(78) Encountering the Holiness of God -2

Somehow, though engulfed in the unspeakable glory of God’s holy presence, somehow, Isaiah speaks. Isaiah responds to his encounter with the awesome holiness of God.

“Woe is me!” “I am lost!” “I am ruined!”

I believe we could paraphrase it this way, “God’s gonna kill me! That’s the only possible explanation for why I’m seeing this glorious sight. You can’t see God’s glory and live. God’s gonna kill me!”

Just a moment in the presence of the glorious, holy, God of glory will bring you to your knees before Him in complete brokenness and humility. Why?

“ I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips”

When we see how glorious He really is, we see how corrupt, sinful, unworthy, and defiled we are. We see the damning difference. A moment in the presence of God’s absolute holiness leads you to realize your great wickedness. We are corrupt and defiled by just the words we speak.

“my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts."

Isaiah knows who he has seen. The King of all kings. Yahweh, the one and only true God. God of all Gods. The ruler of all the peoples and armies of the universe. Holy God.

When Isaiah was confronted with the holiness of God he was changed. He gained a new perspective on God and on himself. He was overwhelmed with the glorious holiness or God. He realized that God is different, far different than our grandest thoughts. He also realized how unworthy he was to be in God’s presence. He realized how unworthy he was to open his lips to join in the praise of God. He was a common man. He was a sinner.

When you encounter the glory, majesty, and holiness of God it has a deeply profound impact on you. We need a fresh encounter like this everyday so that we might free ourselves of the humanly conceived and inadequate view of God that so easily clouds our minds. We need to see the glorious holiness of God. We need to beg God to give us a glimpse of His glory. Just a glimpse like Isaiah had so that we might be changed as he was.

We need to see this glory so that we will see our own sin and unworthiness before God. We need to be broken. We need to be brought to true repentance. We need to be driven to passion for God, His glory, holiness.

Glorious, infinitely holy God,

Words cannot express how glorious you are.

You are the one and only.

You alone are God.

I am left speechless before your glory.

I am humbled by your glory.

I beg your mercy . . . your forgiveness.

Ignite in me a passion . . . a burning, unquenchable passion for your glory.

You are so worthy of every breath that I breathe.

You are so worthy of every beat of my heart.

Take them, they are yours.

Share

Next:  (79) Isaiah Is Redeemed by Jehovah’s Grace

(77) Encountering the Holiness of God - 1

In Isaiah six, we read of one of the most amazing encounters with the holiness of God vividly displayed to man. You are probably familiar with this passage. Let me encourage you to slowly and carefully read it with fresh eyes and a heart to fully appreciate the scene before us here.

In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. (2) Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. (3) And one called to another and said: "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!" (4) And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. (5) And I said: "Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!" (6) Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. (7) And he touched my mouth and said: "Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for. (8) And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?" Then I said, "Here am I! Send me." (Isaiah 6:1-8 ESV)

What did Isaiah see? Though words are clearly inadequate to answer that question, they are all we have. But as we consider this scene, try to get an appreciation of it in your imagination.

In verse one, Isaiah says he saw the Lord. The Hebrew word here is Adonay. It describes God as master, lord, king, and sovereign one. It is used only of God and so is a title of the true God with a focus on His majesty and authority. (Dictionary of Biblical Languages – Adapted)

Isaiah saw the Lord “sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up.” He sits as sovereign King over all creation, exalted far above all lesser human authorities and kings.

“The train of his robe filled the temple” The train here signifies splendor, beauty, and majesty. The whole temple is filled with the display of the splendor and majesty of the King of kings!

“ Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. ” These beings may only be seen by Isaiah here. The seraphim worship and serve before the throne of the King in complete humility. John Piper describes this scene so beautifully.

Not even seraphs can look upon the Lord nor do they feel worthy even to leave their feet exposed in his presence. Great and good as they are, untainted by human sin, they revere their Maker in great humility. An angel terrifies a man with his brilliance and power. But angels themselves hide in holy fear and reverence from the splendor of God. How much more will we shudder and quake in his presence who cannot even endure the splendor of his angels!

“And one called to another and said: "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!"”

From what can you separate God to make him holy? The very god-ness of God means that he is separate from all that is not God. There is an infinite qualitative difference between Creator and creature. God is one of a kind. In a class by himself. In that sense he is utterly holy. But then you have said no more than that he is God. – John Piper

Here, the word LORD is the unique name of God, Yahweh or Jehovah. This King who sits enthroned in breath-taking beauty, splendor, and majesty is the one and only God, Yahweh. He is identified as “Yahweh of armies” emphasizing God’s absolute power and authority. He is the sovereign ruler over the heavenly armies.

Isaiah is seeing the one-and-only, one-of-a-kind, unique, holy, sovereign, majestic King of all creation. So great is His splendor, the angels declare that His glory fills the entire earth. It is unimaginable glory!

