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Last week, we looked at the idea that God is the source of light in heaven. But every so often, God finds a reason to come down to earth to bring his message to his people. We see this in several places in the Bible: when God spoke to Moses from the burning bush, when God led the Israelites with a pillar of cloud/fire, when Moses received the 10 Commandments, when God’s glory filled the tabernacle/temple, and when Jesus was born. The Bible tells us that what people are seeing as light is God’s glory.
The Burning Bush
Throughout the Bible, when God appears, there is often an element of light included. Sometimes it’s fire, sometimes it’s lightning, sometimes it’s just bright white light. In Exodus 3, when God appeared to Moses, God spoke to Moses from a burning bush.
Exodus 3:1-6: 3 Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the far side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. 2 There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up. 3 So Moses thought, “I will go over and see this strange sight—why the bush does not burn up.”
4 When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, “Moses! Moses!”
And Moses said, “Here I am.”
5 “Do not come any closer,” God said. “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.” 6 Then he said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.” At this, Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look at God.
The Bible often speaks of God as a consuming fire. But here, we see the opposite—the bush was not burned up. This shows God’s control over how he appears and how he interacts with nature. We’ll talk more about God’s control of light over the next couple weeks.
Pillar of Cloud/Pillar of Fire
When God saved the Israelites from the Egyptians, he didn’t just leave them to find their own way. He stayed with them in a visible presence as a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night.
Exodus 13:20-22: 20 After leaving Sukkoth they camped at Etham on the edge of the desert. 21 By day the Lord went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by day or night. 22 Neither the pillar of cloud by day nor the pillar of fire by night left its place in front of the people.
I would imagine that as an Israelite, the constant visible presence of God was a comfort.
Moses and the 10 Commandments
After God delivered the Israelites from the Egyptians, he gave them the 10 Commandments. When Moses went up Mount Sinai to receive the 10 Commandments, the glory of the Lord covered the mountain, and it looked like a consuming fire.
Exodus 24:15-17: 15 When Moses went up on the mountain, the cloud covered it, 16 and the glory of the Lord settled on Mount Sinai. For six days the cloud covered the mountain, and on the seventh day the Lord called to Moses from within the cloud. 17 To the Israelites the glory of the Lord looked like a consuming fire on top of the mountain.
When Moses returned with the 10 Commandments, his face was radiant because it reflected the light of God.
Exodus 34:29-30, 33-35: 29 When Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the covenant law in his hands, he was not aware that his face was radiant because he had spoken with the Lord. 30 When Aaron and all the Israelites saw Moses, his face was radiant, and they were afraid to come near him.
33 When Moses finished speaking to them, he put a veil over his face. 34 But whenever he entered the Lord’s presence to speak with him, he removed the veil until he came out. And when he came out and told the Israelites what he had been commanded, 35 they saw that his face was radiant. Then Moses would put the veil back over his face until he went in to speak with the Lord.
God’s glory was so bright that Moses’ face reflected its radiance. That’s what happens when we encounter God. We can’t help but reflect his glory. We’ll talk about that more in the coming weeks as well.
God’s Glory in the Tabernacle/Temple
God’s presence with the Israelites didn’t end when he gave them the 10 Commandments. Along with those commandments, God gave the Israelites instructions for how to build a dwelling place for him—the tent of meeting or tabernacle as they wandered in the wilderness, and a temple once they were settled in the Promised Land.
Once the tabernacle was built, God’s glory descended on the tabernacle. This glory was visible as a cloud by day, and at night, the cloud had fire in it.
Exodus 40:34-38: 34 Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. 35 Moses could not enter the tent of meeting because the cloud had settled on it, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.
36 In all the travels of the Israelites, whenever the cloud lifted from above the tabernacle, they would set out; 37 but if the cloud did not lift, they did not set out—until the day it lifted. 38 So the cloud of the Lord was over the tabernacle by day, and fire was in the cloud by night, in the sight of all the Israelites during all their travels.
Leviticus 9:23-24: 23 Moses and Aaron then went into the tent of meeting. When they came out, they blessed the people; and the glory of the Lord appeared to all the people. 24 Fire came out from the presence of the Lord and consumed the burnt offering and the fat portions on the altar. And when all the people saw it, they shouted for joy and fell facedown.
Similarly, when the temple was completed and the ark of the covenant was placed in it, God’s glory filled the temple, and his fire consumed the offering.
1 Kings 8:6-11: 6 The priests then brought the ark of the Lord’s covenant to its place in the inner sanctuary of the temple, the Most Holy Place, and put it beneath the wings of the cherubim. 7 The cherubim spread their wings over the place of the ark and overshadowed the ark and its carrying poles. 8 These poles were so long that their ends could be seen from the Holy Place in front of the inner sanctuary, but not from outside the Holy Place; and they are still there today. 9 There was nothing in the ark except the two stone tablets that Moses had placed in it at Horeb, where the Lord made a covenant with the Israelites after they came out of Egypt.
10 When the priests withdrew from the Holy Place, the cloud filled the temple of the Lord. 11 And the priests could not perform their service because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled his temple.
2 Chronicles 7:1-3: 7 When Solomon finished praying, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of the Lord filled the temple. 2 The priests could not enter the temple of the Lord because the glory of the Lord filled it. 3 When all the Israelites saw the fire coming down and the glory of the Lord above the temple, they knelt on the pavement with their faces to the ground, and they worshiped and gave thanks to the Lord, saying,
“He is good;
his love endures forever.”
The Israelites had no doubt when God’s presence was among them, for they could see his glory in the cloud and fire, and he sent fire from heaven to consume their offerings and sacrifices.
Announcing Jesus’ Birth
The New Testament never really talks about whether God’s glory still dwelled visibly in the temple in Jerusalem. But we know God’s presence was still alive and active through the sending of his Son, Jesus, into the world. When the angels announced Jesus’ birth to the shepherds, the shepherds were witness to the glory of the Lord.
Luke 2:8-14: 8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”
13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,
14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”
What would your response be to seeing the glory of the Lord? Probably like the shepherds, I would be terrified. But to those who believe in him, seeing God’s glory brings joy and worship.
Light in the form of a star was also sent to announce Jesus’ birth to the wisemen.
Matthew 2:1-2, 9-11: 2 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem 2 and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”
9 After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. 11 On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.
The star led them to the place where they could worship Jesus.
Conclusion
When I think about the greatness of God and the relative smallness of people, it’s amazing that God would come down to earth and interact personally with us. Each time he did, he showed his presence as light so there would be no doubt about who he is.
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