And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.
This verse comes from a vision the prophet Isaiah had in the Jerusalem temple around 740 BC, shortly after the death of King Uzziah. In the vision, Isaiah sees God seated on an exalted throne, surrounded by six-winged angelic creatures called seraphim. These beings call to one another in what is known as the "trisagion" — a triple declaration of holiness. In Hebrew, repeating a word three times is the highest possible form of emphasis, making "holy, holy, holy" the most extreme statement imaginable. The word "holy" at its root means "set apart" or "other" — fundamentally unlike anything else in existence. The declaration that "the whole earth is full of his glory" means creation itself is saturated with the weight and presence of God.
Holy God — I don't say that lightly. I want to mean it the way those creatures meant it, with something close to awe and something close to fear. Remind me today that You are not a scaled-up version of me. Let that reality quietly shape everything I do. Amen.
We've worn the word "holy" smooth with use. It appears on church signs and song lyrics and phrases we've heard since childhood, until it means almost nothing at all. But the creatures in Isaiah's vision cover their faces when they say it. They hide their feet. They don't look directly at what they're singing about. There is something so overwhelming in the room that even angelic beings can't hold a steady gaze. Here's what that vision actually does to Isaiah: it ruins him. Not inspires him — *ruins* him. His first response is "Woe to me! I am undone. I am a man of unclean lips." A genuine encounter with the holiness of God doesn't produce a warm feeling. It produces an acute awareness of your own smallness and your own need. And yet the same God whose holiness undoes Isaiah also sends the burning coal that cleanses him, and then asks: "Who will go for us?" Holiness, it turns out, isn't a wall that keeps you out. Somehow, impossibly, it's a door — and the God who is utterly unlike you still wants to send you.
What does it mean for God to be "holy" — not just morally good, but fundamentally other and set apart from everything? How would you explain that concept to someone who had never encountered the idea?
Isaiah's vision of God's holiness produces immediate awareness of his own unworthiness. When, if ever, have you felt genuinely small before God — not guilty, just overwhelmed by who He is? What was that like?
Isaiah's first response is "I am undone." Is that kind of response to God healthy, or does it make genuine relationship seem impossible? Where do you feel the tension in that?
If "the whole earth is full of his glory," where do you actually see evidence of that in the places you live and work — not in a church building, but on an ordinary Wednesday?
What would change for you if you started each day with a brief, honest moment of sitting with who God actually is — not what He can do for you, but simply who He is?
After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
Matthew 6:9
No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.
John 1:18
Who is like unto thee, O LORD, among the gods? who is like thee, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders?
Exodus 15:11
But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation;
1 Peter 1:15
A Psalm of David. Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name.
Psalms 103:1
For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.
Habakkuk 2:14
Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.
Ephesians 3:21
And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was , and is , and is to come .
Revelation 4:8
And one called out to another, saying, "Holy, Holy, Holy is the LORD of hosts; The whole earth is filled with His glory."
AMP
And one called to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!”
ESV
And one called out to another and said, 'Holy, Holy, Holy, is the LORD of hosts, The whole earth is full of His glory.'
NASB
And they were calling to one another: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.”
NIV
And one cried to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; The whole earth is full of His glory!”
NKJV
They were calling out to each other, “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of Heaven’s Armies! The whole earth is filled with his glory!”
NLT
And they called back and forth one to the other, Holy, Holy, Holy is God-of-the-Angel-Armies. His bright glory fills the whole earth.
MSG