“And one called to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!”” (Isaiah 6:3, ESV)
Isaiah was given the awesome gift to see God the Father at His throne in Heaven. The second Isaiah was in the presence God the Father, he felt unworthy. That’s what a sinner feels when in sight of the perfect, powerful, awesome power of God… fear. God could cause Isaiah to die in a heartbeat. God could punish his sin for all eternity. God could do anything HE wanted! A human doesn’t belong in such powerful company. A human is mortal. Humans are sinful creatures. Isaiah felt all of this. When he saw God the Father, Isaiah yelled out, “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips… for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!” (Isaiah 6:5, ESV). He thought he was going to die.
The same amount of shock and awe and fear gripped the shepherds when they saw the angel of God near Bethlehem when Jesus was born. They were gripped with fear at the power and presence of the angel. The angel saw the fear of the shepherds and called out, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.” (Luke 2:10, ESV).
Abraham, Jacob, Daniel, Zechariah, Peter, John, and many more of the faithful in the Bible saw God’s throne or God’s angels. Zechariah went speechless. John of Patmos fell facedown. All sensed awe. All knew they were in the presence of the Almighty and All-Powerful God or His angels. All felt unworthy and inadequate when God was there. All wanted to be better men.
When Isaiah found himself in the presence of God, Isaiah heard the seraphim proclaim the words found in Isaiah 6:3, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Hosts. The whole earth is filled with His glory!” The seraphim are supernatural fiery guardians of God. They are powerful, awe inspiring agents of God. They inspired Isaiah to be in shock and fear. Yet even their presence is nothing like that of God. God is all-powerful on heaven and on earth. In His presence, Isaiah felt only inadequate, worthless, and fearful. But God the Father did not allow this. God sent a seraphim to cleanse Isaiah and prepare him for a special mission as prophet to Israel (Isaiah 6:6-10).
For today’s meditation, I want you to notice what is said in Heaven; the words found in Isaiah 6:3. This verse begins with the repetition of the word, “Holy”. “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is filled with His glory.” Do you see how the word “holy” is repeated three times? This is very rare in scripture. Often, when a Biblical writer wants to convey an important point, a word will be repeated. Jesus, for example, said to Nicodemus some very important words. To emphasize them, he doubled the first word, saying, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” (John 3:3). Jesus was being emphatic. He wanted to get his point across. He doubled his first words, “Truly, Truly”. Jesus wanted to emphasize how “truly” were the words “unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God”.
In Isaiah 6:3, we have the word “holy” repeated three times! This puts the ultimate emphasis on God being “holy”. The Lord is above human standards of holiness. The Lord is above angelic standards of holiness. The Lord is “holy, holy, holy”.
So unusual is this triple insight about the Lord that John Bacchus Dykes wrote a hymn about it. He even titled it “Holy, Holy, Holy”. This hymn has been sung in churches for over two hundred years. Dykes wanted churchgoers to realize the awesome holiness that surrounds God’s presence.
Too often, we as humans do not realize the awesome power and holiness of God. We want to see God as a merciful friend, a kind old grandfather figure with a white beard. That is not what Isaiah experienced. In the Lord’s presence, Isaiah could only feel puny, unworthy, sinful, weak, and fear. When confronted with the awesomeness of God, humans are little more than a few cells in a pinprick of time. And yet, and yet!, and yet!, God wanted Isaiah in Heaven. God had a mission planned. God wanted Isaiah to be a holy prophet to Israel. God elevated Isaiah to an important status.
For some wonderful reason, God chose you and me to be with Him in the historical battle of “Good vs. Evil”. God chose you to be in His army. God called you to be a disciple. You may not matter much to the world or to history, but in this short time of your life, your faith is precious to God. Your presence is noted by God. The Lord has need of you!
