Holiness: The Weight of His Glory
“And they were calling to one another: ‘Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.’” Isaiah 6:3
In my last blog entry, I wrote about the fact that often, as I read my English Bible, I come across words that have not been translated as accurately as possible. One of these words is found in Isaiah 6:3; the Hebrew word “kevodoh” has been translated into the word “glory”, which is, in my opinion, a mistranslation. A more accurate translation of this verse would be, “…the whole earth is filled with his honor” (emphasis mine).
In this entry, I want to expand on the word “Kevodo”. The root word for “Kevodo” in Hebrew is “Kaved” which means “heavy.” Often times we treat God’s presence in a casual, almost mundane way, like it is just part of our day-to-day life. His presence, however, is not something to be taken lightly. One example of the heaviness of His presence is found in the following scripture:
“When the priests withdrew from the Holy Place, the cloud filled the temple of the LORD. And the priests could not perform their service because of the cloud, for the glory of the LORD filled his temple.”
1 Kings 8:10-11
In this verse it says that the priests could not perform their service because the glory of the Lord had filled His temple (English translation). However, a more accurate way to translate the Hebrew would be that the priests could not stand because the “Kavod” – honor or the heavy presence – of the Lord was in the place.
So what does this mean for you and me? In short, we can’t treat God’s presence in a casual way, for when His presence is truly in a place, it will be so heavy upon us that we will not be able to stand; we will be on our faces before Him, in awe of who He is and just how holy He is. This will in turn motivate us to strive for a clean and pure heart before Him as we continue to be transformed to His image.
I encourage you to keep your eyes on the Lord, to remember the importance of allowing the Holy Spirit to clean the “dirty rooms” in our lives, and most importantly, to give the honor that He deserves not just with a good lip service but through the action of our every day lives.
4 Comments on “Holiness: The Weight of His Glory”
Shalom Moran,
thank you for this insight! God bless you!
Veronika
Shalom Moran…
I have always thot that we take the holiness, presence of God too lightly. It really is appropriate, okay, not religious to be in HIS presence with respect, awe, wonder, and shalom shalom.
Working on that real estate sale!
West Jefferson, NC
Peggy Hoefl
I learn so much for your website. I especially enjoy the translations you give so I have a better understanding and it is more meaningul and powerful to my life. Just reading “The Weight of His Glory” has brough me to tears and feel his presence even more.
Thank you in Yeshua’s name.
Gloria
Shalom,
I Thank you for this Article, for years I have been searching what happened to me the early year of 2000, The person who started the United Pentecostal Church in the Philippines came to Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
All I remember Evangelist Gordon Mallory was Exhorting or praying and suddenly the whole Atmosphere of the room change.
The first Nations sisters were shaking, trembling and speaking in tongues.
And for me, my whole being followed a sense that I need to go on my knee and put my forehead on the floor.
I Felt that my whole being was stuck in the floor as if I could not move.
Until know it’s a question in my head, as I was putting my forehead, I said, I am not a Muslim, why am I putting my forehead in the floor.
As I was searching throughout the years, it means the “Glory “, his presence came down. The verse in the bible the Earth is my footstool.
Again, last month, I visited South Victory Church in Calgary, as I was standing Infront of the Church. I was saying “It’s too much “, it’s too much what I am feeling, my whole being cannot contain the Presence or Anointing of God. I was Jumping, one intercessor said, “Are you excited “, I could not answer him because it’s all in my being. I was crying and trembling.