All in Holiness
It all began in the garden, didn’t it? It certainly would have been God’s desire that we be holy as He is. After all He created man in his own image (Genesis 1:27), and holiness is the essence of His being. Makes me wonder how different things could have been.
In my search for the fear of the LORD this year I am certainly in need of both wisdom and understanding. See how key knowledge of the Holy One is. I need to know God, not just know about God. The Hebrew for knowledge, yada, is experiential knowledge, not merely head knowledge.
Names in biblical times were important. “I AM WHO I AM” proclaims the “eternity and self-existence of God”*. Plain and simple, that is who He is. The name by which He is to be known forever is ‘The LORD’, translated Yahweh. The Israelites considered Yahweh too holy to speak or write out in full.** At least they started out with reverence and awe.
The Old Testament patriarchs and prophets were no strangers to godly fear. Take Isaiah’s cry for example: “Woe to me! I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty” (Isaiah 6:5).
Really—Fear? Who in the world would choose “fear” as their word for the year? But that is the word that dawned on me as my girlfriends and I began a journey through Kathy Howard’s Before His Throne* Bible study in January.
Flower children, hippies, and the unmistakable aroma of incense filled the streets and shops along “The Drag,” the street beside the university where I studied during the early 70’s.
One of my seminary professors once described holiness simply as “other,” meaning that if you took the sum total of all your past experiences and drew a circle around them… Holiness would be in an entirely separate circle.
From his position on the ramparts (2:1) Habakkuk receives the revelation from the LORD. Yes, Judah will pay for her sins at the hand of Babylon. In turn, woe upon woe will be piled upon Babylon (2:6-19). “The LORD is in his holy temple” (2:20) indeed!
My granddaughter introduced me to I Love You to the Moon and Back;* a children’s book so popular that the title has become a common phrase in the American culture!
One of my seminary professors once described holiness simply as “other:” meaning that if you took the sum total of all your past experiences and drew a circle around them… Holiness would be in an entirely separate circle.
I noticed it in the inner courtyard of a home in North Africa’s Atlas Mountains. Its intricacy reminded me of a Tinker Toy creation. What a surprise to discover it was a handmade stick trap for snaring small birds—a common pastime for local boys while tending their goats.
My summer reading showered me with surprise this year ladies. First, the book of Haggai in our June study. Then I was handed the historical novel by Lynn Austin, Return to Me, (Bethany House 2013). Don’t you just love God’s coincidences!
When these words are given at the end of a service you are attending, remember that you are being blessed by some of the oldest words in Scripture. The Aaronic blessing, the oldest benediction in the Bible, was spoken over the people of Israel at the end of the daily sacrifice.
I set my alarm early, knowing I had devotionals due soon and absolutely nothing written. I needed some quiet hours to reflect and write. For almost two hours, I sat and stared at my computer and my open Bible. Nothing came.
My first semester of college was an adjustment—little time alone and constant interruptions while studying. I was forced to work late into the night, and I stayed awake by munching on crackers, granola bars, Twinkies… Before long my clothes became tight. Imagine! So, I turned to black coffee as my stimulant. Initially, the taste was bitter. After one or two sips, I put it down. The next time, I could endure three or four sips, and so on, until I grew to love black coffee. Today it’s one of my favorite things in life. What was offensive at first became increasingly enjoyable the more I was exposed to it.
Ladies, until Christ is formed in you is such a formidable thought to me. That Paul, a man, should wrap it in childbirth is quite intriguing. And yet Jesus Himself introduced the image of spiritual rebirth into Scripture: “I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again” (John 3:3). Certainly, on his initial visit to Galatia Paul labored to rebirth his friends into God’s family. He is now, again, in the pains of making sure these children of his grow up in the faith.
Psalm 15 begins: LORD, who may dwell in your sanctuary? Who may live on your holy hill? (Psalm 15:1). Several years ago, as I read the words “holy hill,” the words “capital hill” came to mind. I continued reading Psalm 15, using it as a prayer for national leaders. Now, when I read Psalm 15, my thoughts and prayers go to those who are in leadership—whether they be political leaders, judges, or even pastors and leaders in churches.
One last stop in Oregon ladies, at the Lewis and Clark National Historical Park in Astoria. Surely you know of Lewis and Clark; but let me refresh your minds.
Periodically, the President of the United States gives his State of the Union address. His national assessment might or might not be based upon facts. In Ezekiel 22, God gave a State of the Union address regarding Judah. God assessed the political leaders, priests, prophets, and people and declared them all to be corrupt! As always, God’s judgment was based upon truth. (Romans 2:2)
