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Glory is an attribute of God; glory is the expression of God, God expressed in splendor—Exo. 24:16; Acts 7:55.
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The glory of God filled the tabernacle and the temple—Exo. 40:34-35; 1 Kings 8:10-11:
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“The cloud covered the Tent of Meeting, and the glory of Jehovah filled the tabernacle”—Exo. 40:34:
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The day that the tabernacle was raised up, that the cloud descended and covered it, and that the glory of God entered and filled it was a great day—vv. 2, 34-35:
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Those who gathered around the Tent of Meeting could see the cloud, whereas the high priest who eventually entered into the Holy of Holies in the tabernacle could see the inward glory of the tabernacle—Lev. 16:15; Heb. 9:7.
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This indicates that in our experience of the church life we need to advance by entering into the tabernacle—Christ as the embodiment of God—to enjoy the bread at the table and intercede at the incense altar so that we may experience the glory in God’s dwelling place—Exo. 40:34-35; John 1:14.
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The tabernacle covered by the cloud and filled with glory was a great blessing to the children of Israel, but today we have the reality of what they had only in figure—14:2-3, 6, 10-11, 16-18, 20, 26; Eph. 2:18-22; 3:16-21.
Morning Nourishment
Exo. 40:34-35 ...The cloud covered the Tent of Meeting, and the glory of Jehovah filled the tabernacle. And Moses was not able to enter the Tent of Meeting, because the cloud settled on it and the glory of Jehovah filled the tabernacle.John 1:14 And the Word became flesh and tabernacled among us (and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only Begotten from the Father)...
In Exodus 40:34-38 we have a record of the glory of the Lord filling the tabernacle. Verse 34... speaks of two aspects; it speaks of something that happened outside the Tent of Meeting and something that happened inside the tabernacle. The cloud covered the Tent of Meeting, and the glory filled the tabernacle. The same structure was both the Tent of Meeting and the tabernacle. With respect to man, it was the Tent of Meeting. But with respect to God, it was the tabernacle. We may also say that outwardly it was the Tent of Meeting and that inwardly it was the tabernacle.
In the church life we may simply be gathered around the Tent of Meeting. We may not be in the tabernacle. In Exodus 40 the Tent of Meeting was covered by the cloud, but the tabernacle was filled with glory. Those who only gather around the Tent of Meeting may have the cloud. However, we need to enjoy not only the cloud upon the Tent of Meeting, but also the glory within the tabernacle. (Life-study of Exodus, p. 1950)
Today’s Reading
It is important for us to understand the relationship between the cloud and the glory. We may say that the cloud is the outer part, the “shell,” of God’s glory. By shell we mean an outer covering... The human body has the skin as its shell. The skin covers the body, and the body contains our being... Our being is the spirit. Those who were outside the tabernacle could see the shell. Anyone who entered into the tabernacle would see not the shell, but would see the inward glory of the tabernacle.The young people may enjoy the church life and testify how wonderful it is. However, they may be enjoying only the shell of the church. But this does not mean that they should give up this enjoyment. On the contrary, they should go on to enjoy the inward glory of the tabernacle... Do not throw away the shell because you do not yet have much of the inward glory.
When we were in Elden Hall in Los Angeles, we were on the “roof” of the church life enjoying the cloud... Nevertheless, we must admit that what we are enjoying today is something deeper and more inward than what we enjoyed in Elden Hall. We may no longer be on the roof enjoying the cloud, but we are learning to intercede at the incense altar. Anyone who intercedes at the incense altar is no longer in the cloud that covers the Tent of Meeting. Rather, this one is encompassed by the glory that is on the inside of the church life. I hope that more of us will see this and experience it.
Some of the older saints may feel bothered or frustrated. They may say to themselves, “Why are we not as fresh as we used to be? Why is the church life not so exciting?” It is good to be excited and it is also good to be able to excite others. However, it is mainly the young ones who are excited and exciting, for they are enjoying the cloud outside the Tent of Meeting. But it is difficult for the older ones who are experiencing the glory within the tabernacle to be excited. I can testify that as an older one I may not be excited outwardly, but I find it wonderful to intercede at the incense altar. How I love to enjoy the bread at the table and to linger at the incense altar!
Those in the outer court may gather around the altar of burnt offering and see the cloud covering the Tent of Meeting. But if they want to see the glory, they need to come inside the tabernacle. The glory is not on the roof; it is within the tabernacle. When we come into the tabernacle, we shall see that the glory is there. (Life-study of Exodus, pp. 1951-1952)
Further Reading: Life-study of Exodus, msg. 185; Life-study of 1 & 2 Kings, msg. 6