Tremble

Isaiah 64: 2 [ASV] 

“as when fire kindleth the brushwood, and the fire causeth the waters to boil; to make thy name known to thine adversaries, that the nations may tremble at thy presence!” - 

Isaiah 6: 1- 7 [NLT] 

“ It was in the year King Uzziah died that I saw the Lord. He was sitting on a lofty throne, and the train of his robe filled the Temple. Attending him were mighty seraphim, each having six wings. With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they flew. They were calling out to each other,

“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Heaven’s Armies!
    The whole earth is filled with his glory!”

Their voices shook the Temple to its foundations, and the entire building was filled with smoke. Then I said, “It’s all over! I am doomed, for I am a sinful man. I have filthy lips, and I live among a people with filthy lips. Yet I have seen the King, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.”  Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a burning coal he had taken from the altar with a pair of tongs.  He touched my lips with it and said, “See, this coal has touched your lips. Now your guilt is removed, and your sins are forgiven.””

These verses give context on how in God’s pure presence, there is such a trembling, fear and awe of God. This art piece shows that boiling point. In the boiling and heat, similar to the purification process, dirt seeped beneath float up.   Isaiah repenting and crying out “I am a sinful man” shows that. I suppose this suggests another interpretation of “the fear of the Lord is clean” in Psalm 19: 9,  where there is no beguile in His presence, and nothing is hidden.  

There have been countless times where I had been generally “good” in a sense that I was not particularly sinning, and living a relatively good life. Yet when in the pure presence of the Lord his evident holiness prompted me to repent relentlessly. Relative to God, my goodness and “righteous life” fall so short. “Filthy rags” as Isaiah 64:6 describes it. 

His holy fire burns up every possible contamination or trash in my life.  It’s like in His presence the devil and his deeds have to flee. 

God’s Word is self explanatory, alive and breathing so I will conclude this blog post with two passages below. 

Psalm 24: 3- 10[NIV] 

“Who may ascend the mountain of the Lord?
    Who may stand in his holy place?

The one who has clean hands and a pure heart,
    who does not trust in an idol
    or swear by a false god.” 

They will receive blessing from the Lord
    and vindication from God their Savior.

Such is the generation of those who seek him,
    who seek your face, God of Jacob. 

Lift up your heads, you gates;
    be lifted up, you ancient doors,
    that the King of glory may come in.

Who is this King of glory?
    The Lord strong and mighty,
    the Lord mighty in battle.

Lift up your heads, you gates;
    lift them up, you ancient doors,
    that the King of glory may come in.

Who is he, this King of glory?
    The Lord Almighty—
    he is the King of glory.

Revelation 4: 8 [LSB] 

 “And the four living creatures, each one of them having six wings, are full of eyes around and within; and day and night they do not cease to say, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God, the Almighty, who was and who is and who is to come.” 

Dear reader, I pray that God’s holiness permeates your life. I pray that His holy fire burns you up as you live a repentant and purified life in Jesus Name.