Worships God As Holy

Worships God As Holy

A HERO’S TALE

Isaiah thought he was dead. Finished. Doomed. Kaput.

The year was 740 BC, and God’s people were in serious danger. The northern kingdom of Israel had already abandoned the Lord to serve the false gods of the surrounding nations. Soon, God would punish Israel by allowing the Assyrian Empire to conquer it.

Meanwhile, the southern kingdom, Judah, was dangerously heading down a similar path. In his love and mercy, God called Isaiah in a vision to warn Judah of coming judgment.

Isaiah’s vision was marvelous, yet terrifying. In it, he saw God seated on a majestic throne in heaven, his royal robe filling the entire room. Swirling above God’s throne were seraphim —mysterious, angelic creatures, each with six wings and a fiery appearance. As they flew, they shouted, “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of Heaven’s Armies! The whole earth is filled with his glory!” (Isaiah 6:3). Their voices were so powerful the entire throne room trembled and filled with smoke.

Isaiah feared for his life. How could he witness God’s full glory and live? But God spared Isaiah’s life. He sent one of his blazing angels to assure Isaiah that his sins were forgiven.

After that amazing experience, Isaiah boldly proclaimed God’s words to Judah for about 60 years. Throughout his long life, Isaiah never forgot his incredible encounter with God’s holiness.

DECODING THE MESSAGE

When the Bible describes God as holy, it means he is unique and set apart. It also means he is completely pure and sinless.

God is not like us. He is eternal; we are created. He is all-powerful and all-knowing; we are limited in power and knowledge. He is perfect; we are sinful.

Because of who he is, God deserves all of our love, praise, and honor. We are to worship him and stand in awe of his holiness, like Isaiah did.

We are also to imitate God’s holiness. No, we can’t be perfect too. But we should strive to be like him. God says in Leviticus 11:45, “You must be holy because I am holy.”

That’s a tall order. But see today’s Gospel Connection for how it’s possible.

BATTLE PLAN

Read Isaiah 6 and Revelation 4 to compare two different visions of God’s holiness (from Isaiah and the apostle John).