The Holiness of God (Part 2)

God's Transcendent Majesty

First let’s read Isaiah 6:1-8 together 

In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a high and lofty throne, and His robe filled the temple. 2 Seraphim were standing above Him; each one had six wings: with two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. 

3 And one called to another: Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Hosts; His glory fills the whole earth.

4 The foundations of the doorways shook at the sound of their voices, and the temple was filled with smoke. 5 Then I said: Woe is me for I am ruined because I am a man of unclean lips and live among a people of unclean lips, and because my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of Hosts. 6 Then one of the seraphim flew to me, and in his hand was a glowing coal that he had taken from the altar with tongs. 7 He touched my mouth with it and said: Now that this has touched your lips, your wickedness is removed and your sin is atoned for. 

8 Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying: Who should I send? Who will go for Us? I said: Here I am. Send me.

Let’s define Transcendent Majesty

i. Transcendent = all surpassing, above and beyond anything else
ii. Majesty = includes all of God’s power and authority, royalty, dignity, and splendor.
iii. Transcendent Majesty speaks of the infinite power, authority, royalty, dignity, and splendor that is God’s

Isaiah gives us three descriptive phrases in these verses when talking about God.

                                                                         i.     He is sitting upon a throne

                                                                       ii.     He is high and lifted up

                                                                      iii.    The train of his robe fills the temple

                     

                    God’s Throne

                                                               i.      The throne is symbolic of His reign and ruler ship.

                                                             ii.      God absolutely rules over all His creation in both heaven and earth. A sparrow cannot fall to the ground apart from His will. (Matt. 10:29). We cannot carry out the plans we make apart from His will (James 4:13-15). However, God does according to His will among those in Heaven and those who inhabit Earth (Daniel 4:35).

                                                            iii.   Due to God’s authority as creator, God has the right to set the rules of conduct for His moral creatures, enforce those rules, and act as the supreme judge of all moral beings, rewarding good and punishing evil.

 “High and Lifted up”

                                                               i.      This expression speaks of His supreme exaltation – the glorious display of God’s royalty, splendor, and glory.

 "The train of His robe fills the temple"

                                                               i.      This accentuates his royalty and splendor.

                                                             ii.      With bridal gowns today, the train is the apex (or focal point) of the dress, indicating to some degree the beauty and expensiveness of the dress.  The robe given to a King or Queen always includes a train, the length of it to display the royalty and splendor of the person being crowned. When Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain was crowned in 1953, her train was thirty-six feet long. It was made of velvet and trimmed in fur and was so heavy it had to be carried by six maids of honor, walking behind her.

                                                             iii.      A train shows royalty. God’s robe was so long it filled the temple, an expression intended to convey to us the infinite royalty, splendor, dignity, and majesty of God.

One of the earliest recorded references to the holiness of God occurs in the song of Moses after the Israelites had crossed the Red Sea and had seen God down the Egyptian army in the sea. In Exodus 15:11 you see them singing, “Who is like you, O Lord, among the Gods? Who is like you, majestic in holiness, awesome in glorious deeds, doing wonders?”

 “Majestic in Holiness”

                                                               i.      In the episode of the Red Sea, this is a reference to God’s power and authority. Specifically the power to deliver the Israelite people from the pursuit of the mighty Egyptian army.

                                                             ii.      Consider the power of God in parting the Red Sea. He caused the waters to part and stand up like concrete walls and made the sea bottom as dry land for the Israelites to walk on (Exodus 14:21-29). And then through His same power, God released the parted waters to resume their normal course so the entire Egyptian army was drowned in the midst of the sea. No wonder the Israelites sang, “Who is like you, O Lord, among the Gods?” (Exodus 15:11)

Our God is holy and majestic. Isaiah's vision is a starting point to looking at the holiness of God and his transcendent majesty. He is also infinite in his moral purity and we will look at that subject in the next blog post.