“And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. ” The King of glory is awesome in the display of His power, causing the entire temple to shake at the declaration of His glory. The King is glorious in the display of His presence. God demonstrated His presence to Israel through a cloud and smoke (Exodus, wilderness, Tabernacle, Temple). Here it fills the throne room of God. The throne room of God is an overwhelming, incredible display of glory that is absolutely staggering.

Can you imagine the cacophony of emotions and reactions that must have engulfed Isaiah?  Can you imagine being there yourself, encountering the overwhelmingly majestic and glorious vision of God's glory? Amazement, wonder, reverence, fear, terror, speechlessness, conviction, humility, worship, adoration. This is what happens when man comes face to face with a veiled display of God holiness. Have you encountered the holiness of God?

Share

Next:  (78) Encountering the Holiness of God - 2

(76) “I will be treated as holy!”

As we have seen from several passages of scripture related to the holiness of God, there is a very clear emphasis on uniqueness. God is unique, distinct in all He is. His nature is unique, His thoughts are unique, His ways are unique, His power is unique, His presence is unique. We could go on & on! God is the one! The only one. God is all that!

Who indeed is like Him . . . majestic in Holiness? There is no one holy like the Lord! What God is like our God? “To whom should you liken me that I should be his equal” says the Holy One!”

We have seen that God takes holiness seriously. We now discover that God takes the worship, honor, and protection of His holiness very seriously.

Do not profane my holy name. I must be acknowledged as holy by the Israelites. (Leviticus 22:32 NIV)

You remember when Aaron’s two sons were struck dead by God while serving in the Tabernacle? We are told that they offered “unauthorized” or “strange” fire before the Lord. We don’t know exactly what their error was, but we do know it was not in keeping with God’s commands. We do know that fire from the Holy Place instantly incinerated them. We also know why God responded so quickly and so strongly.

Then Moses said to Aaron, "It is what the LORD spoke, saying, 'By those who come near Me I will be treated as holy, And before all the people I will be honored."' So Aaron, therefore, kept silent. (Leviticus 10:3 NAU)

Nadab and Abihu had dishonored God. They treated God and His commands as though they were unimportant or optional. They disregarded God and His instruction on how to worship Him. They thought they could approach God and worship Him however they wanted to. They lowered God to their level. They failed to view God as holy. And God took their lives.

This is not the only time we see God punishing His people because they did not honor His holiness. In fact, the profaning of God’s holiness was the chief sin that resulted in Israel being taken into captivity. God explains this through the prophet Exekiel. As you read these verses, notice that Israel had “profaned” or treated as common God and His commands. Notice also how strongly God reacts to this and His passion that He be seen as the holy, unique, one-and-only God.

The word of the LORD came to me: "Son of man, when the house of Israel lived in their own land, they defiled it by their ways and their deeds. Their ways before me were like the uncleanness of a woman in her menstrual impurity. So I poured out my wrath upon them for the blood that they had shed in the land, for the idols with which they had defiled it. I scattered them among the nations, and they were dispersed through the countries. In accordance with their ways and their deeds I judged them. But when they came to the nations, wherever they came, they profaned my holy name, in that people said of them, 'These are the people of the LORD, and yet they had to go out of his land.' But I had concern for my holy name, which the house of Israel had profaned among the nations to which they came. "Therefore say to the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord GOD: It is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am about to act, but for the sake of my holy name, which you have profaned among the nations to which you came. And I will vindicate the holiness of my great name, which has been profaned among the nations, and which you have profaned among them. And the nations will know that I am the LORD, declares the Lord GOD, when through you I vindicate my holiness before their eyes. (Ezekiel 36:16-23 ESV)

God is intense about being regarded, responded to, and worshiped as holy. He cannot be seen or treated like any other being for He is unique. He is majestic and highly exalted in infinite uniqueness. When He is not treated as holy, He will act to make it crystal clear that He alone is God and there is no other.

God is God and we dare not treat Him as anything but infinitely unique, highly exalted, one-of-a-kind. We dare not think we can approach Him and treat Him any way we see fit. We must guard against irreverent or ignoble thoughts of God. We must be passionate about seeing Him as He truly is as revealed in scripture, not a product of our human reasoning in our puny minds. Who is your God?

Next:  (76) Encountering the Holiness of God

(75) The Importance of Holiness

Holiness is of great significance to God. Why? Because it is the one attribute of His character that describes Him more than any other. It is the one attribute that receives the greatest attention in scripture, and in Heaven. Let’s take a journey into the future and look at vignette of a scene that will be played throughout eternity.

After this I looked, and there before me was a door standing open in heaven. And the voice I had first heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, "Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this." At once I was in the Spirit, and there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it. And the one who sat there had the appearance of jasper and carnelian. A rainbow, resembling an emerald, encircled the throne. Surrounding the throne were twenty-four other thrones, and seated on them were twenty-four elders. They were dressed in white and had crowns of gold on their heads.

