Kavod Honor

Last session, we looked at the word translated as glory, kavod. Kavod as we saw is made up of the 3 letters, the caf, the symbol for hand or palm, the bet which is the symbol for house or dwelling and the dalet, which is the symbol for door or opening.

We saw that the glory represents the opening into the kingdom of God. Glory also reveals the character of God as love. 

Yeshua walked among the people of the earth in His time as love incarnate. 

“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us; and we saw His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (Joh 1:14)

As the Father is love so the son who came to show us the Father is love. His Glory is love.

So what is our response to be to the manifestation of His Glory.

When Lisa and I first began the move of God that became One new Man Ministry, we came out of a time of revival. During the revival, od manifested His great love by touching the people with His joy. 

Meeting after meeting we saw and experienced God releasing people from the bondages of lifetimes of pain and fear by activating rivers of joy. Of course, the pharisees began to criticize the move of God. That people could be healed and set free by the touch of His love was unacceptable to the religious.

Yet those of us who were hungry for more of God were so blessed to be touched.

When we moved to Seattle, we were hungry for more. This began the School of the Spirit and the Fire and Glory encounters. Week after week we saw God moving and activating people into His voice and His healing love.

The gist of what was happening was His Glory which is love. 

Today I want to look at another use of the word for glory, kavod as the word honor. I believe when we connect honor with Glory we release power into our lives.

Turn with me to Mark 6:

Jesus went out from there and *came into His hometown; and His disciples *followed Him. When the Sabbath came, He began to teach in the synagogue; and the many listeners were astonished, saying, "Where did this man get these things, and what is this wisdom given to Him, and such miracles as these performed by His hands? "Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? Are not His sisters here with us?" And they took offense at Him. Jesus said to them, "A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown and among his own relatives and in his own household." And He could do no miracle there except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them. And He wondered at their unbelief. And He was going around the villages teaching. (Mark 6:1-6 NASB)

We see the effect of a lack of honor, a lack of kavod, that is bred by familiarity. This is a power-sucking phenomenon. Yeshua declared this reality and the consequences were a diminishing of the manifestation of the “Glory of God” as a result. 

One of the phenomena we noticed during the revival is the need for significance of people around the revival drove their behaviors. Pretty the touch of God became the effects of man.  As humans we are destined to be carriers of His Glory. Yeshua said we would do greater things than even he did.

"Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father. (John 14:12 NASB)

The question becomes “how do we fulfill his call?”. I think one of the keys is honor.

When the priest Eli was placing his sons in importance, the Lord rebuked him through a prophet who said:

"Therefore the LORD God of Israel declares, 'I did indeed say that your house and the house of your father should walk before Me forever'; but now the LORD declares, 'Far be it from Me—for those who honor Me I will honor, and those who despise Me will be lightly esteemed. (1 Samuel 2:30 NASB)

When we realize that the word for honor shares the root with the word for glory, kavod this gives us some insight into how we can fulfill the call of God on our lives to be carriers of His Glory.

What does the original Hebrew Word Picture reveal about כָּבַד Kavad the root? Three letters, kaf, bet, and dalet.

Kaf = Palm, Open Hand, to Cover, to Open, to Allow, Wing, Bend, Tame…

Bet = Tent, House, Dwelling, In, Inside, Within, Family, Heart, Temple, Kingdom…

Dalet = Door, Entrance, Pathway, Gate, Hang, an Opening to the Heart, to Move…

The palm is what we use to hold, to contain, to open. The dwelling, home is described by the bet.  The dalet is the doorway. כָּבַד Kavad shows us a figurative picture of the Ultimate Open Hand, allowing us Entrance to the Ultimate Tent – Door; the Kingdom of Heaven. This is the realm of glory, the true kingdom of God.

When we add the word honor to the mix, we get a glimpse into moving in power. Honor, kavod opens the door into the kingdom of honor, also known as the kingdom of glory.

Look with me at Psalm 24, beginning with verse 3:

Who may ascend into the hill of the LORD? And who may stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, Who has not lifted up his soul to falsehood And has not sworn deceitfully. He shall receive a blessing from the LORD And righteousness from the God of his salvation. This is the generation of those who seek Him, Who seek Your face—even Jacob. Selah. Lift up your heads, O gates, And be lifted up, O ancient doors, That the King of glory may come in! Who is the King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, The LORD mighty in battle. Lift up your heads, O gates, And lift them up, O ancient doors, That the King of glory may come in! Who is this King of glory? The LORD of hosts, He is the King of glory. Selah.  (Psalms 24:3-10 NASB)

The ancient gates, the doors into eternity bringing the power of the kingdom into our realm are activated by clean hands and a pure heart. Purity of heart, in Hebrew is “tamim”. Noah was said to be tamim. How is purity of heart obtained? I suggest it is by choosing our priorities. If my priority in life is my wife and my family, I will invest my attention, energy, and resource towards that priority. If instead my priority is my job or my work, it will receive greater amount of resources. The things that important in my heart get my resources.

Another way to think of that is they get my honor, they are heavier in my thinking. They receive glory.

Proverbs 3:9-10 says:

Honor the LORD from your wealth and from the first of all your produce; So your barns will be filled with plenty And your vats will overflow with new wine. (Proverbs 3:9-10 NASB)

Another translation might be give glory to the Lord from your wealth and from the first of all of your production. This will result in abundant provision stated as filled barns and vats overflowing with new wine.

New wine is the symbol for joy.

The Prophet Joel describes what happens when we honor the Lord:

So rejoice, O sons of Zion, And be glad in the LORD your God; For He has given you the early rain for your vindication. And He has poured down for you the rain, The early and latter rain as before. The threshing floors will be full of grain, And the vats will overflow with the new wine and oil. "Then I will make up to you for the years That the swarming locust has eaten, the creeping locust, the stripping locust and the gnawing locust, My great army which I sent among you. "You will have plenty to eat and be satisfied and praise the name of the LORD your God, Who has dealt wondrously with you; Then My people will never be put to shame. "Thus, you will know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I am the LORD your God, and there is no other; And My people will never be put to shame. (Joel 2:23-27 NASB)

Honor demonstrates what we place glory on, what is important to us. Honoring the Lord with our production and our wealth shows that our heart is with Him. This draws His Kavod into our lives, His blessing, power and anointing.

Activation: Where does your honor go? Ask yourself what is truly the most important things in your life? You can do an honor inventory by looking where you spend your money, your time and your attention.