GOD IS HOLY
In our meditations for Elul we have been reviewing the attributes of God’s nature. Our goal is to learn how to better reflect God to the world by living as close to His nature as possible.
Today we will discuss that God is Holy.
As we begin to ponder the holiness of God, all sorts of beautiful worship songs flood my memories. The first is an old favorite song with beautiful descriptive lyrics that state “there is none like you.“
It is so true!
Only God is holy.
No one else comes close.
Then I also think of The Doxology and it’s opening words; “Holy, Holy, Holy, LORD God Almighty.” There are so many beautiful worship songs that remind us of God’s holiness and it is this holiness that causes us to fall on our faces in worship.
Just to help you understand where I am coming from; here is another one of my favorites: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jfIT3rooJWQ.
Can you hear these words and not want to worship God?
We are so blessed to have an Almighty God Who is so very holy that we want to sing and praise Him every time we consider that amazing attribute called holiness.
The holiness of God is exactly what makes us know that He IS God. It calls us to worship Him and no other.
This divine holiness of God is what makes Him worthy to BE God, as no other is or ever will be worthy.
Which brings us to recall yet another beautiful worship song by Jacob Sooter and Mia Fielding called “Worthy, Worthy.” I’m especially loving this for the time of Elul because of the verse with the lyrics that say:
“When you return we will hear the trumpet sound, You’ll lead us home riding on the clouds, where we will stand and sing forevermore, the honor and praise, the glory of the LORD!”
These praises naturally come forth from the people because God is pure and holy.
Are you feeling that sense of holiness yet? It happens every time God’s people begin to praise and God comes and inhabits us with His Holy Presence. There is nothing like it!
This type of holiness cannot be faked or imitated.
It is based on realness and truth and the total awesomeness of God. When we come to a place where God has put His Name (a place inhabited by His people) we know that we have come to be standing upon holy ground. It is holy ground because God has inhabited the land of His people.
Oh that this could be America in the days of our future.
We must return to the days of recognizing the holiness of God. God’s holiness brings healing. Once again we are compelled to listen to the old prophet named Isaiah. He declares God’s holiness in no uncertain terms in Isaiah 57:15:
“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.”
Here the great prophet Isaiah reminds us that God inhabits eternity! It is appropriate that holiness be found inhabiting eternity.
Our Holy God has seen the beginnings, and He knows all of the endings of our days. His holiness will last forever. He looks down and shares this perfect holiness with those who are feeble and low and discouraged.
Can you think of a better way to be refreshed?
When the holiness of God falls on you; it gives you the courage to get back up and try again. You find the hope to continue the journey.
We are living through days where so many people have been brutally betrayed by the tyranny from big greedy governments. Many now fear for their freedom and they earnestly pray that they are not harmed in the stand that they feel they must take in the days to come in order to live out God’s ways as opposed to Socialistic/ Marxist/Communist/totalitarianism and all ungodly ways.
We all must clean our hearts and our hands and stand before this very Holy God who has the power to change things. You alone cannot do this; I can’t do this in my own strength. We together must stand in the holiness of an Almighty God and He will help us.
Exodus 15:11 tells us that the same Holy God who saved Abraham’s children from bondage and slavery can step in and save us too. Here are the words that your heart needs to hear about God’s holiness:
“Who is like you, O Lord, among the gods? Who is like you, majestic in holiness, awesome in glorious deeds, doing wonders? (Exodus 15:11)
As Elul hastens to a close and the days are more and more numbered this year; we know we are coming into a time where we will find ourselves in Awe of our God.
The observance of the Ten Days of Awe declare God’s holiness above all other gods. They speak of His power and his might and His ability to perform wonders, like freeing slaves, parting the seas, raining food from Heaven and sending water from a Rock.
Our Holy God has never lost a war. He cannot be defeated. Our enemies that look so large and strong are nothing but grasshoppers in His sight.
We must take up this banner again, this banner of holiness that leads a nation of people who worship a Holy God. Victory is sure when we believe in the holiness of Our Great God.
Have you forgotten?
Have you allowed yourself to worship fear instead of looking up at The Holiness of God?
Do not forget His holiness.
What is the mystery that He is waiting for us to discover about His holiness? It is the mystery that in trying to be like Him, He will strengthen us beyond belief.
2 Corinthians 7:1 tells us; “Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God.“
The fear of God is the fear that we should be seeking; instead of the fear of what man can do to us. The fear of God cleanses our souls and the Body of Christ that makes up the Church is cleansed and put back on the path to complete holiness. Together, with each other and with God; we can build that spiritual building up. The power of God within us from His holiness will help us to prevail over our enemies.
