Chapter 1-Shadow of the Most Holy God
Go Away from me Lord, I am a
sinful man (Luke 5:9)
Peter had just gone fishing and it
seems was not having a very good day. Jesus tells Peter to put his
nets on the other side of the boat which to many of us seems an
exercise in silliness. Peter complies a little unwillingly. He was
not ready for what happened next-an epic haul of fish. Instead of
rushing off to market Peter recognizes his state-his spiritual state,
something not generally associated with “cashing in.” Instead of
wanting to make Jesus a partner is Simon , Andrew, James & John
Fishing Enterprises Inc, Peter gets glimpse of what the prophet
Isaiah saw hundreds of years before.
“ 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.
2 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.3 And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.
4 And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke.
5 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.
6 Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar:
7 And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged.
8 Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.” (Isaiah 6:1-8)
That day, that moment, Simon of Galilee found Isaiah the prophet of Israel who lived centuries before him. Both realized their spiritual state, Peter a little more short and to the point than Isaiah said “Go away from me Lord, I am a sinful man.” Jesus's reaction is not the reaction so prevalent today which seems to say, “ If you don't think you can cut the mustard, then I will look for a more can do person.”
What does this attitude create? A nation of liars who sell for more than they are worth! Every job applicant today is coached to answer the “What is your biggest weakness' question with a strength rather than with a truthful answer. Frankly, with the can do attitude mania, it is pretty silly to give truthful answer.
Peter answers honestly, humbly. Go way from me Lord, I am a sinful man. (Isaiah being a little more wordy says, “Woe is me for I am undone”)!
Jesus reaches out to both and gives them a ministry, but He first deals with their sinful nature. Isaiah gets the coal across the lips OUCH! Notice Isaiah wants rid of his sinful words so much that there is no mention of “He shrinked back or wanted to renegotiate his deal.” No he took it, he wanted rid of his sinfulness. Was the coal real? Probably not in the figurative imagery of a prophetic book, but was it probably a little unpleasant? Repentance complete with its act of Contrition is not a good time.
Here we find the difference between the old testament new testament calling. Isaiah is sent, Peter and his posse are told to follow-The Lord of creation has now become personnel with his created. He who was the Pillar of Fire by night, and the Great Smoking Cloud by day, has become Teacher and Friend.
Scholars heave long wondered “Why did God put the tree in the garden?” Who knows for sure, but my conjecture is that God desired personal fellowship with his creation, He wanted Man to chose him because men and women wanted the creator of their own choice. They were not obligated by mere material needs.
Satan told Eve a half truth-yes if you chose to disobey you will know good from evil. This part was true! It was what Satan didn't tell Eve that was the problem. Now that you know...there are a few problems.....Satan, who knew God well, did not count on the love of the creator for the created.
Before men can enter into this relationship with the creator they must address their own sinfulness. So why not send Jesus right away? Because mankind in total needed a framework of laws, ethics ,and morals. This is why Jesus came to fulfill the law not overturn the law. We have a new better deal under grace, a personal relationship with the creator, but the principals of the law still apply. If you love me, keep my commandments, Jesus said. (John14: 15). Now with Christ's sacrifice on the cross, we have a much better shot at leading a holy life. This leads us to our new look at the 10 commandments.
The principles have not gone away, the situations have just been altered. This is what this book is about.
This is my personnel prayer “ My Lord, make me your faithful servant who seeks your holiness.” This extremely short prayer takes in a wide swath of leading a Christian life. I, for one, wish I was better at doing it. Like Isaiah, I would “take the coal if it would get the job done.” I recognize my own sinfulnes and I want it gone. Easy to say, but it takes a life time to do. So How? God gives us the answer in the book of Joshua (chapter 1 verse 8 NIV) :
“Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. “
and in the book of Deuteronomy (chapter 6 verses 4-9) :
4 Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.[a]
5 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your
soul and with all your strength. 6 These commandments that I
give you today are to be on your hearts. 7 Impress them on your
children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk
along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 8 Tie
them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads.
9 Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.
Keep them in the forefront of your mind, take them into your heart, let them rule your mind, let them guide the choices you make, immerse your whole being into the greatness of Christ and his salvation.
As Saint Paul stated, “Christ in me the hope of glory!” (Colossians 1:27)
