No Grind--No Glory!
(Part 2 of 2)
By Dani’el Rendelman
www.emetministries.com

Suppose there was a street survey that asked Bible believers about the purpose of creation and the main theme of the Bible. Many different answers would arise, ranging from “salvation” to “love” and “obedience.” Few would acknowledge the answer found in Revelation, chapter 4:11 “You are worthy, OYHWH, to receive glory and honor and power: for You have created all things, and for Your pleasure they are and were created.” (*YHWH is the ancient Hebrew name of the Creator, revealed in Exodus 3. This term is used almost 7,000 times throughout the Bible, hidden behind the capitalized terms “LORD” and “GOD.”)

The purpose of the universe is to bring glory to YHWH. Glory? Is the glory of YHWH that important? Well, yes! Rabbi Sha’ul reminds us in Colossians, chapter 1 verse 16, “All things were created by him, and for Him.”

The universe and all it holds exists to bring praise to YHWH. In the Bible, the word most often translated “glory” is the Hebrew phrase “kavod”. Dictionaries agree that YHWH’s kavod is His “weight, attributes, heaviness, significance, praise, power, moral beauty, perfect character, visible presence, and honor.” At certain places in the Bible, the kavod is spoken of as praise to YHWH. Other times the kavod is a physical manifestation, usually seen as light or fire. Mostly though, kavod is seen in the Scriptures as the significance of a person. YHWH’s kavod is the manifestation of who YHWH is. YHWH’s kavod is how significant He is. Another term translated “glory” is the Hebrew term “tifereth.” While kavod denotes the energy and significance of YHWH, “tifereth” symbolizes YHWH’s splendor and radiant flow. The terms are interchangeable as expressions of YHWH’s magnificent power and might.

The world, including mankind, was formed to be a vessel of His presence. Adam was originally crowned with glory and enjoyed an unhindered relationship with the Almighty. Psalm 8:5, “For You have made him a little lower than the Elohim, and have crowned him with kavod and honor.” But, sin entered the world because Adam chose the path of the desire to receive for self alone. Adam disobeyed YHWH and fell from glory. With this sin came separation from The Creator of His creation. The crown of glory that was once upon man was now lost. “For all have sinned, and come short of the tifereth of YHWH,” Romans 3:23. Sin drove Adam out of the garden and pushed the glory away.

Y’shua the Messiah came to restore the glory of YHWH that was lost by Adam’s sin. This mission was proclaimed upon the birth of Messiah, “And, see, the heavenly malach of the Master YHWH came upon them, and the tifereth of YHWH shone around them: and they were greatly afraid. Tifereth to YHWH in the highest, and on earth shalom, and tov among men, with whom He is pleased,” Luke 2:9, 14. (*Y’shua is the Hebrew name of the Messiah given to him by the angels is in Matthew 1. He was never called “Jesus” while He walked this earth. In Hebrew, Y’shua means “YHWH is salvation.”)

Y’shua came to earth amidst the glory, in order to bring glory to YHWH, by establishing peace between YHWH and men. Amidst the glory, Y’shua’s mission is made clear. He came as “A Light to unveil the nations, and the tifereth of Your people Yisrael,” Luke 2:32.

The glory will also accompany Y’shua when he returns. “For the Ben Ahdahm shall come in the tifereth of His Abba with His heavenly malachim; and then He shall reward every man according to his mitzvoth,” Matthew / Mattiyahu 16:27. Y’shua is returning as He first came – in glory! He is returning to restore His glory to mankind and this world. We as believers are anxiously awaiting His return. Yet our waiting should not be like the folks at a crowded bus stop, looking for the rapture bus to take the saints to heaven. Regular transit riders know the urban truism, “A watched pot never boils and a looked-for bus never comes when sought.”

Instead, we should seek to experience His glory, share His glory and give Him glory in everything we do. “Therefore whether you eat, or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the tifereth of YHWH,” 1 Corinthians 10:31. The Rabbi Azriel of Gerona said, "The totality of mizvot is the kavod.” What this means is the purpose and goal of following the commandments is to bring about the tifereth of YHWH. The numerical value of the word kavod is 32 which is equal to the Hebrew term lev (heart). This shows us that the heart of YHWH is His kavod. To have the Father’s heart is to bring Him praise in everything you do.

