UNVEILING FOR THE GLORY (2)

“The voice of one crying in the wilderness:  “Prepare the way of the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be exalted and every mountain and hill brought low; the crooked places shall be made straight and the rough places smooth;  the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together; for the mouth of the Lord has spoken” (Isaiah 40:3-5 NKJV)

Whenever the president is scheduled to visit a state, the state government takes time to prepare for his reception. Part of that preparation is to do some road repairs to enable the president to ride smoothly to the different places he is scheduled to go. Potholes are filled and every noticeable obstacle is removed so the president would not have to go on bumpy roads. The roads are made as straight and as smooth as possible and even decorated to create pleasant scenery for the august visitor. It is usually considered a mark of disrespect for the visiting dignitary if adequate preparations are not made to ensure that he has easy access to the places of interest. Even in situations where the host governor does not like the president, such preparations are mandatory. Besides the host governor must be at the airport or at any other appropriate place to personally welcome the visiting president.

What if the visiting dignitary is the King of Glory, even God, who made the heaven and the earth, what level of preparation is required? The first time God revealed His manifest Presence before the entire company of the children of Israel was on Mount Sinai.  In that instance, God revealed how to prepare for the coming of His glory.

¹⁰Then the LORD told Moses, “Go down and prepare the people for my arrival. Consecrate them today and tomorrow, and have them wash their clothing. ¹¹Be sure they are ready on the third day, for on that day the LORD will come down on Mount Sinai as all the people watch. ¹²Mark off a boundary all around the mountain. Warn the people, ‘Be careful! Do not go up on the mountain or even touch its boundaries. Anyone who touches the mountain will certainly be put to death. (Exodus 19:10-12 NLT)

God commanded Moses to prepare the people for His arrival. The glory of God does not come without preparation.  The children of Israel were to prepare by separating themselves to God. This involved bodily purifications in which the people scrub themselves clean of any dirt no matter how small. They would also wash their clothes until they sparkle. Two full days are set aside for such purification, after which they can confidently expect the visitation of God on the third day. The washing with water is symbolic of the cleansing the Blood of Christ had accomplished for us. Hence, the Bible exhorts, “Let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusting him. For our guilty consciences have been sprinkled with Christ’s blood to make us clean, and our bodies have been washed with pure water” (Hebrews 10:22 NLT). The Blood of Jesus had secured for us once and for all an eternal cleansing that makes us always ready to welcome His Presence. All that we are required to do is to confess all our sins and bring them under the cover of the Blood of Christ. Do it now!

The other aspect of preparation involves setting boundary around Mount Sinai, beyond which no body or animal must be allowed to cross. Any person or animal that crosses the boundary must be killed.  If somebody who had undergone all the purifications ignores the decree of God and goes beyond the boundary He had set to approach the mountain, the person must die. Hence, having our consciences cleansed by the Blood of Christ and ready to welcome the glory, does not absolve us from the demand of obedience. Whatever boundaries God has set for us as individuals or through our leaders must be respected if you must see the glory. Obedience is an inviolable condition for seeing the glory of God.

When the appropriate preparations are made, the word of God assures that “The glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.”  Let us make haste to prepare for the coming glory. God will show Himself powerfully on our behalf. No sacrifice is not small to make in order to welcome into our lives, families and the church, the transforming glory of Divine Presence.