Mundane Days

Most days were dull and boring.

Some days were lived in misery—extreme heat, hot winds, occasional heavy rain.

Many days were spent moving here and there, packing up the tent and taking the animals to better grazing, or where water was available.

Moses had fallen into the routine of tending the sheep of his father-in-law, Jethro. (Jethro of Midian; not Jetro, nephew of Jed in Beverly Hills. Wait! Does that line make me seem old? I digress.) The sheep had been moved near Mount Horeb, called the mountain of God, in the Sinai region.

This particular day was anything but boring. It was the day that changed Moses, and ultimately changed the world; for on that day, an angel of the Lord appeared to Moses, “in a flame of fire out of a bush.” We err when we think of this as some ordinary bush; for this bush was extraordinary, “the bush was blazing but it was not consumed.” If we get hung up on the how, we will miss the why, and the why is what is important.

(The story of Moses and the “burning bush” is found in Exodus 3:1-12.)

Moses's curiosity led him to make his way toward the “burning bush” to see how it burned without being consumed by the blaze.

And then… “When the Lord saw that he had turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, ‘Moses, Moses!’ And he said, ‘Here I am,’ Then he said, ‘Come no closer! Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.’ He said further, ‘I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’ And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.”

The instructions were clear: “Come no closer,” “take off your sandals,” Moses was standing on holy ground.

When John saw the throne room of God in the Revelation 4, he saw a sea of glass, like crystal, before the throne. One cannot approach the Holy on one’s own terms. God said to Moses, “Come no closer.” A way, a Way, has been provided. We now come to God through faith in his Son, Jesus the Christ (the Messiah).

Today, the holiness of God is often lost in the reckless use of the name of God. Sadly, it’s not only those who don’t believe, it’s more so those who claim to believe but who use the name of God for their own purposes—to gain status, wealth, and/or power. {Just to be clear: “You shall not make wrongful use of the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not acquit anyone who misuses his name.” (Exodus 20:7)}

In the Law—the Torah—given to the people of Israel, the people chosen to help reveal the Lord our God to the world, “The Lord spoke to Moses, saying:

‘Speak to all the congregation of the people of Israel and say to them: You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy.” (Leviticus 19:1-2)

The beautiful Song of Hannah is the first prophetic voice in 1 Samuel, and what a beautiful voice it is. Here’s a portion of her song, her prophecy:

“There is no Holy One like the Lord,

no one besides you;

there is no Rock like our God.” (From the Song of Hannah in 1 Samuel 2:2.)

When John was carried in the Spirit (by the Spirit?) to the throne room of God in his vision—the Revelation—he saw four strange looking creatures. These four “living creatures” in the throne room of God are not to be feared, we are to learn from them, for they represent all that sings praise to God around us.

“Around the throne, and on each side of the throne, are four living creatures, full of eyes in front and behind…” (See Revelation 4:7-8.) No one approaches the throne of God without being seen. We must think in symbols, and think of John painting for us a word picture of the vision he saw. The throne room of God is the setting for the revelation of all that will take place in chapters five through twenty-two of the Revelation. So, the eyes remind us that, like Moses at the burning bush, we cannot simply walk up to the throne of God, but must approach him with reverence, and now we approach him through Jesus Christ the Son—“the Way.” (See John 14:6.)

“The first living creature like a lion (the wild animals), the second living creature like an ox (domesticated animals), the third living creature with a face like a human face (humanity), and the fourth living creature like a flying eagle (the birds). And the four living creatures (representing the living creatures in nature) each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and inside. Day and night without ceasing they sing,

‘Holy, holy, holy,

the Lord God Almighty,

who was and is and is to come.’’

God is holy. God is not a joke. God’s name is not to be misused. God is not a political talking point. God is not to be used to mislead people. God is not to be lied about. God is holy.

In the great throne room of heaven, John saw the Revelation of the holiness of God (Remember: metaphors, symbols, word pictures.) on full display, as these four living creatures that represent the living creatures that surround us, continually sing of the holiness of God.

But, that’s not all. There were twenty-four elders surrounding the throne—the people of God (those who believe in him). “And whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to the one who is seated on the throne, who lives forever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall before the one on the throne and worship the one who lives forever and ever; they cast their crowns before the throne, singing,

‘You are worthy, our Lord and God,

to receive glory and honor and power,

for you created all things,

and by your will they existed and were created.’”

God is holy.

God is worthy to receive glory and honor and power.

We pray:

“For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and glory forever and ever. Amen!”

When we pray it, do we mean it?

God is holy. We must not forget.