“For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones” (Isaiah 57:15). This verse teaches many things, but perhaps the most significant is that it teaches us God is holy. In fact, we are reminded that his very name is Holy!
We do well to reflect on the implication of that truth. The prophet Isaiah wrote “In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple. Above it stood the seraphims…and one cried to another, and said, holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory. And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the smoke was filled with smoke. Then said I, Woe is me! For I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts” (Isaiah 6:1-5). One truth is prominent. God is holy and we are not!
Only when we see God for who he is can we see ourselves as we really are. Yet our sin leads us to hide ourselves from him even as Adam hid himself from the LORD in the Garden of Eden after he had disobeyed (Genesis 3:10). But there is no hiding place for “all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do (Hebrews 4:13). The Psalmist reminds us “whither shall I flee from thy presence…yea, the darkness hideth not from thee…the darkness and the light are both alike to thee” (Psalm 139:7-12).
We are all as Isaiah was, undone before a holy God! “God reigneth over the heathen [nations]: God sitteth upon the throne of his holiness” (Psalm 47:8). “The LORD is in his holy temple, the LORD’s throne is in heaven: His eyes behold, his eyelids try, the children of men” (Psalm 11:4). There is no escaping his view nor our accountability to him. “So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God” (Romans 14:12).
Even so, this holy God has given us hope. He says “I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit” (emphasis added). A right view of God then is the first step in preparing to meet this Holy One. He does not crush us by the weight of his holiness, but tenderly invites us to repent of our sin (the evidence of a contrite spirit) and to humbly trust in him for a righteousness that is not our own.
When is the last time you paused to reflect on the holy character of God Almighty? This is the first step in knowing his tender love. The writer of the epistle to the Hebrews makes a thoughtful and provoking admonition. “Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord” (Hebrews 12:14). Remember, God is holy and we are not. He alone can bridge the gulf between us.
From the Chaplain 