We must be aware that there is a glory predestined by God for us as His people, one that still lies ahead of us. As we press on in the spiritual battle, we must receive this glory from God’s hands and establish it with the power of faith within the culture in which we live.

 

 

This is a facet of glory that is still unknown to us. As we encounter it, this resonance takes place within us. This encounter with the as-yet-unknown glory of God —which arises from our progress in the spiritual battle and spiritual life— corresponds to the principle found in Deuteronomy 20:10-13.

 

10 When you go to war against your enemies and the Lord your God delivers them into your hands and you take captives, 11 if you notice among the captives a beautiful woman and are attracted to her, you may take her as your wife.

12 Bring her into your home and make her shave her head, trim her nails 13 and put aside the clothes she was wearing when captured. After she has lived in your house and mourned her father and mother for a full month, then you may go to her and be her husband and she shall be your wife.

 

In the context of the unknown glory, therefore, it need not literally refer to a beautiful woman; rather, she is merely a symbol indicating that God’s glory is revealed to us in the form of a ‘feminine’ trait. Our calling is to help represent the LORD in His authority as King.

 

God wants us to bring the glory He has assigned to us out of the enemy’s camp into freedom and to implement it in our culture by becoming one with His presence, which He has predestined for us. But before that happens, there is a confrontation within our hearts; whether we treat His glory with honor or merely view it as a means to an end (cf. Philippians 2:3 i.c.w. 1 Peter 5:5b).

 

3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, …

 

… 5b All of you, clothe yourselves with humility towards one another, because, ‘God opposes the proud but shows favour to the humble.’

 

 

As soon as the glory is in our home (Note: immediate environment, sphere of authority), it will begin to manifest itself by revealing the biblical principle of a time of spiritual decline that leads to true spiritual growth (cf. Deuteronomy 21:12-13a i.c.w. John 3:30).

 

12 Bring her into your home and make her shave her head, trim her nails 13a and put aside the clothes she was wearing when captured. ...

 

‘… 30 He [Note: Jesus Christ] must become greater; I [Note: John the Baptist] must become less.’

 

The glory in the house —that is, in our living environment— results in the standard of God’s Word becoming increasingly established, and the glory falling. This involves bringing a time or a period of time to a close, which leads to a new beginning of God’s glory in our lives and is linked to our Kingdom culture represented by the cutting hair, trimming nails, and taking off her clothes. It is the glory that reveals the presence of the power of God’s Word through its ‘nakedness’ (cf. Hebrews 4:12-13).

 

12 For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.

13 Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

 

 

The LORD brings us into contact with the dynamic of His glory of the year and the months according to His standard. That is why it is important to receive the presence of His glory by faith and to draw closer to it. In doing so, we should not allow ourselves to be dictated by the communication of past times but rather move forward in a new way in intimate relationship with His presence.

 

The glory of God, as seen in the aspect of ‘YAHWEH—ZEBOTH’ (Note: the LORD of Hosts), is akin to the masculine, spicy scent of a perfume on a human body. The connection between God and His glory resembles the position of the first woman created by God (Note: named Eve after the fall), whom He formed from Adam’s side and placed at his side as a helper to surround Adam (cf. Genesis 2:18).

 

18 The Lord God said, ‘It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.’

 

Eve was a source of support for her husband, with the goal of helping him represent a greater authority. Accordingly, a woman complements a man’s strength and ability, contributing to a greater and more unified beauty as well as representation. In this context, the focus is on the Bible passages from Proverbs 12:4a and Proverbs 31:10, which speak of the capable wife who is her husband’s crown and more precious than pearls in her worth.

 

4a A wife of noble character is her husband’s crown, …

 

10 A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies [Note: pearls].

 

This also means that it is not primarily about her appearance, but about the value she carries within as a new glory —one that encompasses a time of love into which we are to enter at a later time. Only when we accept her state of letting go, her gratitude for past months and years, and the new righteousness in Christ for us will it become easier for us to grow together with her.

 

Consequently, the Bible passages mentioned reveal that this new glory of God serves as a support for our future, representing the LORD in His greatness and authority and pointing to a higher level of His presence.

 

To Him alone be the glory!

 

Amen and Amen.

 

In His Wisdom,

 

Daniel and Tina Glimm