Choice Word: “Kadosh” (Holy)

Choice Word: “Kadosh” (Holy). 

CAUTION: SKIM AT YOUR OWN RISK. In this era of amazing advances in technology, there are sometimes unexpected consequences that turn out to be harmful to our Christian faith. One of these harmful improvements is the flood of believers who read scripture online, on the smart phone, on the computer screen. I’m convinced there should be a warning label on every one of the online Bibles… CAUTION: SKIM AT YOUR OWN RISK. So many of us now read the Word like we would read our emails or social media or the daily news. We skim the material hurriedly, superficially, carelessly. We skim the Scripture. Skim-reading the Bible doesn’t really bury the seed very deeply, of course. And in our skimming, we would be more likely to just skip over an important word or phrase without thinking, a word that could be vital to the whole passage. The fact is, the Bible is full of single words or short phrases that are too important to simply gloss over as if it wasn’t there. There are times in the Word when single words are intended to feed us, nourish our faith, stimulate us to think at a deeper level about the biblical text.

There are single words in Scripture that are like stop signs asking us to stop and consider carefully, to pause before moving forward in the reading. This series on my blog will try to unpack some of these power-packed words or phrases in Scripture… Words like: Behold; Rejoice; Truly; Woe; Blessed; Beware; Come; If. And I will attempt to also explore the meanings of some short phrases that are single words in the original biblical language, such as “Himeni” (Here I am); “Shema” (Listen and Do’); “Splagchnizonai” (deeply moved with compassion); “pistence” (believe), and “kal-v’chomer” (How much more).  If it is poetically possible to “see a world in a grain of sand, and a heaven in a wildflower, and hold infinity in the palm of your hand, and eternity in an hour,” as William Blake once imagined, then certainly we readers of Scripture can find a world of meaning in a single word, we can grasp something profound in a simple phrase.

“In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the Temple. Above it stood seraphim, each one had six wings, with two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one cried to another and said, ‘Holy! Holy! Holy! (Kadosh! Kadosh! Kadosh!) is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory!’ The voices of the angels shook the Temple to its foundations, and the entire building was filled with smoke.” (Isaiah 6:1-4).

Josh Garrels, “Hosanna/Holy Holy Holy Lord” (OFFICIAL AUDIO)

HOLY: (Hebrew “Kadosh” and Greek “Hagios“); to be set apart from the common or ordinary; to be separate from the profane or impure; something that has been consecrated for God’s use; to be completely distinctive in character and role; to have attributes and qualities that are uniquely sacred; to possess utterly blameless integrity; to live in complete innocence and purity.

The Holy Place: Rabbi Jonathon Sacks describes the holy place as a place set apart, a place that is thus sanctified… “The holy place is God’s Domain… the metaphysical arena where heaven and earth meet… the point at which the Divine Presence emerges from hiddenness to exposure, from concealment to revelation… where human beings engage in self-limitation in order to create space for God.” So any place on earth can be a holy place if it is dedicated to God and set apart for His purposes.

Holy Is the Lord of Hosts

Theophany in the Temple. The heavenly powers are included in this song of Paradise chanted around the throne, glorifying almighty God. Only the Lord is worthy to be praised endlessly, eternally, around the clock where there is no clock. And what are all the powers of heaven singing, pausing only to catch a breath? A prayer that has been repeated by Christian churches and individual believers ever since, Isaiah 6:3. One translation put “Holy! Holy! Holy!”  this way… “You are more holy than the holiest holiness!” Isaiah’s mind-boggling vision of heaven’s throne room, the Lord on His throne, “high and exalted,” surrounded by choirs of angels adoring the King of creation, acknowledging His holiness and purity, set apart for special worship. The Lord’s glory, the light of His presence, permeates everything on earth. All of nature is full of His glory. This vision shaped Isaiah’s view of God and effected his prophetic ministry his whole life. It’s no wonder that Isaiah’s favorite term for God was “The Holy One,” and used it in reference to God over thirty times in his book. Isaiah saw that God’s throne is surrounded by angels in full song, and by singing it here on earth, we are able to participate in that heavenly praise. The fact is we never pray alone. We are always accompanied by a cloud of witnesses that includes rank upon rank of heavenly angels. Whenever we glorify God in humble adoration, we are welcomed into the choirs of heaven gathered around the throne. When we adore the Lord, we are placing ourselves in the heavenlies and we place our hearts in the throne room.

