Holiness

And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!”

Isaiah 6:5 (ESV)

As I’ve been reading through the book of Exodus, I’ve been reminded time and again that we serve a holy God. When God called to Moses out of the bush, He said: “Do not come near; take your sandals off your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground” (Exodus 3:5). When the Israelites set up camp at the foot of Mount Sinai, they were cautioned not to touch even the edge of it lest they be put to death because of God’s presence on the mount (Exodus 19:12).

While there is a marked difference between the Old Testament and the New Testament in terms of distance and separation (Old) versus nearness and God’s indwelling in the hearts of believers (New), I fear we have diminished the understanding of His holiness in favor of a God who is ‘our buddy and confidante.’

As I struggled to put this into words, I came across Charles Swindoll’s perspective: “We live in a day of pitifully shallow concepts of God. Some of today’s contemporary Christian music leaves the impression that God is our buddy – a great pal to have in a pinch…These small ideas of Him diminish the beauty of His holiness… such efforts cheapen and degrade the holiness of God. Yet here in Exodus 19 we find the God of the Scriptures so insistent upon maintaining an elevated, exalted position that He marks off a boundary, warning His own people, in effect, “Do not cross that line. Do not become glib with Me. Do not become frivolous in My presence.”

Swindoll goes on to say: “A shallow view of God leads to a shallow life… I am deeply concerned over the shallowness of our spiritual walk in the American church today.” (1)

Oh, that I might always remember to step into His sacred presence with an attitude of humility, respect, and honor. Let me never get so ‘comfortable’ living in His grace that I lose sight of His holiness. For it is in recognizing my sinfulness in the light of His holiness that I am reminded how blessed I am to receive His pardon and His grace.

• Charles Swindoll, Great Lives: Moses: A Man of Selfless Dedication (Great Lives Series), Word Publishing, 1999, pg269-270.