“Therefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes” (Job 42:6).
It is a sad fact that too many Christians give little thought to the holiness of God. They think of God as their best friend or their counselor (both of which He is), but they do not regard Him as their righteous King, full of holy wrath and purity. For the church to grow, we need to come face to face with the holiness of God, because only in light of His holiness will we become more holy.
A right response to God is the kind we see in Isaiah, Job, and Habakkuk. Those who have changed hearts have their eyes opened to the significance of God’s holiness and to their own sinfulness. They realize their own unworthiness to stand in the presence of such a pure and perfect Being because they know they are not pure and perfect. When Peter recognized the power and authority of Jesus Christ, he too responded in humility, asking Jesus to leave him because he was a sinful man (Luke 5:1–11).
It is a frightful commentary on the church when many professing Christians do not have this attitude when they approach God. Too often, they come before Him angry, shaking their fists, demanding solutions to their problems. Instead of humility, pride is the ruling factor in much of today’s church. Self-expression is more important than silence before our holy and wise Lord. We have much to learn from the saints of the past, from those who cried “woe is me” when they saw God’s holiness. Many of us would become deadly silent if we saw God for who He really is instead of seeing Him for who we want Him to be. Instead of justifying ourselves, we would pronounce judgment upon ourselves, which is what Isaiah was doing when he said “woe is me.” When he saw the standard of perfection in God’s holiness, he recognized his own shortcomings in living according to that standard. He realized that all his pretenses and illusions of righteousness disintegrated in the presence of holiness.
God responded to Isaiah by placing a burning coal on His lips. He did this to purify and forgive him. Isaiah did nothing to merit this; it was an act of God’s grace. The process was a painful one, but it was necessary to remove all the guilt and all the sin that had made him a foreigner to holiness.
How was Job’s response to God similar to Isaiah’s? Have you ever had such a response before God? Have you ever humbled yourself before God and repented of your sins? If you have, thank God for purifying you and leading you in holiness? If not, do so today. Humble yourself before God and ask for forgiveness in Christ.
