Holy, Holy, Holy

Posted by Tim

Wednesday, March 31, 2010

"A true love of God must begin with a delight in his holiness, and not with a delight in any other attribute; for no other attribute is truly lovely without this." Jonathan Edwards

In the year of King Uzziah's death... And so begins the well-known passage from Isaiah chapter 6. But how well is King Uzziah known? We have to look back to 2 Chronicles 26 to have the biblical summary of this leader's rise and reign over the nation of Judah.

Uzziah became king at the age of 16 and his early reign was characterized by...

• Tremendous Commercial Success - "He built Eloth and restored it to Judah" - a seaport city that opened land-locked Judah's ability to trade with the rest of the world (2 Chron 26:2)
• Military Triumphs - "Now he went out and warred against the Philistines..." (2 Chron 26:6-9)
• Agricultural Progress - "He also had plowmen and vinedressers in the hill country and the fertile fields, for he loved the soil" (2 Chron 26:10)
• National Security - "Uzziah had an army ready for battle." (2 Chron 26:11)
• Advanced Technology - "And in Jerusalem he made engines of war invented by skillful men to be on the towers and on the corners, for the purpose of shooting arrows and great stones." (2 Chorn 26:15)

His success as a king and leader was a direct result of his seeking the Lord God...

• 2 Chron 26:4 - "And he did right in the sight of the LORD."
• 2 Chron 26:5 - "And he continued to seek God."
• 2 Chron 26:7 - "And God helped him."
• 2 Chron 26:15 - "For he was marvelously helped until he was strong." 

BUT... BUT... "But when he became strong, his heart was so proud that he acted corruptly, and he was unfaithful to the LORD his God..." (2 Chron 26:16)

King Uzziah's unfaithfulness culminated in being struck with leprosy for attempting to usurp the role of priest... "For he entered the temple of the LORD to burn incense on the altar of incense." He died a leper, remembered as a king who had fallen because of pride and a failure to finish strong.

"In the year of King Uzziah's death, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted, with the train of His robe filling the temple. Seraphim stood above Him, each having six wings; with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called out to another and said, 'Holy, Holy, Holy, is the LORD of hosts, the whole earth is full of His glory.'" (Isaiah 6:1-4)

The prophet Isaiah does not see this vision until the leper king passes away. For the nation of Judah, the prideful glory of their king had obscured the vision of their God.

Are we letting things in our lives obscure our vision of God?

After Isaiah describes the amazing sight of God on His throne, surrounded by heavenly and indescrible beings who continuously declare, "Holy, Holy, Holy," his reaction is to acknowledge the obvious...
"Woe is me, for I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts." (Isaiah 6:5)

How do we respond to the vision of Isaiah within the context of a nation that had grown prideful and self-reliant?

Holiness: Love the One who is declared in triplicate: Holy, Holy, Holy.

Humility: We are sinners, unclean, totally at His mercy but/and the recipients of HIS amazing and underserved salvation.

Honor: Commit to His service, answer His call of "Whom shall I send" with Send Me!

It bears repeating...

"A true love of God must begin with a delight in his holiness, and not with a delight in any other attribute; for no other attribute is truly lovely without this." - Jonathan Edwards