What Is the Glory of God?
Moses had seen the Red Sea part, fire fall, and the finger of God write in stone — and still he asked for more. What was he after? And are we missing it too?
"When God made you a vessel of mercy, when He took hold of you, the whole idea was glory. Glory. What is glory? Glory is that God should commit Himself to you — not just for a touch, not just for a visit, but as His home."
— Lance Lambert
Most of us know what it is to experience God working. We have seen His provision, felt His comfort, perhaps witnessed something that could only be explained as a miracle. And yet — if Moses, who saw more of God than most of us ever will, still cried out "show me thy glory" — then something tells us there is a depth to God we have not yet touched.
That depth has a name. It is called glory.
In my estimation there is no substitute word for the word glory. Some modern versions of the Bible have used splendour. Some have suggested magnificence. It can, now and again, be translated as honour — but none of these words convey the real meaning. We have to leave it as glory, and the Holy Spirit has to reveal to us what glory is.
It is the same with grace. Once you start to substitute the phrase "unmerited favour," you have done damage, I think, to the word grace. Grace has to be revealed to you — no amount of words can convey it. Only God can reveal to the human heart what grace really means. And so it is with glory. The Spirit of God has to take this word, this concept, this reality, and reveal it to us so that it becomes part of our own being.
Neither splendour, nor magnificence, nor honour can contain the meaning of glory. Like grace itself, it must be revealed by the Holy Spirit — no human word can fully replace it.
What Is Glory?
We often think of glory as the President pinning medals on chests — a reward for bravery, for battles won. But glory is not medals, brass bands, and rousing anthems.
What is glory? The Lord can speak to us without manifesting His presence. He can work without manifesting His presence. But when He manifests His presence, that is glory. The presence of the Lord had been with Moses and the people — He had done so many acts in delivering them from Egypt — but suddenly the presence of the Lord was manifested and the tabernacle was filled with His glory. No one could stand; no one could enter.
It was the same with the temple. God did so many things through King David in the preparations for the temple and in the defeat of His enemies, but when the temple was finally complete and the ark was brought in, the presence of the Lord was manifested.
Glory is the presence of God in a completely full and committed way. When God commits Himself, it is glory. It is absolute glory.
Why Moses Still Asked to See God's Glory
Why did Moses ask to see God's glory when the Lord had already shown him so many miraculous signs and wonders?
Moses had seen the Lord part the Red Sea and lead the children of Israel through the wilderness in a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. He had received the Ten Commandments written by the very finger of God.
Moses saw more of the Lord than we ever will, so what lesson is there in this for us? If Moses needed to see God's glory, how much more do we?
Glory is distinct from miracles, signs, provision, and wonders. Moses had witnessed all of these — yet still hungered to see the glory of God. God's glory is not found in what He does, but in who He is.
You Were Made to Be God's Home
I wonder whether you and I, as those who have been redeemed through the grace of God, really realise to what God has called us. Have we just become Christians who can sing a hymn, say our prayers, read the Bible? Have we become people with a knowledge of faith — or even people who know the power and provision of God? We may know all those things and still not touch the heart of the matter.
Dear child of God, you and I have been saved that we might become the receptacle, the dwelling place of God's glory. Does it excite you? I fear sometimes it does not, because we are often more thrilled with other things than with the thought of glory.
You and I have been saved that we might become the receptacle, the dwelling place of God's glory.
— Lance LambertSeek God Himself
As the church we are the Lord's body, and we are His house. When the glory of the Lord filled the temple, it was His committed presence to that place. When the glory left, it was because God no longer lived there.
The glory of God is the very essence of God, the very centre of Him. Let us not seek merely the edges of God's ways, but seek to know Him.
We can know God's miracles, His power, His provision — and still miss the glory entirely. We are called not merely to know what He does, but to be filled with who He is.
The Glory of God
Lance Lambert's complete study on what glory means, why Moses asked to see it, and what it means that God has chosen you as His dwelling place.
What Readers Are Saying
"Sometimes when a minister of God's Word is sharing something from the Lord, when the Spirit of God is truly at work through one of his servants, you will suddenly realize that some spiritual wisdom, some insight regarding God himself has been imparted and having received it, you cannot be the same going forward."
— Kent Young"It is so simple, but you do not walk away from this book thinking that you have a handle on God's glory. On the contrary, this book awakens and draws out the humble heart cry, 'Show me, I pray Thee, Thy glory.'"
— David Hrncir"Lance stands as one of God's men of valour in bringing this subject to the fore at such a time as this. This book is one that will fill you with 'the blessed hope of His glory'."
— Rosie Short"Lance does a wonderful presentation to set one on the path to seek the Lord for more in understanding and experience in seeing the glory that is God Himself."
— Don BradfordQuestions & Answers
According to Lance Lambert, the glory of God is the manifested presence of God — when God commits Himself fully, not just for a touch or a visit, but as His home. It is distinct from miracles, signs, or wonders.
Moses had witnessed the parting of the Red Sea, the pillar of fire, and the Ten Commandments — yet still asked to see God's glory. Lance Lambert teaches that glory is entirely distinct from miracles: it is the very essence of God Himself, not merely His works.
Lance Lambert teaches that God saved us not merely so we could know His power or witness miracles, but so we would become the receptacle — the dwelling place — of His glory. Just as the glory filled the tabernacle and the temple, God desires to commit Himself fully within His redeemed people.
Lance Lambert says no word adequately substitutes for glory. Like grace, it must be revealed by the Holy Spirit — it cannot merely be defined or replaced with a synonym.
The Lord can work and provide without manifesting His presence. But when He manifests His presence — as when the glory filled the tabernacle — that is glory: His full, committed, dwelling presence.
Lance Lambert
Lance Lambert was one of the most distinguished Bible scholars and speakers in Israel in our day. He had an itinerant teaching ministry worldwide.
Born in 1931, Lance grew up in Richmond, Surrey and came to know the Lord at twelve years of age. Later in life, Lance discovered his Jewish ancestry — his father and many members of his family had died in the Holocaust — leading him to become an Israeli citizen in 1980, making his home next to the Old City of Jerusalem.
Lance became noted for his eschatological views, placing him in the tradition of Watchman Nee and T. Austin-Sparks. He wrote numerous books and produced the widely appreciated Middle East Update audio recordings.