Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Adult Sunday School Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/bb/bb20060219.htm

RELISHING THE ESSENCE AND ATTRIBUTES OF GOD
Part III: The Nature Of God
F. Treasuring The Holiness Of God
(Isaiah 6:1-13)
  1. Introduction
    1. When God relates to creation, He reveals His nature, the combination of His essence and attributes, and a key aspect of His nature is His holiness, God's separateness from all that is SIN in us as mortals!
    2. This aspect causes us either great blessing or its lack depending on how we relate to God (as follows):
  2. Treasuring The Holiness Of God, Isaiah 6:1-13.
    1. When Isaiah beheld God sitting enthroned in great glory in the temple in Isaiah 6:1, a scene in which the angelic seraphs called out, "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts . . ." (Isaiah 6:3), it was the year in which a huge loss of God's blessing occurred for the nation because of the SIN of Judah's great king, Uzziah!
      1. Isaiah's vision of God in the temple occurred the year that king Uzziah died, Isaiah 6:1.
      2. This king's death represented a loss of God's blessing upon him and his land due to his unholiness:
        1. Uzziah began to reign at age sixteen with a heart dedicated to heeding the Lord, 2 Chron. 26:1-5.
        2. Thus, God blessed him with military power: (a) Uzziah gained victory over the Philistines (26:6-7a), the Arabians (26:7b) and Meunites (26:7c ESV); (b) he subjected the Ammonites (26:8a) and his fame spread as far as Egypt (26:8b); (c) Uzziah fortified Jerusalem with towers for the nation's defense (26:9) (d) and added towers in the wilderness as an early warning system (26:10a). (e) God blessed him with a great army equipped with the latest weapons and armor, 2 Chron. 26:11-15.
        3. Beyond military might, God blessed Uzziah with agricultural advancements, 2 Chron. 26:10b,c.
        4. In all, his fame spread far and wide, for God greatly helped this God-fearing king, 2 Chron. 26:15b!
        5. However, at the peak of his great, 52-year reign (2 Chron. 26:3b), Uzziah became proud, and that led to his open rebellion against the Lord and his fall: (a) full of pride, Uzziah entered God's temple to burn incense on the altar of incense, an act reserved for the priests, 26:16; Num. 16:39-40; (b) the high priest, Azariah with 80 other priests confronted Uzziah with the charge that it was not his role to burn incense, but the priests; he was to leave the temple as there would be no honor in continuing to do what he then did, 26:17-18. (c) Uzziah vented great anger at Azariah, so God quickly struck Uzziah with leprosy (26:19-20a). (d) That required Uzziah be quarantined (Lev. 13:45-46), so the priests with his consent rushed him out of the temple, 2 Chron. 26:20b. (e) Uzziah then lived in disgrace alone until his death, 2 Chron. 26:21. (f) In death, the once great Uzziah was not buried with his fathers, but near them in dishonor in accord with Azariah's claim, 26:23 with 18b NIV.
        6. Uzziah's death marked the start of the decline of Judah's glory; after Uzziah's passing, Judah never again has attained the level of power and glory she then enjoyed, E. J. Young, Isaiah , vol. I, p. 235.
    2. Thus, in CONTRAST to the distressing fall of Uzziah due to unholiness, God revealed Himself to Isaiah in Isaiah 6:1,3a in all His greatness , exalted in holiness the temple where Uzziah had so badly sinned!
    3. In CONTRAST to Uzziah whose glory had filled the land of Judah with military might and agricultural blessings, Isaiah saw the whole temple and even earth was full of God's glory , Isaiah 6:3b.
    4. When Isaiah realized himself to be dreadfully sinful in CONTRAST to such a great and holy God; he confessed this fact, and in CONTRAST to Uzziah was graciously cleansed of sin for his ministry, 6:4-8.
    5. Isaiah's assignment was to go to a hardened nation and announce God's judgment upon them, Isa. 6:9-12.
    6. Yet, great blessing was yet to come on Judah when God preserved a holy remnant in the Messianic Kingdom, Isa. 6:13. To that end and hope of Judah's final restoration to glory, Isaiah was to minister!
Lesson: Uzziah and Judah LOST God's gifts of great glory and honor due to the contamination of sin; yet, ISAIAH enjoyed God's CLEANSING and MINISTRY BLESSING for CONFESSING his sin, and Judah will REGAIN God's gifts of glory and honor via her final CLEANSING from sin!

Application: May we NOT be like UZZIAH who relied in pride upon his own "greatness" lest we rebel against the Lord and lose His blessing; rather, like Isaiah, may we repent and confess our SIN(S) as need be, SEPARATING from them as GOD is HOLY that He may forgive and bless us!