God's Holiness
By Marty Ocaya
....We want our plans to work. If they do, we get this sense of victory and satisfaction, our confidence in ourselves boost all of a sudden. But, if everything goes otherwise, some of us begin to see our worlds come crashing.
Let's be honest, all of us have experienced insecurity and disappointment in life. When we witness our friends achieve what they want while we remain staggering and attempting to fulfill our desires, we doubt our capabilities. We become fearful and unsure of the future that lies ahead of us. Comparing ourselves to others causes us to look down on ourselves.
There was once a man who also had his share of disappointments in life. In fact, the trials he faced are greater than what some of us are experiencing.
Isaiah was a simple prophet with an extraordinary calling. He was chosen by God and was mightily used in His work.
During his time, Judah was led by a great king named Uzziah. Under his reign, the land of Judah prospered for Uzziah did what was right in the eyes of the Lord. Judah flourished during his 52 years of service. Unfortunately, Uzziah's pride got the better of him and his self-confidence shot levels higher. He burned incest in the altar of the temple, an act only priests were allowed to do.
He was eventually caught and to make a long story short, his pride caused him to become a leper for the rest of his life. He died after suffering for years.
Now the death of a king meant that a transition period was close by. The people of Judah were not fond of transitions because anything can happen during this period. The economy may go bust, conflicts may arise and trouble may occur at any second. They were gripped with insecurity.
Insecurity never fails to come knocking at our doors. That girl next door can sometimes cause you to look at yourself and ask: "Why am I not as pretty as her?" Our efforts at studying may never be enough when we see other classmates cheat their way to the top.
Isaiah had every right to also feel insecure when King Uzziah died. The future seemed so uncertain and the people were troubled. But...
"In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord..."
Isaiah 6:1a
Isaiah SAW the Lord. What does this say about him?
The good prophet chose to focus on what mattered most. His eyes saw the Lord. Unlike the usual response, he did not focus on the problem. Isaiah focused on God.
Same should go for us. When we are being tested, we choose to fix our attention on what is wrong. We miss the big picture because we're staring at the wrong one. We claim 'But God wasn't there to help me at all!' But the truth is we don't see Him because we don't look at Him!
"...high and exalted, seated on a throne;and the train of his robe filled the temple..."
Isaiah 6:1b
What is this verse trying to imply? It was an assurance that Isaiah could cling to.
It was as if God was telling him: "Hey, I'm here. I am the God almighty, the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. You need not worry because all things are possible with me. You are my people and I am seated on the throne."
"2 Above him were seraphim, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying."
Isaiah 6:2
Seraphim are not the usual angels we see on TV or in stores. They're not the chubby and cute angels we envision in our heads. These seraphims are mighty angels with power beyond our imagination. It's not hard to accept the fact that they truly are magnificent creatures.
But despite their magnificence, their humility astounded Isaiah. These seraphims recognized the truth that God's magnificence was greater than theirs, which is why they covered their faces with their wings. They knew that they were unworthy of His presence. Why unworthy?
Because God is HOLY.
3 And they were calling to one another:
"Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty
the whole earth is full of His glory."
Isaiah 6:3
Of all the words the Bible uses to describe God, the word HOLY is the only repeated thrice in a sentence.
HOLY IS THE SUPERLATIVE DESCRIPTION OF GOD.
Unfortunately, most of us do not get the whole point of God being holy. We just think of His holiness as the bright light that surrounds Him, His default characteristic. We're missing the point.
EVERYTHING about God is holy. His love, His decisions, His Word...everything about Him is a different kind.
Here's an illustration:
Say you own a dog, one that's undeniably cute, cuddly and lovable. You absolutely adore your dog named Kidlat. Your best friend in the whole wide world announced that he would be coming over to your house to visit. You look forward to this because you absolutely love your best friend too. When your friend comes, you lead him to your room where your dog is. You say that you have to leave for a while to get some juice, leaving your best friend with the dog.
However, when you come back, you're shocked to see your best friend stabbing your doggy with a ball pen Dropping the glass, you scream at your friend, send him out and mourn over your dead dog.
Your friend has attempted to apologize numerous times for what happened. But it's normal for to stay angry at him. He killed your dog, your beloved pet. There's this possibility that you might never be friends with this person.
How is this related with God's holiness?
We can be like that best friend who killed the dog. We hurt God numerous times with the way we act or speak to others. We are sinners by birth and our sins pains Him. When we know that we have hurt Him, we tend to apologize OVER AND OVER AGAIN.
But unlike the dog owner who refuses to forgive his dog-killer best friend, God chooses to forget how we hurt Him and forgive...over and over again.
Knowing the holiness of God makes a great impact in our lives.
Such love and forgiveness is truly divine.
5 “Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.”
Isaiah 6:5
Isaiah knew that God was different. This encounter made him realize how unworthy he was to stand in the presence of a holy being. There was no one as holy as God. Because of this realization, when God asked who shall go for the people, Isaiah volunteered himself. He begged God to allow him because this man had seen the holiness of God and lived to tell.
Knowing the holiness of God reveals who we are and who we ought to be in this life.
It transforms our lives in ways we never expected.
Why?
Because our God is holy...holy...HOLY :)
No comments:
Post a Comment