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Holy, Holy, Holy

And one called out to another and said, “Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord of armies. The whole earth is full of His glory.” Is. 6:3, NASB

Near the beginning of his ministry, Isaiah was shown a heavenly scene. He saw a vision of God on His throne and of the seraphim calling out, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts [or armies].” Although he was a good man, the vision caused Isaiah to fall on his face in distress because his righteousness was destroyed in the presence of the Holy God.

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How To Know Something Is Important In Hebrew

The Hebrews had a way of emphasizing what was important. If they repeated something twice, it meant it was very important. In the Gospel of John, we read where Jesus repeated words, such as in John 3:3:

“Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

Now, some versions, such as the NIV, say “Very truly” because the repetition of words sounds strange in English, but in Hebrew, the “very” and the “truly” are the same word. Unfortunately, in trying to make it read better in English, they dull the thrust of what Jesus was saying. With two repeated words, Jesus emphasized what He was about to say. He was in effect saying, “This is super important, pay attention!”

The rare use of three repeated words shows that something is of supreme importance. It does not get more vital than this! So when the angels are crying “Holy, Holy, Holy,” they are saying, this is of supreme importance. If you miss this, you’ve missed everything.

Holy, Holy, Holy:
God's Essence

Holiness is the supreme definition of Who our God is. John tells us in his letter that God is love, and we like that, so we emphasize it. But the Bible never says God is love, love, love. We know God is merciful, kind, good and many other things. But the only thing that is drawn to our attention as His supreme essence is His holiness.

So what is holiness? Many things in the Bible are called holy. Moses was standing on holy ground in front of the burning bush. The tabernacle and temple, with their furnishings, were spoken of as holy. Israel in the Old Testament and the Church in the New Testament are spoken of as God’s holy people.

Holiness is Who God is. This means it includes His love, His mercy, His justice and everything else that He is. It is all wrapped up in the expression God is holy. However, holiness seems to focus on two interrelated things.

Holy, Holy, Holy:
To Be Seperate

First, to be holy is to be separate or set aside for a special purpose. All the things spoken of as holy in the Bible mean that they were separated or set apart for a special purpose in serving God. They could not be used for “normal” things. Even the formula for making the incense for the tabernacle/temple could not be used outside the tabernacle/temple. Referring to people as holy means that God’s chosen people are set apart for a purpose and a relationship with God that no one else has. If you are a Christian, you are set aside specially for God’s purposes, whether or not you are in the “official” ministry.

In speaking of God, it declares that God is totally separate and above His creation. God is not part of His creation. No panthism here. He is in no way controlled or manipulated by His creation. His being is totally “something else.” There are no words to adequately describe the separateness of God. That is why God gave us His Word and then came as Jesus Christ to show us something and Someone we can relate to, revealing Himself in a way our minds can comprehend. Everything He has revealed is truth, but make no mistake, God is separate and above His creation. The entire human knowledge of God is less than a fraction of 1% of all that He is. Let’s not take pride in our knowledge. God is holy, holy, holy.

Holy, Holy, Holy:
To Be Pure

Second, and included in His separateness, is purity. Holiness speaks of purity. God is without flaw, without sin, without any wrong or hidden motives, without any darkness. The purity of God is so bright and intense that no human being can look at it. In fact, in verse two of our passage, even the seraphim covered their faces in the presence of God.

Our failure to grasp God's holiness leads us to accuse Him of all kinds of terrible things, which are an insult to His character. God is separate, and He is holy in a way that far surpasses anything we are capable of or can even imagine. Yet He calls us to be holy as He is Holy. This is the process of sanctification by which the Holy Spirit works in the lives of Christians, changing us into the image of Christ. We will never become God, because He is the ultimate Holy, but we will become like Him as we are separated to live in His presence and allow the dirty rags of sin to be stripped from us. In fact, it has already happened because of Calvary; in practice, it is a process that will be completed when we see Him.

But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. All who have this hope in Him purify themselves, just as He is pure. 1 John 3:2-3, NIV

Glenn Davis is a Christian author and Bible teacher whose work draws on more than 40 years of study, writing, and local church teaching. He has written 700+ articles, created five Bible courses, published three books, and shared 100+ Bible videos on YouTube. Readers can find his books on Amazon and follow his teaching on YouTube. Away from the keyboard, he enjoys time with family, reading, walking, and board or card games.

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