To experience the kavod of YHWH one must consciously, deliberately tap into the power of Messiah through devotion, prayer, obedience, worship, fasting, faith, and study. We have been called to walk in His glory and reveal the kavod to the world. The kavod is man’s hope and high-calling. The Bible calls a person “anointed” when he encounters the kavod. The “anointing” isn’t just some charismatic catch phrase. The anointing is the kavod of YHWH manifest in the earth.

Colossians 1:27 identifies the anointing as, “Christ in you, the hope of glory.” The word translated “Christ” in English Bibles is the Greek word “Christos” which means the “anointed or Messiah”. This Greek phrase is similar to the Hebrew word “moshiach” which is translated into English as “Messiah”. The meaning of Moshiach is the same as the meaning of Christos. Accordingly, Colossians 1:27 now reads, “The Messiah, the Moshiach, the Anointed One - the Anointing in you is the hope of kavod.” Messiah, the anointing, lives in the believer to bring forth kavod.

In ancient times, YHWH would anoint an individual to function effectively in a particular office. For example, certain people were chosen as prophet, priests, or kings. Y’shua, the Anointed One said, “The Ruach of the Master YHWH is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to proclaim the Besorah to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those that are bruised, to proclaim the acceptable year of the Master YHWH,” Luke 4:18, 19. Y’shua manifest the kavod of YHWH on this earth and therefore He was anointed. Y’shua was anointed – He was covered with the kavod for a specific purpose and mission. He has passed His anointing on to us as we walk in His kavod. “But you have an anointing from the Kadosh-One,” 1 John 2:20. The anointing disables the flesh, allowing the believer to accomplish the full will of YHWH.

YHWH’s anointing and the glory are two main themes of the twenty-third psalm. The story is told of a Shakespearean actor who was known everywhere for his one-man show of readings and recitations from the Classics. He would always end his performance with a dramatic reading of Psalm 23. Each night, without exception, as the actor began his recitation -- "The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want" -- the crowd would listen attentively and then rise with thunderous applause, in appreciation of the actor's ability to bring the verse to life.

But one night, just before the actor was to offer his customary recital of Psalm 23, a young man from the audience spoke up. "Sir, do you mind, if tonight, I recite Psalm 23?"

The actor was quite taken back by this unusual request, but he allowed the young man to come forward and stand front and center on the stage to recite the psalm, knowing that the ability of this unskilled youth would be no match for his own talent. The actor would look even better, if a novice stated the Psalm.

With a soft voice, the young man began to recite the words of the psalm. When he was finished, there was no applause. There was no standing ovation as on other nights. All that could be heard was the sound of weeping. The audience had been so moved by the young man's recitation that every eye was full of tears.

Amazed by what he had heard, the actor said to the youth, "I don't understand. I have been performing Psalm 23 for years. I have a lifetime of experience and training -- but I have never been able to move an audience as you have tonight. Tell me, what is your secret?" The young man humbly replied, "Well sir, you know the psalm...but I know the Shepherd."

Psalm 23 is well known by believers and non-believers alike. Yet, there exists a secret in this Tehillim that few know and understand. In Psalm 23, we can see a connection between walking “in the valley of the shadow of death” and being anointed to overflow.

“YHWH is my Shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures: He leads me beside the still mayim. He restores my being: He leads me in the paths of tzedekah for His Name’s sake. Yes, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff they comfort me. You prepare a shulchan before me in the presence of my enemies: You anoint my head with oil; my cup runs over. Surely tov and rachamim shall follow me all the days of my chayim: and I will dwell in the Bayit of YHWH le-olam-va-ed,” Psalm / Tehillim 23.

It is in the shadow of death that there is uncertainty, pain, and suffering. Yet, it is in death’s presence that the anointing increases. The kavod of YHWH is made manifest through trials and testing. YHWH uses the hard times to bring about a greater revelation of His significance. He does NOT punish us with problems and pain but allows believers to experience sorrow to bring about a greater revelation of His glory. YHWH is glorified in the life of the believer amidst sickness, suffering, tyrant bosses, crazy teenagers, and the stresses of life. “For our light and tiny afflictions, which is just for a moment, prepares for us a far greater and limitless glory, le-olam-va-ed,” 2 Corinthians 4:17. What this means is that the big and heavy problems we face are nothing but light and weightless compared to the glory YHWH is preparing for us. It is through the pain and problems that we achieve the kavod!

