Kabod
Show Me Your Face + Give Me Jesus x UPPERROOM
The grave is empty.
The stillness of Silent Saturday is suddenly interrupted by the sound of glorious triumph. Jesus Christ is resurrected from the grave! He gave up His life on Friday and then reclaimed it on Sunday, as sin would not have any more hold on His body as it had on our lives.
We now dance on an empty grave, clean and reconciled.
What would have been the purpose of cleansing had Jesus remained dead? Jesus cleansed us to reconcile us back to Himself-- Himself, as alive and almighty. The source of life would need life to give life. Our Source of life has ownership over life, as proved by His commitment to death. For a short time, He made Himself lower than that which He had authority over to undergo the greatest rescue mission of all time. Death bows in reverence to this King. It was obedient to Him, even as it claimed His life. As swiftly as it obeyed its first role in the King’s mission, it obeyed its next— returning what belonged to Him since the beginning of time. He’s alive! Now, we are cleansed from sin and reconciled with righteousness. So we dance in our freedom, acknowledging that we’re covered in the blood of Jesus, so the accusations and condemnation of the enemy slip off us. The only thing that can bind to the blood of Jesus is the Father. Jesus’ blood and Jesus’ life forever attaches us.
The grave is empty.
The Spirit committed to the Father’s hands on the cross was released three days later to perform the greatest miracle of all time. This Spirit, the Holy Spirit, returned to Whom it belonged. Because of His arrival, what was dead could not remain dead. What was bound could not remain bound. What should have started to decay became incorruptible. The Spirit of God reversed the course of death, sealing victory by unsealing the tomb. This same Spirit would return to Earth upon Jesus’ departure, indwelling within every believer.
We now dance on an empty grave, with our burial linen folded away.
Jesus rose, with all power and dominion in His hands. With those same hands, He peeled off His burial linen, carefully folding it and placing it where His body once laid. They fulfilled their purpose and would no longer be needed. For His body would now be clothed in omnibenevolence, glowing in magnificent glory.
It would be through this body— scarred and wounded with holes in his hands, feet, and torso— that we would see the eternal worth, value, and significance of God’s glory.
“So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son.” (John 1:14)
We see the glory of the Father through the body of His Son, Jesus. Jesus, the word made flesh, is the greatest manifestation of God’s glory— to be seen, touched, and felt.
The word “Glory” used in John 1:14 translates to “Doxa” in Greek, which is the language of the original manuscript. “Doxa” is the usual translation for the word “Kabod” in Hebrew. Hebrew is the language of the original Old Testament manuscripts. Both words speak to the weight of God’s glory and splendor. Kabod results in praise, but it is more than fame. Kabod results in abounding honor. The weight of God’s glory activates something within us that pours a response of deep reverence. John is communicating in this verse that the sight of Jesus initiates a deep reverence of God, glorifying His majesty and provoking the respect He is worthy of. Jesus made it so this brilliance of glory could be seen among us, by becoming flesh. Through Jesus, we have the incredible opportunity to see what Moses begged to see in Exodus 33.
“Then Moses said, ‘Please, let me see your glory.’” (v. 18)
In this verse, Moses pleads to see the glory of God. The word glory used here translates to “Kabod.” Before this moment, Moses had seen Yahweh manifest Himself in remarkable ways. Moses witnessed the Lord proclaim His dominion over the Egyptian gods through a series of ten plagues, culminating in the death of Pharoah’s firstborn son. Moses witnessed the grand deliverance of Israel from Egypt, the Lord’s chosen people who Scripture tells us were about 600,000 people deep at this time— two to three million people deep, if you count women and children. Not only were they freed, but the Egyptians gave them priceless gifts upon their departure. Moses witnessed the Lord part the Red Sea, leading two to three million Israelites across on dry land. They crossed through on dry land, not muddy land— despite the previous presence of water— for the Lord wanted His chosen completely free of any remnants of their past bondage. Moses witnessed the Lord provide water from a rock when they thirsted. Moses witnessed the Lord rain manna from the sky when they hungered. Moses witnessed the Lord appear as a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night when they needed direction. Despite witnessing all of this and even more, Moses still felt a longing. Yet, He didn’t ask to see “more” glory. He just asks to see glory. Deep within His heart, He knew He hadn’t yet seen the fullness of God’s glory. Moses identifies that the miraculous were moves of His hand and proof of His nature but were not His nature in itself.
There was a weight of glory to be seen and experienced.
“He said, ‘I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim the name ‘the Lord’ before you. I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.’” (v. 19)
God meets Moses’ request with willingness. This was His friend. The one man in all of Israel that He could share His ways with. The one man in all of Israel that He could share intimacy with. Because Moses had a heart for God and actively pursued the heart of God, God met him in His longing. Moses asks for glory and God provides goodness. God’s glory is seen through His goodness as it completely defines all that He is. He is entirely good, not a balance thereof. God also answers Moses’ request by proclaiming His name— the Lord or Yahweh. His name is not a title, it is His nature. His name speaks to His grace and compassion. Knowing who He is, not just what He is, is access to glory.
