The Glory Has Departed

THE GLORY HAS DEPARTED

Then the glory of the Lord went out from the threshold of the house. Ezekiel 10:18

Do you think if God was suddenly missing anyone would notice? I mean, if God just left us, was not around anymore, couldn’t be found in our world, do you think people would recognize His absence? Sounds silly, doesn’t it? But that is precisely what happened to Israel in the Old Testament: God’s presence left the Temple and no one noticed for quite awhile!

Think of it. In the wilderness the “Presence” always went before Israel. We call it the Shekinah Glory––that theophany of God in which the preincarnate Son of God was present with Israel in the wilderness. He was a pillar of fire by night and of smoke by day (Exodus 13:21-22). Later, when Moses constructed the Tabernacle, that Shekinah Glory filled the tent of meeting, coming eventually to rest, like a small tornado-shaped pillar of fire and smoke on the Ark of the Covenant, in the Holy of Holies (Exodus 40:34-38). When Solomon built his magnificent Temple, that Glory of the Presence of God came to rest upon the Ark of the Covenant once more (1 Kings 8:10-11).

For over eight centuries, the Presence of God would abide with His people, in His Temple. But when Israel and Judah had backslidden to such an abominable state that idol worship, temple prostitution and infant sacrifice were incorporated into the religion of Israel, God decided to leave.

When this catastrophic event took place, we do not know. Ezekiel 8-11 is a vision or a dream. Yet it portrays an actual event: The exit of the Shekinah Glory from the Temple of the Lord, probably just prior to 605 B.C. and the fall of Jerusalem. I say this because in 605 B.C., Nebuchadnezzar carried off some of the Temple vessels, something he could never have done had the Son of God still been present in the Holy of Holies.

Can you imagine the horror and sense of loss Israel felt when this happened? As Nebuchadnezzar’s army surrounded Jerusalem, King Jehoiakim would have ordered the priests to go and fetch the Ark. God would fight for them. As the High Priest pulled back the curtain and as the priests prepared to insert the poles into the Ark of the Covenant and carry God to another victory…no presence! No Shekinah Glory! No pillar of fire and smoke! Gone! God was gone and no one had noticed!

Strange as it may seem, this happens again and again in churches in America. The Holy Spirit, Christ’s presence with us, departs. Why? Oh, it could be due to theological apostasy, incessant grieving and quenching the Spirit through disunity and unholiness, or simply because He is no longer preeminent in our lives. We have slowly, subtly come to worship the gods of our culture. Or, worse yet, we have invented a new Christ who is much, much easier to live with. The church (denomination) now operates in its own power, with its own stock of resources, and by its own wisdom. God simply withdraws…quietly, unnoticed, deeply grieved. He warned us: “I will not share my glory with another.” We just didn’t believe Him.

Patrick Morley warns us that there are always two Christs out there on the religious landscape: The Jesus we’d like to exist and the Jesus of the Bible. Tell me, which Jesus is at your church? Really? You say, “Oh, the second, of course; the real Jesus!” And I ask you, “Have you checked recently to see if He’s still there?” Maybe you’d better go peek behind the veil.

PRAYING FOR THE PCA

CEP: Pray that CEP through all of its training and resources will strategically assist local churches in teaching and modeling a biblically Reformed world and life view that will result in members being intentionally missional in all of life.

CC: Pray that God will prepare the hearts and minds of the incoming new students as theyprepare to begin the college experience and that God will protect the incoming students from the temptations that come with the new freedoms of being away from home. Pray that He will enable them to use their time wisely during this first year and that He will help them grow to new depths in their relationship with Him in the context of new acquaintances, greater independence as the body of Christ and living obediently to the Word of God.

MNA: Pray for MNA Native American/First Nations Ministries, led by Bruce Farrant. Pray that we in the PCA will seek a deeper awareness of the vast differences between Native culture and mainstream American thinking.

PCAF: Ask God to continue to bless current donors to the PCA Foundation and help them in their stewardship of His resources.

RH: Please pray for the Ridge Haven search for a new Operations Director and Development Director. Pray that that the Lord will give success, enabling these individuals to move into positions and responsibilities quickly.