From the throne came flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder. Before the throne, seven lamps were blazing. These are the seven spirits of God. Also before the throne there was what looked like a sea of glass, clear as crystal. In the center, around the throne, were four living creatures, and they were covered with eyes, in front and in back. The first living creature was like a lion, the second was like an ox, the third had a face like a man, the fourth was like a flying eagle. Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under his wings. Day and night they never stop saying: "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come." Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor and thanks to him who sits on the throne and who lives for ever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne, and worship him who lives for ever and ever. They lay their crowns before the throne and say: "You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being." (Revelation 4:1-11 NAU)

Glory! I can’t wait to be part of this glorious celebration and worship of the God of infinite majesty and glory! And what will be the focus of this worship for all eternity? The holiness of God. That’s right, holiness. Notice, the continual antiphonal worship of the angelic hosts of Heaven will keep the focus of all eternity on the holiness of God. Why? Because the holiness of God distinguishes Him as the one who is infinitely different, distinct, and unique. All that He is in His character He is in a way that is unlike any other.

"Who is like You among the gods, O LORD? Who is like You, majestic in holiness, Awesome in praises, working wonders? (Exodus 15:11 NAU)

"There is no one holy like the LORD; there is no one besides you; there is no Rock like our God. (1 Samuel 2:2 NAU)

Your way, O God, is holy; What god is great like our God? (Psalm 77:13 NAU)

"To whom then will you liken Me That I should be his equal?" says the Holy One. (Isaiah 40:25 NAU)

O LORD my God, You have performed many wonders for us. Your plans for us are too numerous to list. You have no equal. If I tried to recite all Your wonderful deeds, I would never come to the end of them. (Psalms 40:5 NLT)

God is God. There is no other. There is no one who remotely begins to compare with His infinite, glorious greatness. He is in absolute truth, one-of-a-kind. He is indescribable, incomparable, great, awesome, infinite, unfathomable glory. There is no other. God is so infinitely unique man can only just begin to understand all that is involved in the depth of who He is.

This is what it means to say that God is holy. This is the importance of holiness. In all of the other attributes of God that we could name, He is holy, unique, different that all others. He is holy in His power, knowledge, righteousness, love, grace, mercy. Yes, in all His being, He is holy, He is infinitely different and unique.

(74) The Holiness of Things

Before we look more closely at the depth of meaning and significance of God’s holiness, it will be helpful for us to look a bit more closely at the basic, root meaning of holiness as it is revealed in its usage in scripture. For this, we must take a deeper look at how scripture uses holiness to relate to and describe things like wood, metal, fabric and other very common, insignificantly ordinary, everyday objects.

When we look at scripture, we find something very fascinating. For example, we find some wood that might be sitting in a pile just like all the other wood a carpenter might use to make a table. The next day, that wood is holy. Why? Because that wood was donated to be use in the building of the Tabernacle. It was dedicated to the Lord. This is true for a number of plain, ordinary objects that had no distinctiveness but when they were dedicated to the building of the Tabernacle, making it’s furniture, or the objects used in worship at the Tabernacle, they became holy. They were now different, set apart from other wood, fabric, metal, grain, animals, etc. They were now unique. And God took this holiness very, very seriously.

As we consider the following scriptures and their meaning, keep in mind that we are laying a foundation for understanding that holiness is far more than moral purity. All this lays a foundation for understanding the holiness of God. All of this is critical to gaining a fully appreciate the holiness of God and worship Him as He deserves.

First, notice that God commanded the priests accountable for maintaining and protecting the holiness of the things that were dedicated to be used in worship.

They [priests] shall teach my people the difference between the holy and the common, and show them how to distinguish between the unclean and the clean. (Ezekiel 44:23 ESV)

Notice in this verse, we are reminded that holiness is a matter of difference, distinction, and uniqueness. God is intent on teaching His people that holiness is about recognizing and maintaining distinctiveness, uniqueness, and exclusivity. In fact, God takes this so seriously that He held the person who did not treat this seriously as guilty and under punishment – even if they didn’t mean to!

"If a person acts unfaithfully and sins unintentionally against the LORD'S holy things, then he shall bring his guilt offering to the LORD: a ram without defect from the flock, . . ..  "He shall make restitution for that which he has sinned against the holy thing. (Leviticus 5:15-16 NAU)

God takes this so seriously, that He cites it as one of the reasons He was sending the sinful nation of Israel into exile.

