Approaching the altar humbly

In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple.Isaiah 6:1

So begins a famous passage from the prophet Isaiah, wherein he describes an amazing, supernatural encounter with the Holy God. When Isaiah encounters a vision of God in the Temple, he becomes undone, fully aware of his own miserable self and how far he is from the holiness of God.

When I read this portion of scripture, I’m always struck by those first seven words: In the year that King Uzziah died… It’s as if I hear them each time in a voice-over by James Earl Jones or something. But, I never understood the full impact until I was reading Second Chronicles this week.

Do you know what King Uzziah died of? Pride. Well, sort of.

King Uzziah was a brilliant man with a glorious reign. He could have starred in a BC version of The Rich and Famous. (and powerful.) But then, he got proud. And, in his pride he strutted into the sacred inner room of the Temple, the place only the priest was allowed to go. He tried to burn incense there, an act of worship reserved for the men designated by God.

He couldn’t be satisfied with wealth, power, fame, and the favor of God. He wanted more.

Eighty priests tried to save Uzziah from himself. But, he wouldn’t listen. As a result, he broke out in leprosy. He was banned from the Temple and lived in seclusion. When he died, he was buried in obscurity.

And this makes me wonder about lots of things. The areas of pride in my own life, for instance. But mostly it makes me wonder about how I approach God. Am I strutting into His presence as if I am Somebody? Or do I come in trembling, fully aware of my state and of God’s status.

It’s one of those mysterious of the faith, really. Our God is a Consuming Fire. Yet He is as close to us as the whisper of his name.

Selah.