want a lot of thoroughly convinced people dousing themselves in kerosene.

 

[Waterfall]

Ezekial 1:26 speaks of this glory and Ive also read that the first chapters of John referring to the word of God is actually the Shekhinah glory or anytime that the word of God phrase is used it is actually the Shekhina glory they are speaking of.

One can go through the OT and Nt and see many instances that God appears in a cloud, fire or a great light.

 

[Waterfall]

You described "Shekhina" above as "the glory of God and is most often represented as fire or light."

Don't tell that to people who think they have the Holy Spirit, unless you want a lot of thoroughly convinced people dousing themselves in kerosene.

I would hope not....I think the glory of God is not something that is self created.

 

[Hermann]

"God speaking to us" could be a metaphor for the pure, undifferentiated experience of reality, where we may experience God in its divine splendour, in its purity, unadulterated by our thoughts. After the experience we think about the experience, but these are our thoughts about the experience, not the experience itself. The experience itself is just the pure, unconceptualized experience.

In Zen Buddhism, they try to act spontaneously and dynamically, directly from the depth of the pure experience, without intrusion by the thinking mind. If the pure experience of reality is an experience of God, then this would be "obeying God's word."

 

[Hermann]

At the bottom of my screen I read: "Firefox automatically sends some data to Mozilla so that we can improve your experience."
Decent of them, eh?

 

[revjohn]

To carry over a question that Chansen asked on another thread...How do we know it is God speaking to us and not our own thoughts

Christians are called to test the spirits that we feel speaking to us. Sometimes the testing is fairly easy and other times it might be more difficult.
Which is one of the benefits to belonging to faith community, you have someone else who can help with the discernment.

We have some interesting ideas about what God chooses to speak about and how often God decides to directly intervene in our lives.

While I believe in God's constant presence and God's constant care I don't extend that belief to constant communication. The notion that God is always yacking on about what I should have for breakfast or what flight I should take to Vancouver (or not take) or who I should marry and what clothes I should wear to the gym is a vain one. I don't believe God micro-manages the people of God.

That said, sometimes I hear/feel God urging me to take some course of action. I have felt, very strongly, on occasion an impulse to turn left rather than right or even to pull over and wait. For what? I don't always know. Sometimes it puts me in the right spot and the right place and something happens that appears random. Sometimes it puts me in some spot and some place and nothing appears to happen out of the ordinary.

While I have, on one occasion heard a voice that I identify as God's it has only happened once and regrettably I was alone which makes it difficult to confirm that I actually heard what I thought I heard. I believed I was hearing God speak. I listened. The conversation though brief changed my direction in life. Not that I was radically different than who I am now.

Most often I feel impressions and when I am paying attention I let those impressions guide me in what I say and what I do. Sometimes, because I am not paying particularly close attention I ignore them and keep going. I do not appear to be chastized greatly because of that as if I am being penalized for not listening.

My experience with God speaking in my life thus far indicates that God thinks somewhat differently than I do about what I would like and enjoy doing. Might that be some hidden part of my brain exercising its franchise in the decision making process? That is where the testing comes in. And for the testing I always involve others though I may not disclose how they are being used.

Does the appearance of the Shekhina offer us assurance?

Yes and no.

The Shekhina always affirms that God is present and any voice we hear out of the Shekhina can be trusted to be the voice of God.

God doesn't always invite us to walk pleasant garden paths or even to go where we would most like to go.

Which is probably why the fledgling nation of Israel always got supremely uncomfortable when the cloud descended upon the tabernacle or showed on the mountain as a sign of indicating Moses was to go up and talk with God. Many were not happy with the new conditions that came about as a result of such events.

 

[Waterfall]

Revjohn Ive noticed many times that when the biblical narratives describe the appearance of the Shekhinah it is frightening and uncomfortable. So why is it that we seek God for our peace and comfort of mind? Is Gods glory supposed to frighten us?

And Herman, Ive always wondered how practicing Buddhism makes us more aware by emptying ourselves of all thoughts do you think this has any parrallels with what Christ taught?

 

[Hermann]

Well, Waterfall, if meditation is entering into a state of non-thinking or just-experiencing, then this state is a-religious: beyond thinking, beyond concepts, and thus beyond religion. I am sure there are some Christian teachings that recommend meditation. "Turning within" might be attaining the meditative state, and the "kingdom within" might be what we experience in that state.

 

[blackbelt1961]

I've been reading about the Shekhinah Glory. I'm curious if others are familiar with this. The word Shekhinah is not found in the biblical texts but the concept is through rabinical sources.

I have read on it, as rev John stated , the Glory Cloud of the Lord, I have heard some witness of it from 2 woman pastors

 

[revjohn]

Revjohn Ive noticed many times that when the biblical narratives describe the appearance of the Shekhinah it is frightening and uncomfortable. So why is it that we seek God for our peace and comfort of mind? Is Gods glory supposed to frighten us?

I don't believe God sets out to frighten.

I do believe that understanding who God is and how God is so much more than we are rightly gives us pause.

I'm also mindful of the context for most of the Exodus. It is God, finally having enough of how the Egyptians mistreat his children and getting all smitey. It is also God getting royally peeved with some less than stellar freed Hebrews and getting all smitey on them.

When God says stay off my mountain or die and God has already demonstrated an ability to do just that you would have to be all kinds of arrogant to think God wouldn't dare raise a finger against you.

C.S. Lewis compares God to a lion (and a wild lion rather than a tamed one). A wild lion might look on us a prey to be devoured, a curiosity to be explored or even a trifle not worth moving around for. Whatever the lion decides this minute may be different an hour from now.

God can be unpredictable.

Christianity in some places has done their best to pull the lion's teeth (elsewhere it has made them larger and more deadly). We do not like unpredictable God so we render God predictably docile or violent or ATMish. I don't think we have done ourselves any favours in trying to limit God in this way

 

[Delightful Life]

isomorphisms avast

all this writing aboot glories & clouds knocked a bit free

i've experienced this multiple times

ever been in a cloud or mist during a sunny day and looked at your shadow and seen a kind of halo or bright glow or even rainbow around it?

that is called a glory

and aren't saints in medieval illustrated manuscripts shewn with glows around their heads?

just s'more connexions knocked free by this fun discussion

here are some glories
(following images are via google image search)

ancient peoples would've been able to experience this phenomenon...so clouds coming down from Mt. Sinai (places of worship tended also to be in high places?)...some of those glows do kinda look like fire?

 

[Delightful Life]

I would hope not....I think the glory of God is not something that is self created.

Whatever a worshipper interprets it as, it does happen with the involvement of the worshipper

And aren't there regular techniques in your church where you apprehend the glory of your g_d?

Simple things like having your worship in a special place, a place that is 'cut off' (more sacred) from the World....the various rituals during a service to bring a worshipper closer to their g_d...then at the end, a ritual to 'bring' the worshipper back to get ready to re-enter the World?

Have you managed to find a Temple or Rabbi you can come to grok yet? You could be a Christian anthropologist of sorts, coming to better grok your perspectacle

 

[crazyheart]

This thread is making me sad. Why don't, I experience these things?

 

[chansen]

This thread is making me sad. Why don't, I experience these things?

You're honest.