I AM: Holy

“Who will not fear, O Lord,
and glorify Your name?
For You alone are holy…”
-Revelation 15:4

When we say that God is holy we are referring to His inexhaustible greatness and His unblemished character. God cannot be charged with wrong, because He cannot be wrong.  His very nature does not allow it.   He is completely set apart from His creation.  There is no one and nothing like Him.

“To whom then will you compare Me,
that I should be like him? says the Holy One.”
-Isaiah 40:25

As we study the character of God we cannot fail to let His holiness fully capture our hearts.

Too often we surround ourselves with the comforting truths of God’s love, mercy, kindness, and nearness to the detriment of our understanding of His awesome holiness.  While these attributes are certainly true about God, they cannot be accurately nor fully understood outside of His holiness.  We cheapen and depreciate His grace when it stands apart from His piercing and impeccable holiness. 

In the Old Testament, the prophet Isaiah was given the unique and awe-inspiring opportunity to witness the pure holiness of the Lord.  Let your heart and mind be captivated as you read this description of the very throne room of God!

“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.  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.  And one called to another and said:

“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts;
the whole earth is full of His glory!”

And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of Him who called, and the house was filled with smoke.  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!”  -Isaiah 6:1-5

“In the year that King Uzziah died…”

King Uzziah had reigned over the nation of Israel for 52 years. For most of his reign he was faithful to seek the Lord in obedience.  However, as his strength and accomplishments as King grew, so did his pride.  One day, near the end of his reign, he arrogantly entered into the temple to burn incense to the Lord despite the warning and opposition of the priests.  This was a job reserved solely for the priests — who had been consecrated by God to perform this task. Because of his disdain for the holiness of God, he was struck with leprosy of which he eventually died.  (2 Chronicles 26:1-23)  The Israelites hearing these words would have been familiar with the reason for the King’s death.  And this reference offers a stark contrast to Isaiah’s own response to the holiness of God.   The highness and holiness of God is no trivial matter.    

“ …I saw the Lord…”

We learned last week that the name that God has given Himself — I AM — is represented in the Bible with the word LORD in all caps.  Isaiah does not use God’s name as He is describing what He saw, but rather His exalted title “Lord.”  He is describing God’s ultimate position of authority over all the universe.

Can you imagine being able to utter those words?  I SAW THE LORD!  Who can gaze upon the holiness of our God and remain unmoved?  No one.  An encounter with His perfect holiness must fill you with a deep sense of your desperate and overwhelming need to know and experience all that He is!

“…sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; …”

The living God is secure on His throne.  Nothing can shake Him from this position of absolute authority.  Nothing takes Him by surprise.  He is in complete control over the entire universe, and over every detail of your life.  Every. Single. One.  We cannot call into question The One who reigns high and lifted up.  Will you choose to trust God — who cannot do wrong — with the plan He has for you?

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord.
For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.”
-Isaiah 55:8, 9

His plan for your life, may not be what you would have chosen, but by virtue of His holiness it is higher. Our God, who made the entire universe without error, has made no mistakes in the plans He has made for your life. Continue in the confidence that He can and will use everything in your life, no matter how devastating, for your good, because You are His.

“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…”

What an incredible display of humility.  The seraphim — literally “the burning ones” —who have not been tainted by sin, and given the incredible role of serving the Lord before His throne approach Him out of complete reference by keeping their faces and feet covered in His presence.  They understood the incredible implications of the holiness of God.

“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory!”

An emphasis in Hebrew writing was often made through repetition. The holiness of God is so absolute, so awe-inspiring, it was repeated three times— “Holy! Holy! Holy!” No other attribute of God is praised and acknowledged like this. Not love, mercy, faithfulness…  Just Holy.  God chose that the words spoken continuously in His presence before His throne would be of His holiness.

“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!”

May God inspire us to cling not only to the aspects of His character that delight and comfort our hearts, but also the ones that grip us and jolt us to the very center of our souls.  When we experience God for who He is, in all His holiness, we are suddenly aware of who we are in all our sinfulness.  But this awe-inspiring encounter with His holiness was not only meant to make us aware of our own sinful condition.  Can you hear Him calling out to you even in your brokenness and sorrow?  “My child, I want to make you like Me.”

“But as He who called you is holy,
you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written,
“You shall be holy, for I AM holy.”
-1 Peter 1:15, 16

God calls us to holiness.  God cleanses our hearts because He wants to transform us, to make us holy just as He is.  To be holy is to be set apart from the ordinary and devoted to God.  But this change and restoration can only take place in our hearts when we choose to recognize the majesty of God’s holiness.

We must surrender ourselves — willingly — to His shaping and instruction.  Often this process will be painful and difficult. Just as the sculptor uses sharp tools to carve his masterpiece, the Lord can use this grief and loss to carve you, shape you, into His image.  And while it may be painful, even excruciating, for a time, the outcome will be marvelous as His light begins to shine through you.

Then you will gleam with the radiance of His holiness.

This is how it will be known that you are set apart, that you are a child of the Light: When you can boldly and truthful cry out, “God! I want you to reign, not just upon Your high and exalted throne, but in my heart and life!”

Do you long for a revival of your heart?  Then cast your eyes upon His holiness and let Him transform you from the inside out!

“For thus says the One who is high and lifted up,
who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy:
“I dwell in the high and holy place,
and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit,
to revive the spirit of the lowly,
and to revive the heart of the contrite.”
-Isaiah 57:15

Did you miss our first post in this series?  Click here to read I AM: Yahweh

Ashlee is the Editorial Manager for Hope Mommies. Ashlee and her husband, Jesse have three children on earth: Jayden (4), Micah (3), Elian (2), two children in Heaven: Simeon (May 2014), Odelle (Jan 2015). She loves photography, organization, drinking tea, serving in the youth ministry at their church, and spending time with her family.
You can get to know her more by reading her blog, Beyond Undone.