Song Highlight: Holy, Holy, Holy
This week’s hymn highlight is one of the most beloved hymns of the Christian church: Holy, Holy, Holy! Written in the early 1800’s by Reginald Heber, the hymn is based on Revelation 4:8-11 where John, in the throne room of heaven writes:
[8] And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and within, and day and night they never cease to say,
“Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!”
[9] And whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to him who is seated on the throne, who lives forever and ever, [10] the twenty-four elders fall down before him who is seated on the throne and worship him who lives forever and ever. They cast their crowns before the throne, saying,
[11] “Worthy are you, 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.” (ESV)
In a time and age where many have forgotten and rejected God, His word reminds us of who He is and how He alone is worthy of worship, honor, and glory. Our God is so incredible that the Bible does not say He is simply, “holy” or even “holy, holy” but that He is “holy, holy, holy”. The threefold repetition was an ancient idiom to emphasize and bring about something to the highest degree. So when the Scriptures say in Revelation 4 “Holy, Holy, Holy! Is the Lord God almighty!” it’s emphasizing the Holiness of God to the highest degree possible. He is perfectly and completely Holy. He is so perfectly holy that sinful man cannot look upon Him lest we (like Isaiah in Isaiah 6) be undone in His presence. Even the perfect angels and creatures in heaven cover their faces before the glory of God (Isaiah 6). So how can we, sinful man, come before this Holy God and live? Through the work of Christ on our behalf, we have been given His righteousness. Therefore, we can enter the presence of our Holy Father because we have been made holy through the work of the Son that is applied through the Holy Spirit. How glorious that our Holy God would save unholy sinners like us and make us holy! Because of this, let these words of worship be on our lips the moment we rise in the morning, to when we rest at night, for all our days, all for His glory. He is worthy of it all!
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