How will you respond to God’s call today? How will you feel when you face the Lord on Judgment Day? Have you followed God’s Spirit? Have you fulfilled God’s will for your life? Have you obeyed the commandments? Are you willing to take Christ’s hand and go where He leads? Don’t wait until you come up to the throne of Heaven to prepare yourself for that day when you come face to face with Almighty God! Seek Him in prayer! Stand up for His holiness! Do not be ashamed to face ridicule in His honor. He created you. He saved you from a sinful existence through His grace. He sent Jesus to the cross to redeem your life. How can you return the blessing?
The same amount of shock and awe and fear gripped the shepherds when they saw the angel of God near Bethlehem when Jesus was born. They were gripped with fear at the power and presence of the angel. The angel saw the fear of the shepherds and called out, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.” (Luke 2:10, ESV).
Abraham, Jacob, Daniel, Zechariah, Peter, John, and many more of the faithful in the Bible saw God’s throne or God’s angels. Zechariah went speechless. John of Patmos fell facedown. All sensed awe. All knew they were in the presence of the Almighty and All-Powerful God or His angels. All felt unworthy and inadequate when God was there. All wanted to be better men.
When Isaiah found himself in the presence of God, Isaiah heard the seraphim proclaim the words found in Isaiah 6:3, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Hosts. The whole earth is filled with His glory!” The seraphim are supernatural fiery guardians of God. They are powerful, awe inspiring agents of God. They inspired Isaiah to be in shock and fear. Yet even their presence is nothing like that of God. God is all-powerful on heaven and on earth. In His presence, Isaiah felt only inadequate, worthless, and fearful. But God the Father did not allow this. God sent a seraphim to cleanse Isaiah and prepare him for a special mission as prophet to Israel (Isaiah 6:6-10).
For today’s meditation, I want you to notice what is said in Heaven; the words found in Isaiah 6:3. This verse begins with the repetition of the word, “Holy”. “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is filled with His glory.” Do you see how the word “holy” is repeated three times? This is very rare in scripture. Often, when a Biblical writer wants to convey an important point, a word will be repeated. Jesus, for example, said to Nicodemus some very important words. To emphasize them, he doubled the first word, saying, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” (John 3:3). Jesus was being emphatic. He wanted to get his point across. He doubled his first words, “Truly, Truly”. Jesus wanted to emphasize how “truly” were the words “unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God”.
In Isaiah 6:3, we have the word “holy” repeated three times! This puts the ultimate emphasis on God being “holy”. The Lord is above human standards of holiness. The Lord is above angelic standards of holiness. The Lord is “holy, holy, holy”.
So unusual is this triple insight about the Lord that John Bacchus Dykes wrote a hymn about it. He even titled it “Holy, Holy, Holy”. This hymn has been sung in churches for over two hundred years. Dykes wanted churchgoers to realize the awesome holiness that surrounds God’s presence.
Too often, we as humans do not realize the awesome power and holiness of God. We want to see God as a merciful friend, a kind old grandfather figure with a white beard. That is not what Isaiah experienced. In the Lord’s presence, Isaiah could only feel puny, unworthy, sinful, weak, and fear. When confronted with the awesomeness of God, humans are little more than a few cells in a pinprick of time. And yet, and yet!, and yet!, God wanted Isaiah in Heaven. God had a mission planned. God wanted Isaiah to be a holy prophet to Israel. God elevated Isaiah to an important status.
For some wonderful reason, God chose you and me to be with Him in the historical battle of “Good vs. Evil”. God chose you to be in His army. God called you to be a disciple. You may not matter much to the world or to history, but in this short time of your life, your faith is precious to God. Your presence is noted by God. The Lord has need of you!
How will you respond to God’s call today? How will you feel when you face the Lord on Judgment Day? Have you followed God’s Spirit? Have you fulfilled God’s will for your life? Have you obeyed the commandments? Are you willing to take Christ’s hand and go where He leads? Don’t wait until you come up to the throne of Heaven to prepare yourself for that day when you come face to face with Almighty God! Seek Him in prayer! Stand up for His holiness! Do not be ashamed to face ridicule in His honor. He created you. He saved you from a sinful existence through His grace. He sent Jesus to the cross to redeem your life. How can you return the blessing?