I wish to share a quote from Dr. John Currid on the glory of God:
But the word glory is also employed in a qualitative sense in the Bible. It can refer to something that is weighty, heavy, or filled with a particular quality or trait. Often it can reflect the moral quality that defines a person. Thus, in the exodus account, when the verdict is reached that Pharaoh’s heart is “hardened,” or literally, “heavy,” this signifies that his heart is filled with iniquity and injustice. His heart is “weighty/heavy” with sin. This defines his very being and character.
When Moses asks God to show him His “glory,” the Hebrew leader is asking that God reveal to him who He is, that is, the very essence of His being. The Lord responds by proclaiming His name Yahweh in front of Moses. This self-designation in Hebrew literally means “I am that I am,” and it signifies three things about the nature of God. First, God is self-existent and independent of creation. Second, He is immutable, unchanging. Finally, it implies the eternity of His being. The Lord then answers Moses by using an idem per idem formula to express His nature. This formula — “gracious…gracious” and “mercy…mercy” — signifies that God is autonomous, free to bestow His grace and compassion on whomever He pleases. It underscores the doctrine of the sovereignty of God.
Because the word glory defines the very essence of God’s being, it came to be used of the very presence of God among His people. So we read in Exodus 16:10 that the people of Israel looked into the wilderness and “the glory of the Lord appeared in the cloud.” Biblical scholars call this type of appearance of God the shekinah glory, that is, the dwelling presence of God with His people. It is this glory cloud that descends on and covers Mount Sinai when God reveals His word to His people (Ex. 24:15–16). It is this glory cloud that descends into the Holy of Holies in both the tabernacle and the temple (Ex. 40:34–38; 1 Kings 8:10– 11). The shekinah glory is a sign that God’s very being and essence reside in the midst of His people.
The greatest manifestation of the dwelling presence of God’s glory (essence/being) among His people is in the incarnation of Jesus Christ. The Apostle John tells us that “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14). The Greek word that John uses for “dwelt” means “to tabernacle,” and it is a clear reference to the dwelling presence of God in the tabernacle/ temple of the Old Testament. The reality is that “something greater than the temple is here” (Matt. 12:6). Jesus is the true glory of God.
The Council 
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