When we want to emphasize something these days, we have a variety of ways. Maybe it's an exclamation mark or even marks. Maybe it's bold print or italicized print or underlining or any combination thereof. Often we'll go with "er" and "est" to give intensity. "This house is nice, but that one is nicer. That one at the end of the block is nicest." And, we all know, writing in all capitals is "shouting" in print. Of course, the ancient Hebrews didn't have these tools. When they wanted to emphasize something, they often repeated it. One example of this in Scripture is in Genesis. There is a great battle in the 14th chapter. At one point the author points out that there were "pits" in the Valley of Siddim and the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fell into them (Gen 14:10). The problem is that various translations give various translations. ESV says "bitumen pits" and the King James calls them "slime pits." Others call them "tar pits" or just "great pits." Why the confusion? Well, the Hebrew behind it simply says "pit pits." That is, these weren't just pits; they were emphasized pits. They were not your everyday pits; these were really bad pits. It happens elsewhere, too. In Ezekiel the Lord says of Israel, "A ruin, a ruin, a ruin, I will make it" (Ezek 21:27). A really bad ruin. In Jeremiah we read, "O land, land, land, Hear the word of the LORD!" (Jer 22:29). God is really trying to get their attention. In Revelation an eagle flies overhead crying, "Woe, woe, woe to those who dwell on the earth" (Rev 8:13). Not just "woe" -- really big woe. It's a not-uncommon Hebraism.
One thing we know well is repeated thrice ... twice. In Isaiah the prophet "saw the Lord" and the angels attending Him cried, "Holy, Holy, Holy, is the LORD of hosts, The whole earth is full of His glory" (Isa 6:3). Then again, in Revelation, "Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!" (Rev 4:8). That is holiness raised to the highest level ... twice. No other attribute of God is given such prominence. He is love, but He is not "love, love" let alone "love, love, love." This elevation of God's holiness is only compounded by the repeated description of God as holy everywhere else. When Aaron's sons were consumed by fire from God, Moses warned Aaron not to grieve based on this single point: "It is what the LORD spoke, saying, 'By those who come near Me I will be treated as holy'" (Lev 10:3). God said repeatedly, "You shall be holy, for I am holy" (Lev 11:45; Lev 19:2; 1 Peter 1:16.) God has a host of magnificent characteristics, but holiness is arguably the highest.
We don't really grasp holiness. It means most literally "other." We think of it primarily as "sinless" which would be a reasonable facsimile of "other than sin." And He is. But that's just the beginning. He is not like us. His thinking is not like us. His ways are not our ways (Isa 55:8-9). He is Transcendent. He is out of time and out of space (read "supernatural"). We are made in His image, but only in a limited fashion. He is really "other." Using the Hebraism, He is "other, other, other."
So what? I mean, that's interesting and all, but what are the practical ramifications?
This single fact of His absolute holiness answers the question, "How could a loving God send people to eternal punishment?" It explains why justice is so important to Him and why sin is so massive instead of a mere faux pas as we think of it. We'll call them "mistakes" or "errors" not realizing that transgressing a Holy, Holy, Holy God is a monumental violation. It isn't merely treason; it is Cosmic Treason. The highest of high crimes deserves the highest of the claims of justice. On the other hand, we aren't merely forgiven our minor errors. We are forgiven Cosmic Treason, our repeated assaults on a Holy, Holy, Holy God. Jesus said that those who are forgiven much love much (Luke 7:47). Not one of us is forgiven little. We are hugely forgiven. We may feel bad about some of the "really bad" things we've done, and rightly so, but we still miss the true import of even the smallest thing because we miss God's holiness. When we love little, it is telling us that we don't get it. We just don't get it.
God's holiness exceeds our imagination. When humans encounter His holiness, they universally collapse in fear and trembling. A God of this level of holiness can only be "boring" ("I don't like to go to church; it's boring.") if He is not recognized. When we recognize a Holy, Holy, Holy God who forgives, who loves, who gives grace and mercy -- who is the God we know -- His traits are vastly magnified. We need this Holy, Holy, Holy God. Like Moses we should plead, "Please show me your glory" (Exo 33:18).
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