God is incomprehensible because He is perfectly holy while we are sinful.
God is incomprehensible to us in another way. God is holy!
In Isaiah 6, where we read of the prophet's encounter with the Lord in his heavenly court, there are seraphim, or angels, that announce, "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!"
That's emphatic! But there's one detail we often pass over: even these angelic beings cannot look upon God! They use two of their wings to cover their face in the presence of the Lord, who is high and lifted up! What's the proper response to a vision of God's holiness?
It is what Isaiah says in verse 5, "Woe is me! For I am lost; for 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!"
This creates a tension. If God is holy and we are unrighteous, then how can we know God? Paul, in Romans 1, speaks directly to this. He says in verse 18, "For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth."
God is holy. We are unrighteous. That contrast is too uncomfortable for us. So we suppress the truth. Again, God is incomprehensibly greater than us.
And one called to another and said: 'Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!' And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. And I said: 'Woe is me! For I am lost; for 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!'
Do you have a casual or reverent attitude towards God?
Read the story of Sarah in the lesson and reflect on whether you relate to her experience. Consider whether you have been treating God casually, and spend time in prayer asking God to give you a renewed vision of His holiness.
Infinite and Finite
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