Franz Schubert – Sanctus from German Mass

The Holy = “The great one in the midst of you is the Holy One of Israel.” (Is. 12:6); “I am Yahweh, your Holy One, Creator of Israel, your king.” (Is. 43:15). When we read “the Holy One” in Isaiah, the literal translation is “The Holy,” and the “One” is assumed. Yahweh God, the Lord of the universe, is The Holy. It’s not that God is merely in another category by Himself, it’s that God can’t be categorized. There is no comparison to God in this world, there are no parallels. The Lord is utterly distinctive, set apart in every imaginable way, and then some. Because God is Wholly Other, He is worthy to receive one-of-a-kind honor, respect, reverence, and adoration. He is completely separate from any taint of sin, any meager hint of evil, and He has perfect freedom from anything that would compromise His character. God is Truth dwelling in his sacred Spirit. He is comprised of uncreated light. God is high and lifted up, above and beyond comprehension and imagination. Yahweh God has no personal shape or form, and yet remains a Person, Someone in whose image we are all made. God is the source of whatever holiness exists in the world, so God is the only Being for whom the word “holy” truly applies. When Isaiah 6:3 is recited in the Jewish daily liturgy, “Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of power and might! Heaven and earth are full of your glory!“, it is customary for the worshippers to stand on their tiptoes and stretch upwards three times. This is a wonderful picture of our rising up to grasp at the unreachable holiness of God. (Rabbi Arthur Green). In the universe… on the one hand there is The Holy, and then on the other hand there is everything else. To describe the indescribable Holy One is like a slug attempting to explain how a human brain functions. It’s no wonder Isaiah referred to the Lord Yahweh as “The Holy” over 30 times in his amazing book.

The Holy. Holiness is one of the chief attributes of Yahweh, and marks Him as supremely transcendent. There is God, and there is everything else. What sets God apart in His holiness? What makes God so profoundly distinctive in the universe? In what ways is God uniquely separate from everything else in the world? Why do so many in the Hebrew Bible call God “The Holy”?

1. God is The Holy One because of His greatness. God is utterly complete and doesn’t need anything for any reason. He is better than perfect. He is bigger than the universe. He is older than time. He outweighs the world. His fiery presence burns hotter and brighter than a million suns. No space can contain Him, not even the vast expanse of outer space. “His center is everywhere and His circumference is nowhere.” (Lockyer). We cannot discern Him unless He chooses to reveal Himself. We can only understand Him on His terms. Even with our extended knowledge of God in human terms, we are merely on the outer fringes of His ways. Even considering all we have heard about God, we have only heard the faintest of whispers about Him (Job 26). God’s greatness sets Him apart.
2. God is The Holy One because of His power. Can there be any doubt as to God’s unthinkable power? He is the Maker, He created everything in the universe out of nothing. He took nothingness, and He proceeded to make everything… the astounding vast skyscape of planets and stars, the beautiful earth, humankind. He blew His breath into a lump of dirt and created human life where there was no life. Because we are the product of His power, we can’t even begin to understand His matchless and unique ability to create and sustain the vast panorama of universal existence. He is majestic and mighty in His power. How awesome are His deeds. He rules forever by His power and strength. “No one is like you, O Lord; you are great, and your Name is mighty in power.” (Jer. 10:6). When Moses brought the people out of the wilderness camp to meet with God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain, the people witnessed sheer power… “Now Mt. Sinai was completely in smoke, because the Lord descended upon it in fire. Its smoke ascended like the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mountain quaked greatly. And when the blast of the trumpet sounded long and became louder and louder, Moses spoke.” (Ex. 19:17-19). After witnessing the plagues of Egypt and the Red Sea and Mount Sinai, the power of God was beyond debate. God’s power sets Him apart.
3. God is The Holy One because of His glory.  “Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might. Heaven and earth are full of your glory. Hosanna in the highest!” (Isaiah 6:3).  God’s glory is so expansive that it fills the universe and then spills over. The whole world is too small to contain God’s glory. Glory has been defined as the weighty splendor of God’s personal presence. So to glorify God is to acknowledge and applaud the reality of God’s presence in the world; to make His presence heavier than it might appear, clearer and more obvious, more credible and less hidden; to live in a way that preserves and expands God’s good reputation and glorious Name. Because the weight of God’s presence outweighs the universe, His glory has more substance than anything and everything in the world. Our Christian response to God’s glory is to glorify Him in word and deed. God’s glory sets Him apart.
4. God is The Holy One because of His righteousness. God is 100% pure and untainted. He is utterly innocent of any wrongdoing, and is not even capable of doing wrong. “The holy God will show Himself holy by His righteousness.” (Is. 5:6). He is absolutely separate from sin and evil. God lives in the beauty of moral perfection. God is renowned for His righteousness, and was named as such in Jeremiah 23:5-6, “Yahweh-tsidkenu, Lord-our-righteousness.” It is interesting that the word for righteousness in Hebrew has its root in the word for holiness. In some versions, the breastplate of righteousness is translated as the breastplate of holiness (Eph. 6:14). And then Jesus enters the scene, the Messiah, fulfilling His role as the “the Righteous Branch, a king who will reign wisely and do what is just and right in the land.” (Jer. 23:5-6). Jesus Christ, the Righteous Branch, the Holy One of God. God’s righteousness sets Him apart.
5. God is The Holy One because of His mercy. Mercy can be described in many ways: Eager love-in-action; steadfast kindness; loyal compassion; faithful favor; the deep love reserved for someone in an intimate relationship, and if there is no prior relationship, the strong desire to treat someone as if that relationship existed. In Scripture, mercy is accepted as the chief attribute of God. There are three Hebrew words that combine to give a full picture of biblical mercy. First is “chanon,” which is mercy in the context of grace, forgiveness and pity. Second is the great word “hesed,” which is mercy as loving-kindness, loyalty, and covenantal love. Third is “rachen,” which is the most frequently used word for mercy in the Jewish Bible, our Old Testament. It is a word related to the Hebrew word for womb, a protected place where life is nurtured and springs forth in new life. To live in rachem is to live in the womb of God. Psalm 56:15 says it all, “But you, O Lord, are a God merciful (“rachem”) and gracious (“chanon”), slow to anger and abundant in loving-kindness (“hesed”) and truth.” God’s mercy sets Him apart.
6. God is The Holy One because His glory is His mercy. There is a deep mystery, something we’ll not get to the bottom of. His glory is brightest when His mercy is most evident. His glory is most real when His mercy is most clearly expressed. His glory IS His mercy. That truth is clearly expressed in that His Presence, His glory, is situated above the Mercy Seat in the Holy of Holies. “When Moses entered the Tent of Meeting to speak with Yahweh, he heard the Voice speaking to him from between the two cherubim above the Mercy Seat. And he spoke there with Yahweh.” (Nu. 7:89). And in one of the most dramatic and important portions in all of Scripture, Moses asked God if He could see His glory. (Ex. 33:18). God’s response was to reveal His full identity, His character, His essence: “Then the Lord came down in the cloud and stood there with Moses and proclaimed His Name, Yahweh. And He passed in front of Moses, proclaiming ‘Yahweh, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in mercy and faithfulness, maintaining loving-kindness to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin.” (Ex. 34:5-7). Moses asked to see God’s glory, and God reveals His mercy. Somehow they are one and the same. God’s glory-mercy sets Him apart.
7. God is The Holy One because He is lowly. In His greatness and power, God chose to humble Himself, a willing volunteer of love. He chose to empty Himself and made Himself nothing in the eyes of the world (Phil. 2). He left eternal heaven-time and submitted to temporal earth-time. After lowering Himself to become a human fetus, baby, boy, man, He gave Himself up to weakness, torture and death. In all of this, it’s clear that His character embraces lowliness as He joins Himself with the humble. “Though the Lord is on high, He looks upon the lowly. Though the Lord is great, He cares for the humble.” (Ps. 138:6).”For this is what the high and lofty one says – He who lives forever, whose Name is Holy – ‘I live in a high and holy place, but also with him who is contrite and lowly in spirit.” (Is. 57:15). The high and holy God reveals Himself and makes Himself available to mankind, since we cannot possibly reach His height on our own. Because of His humility and righteousness, we need not fear that God would abuse His unlimited power. God’s humility sets Him apart.