“But he added, ‘You cannot see my face, for humans cannot see me and live.’” (v. 20)
There was one restriction: Moses could not see the face of Yahweh. No human being could survive in the presence of His full glory. No human being could keep their life in the full discovery of His.
However, I pose this question: isn’t that the point?
Jesus, the greatest manifestation of God’s glory and God’s glory in the flesh, lived among us for the sole purpose of dying for us. His death brought reconciliation and a relationship with the Father, unlike anything seen before. His blood sealed a new covenant where God would dwell intimately with His chosen; present in their day-to-day lives beyond the inner veil of the Temple. This reconciliation and relationship is only experienced by those who make a declaration of faith in the crucifixion of Jesus. While it is a free gift to us, it was costly for Him. He sacrificed His life as our Passover Lamb— so we could see God. Through the crucifixion of Christ and the daily crucifixion of our flesh, by the empowerment of grace, we can confidently pursue the face of God. We were once separated but are now reconciled. What Moses longed for and couldn’t receive at the point of His request, we now have access to. No human being can see the face of God and live. So die— as Christ died.
In death to self, God’s glory can be experienced without restriction.
“The Lord said, ‘Here is a place near me. You are to stand on the rock, and when my glory passes by, I will put you in the crevice of the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by.’” (v. 21-22)
A place near the Lord, a foundation of rock, where we can stand to see the glory of God.
Can you see Jesus here?
In 1 Corinthians 3:11, Paul refers to Jesus as our foundation. Jesus, nearest to the Father as He sits on His right side and is near to His heart, is the foundation we are called to stand on. His death shields us from the consequence of being in the presence of holiness: death. At the crevice of our Rock, we find refuge and safety from the tactics, condemnation, and accusations of the enemy. We stand on our Rock confidently and assuredly, knowing that He won’t falter or fail. Surely if He could resurrect from the dead in three days, He could hold the burdens of our souls.
Not only does the crevice of the Rock provide protection, but God also offers the covering of His hand. Surely if nail-pierced hands could carry the weight of our sins, they could also offer us joyful assurance in trial and suffering by covering us. A glimpse of the holes in His hands would shift our perspective and bring us to deep reverence.
David shared this revelation when he wrote Psalm 27:5—
“For He will conceal me there when troubles come;
He will hide me in his sanctuary.
He will place me out of reach on a high rock.”
In the dwelling place of God, we find safety and security. There He places us on the high rock of Christ, allowing us to soar above the realities of this world and truly experience Him. In this psalm, David continues to say he will offer sacrifices with shouts of joy and sing praises unto the Lord— a response of deep reverence in the presence of glory.
David knew the story of Moses but was also prophesying of the soon-coming Son.
“‘Then I will take my hand away, and you will see my back, but my face will not be seen.’” (v. 23)
God rewards Moses’ seeking heart by allowing His glory to pass by Him. Once His glory passes by, He removes His hand and allows Moses to see His back— a small glimpse of God’s glory. This human-like description of God foreshadows the coming of God in the flesh through Jesus— whose face could be seen.
The back of God is a reflection of His glory, whereas His face would have been the complete essence of His glory. The glory of God is revealed to Moses yet concealed from him at the same time. While Moses finds contentment in the fulfillment of his request, more would be revealed over a thousand years later. God’s glory would incarnate itself in a human body and make itself available to all of Israel. Then, His glory would be nailed to a cross, shedding blood for all humanity. His glory would then lay in a tomb, wrapped in burial linen. At a time predestined by the Father, the glory of God would then resurrect, making His glory— His true essence through the indwelling of His Spirit— accessible to Jews and Gentiles alike.
The grave is empty.
Do you know what that means? It means kabod lives among us. The weight of God’s glory no longer rests in a tomb, wrapped in burial linen. Rather, it rests in us. We are now vessels of kabod, able to access the glory of God in our intentional pursuit and daily death. He rewards the seeking heart with more— the heart that is never satisfied with what it has seen. Through Jesus, our seeking hearts can be rewarded with more than what Moses was offered on Mount Sinai. We must consistently pray for a revelation of Jesus, the fullest manifestation of God’s glory. We will never see enough. We will never know enough. The wind of glory will never be strong enough. Burden your hearts for more.
We now dance on an empty grave.
The movement of our dance is animated by the glory active within us. Every aspect of our lives is fueled by kabod. The weight of glory within us gives us the ability to worship. The weight of glory within us gives us the ability to serve. The weight of glory gives us the ability to remain. The weight of glory within us gives us the desire to seek. The weight of glory within us gives us the willingness to press in.
The weight of glory within us gives us power.
