The glory of the Lord in the OT is yet another proof that God had a form.
This is from a thread I did here in 2008.
Re: The Mediator In The Old Testament
10: And it came to pass, as Aaron spake unto the whole congregation of the children of Israel, that they looked toward the wilderness, and, behold, the glory of the LORD appeared in the cloud.
Exodus 16:10
What was the Glory of YHWH? We will get there after some scripture to prepare us.
15: And Moses went up into the mount, and a cloud covered the mount.
16: And the glory of the LORD abode upon mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days: and the seventh day he called unto Moses out of the midst of the cloud.
17: And the sight of the glory of the LORD was like devouring fire on the top of the mount in the eyes of the children of Israel.
18: And Moses went into the midst of the cloud, and gat him up into the mount: and Moses was in the mount forty days and forty nights. Exodue 24:15-18
6: And Moses said, This is the thing which the LORD commanded that ye should do: and the glory of the LORD shall appear unto you.
Leviticus 9:6
23: And Moses and Aaron went into the tabernacle of the congregation, and came out, and blessed the people: and the glory of the LORD appeared unto all the people.
Leviticus 9:23
10: But all the congregation bade stone them with stones. And the glory of the LORD appeared in the tabernacle of the congregation before all the children of Israel.
Numbers 14:10
42: And it came to pass, when the congregation was gathered against Moses and against Aaron, that they looked toward the tabernacle of the congregation: and, behold, the cloud covered it, and the glory of the LORD appeared.
Numbers 16:42
This is not an entire list of scripture that speaks of the Glory of YHWH. And I realize that this is not the only context the glory of the Lord is written in. But these are sufficient for my purpose.
The cloud that went with Israel contained something called "the Glory of YHWH". I believe it had form and was YHWH himself in visible manifestation.
The Glory of YHWH interacted with Israel concerning all they did. Was this glory
personal? Look at what Ezekiel saw when allowed to see into Heaven!
26: And above the firmament that was over their heads was the likeness of a throne, as the appearance of a sapphire stone: and upon the likeness of the throne was
the likeness as the appearance of a man above upon it.
27: And I saw as the colour of amber, as the appearance of fire round about within it, from the appearance of his loins even upward, and from the appearance of his loins even downward, I saw as it were the appearance of fire, and it had brightness round about.
28: As the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud in the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness round about.
This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. And when I saw it, I fell upon my face, and I heard a voice of one that spake.
Ezekiel 1:26-28
Ezekiel said
the Glory of YHWH had a
LIKENESS! Verse 26 says it looked like a
MAN. Verse 27 indicates he had fire up his body and down his body. He was sitting on
THE THRONE OF HEAVEN!
We see in the strongest terms the Glory of YHWH was the bodily presence/form/image of God. This accompanied the Children of Israel for a long time when they left Egypt. It led them from there to and through the wilderness.
Ezekiel saw it again:
23: Then I arose, and went forth into the plain: and,
behold, the glory of the LORD stood there, as the glory which I saw by the river of Chebar: and I fell on my face.
Ezekiel 3:23
He has another encounter with it/him:
2: And, behold, the glory of the God of Israel came from the way of the east: and his voice was like a noise of many waters: and the earth shined with his glory.
3: And it was according to the appearance of the vision which I saw, even according to the vision that I saw when I came to destroy the city: and the visions were like the vision that I saw by the river Chebar; and I fell upon my face.
4: And the glory of the LORD came into the house by the way of the gate whose prospect is toward the east.
5: So the spirit took me up, and brought me into the inner court; and, behold, the glory of the LORD filled the house.
6:
And I heard him speaking unto me out of the house; and the man stood by me.
7: And he said unto me,
Son of man, the place of my throne, and the place of the soles of my feet, where I will dwell in the midst of the children of Israel for ever, and my holy name, shall the house of Israel no more defile, neither they, nor their kings, by their whoredom, nor by the carcases of their kings in their high places.
Ezekiel 43:2-7
So we see the Glory of the Lord was actually the Lord himself.
Brief explanation****
YHWH in his basic essence is omnipresent spirit filling the Universe.
24: Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him? saith the LORD. Do not I fill heaven and earth? saith the LORD.
Jer. 23:24
As such he cannot be seen by creation. Thus he formed an image of himself at creation out of his own omnipresent spirit to be his visible representation to creation. This is seen both by the fact that he travelled with Israel and was visible to them as the "Glory of YHWH" on Earth. Also in Heaven Ezekiel saw this same IMAGE OF YHWH sitting on the throne!