A Proper Fear of God. Are we careless or casual with God in our churches, our hearts even, that contain the holiness and presence of God? “Why do we people in churches seem like cheerful, brainless tourists on a package tour of the Absolute? On the whole, I do not find Christians, outside of the catacombs, sufficiently sensible of conditions. Does anyone have the foggiest idea what sort of power we so blithely invoke? Or, as I suspect, does no one believe a word of it? The churches are children playing on the floor with their chemistry sets, mixing up a batch of TNT to kill a Sunday morning. It is madness to wear ladies’ hats and velvet hats to church; we should all be wearing crash helmets. Ushers should issue life preservers and signal flares; they should lash us to our pews.”  (Annie Dillard, An Expedition to the Pole).

Josh Garrels, “Hosanna/Holy Holy Holy Lord” (OFFICIAL AUDIO)

A Prayer to the Holy One. Yahweh, you are the Holy One of Israel. Jesus Christ, you are the Holy One of God. Holy Spirit, you are the Holy One from the Father and the Son. In your three-ness, you are the Holy Ones of the Holy Trinity, the Three-in-One. O God, we worship you for your holiness, we give you thanks for your goodness, we praise you for your glory. Only you are the Holy One, only you are the Most High, only you are the Lord, with the Holy Spirit, in the glory of God the Father. Amen.

“As obedient children, let yourselves be pulled into a way of life shaped by God’s life, a life energetic and blazing with holiness. God said, ‘I am holy; you be holy.’” (1 Peter 1:14-16). 

God’s discipline is always good for us, He corrects us throughout our lives for our own good, so that we may share in His holiness.” (Hebrews 12:10).

SHARING GOD’S HOLINESS: Being set apart from sin and its consequences; Growing in those aspects of divine nature that God shares with believers; Being partners with Christ in His divinity because of His partnership with us in humanity; Cultivating divine characteristics because of intimate fellowship with God; God’s image being restored in us because of our union with Him; The result of participating in the life of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; Acquiring God’s spiritual DNA.

“Holiness is wild and undomesticated. Holiness is an interior fire, a passion for living for God, a capacity for exuberance in living out the life of God in the details of our day-to-day lives. Holy is not a word that drains the blood out of life. It’s a word that gets the blood pumping, pulsing life through our veins and putting color in our cheeks.” (Eugene Peterson, The Jesus Way).