We must once again proclaim and claim the words found in Romans 12:1; “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.”
God is our pattern for living holy lives; because He is holy. It is through His holiness that we find our own identity:
“Who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began.” (2 Timothy 1:9)
Holiness is not able to endure evil without destroying it; and perhaps it is time for us to study a verse found in Habakkuk.
Habakkuk 1:15 says “You who are of purer eyes than to see evil and cannot look at wrong, why do you idly look at traitors and remain silent when the wicked swallows up the man more righteous than he?”
Habbakuk was a prophet of God. He had lived through a great spiritual revival among God’s people. When he addressed God with this question; he was seeing the same nation he had previously lived in during revival and renewal (after the Assyrian captivity) falling into yet another decline and a time of careless ungodliness.
Habakkuk was given the words from God to cry out to God’s people about the coming Babylonian captivity of Jerusalem. He knew so well that God would not endure unholy things in the land.
Yet God lingered and endured, even after Habakkuk had seen the vision of troubles. The prophet looked around him and saw that Judah was clearly surrounded by violence and injustice; and he was questioning that a Holy God would endure these times.
Have you ever felt like Habakkuk?
Habakkuk saw strife and contention. He saw perverse judgements and the powerlessness of the law of the land. Habakkuk saw that justice did not prevail. It was the worst of times; and he was crying out to God asking how long God was going to wait to do something about all of this! Habakkuk knew that God’s holiness could not stand so much evil and wickedness in the nation.
So; we know what happened; God allowed the enemy nations to take control of His people because God’s people had not taken a stand for the ways of God. Habakkuk got to be the one who warned them that God’s holiness was being severely disturbed by their sins. I can imagine it wasn’t a very fun job. Nobody was listening.
No one could hear the sound of the shofar blowing out a warning over the land announcing the holiness of God!
And here we are today in America.
Tyrannical rulers shake their fists in the face of God and expect to get away with it. They totally do not get the awesome power of holiness once it is riled up.
If God’s people are not BEING God’s people; God will allow their enemies to possess them.
America – DO YOU HEAR ME?
Poor Habakkak had a horrible job to do. Everyone in Israel was so used to God running to their rescue in every situation. The people had become too proud and it was time for them to learn humility.
Learning humility is never fun.
God sent terrible and violent judgement against Israel’s lack of concern for His holiness through the Babylonian army.
Do we know of any other countries out there with a lack of concern for God’s holiness?
I wonder.
God used Habakkuk’s voice to let them know that the harsh and terrible judgement was coming.
The enemies of Israel would be allowed to claim a victory for their false gods as they took over the land. It must have broken God’s heart to let this happen to the people He loved so much. How he must have wished they would change and turn and hear the warnings!
The ironic part of it all was that God was letting a nation much more wicked than Judah bring judgement over Judah. Why would God let a wicked and terrible nation rule over them? Why not punish them another way?
Habakkuk knew the holiness of God! He was astounded that God would allow an even more wicked problem to be the punishment for Judah’s disobedience.
Habakkuk was brave enough to bring this question up before God. He wasn’t like Abraham; he didn’t mince words; but he asked “Why O Lord?”
God was faithful to answer. He told Habakkuk to write this vision and to make it plain. In other words; God wanted people to hear it and understand it!
God was not only speaking to those particular times; but the vision was yet for an appointed time.
Please go to the book of Habakkuk and read all three chapters!
I love poetry and all three books read like one long poem. I promise you that certain words will leap off the page and you will think of today and the things going on in the world around us. The vision of Habakkuk speaks of a nation that borrows and borrows and borrows until it is made plunder to its creditors. All kinds of evil are mentioned and much of it sounds so very familiar.
There is a passage that speaks of the people being destroyed by their own weapons. What country has left its weapons in another land so that they may use it against us?
I wonder.
But take heart and have the faith of Habakkuk who comes to understand the larger picture; that God is coming again in Glory and Power and He will set every inch of this earth right again.
Habakkuk learned how to trust God in the midst of a crisis.
We must do this also.
He realized his strength comes from serving a very Holy God. This same Holy God is where our strength will come from.
When Habakkuk has all of his questions answered by God and he has seen the things to come and decides to trust God for everything in the midst of it all; he begins to pray.
O Lord, revive your work in the midst of the years.
Habakkuk continues to pray for revival.
In this time of Elul, as we stand before our Most Holy God and examine our own lives and our own nation; we too must pray like Habakkuk prayed. We must repent of anything and everything that is not godly or holy in our lives. Then we must beg for revival. We too must ask God; “in wrath; please remember mercy.”
Like Habakkuk; we must trust God in the midst of the crisis and realize our strength comes from serving a Most Holy God.