Isaiah 6:1-3 “In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted; and the train of His robe filled the temple. Above Him stood seraphim, each having six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. And they were calling out to one another:
“Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of Hosts;
all the earth is full of His glory.”
When you consider Jesus the Messiah, what do think of?
Do you think of the gentle servant who washed the disciples feet, or the kind caring teacher who brought the children near?
Jesus was the embodiment of God the Father, He was and continues to be the image of the invisible God.
Were you to look into a frame and see the face of God, you would see Jesus. Not the old classic 1950’s blonde hair and blue eyed Jesus made for a nation that was formed in racism. But the glorious I Am, arrayed in splendor and majesty, with the look of fire in His eyes and radiance to His countenance, beyond anything we can imagine.
Look deeper with me into the face of Jesus and see Him for who He is and see yourself for who you are….can you look or will you look away?
When you look…
When Isaiah was brought in spirit before the Lord, in God’s splendor and majesty, Isaiah responded in a way that should be well considered.
Isaiah 6:5 “Woe is me, for I am undone!
Because 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’s response to seeing the Lord….
I am undone and everyone I know is undone! In modern day vernacular, “were all toast!”
- The revelation of God exposes us to the reality of who we are.
All notions of grandeur are burned away by the fire in Jesus’ eyes. Yes, the Lord whom Isaiah witnessed on the throne was none other than the pre-incarnate Christ, radiant in glory. If we think we stand justified before God on our own, all false notions will quickly be dispersed.
The fire in Jesus’ eyes penetrate in and through our souls. Everything is laid bare, nothing will remain hidden from His stare.
The Flame of Sacrifice
When the Lord appeared to Manoah and his wife in preparation for Samson whom God would use as a judge in Israel, their confusion lead to fear as they realized to whom it was they were speaking.
Judges 13:17-22 “Then Manoah said to the Angel of the Lord, “What is Your name, that when Your words come to pass we may honor You?”
And the Angel of the Lord said to him, “Why do you ask My name, seeing it is wonderful?”
So Manoah took the young goat with the grain offering, and offered it upon the rock to the Lord. And He did a wondrous thing while Manoah and his wife looked on— it happened as the flame went up toward heaven from the altar—the Angel of the Lord ascended in the flame of the altar! When Manoah and his wife saw this, they fell on their faces to the ground. When the Angel of the Lord appeared no more to Manoah and his wife, then Manoah knew that He was the Angel of the Lord.
And Manoah said to his wife, “We shall surely die, because we have seen God!”
- The revelation of God brings the harsh reality of sin and the natural response to God’s holiness is fear. The only recourse for sin is to offer up to God a sacrifice.
But what sacrifice could become acceptable?
When Moses asked God(Jesus) that he might see Him, Jesus responded with the stark reminder of our frailty before Him.
Exodus 33:18-23 And he said, “Please, show me Your glory.”
Then He said, “I will make all My goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim the name of the Lord before you. I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.” But He said, “You cannot see My face; for no man shall see Me, and live.” And the Lord said, “Here is a place by Me, and you shall stand on the rock. So it shall be, while My glory passes by, that I will put you in the cleft of the rock, and will cover you with My hand while I pass by. Then I will take away My hand, and you shall see My back; but My face shall not be seen.”
- No flesh can stand before God and live.
The corruption of our flesh inhibits us from witnessing the full magnificence of God’s glory. When the Lord appeared to people in angelic form, it was a diminished representation of His being. Like being cloaked in a form that was acceptable, Jesus knew how to connect with people at their level, even before He came as a man.
Previous to sin being introduced into the lineage of mankind, our form and substance was not corrupted and therefore could endure God’s presence without shame. Adam had fellowship with Jesus in the Garden of Eden. It wasn’t until sin was introduced did Adam and Eve hide in shame.
If we were to look into the face of God without the grace of God in our lives, we would be repulsive to God.
Our Image
Deuteronomy 23:14 “For the LORD your God walks throughout your camp to protect you and deliver your enemies to you. Your camp must be holy, lest He see anything unclean among you and turn away from you.”
- All sin is an affront to God.
Only Jesus can make people acceptable before the Lord.
If we were to look into the face of God, we would realize we are not acceptable. Unless the image we present is Jesus Himself, we will not stand.
Galatians 2:20 “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.”
Do you see the necessity for dying to our old lives, the old image of ourselves is corrupt, in Christ we are made new and acceptable. Jesus, our judge, became the very sacrifice necessary for us to be cleansed.
Do you see how great His gift of love really was?
Our judge has become our deliverer.
Cleansing by Fire
Luke 12:49 “I came to send fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled!”
- If we don’t willingly submit to God’s purifying work, we will not stand in the fire.
The initial fire that Jesus brought was the conviction of the Spirit of God. When the disciples were first anointed by the Spirit, witnesses said it looked as if flames of fire were on their heads.
The fire of God’s Spirit is representative of the burning away of sin in our being. We are cleansed and renewed by God’s Spirit when we die to our sin and made new in Christ.
For those made new, looking into the eyes of their master will take on a completely different perspective.
A Tale of Two Peoples
For those who look into the face of God as sinners, they provoke the Judge of the Universe.
Isaiah 65:1-3 “I was sought by those who did not ask for Me;
I was found by those who did not seek Me.
I said, ‘Here I am, here I am,’
To a nation that was not called by My name.
I have stretched out My hands all day long to a rebellious people,
Who walk in a way that is not good,
According to their own thoughts;
A people who provoke Me to anger continually to My face;
Who sacrifice in gardens,
And burn incense on altars of brick”
To those who are counted as God’s servants, His blessings follow. To those who reject the only salvation known in Jesus Christ, the consequences will be devastating.
vs. 13-16 Therefore thus says the Lord God:
Behold, My servants shall eat, (sanctified)
But you shall be hungry; (unsanctified)
Behold, My servants shall drink,(sanctified)
But you shall be thirsty; (unsanctified)
Behold, My servants shall rejoice,(sanctified)
But you shall be ashamed; (unsanctified)
Behold, My servants shall sing for joy of heart,(sanctified)
But you shall cry for sorrow of heart, (unsanctified)
And wail for grief of spirit.
You shall leave your name as a curse to My chosen;
For the Lord God will slay you,
And call His servants by another name;
So that he who blesses himself in the earth (sanctified)
Shall bless himself in the God of truth;
And he who swears in the earth
Shall swear by the God of truth;
Because the former troubles(sins) are forgotten,
And because they are hidden from My eyes.
When you look into the eyes of God as sanctified by the blood of the Lamb, all past sins will be hidden from Him.
You may ask, where did they go?
Those sins are under the cloak of God’s redeeming grace. God’s people will clothed in white, the purity represented by the Savior. The same glorious appearance of Christ will become the appearance of His people.
All who stand before the Lord one day, and in like manner we will all bow before Him in reverence and awe. Some to everlasting shame, others to everlasting glory.
For all who desire to see clearly, looking deeply into the eyes of God today is to peer deep into His Word. See yourself for who you are and see what God wants to do in you.
His call goes forth, will you receive His call and be made new?
U.T. 