You Need to See a Throne
Gordon Crook, PastorGrace Assembly, Wichita, Kansas
“In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple. Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly. And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory. And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke. Then said I, 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 mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.” Isaiah 6:1-5
I was impressed, while reading this, to notice the reaction of Isaiah when he saw the Lord sitting on a throne. The scene was certainly overwhelming and would definitely bring some kind of reaction from anyone. However, Isaiah was confronted with how inadequate and sinful he was in the presence of the Holy God.
As I contemplated this, I realized that we all need to see a throne. We need a vision of God’s Holiness. It will enable us to see ourselves in the proper light. However, it also became an opportunity to observe and understand God’s grace and mercy. A correct understanding of God’s grace and mercy require a true vision of God’s Holiness and power.
We find other similar encounters in the Old Testament with Moses; “And the LORD descended in the cloud, and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the LORD. And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children’s children, unto the third and to the fourth generation. And Moses made haste, and bowed his head toward the earth, and worshipped.” Exodus 34:5-8. Notice Moses’ reaction. A true vision of God will elicit worship.
And Gideon “And the angel of God said unto him, Take the flesh and the unleavened cakes, and lay them upon this rock, and pour out the broth. And he did so. Then the angel of the LORD put forth the end of the staff that was in his hand, and touched the flesh and the unleavened cakes; and there rose up fire out of the rock, and consumed the flesh and the unleavened cakes. Then the angel of the LORD departed out of his sight. And when Gideon perceived that he was an angel of the LORD, Gideon said, Alas, O Lord GOD! for because I have seen an angel of the LORD face to face” Judges 6:20-22. Gideon was accutely aware of his sinfulness in the presence of God. A vision of God’s Holiness will keep us from trying to present our own self righteousness.
One of these encounters that expresses the importance of God revealing Himself is found in Job, who had to go through a serious trial in his life before he encountered God in His majesty and power. His response is exactly what ours should be when we encounter God in His true Holiness and Power. “I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth thee. Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes.” Job 42:5-6.
We should have the same desire as David when he writes, “O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is; To see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary.” Psalms 63:1-2. A desire to “see” (have a vision or revelation) of God’s power and glory which will be found in His presence. He expresses it again here: “One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to enquire in his temple.” Psalms 27:4. Not just “see,” but “behold” indicating a desire to look at and consider for some time. Have you ever just meditated on God’s Holiness?
The purpose is always to change us. God will change you as you look into His Holiness. We do this as we spend time in His presence and as we spend time in His Word which will lead us to His presence. “But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.” 2 Corinthians 3:18.
Our enemy will always try to get our focus on ourselves, our abilities, our failures, our self righteousness, and try to keep us concentrated on that. We, like Isaiah, Moses, Gideon, Job, Paul and many others, need to see a throne. We need to have a vision, a revelation of God in His power and Holiness. It will remove our focus from ourselves and from this world and will change us into something that can bring glory to the very God who has called us to come into His presence. “God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.” 1 Corinthians 1:9. “That ye would walk worthy of God, who hath called you unto his kingdom and glory.” 1 Thessalonians 2:12. “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:” 1 Peter 2:9.