Too many times we push away the problems of life. Pills are taken or problems are rebuked before we stop to consider “why” something is happening. Why do bad things happen to good people? Why do the righteous suffer while the wicked seemingly prosper? Why is life so hard some times? It is through that pain, that YHWH wants to manifest His glory. Everything that happens is allowed to happen, in order to bring about His kavod and help man to walk in the anointing. The Bible says, “the whole earth is filled with His glory.” The whole earth – the valleys and the mountain tops – exist to bring Him kavod.

We serve YHWH the healer, the redeemer, the source of all good things. He can provide miracles in an instant. He can work wonders before the clock ticks. However, His glory should be prevalent when YHWH does wonders AND when He chooses not to. Think of it this way: our weaknesses plus YHWH’s strength equals the anointed life. “And He said to me, My unmerited favor is sufficient for you: for My strength is made perfect in your weakness. With great gilah therefore will I rather boast in my weaknesses, so that the power of Moshiach may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in my weaknesses, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Moshiach’s sake: for when I am physically weak, then am I spiritually strong," 2 Corinthians 12: 9-10.

Hard times can be like a heavy yoke of bondage and pain. It is the anointing – the glory manifest on earth – that breaks the yoke of sickness, disease, and depression. Isaiah 10:27: "And it shall come to pass in that day, that his burden shall be removed from your shoulder, and his yoke from off your neck, and the yoke shall be destroyed because of the anointing." The burden of problems is broken by understanding that in our weakness He is made strong.

Y’shua is working in us to “bring many sons to glory.” Through our lives and eventually His return, Y’shua will usher in a greater glory. As His return approaches, He is restoring the true faith and the nation of Yisra’el. YHWH is sifting the nations and regathering Yisrael for the sole purpose of bringing Himself kavod. “And I will shake all nations, and the desire of all nations shall come: and I will fill this Bayit with tifereth, says YHWH tzevaoth. The tifereth of this latter Bayit shall be greater than of the former, says YHWH tzevaoth: and in this place will I give shalom, says YHWH tzevaoth,” Haggai 2:7, 9. The nation of Yisra’el will be restored as each believer seeks the fullness of His kavod.

Daily we are to seek His glory in everything that we do. One rabbi has said that by acting and doing until one’s power is spent is the most effective way of increasing the kavod Shamayim (glory of the Heavens). This desire to live life for the sake of Heaven is part of the restoration of all things as promised in the book of Acts.

The restoration will NOT be to the glory of Moses but like that of Adam. Remember, that after Moshe returned from the mountain of YHWH, his face had such a bright glow that he had to wear a veil. Over time the glory around Moshe faded. For a time, Moshe wore the crown of tifereth that Adam lost. But that crown faded. Today, YHWH is fully restoring the crown of kavod. It is YHWH’s will that man be crowned with a kavod that does not fade BUT permeates everything we do. YHWH wants His kavod to be proclaimed and experienced in suffering and in work; in play and in worship; in sickness and in health. The Saints will soon fully experience the kavod when Y’shua returns and establishes His malchut (kingdom). “And when the Roei-HaGadol (Chief Shepherd) shall appear, you shall receive a keter of tifereth that fades not away,” 1 Peter 5:4.

As we await His return we should seek His glory daily and pray like Moshe – “show me your glory.” In Exodus 34 Moshe prayed to see YHWH’s glory. YHWH responded to Moshe’s plea by revealing His goodness, attributes, and name – all manifestations of His kavod! “And YHWH passed by before him, and proclaimed, YHWH, YHWH. An El, full of rachamim and favor, longsuffering, and abundant in, chesed, and emet, Keeping chesed for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the ahvot upon the children, and upon the children's children, to the third and to the fourth generation. And Moshe hurried, and bowed his head toward the earth, and worshipped,” Exodus / Shemot 34:6-8.

The kavod of YHWH is the significance of His personality as displayed through His attributes. To have the kavod and walk in the anointing is to know YHWH and walk in His ways. Pray like Moses to see YHWH’s glory. Begin to acquaint yourself with YHWH like never before. Study the scriptures concerning His attributes. Pray YHWH will show you His glory in all things. Understand that Messiah in you is the hope of glory. Having the anointing in your life is like wearing the crown of kavod that adorned Adam. “Arise, shine; for your Light has come, and the tifereth of YHWH has risen upon you. For, see, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the nations: but YHWH shall arise upon you, and His tifereth shall be seen upon you. And the nations shall come to Your Light, and melechim to the brightness of Your rising,” Isaiah / Yesha’yahu 60:1.