Shekinah Glory is a visible manifestation of God on earth, whose presence is portrayed through a natural occurrence. The word shekinah is a Hebrew name meaning “dwelling” or “one who dwells.” Shekinah Glory means “He caused to dwell,” referring to the divine presence of God.
Madeline Kalu; Christianity.com
Men have had so many controversies and arguments about what or who the Shekinah is. Some say it’s not real, some say the name does not exist in the bible, and some have even said there’s nothing and no one like Shekinah.
The word Shekinah is one of the names of God. Yes, the word Shekinah does not appear in the bible, but saying Shekinah does not exist is very wrong. The Bible describes Shekinah as the Glory of the Living God. Shekinah is not just a name, Shekinah is a presence. Jewish rabbis coined this extra-biblical expression, a form of a Hebrew word which translates as “he caused to dwell”. This signifies a divine visitation, a presence answering to who and what Shekinah is.
I would like to give some instances of the Shekinah Glory manifestation in the bible. One we can all easily relate to was evident when the Lord appeared to the Israelites on Mount Sinai where he appeared to them in the form of bolts of lightning and the sound of trumpets, filling the whole mountain with smoke.
On the morning of the third day, there was thunder and lightning, with a thick cloud over the mountain, and a very loud trumpet blast. Everyone in the camp trembled.
Exodus 19:16
That was SHEKINAH: the presence of God. We can also see Shekinah where he goes before the people of Isrealites in pillars of cloud in the day and pillars of fire at night. Another instance which I love was when Jeremiah saw the Hand of God in Jeremiah 1:9 – “Then the Lord put forth his hand, and touched my mouth. And the Lord said unto me, Behold, I have put my words in thy mouth.” These are instances of SHEKINAH.
WHERE SHEKINAH DWELLS
Now, where is Shekinah?
Having established that Shekinah is the presence of the living God it is safe to say Shekinah is everywhere. The names of God are interwoven; we have the Omniscient, the Omnipresent, the Omnipotent, the King of kings, the Way, the Truth and the Life, Love, Elohim, El Elyon, Shekinah.
Where Omnipresent means All-present, Shekinah means the presence of GOD. Shekina may also be referred to as The inner chamber of the Lord, The Throne of Grace. Hebrews 4:16 – “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.” – brilliantly captures that revelatory perspective of the Shekinah.
Shekinah dwells anywhere God dwells; It is the moving embassy of God.
Also Read: THE GIFTS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT 1: THE GIFTS OF REVELATION
Some Amazing Noteworthy Facts About Shekina
- Shekinah can be summoned at any day any time.
“In whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him.” Ephesians 3:12. - Shekinah, if allowed, can live in your heart and work within you.
“Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,” Ephesians 3:20. - Shekinah is unreachable except through his son Jesus.
“Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” John 14:6. - Shekinah is immanent and transcendent.
“And as soon as we had heard these things, our hearts did melt, neither did there remain any more courage in any man, because of you: for the Lord your God, he is God in heaven above, and in earth beneath.” Joshua 2:11. - Shekinah is the host of heaven itself for it is the presence of the living God.
“But will God indeed dwell on the earth? behold, the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain thee; how much less this house that I have builder?” 1 Kings 8:27.
Illustrations
We can examine some bold examples of men in the bible who encountered Shekinah.
Moses, for instance. Mount Sinai was the place he saw God, a covenant place where he conversed with God. The Bible tells us in Exodus 34:35 how he went up the Mount to see God and coming down his face had been altered, shining so brightly.
And the children of Israel saw the face of Moses, that the skin of Moses’ face shone: and Moses put the vail upon his face again, until he went in to speak with him.
Exodus 34:35
Another example can be seen in the case of our Lord Jesus Christ during his transfiguration on the Mount. In the book of Matthew, it is documented that the whole mount shone brightly, his body transfigured and his face shone like a bright light. This can be seen in Matthew 17:2 – “And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light.”
A major characteristic associated with Shekinah is Light. As earlier noted, Shekinah is also a moving Embassy, wherefore this presence possesses the hearts of men who diligently seek him. Like Moses and Jesus, Godseekers therefore carry this Light; a measure of the shekinah glory of God.
The Bible in Psalms 82:6 says – “I have said, Ye are gods; and all of you are children of the most High.” In other words, we are a duplicate of Shekinah, an ambassador, an emissary: the Light of the world. Through us, Shekinah has an Entry. A dwelling place.