"Son of man, say to her [Israel]: 'You are a land that receives no rain or showers in the day of my anger.' . . . (26) Her priests abuse my law and have desecrated my holy things. They do not distinguish between the holy and the profane, or recognize any distinction between the unclean and the clean. (Ezekiel 22:23-24,26 NAU)

So, what do we learn from all this? We learn that God really takes these things seriously. God is unwaveringly serious about holiness. When God says something is set apart to Him, He means it. When God says something is to be treated as unique, to be treated differently than all else, He isn’t playing around. We learn that God demands that the distinction and separation be maintained between the holy, that which is set apart to glorify Him as holy, from the common. This isn’t just a religious, ceremonial formality. This is real, this is serious, this is demanded by God. To God, holiness is definitely not something to be taken lightly.

Next:  (75) The Importance of Holiness

(73) The Holiness of God - Introduction

Every once in a while, out of the sea of ordinary humanity, someone extraordinary emerges. As I contemplate history, some of the extraordinary people that come to mind include Augustine of Hippo, John Hus, John Wycliff, John Knox, John Calvin (I'm thinking about changing my name to John!), Martin Luther. As I think of individuals in modern history, I think of Abraham Lincoln, William Wilberforce, Charles Spurgeon, John Gresham Machen, Billy Graham, B. B. Warfield, J.I. Packer, A.W. Tozer, Martin Luther King Jr.. Currently, some of my picks would be John Piper, Al Mohler Jr., Millard Erickson, John MacArthur and others.

But each of these have one major thing in common. They are all common human beings. The similarities they have with the great sea of humanity far surpass the uniqueness of their splash in the ripples of time and human existence.

In Stark contrast to all of humanity is God. God is infinitely unique, one of a kind in every respect. This is what the essence of holiness is all about.

When we think of holiness, many believers think immediately of moral purity and the absence of sin. This is one aspect of holiness, but it is not the full picture.

It is in the Old Testament that we see the glory of God’s holiness unfold. The Hebrew word that is translated “holiness” is qodesh. The basic meaning of this word refers to being “marked off, withdrawn from common ordinary use” or “to separate.” Before we can understand holiness as it relates to God, we need to get a solid understanding of this concept through it’s usage in the Old Testament. As we look at this usage, an important emphasis emerges. Consider the following chart listing the usage of qodesh to describe people or things as “holy”.
 

This chart doesn’t quite fit with our traditional idea that holiness is simply a matter of moral purity. God is morally pure. People can be morally pure. But ground? Things? And why are there over three times as many references to inanimate objects rather than to God or people? Because holiness is broader than moral purity.

Qodesh is used overwhelmingly to speak of a thing or place (tabernacle, ground) that God designated or had made (articles, clothes, etc. for the Tabernacle) to be set apart from other things to be used exclusively for His purposes. Holiness at its core is about uniqueness, distinction.

With this root meaning of qodesh in mind we get a better understanding of the holiness of God. The holiness of God means that God is unique, truly and absolutely one of a kind, infinitely separated from all that is common or profane, different from all we know, different even than what we can conceive. God is so infinitely unique, so different, so one of a kind, that you and I cannot begin to understand all that is involved in His glorious character.

"To whom then will you liken Me That I should be his equal?"

says the Holy One.

(Isaiah 40:25 NAU)

Next: (74)  The Holiness of Things

(72) The Immutability of God (Conclusion)

Last night the 2010 Winter Olympic Games ended. Our family enjoyed watching several events together. One thing that struck me was the various surprises along the way. Some who were expected to win a medal did not, while others performed much better than expected and did earn a medal. I guess even for elite athletes, sometimes you have it and sometimes you don’t. Some of the greats underperformed due to physical problems, some because of weather conditions outside their control, some because of poor officiating, some because they just didn’t keep it together mentally.

We all have our ups and downs, days when we’re on the top of our game, and times when we just don’t have what it takes in one way or another. Not so with God.

Our God is always “on top of His game” and His “game” is the best in the universe. God’s knowledge has always been infinite and it will never change. God’s power is infinite, and it will never change. God’s plan is perfect and it always will be – flawless in every detail. God is impeccably holy and righteous, absolutely just – the standard is not a moving target, it will never change.

The God who solved your problems, gave you perfect guidance, freely poured out His grace for you to face the most challenging circumstances, generously and mercifully forgave your sin. This God is the same God you serve today.

This is the comfort, the stability, the strength of the immutability of God.

When you feel like life is overwhelming, recall how God has miraculously worked in the past. He’s still the same!

When you’re confused by the bombardment of voices trying to tell you what is right and wrong, turn to God and His Word. The truth is there and it has not changed. He’s still the same!

Are you bewildered over the right direction to take in life. Remember that God’s plan has always been perfect and He has always worked it out perfectly. He’s still the same!

When you feel like you don’t have the strength to keep going, recall the indescribable demonstrations of God’s power in the past. He’s still the same!

Whatever you face, whatever your challenge, surely you can recall a time in biblical history or in your own life that demonstrates that God is more than adequate to meet the need. And He’s still the same!

Next:  (73)  The Holiness of God  (Introduction)