What is the Shekinah Glory? • Deshen Daily

And let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them (Exodus 25:8 KJV)

Shekinah is a term the Jewish Rabbi used to describe God’s visible presence dwelling amongst His people. We do not find the word in the Old or New Testaments, but it reveals a profound truth of the eternal purpose of God. We will briefly examine the three critical concepts in the word Shekinah: God’s presence, dwelling place, and visible manifestations.

Shekinah derives from the Hebrew verb shakan, the word translated “dwell” in Exodus 25:8 above. God instructed the Israelites to make a sanctuary for Him to dwell amongst them. His desire and purpose have always been to dwell on the earth amongst His people. So Shekinah, by extension, means “the one who dwells” or “that which dwells.”

God Himself dwelt amongst the Jews. As I have previously noted, human eyes cannot see the essential nature of God. Therefore God’s presence has to be manifested in some way that human beings can see. Shekinah is the visible expression of God’s presence amongst His people in the Old Testament—the glory of God. It was seen as cloud, fire, light, etc. In fact, in some cases, God appeared in a human form, as He did to Abraham.

John 1:14 extends this mystery when it states the Word became flesh and dwelt amongst them. John is clearly calling Jesus the Shekinah glory of God in this verse. Jesus was the visible expression of the invisible God dwelling amongst human beings—He is the glory of God. There was no fire, light, or cloud around His head as He lived on earth.

Today, Shekinah is in the believer’s heart ( 2 Cor. 4:4). Like Jesus, the world will usually not see some cloud, fire, or light around the believer. They will see you, the visible expression of the invisible God on earth today! You are born to shine: so arise, shine for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you!