“In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called to another and said: ‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!’” (Isaiah 6:1-3)
Isaiah describes for us the utter majesty of God. This is who God is. Isaiah was overwhelmed with terror when he beheld the Lord God Almighty in all His glorious splendor and holiness. He feared to stand in the presence of our Holy God because he knew he was an unclean sinner unworthy to be in the presence of Divine holiness.
These days human beings need to realize God’s awesome majesty once again. Many no longer believe in Him and act in ways that show they have nothing to fear from Him or from the authority He has established on earth. Millions engage in violence, terrorism, and sexual perversion for they do not believe there is a God who will hold them accountable. They have become their own gods judging right and wrong. Sadly, without faith in Jesus, these all face a terrible judgment on the last day.
And then there are the Christians who are so overly impressed with man-made splendor, with celebrity and talent that they have lost sight of God’s grandeur. Millions glory in the opulence of manmade cities, buildings, art, and attractions. Still many more glory in the talents of exceptional singers, actors, and musicians. These all, as splendid as they may be, pale into insignificance in the presence of the image of almighty God painted by Isaiah including the magnificent singing of the Seraphim. No eye has ever seen such a glorious sight; no ear has ever heard such singing. The very thought of this should humble all man and woman and put an end to boasting in one’s talents. It should cause all humans to fall down in submission before the throne of God. There they will find forgiveness for their sin and healing for their brokenness.
Did you ever feel the kind of terror Isaiah experienced? Did you ever feel that sense of your own disgusting sinfulness? I hope you have. Because without a sense of our own sinfulness we will never know how serious sin is or how hopeless our condition without a proper atoning sacrifice is. We will never see how much we need God. We will never see that gap between us. We will then not see that there is a bridge over it. That bridge is Jesus.