Terrifying Holiness (1 Chronicles 13:9-10_

1 Chronicles 13:9-10

9 And when they came to the threshing floor of Chidon, Uzzah put out his hand to take hold of the ark, for the oxen stumbled. 10 And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Uzzah, and he struck him down because he put out his hand to the ark, and he died there before God.

            When do you tremble as you think about God? If the answer is, “Never,” you might want to take a moment to revisit the concept of holiness. I know, we New Testament believers feel very comfortable with our understanding of God’s mercy and grace; and we should. However, if we miss the ferocity of his holiness, we lose the center of how great is his grace.

            Take a step back and remember what happened in the brief account of Uzzah. This man had basically good intentions. He and those around him were not transporting the ark of God in the proper manner, but this may not even have been by Uzzah’s design. When it looked like this sacred object was about to fall off the cart and crash to the ground, Uzzah tried to do what he could to keep the ark safe. But the moment Uzzah touched the ark, he died. Why? Holiness.

            The fact that God is holy is a powerful truth. God’s holiness includes both is perfection and his distance from our imperfection. God is above us, set apart from us, better than us in such a way that he is utterly beyond us. As R. C. Sproul tells us, the fact that God is holy means that God is a cut above the rest. (This separateness of God from us has nothing to do with physical distance or aloofness. God is near us and loves his children greatly.)

            What happens when the sinful flesh of man touches the holy? Well, what happens when something contaminated falls into a clean liquid? One of two things may occur. Either the liquid becomes slightly contaminated, or the contaminant is completely and utterly destroyed. God cannot be contaminated. What happens when Uzzah’s sinful flesh touches the holy? Uzzah dies.

            If we were to be placed in the presence, the express fullness, of God and his holiness, in our sinful state and if we had nothing to shield us, we would die. As Isaiah felt himself to be undone in the presence of God (cf. Isaiah 6), so we would shatter into nothingness were the full force of God’s holiness to be unleashed upon us. Why? We are sinful. Holiness cannot tolerate and excuse sin.

            Thanks be to God! He sent Jesus Christ, the holy God in flesh, to earth to be our propitiation. Jesus died to pay for our guilt, to cover and remove our sin, and to make us able to stand in God’s holy presence without being destroyed. Jesus is our one and only hope. Because of Jesus, we can long for the day when we see our Lord. This grace is amazing. But, it is only amazing to us when we remember the holiness of God that makes us tremble in our very souls.

            Lord, you are holy. Your perfection is above and beyond me. I deserve to be judged by you. Thank you for the grace of Jesus Christ. Thank you for cleansing me and making me your child. Please help me to remember the consuming power of your holiness so that I will always properly be grateful for your grace. Help me to share your glory and perfection with the world around me so that they too can be in awe of your holiness and run to Jesus for your mercy.