Stealing God's glory

Moses dishonored God before the Israelites because he struck the rock, in direct disobedience to God. Moses’ actions drew the attention of the people to himself, perhaps to make them think he had something to do with the miracle. But by stealing the glory from God and failing to honor Him, both Moses and Aaron were not allowed to enter the Promised Land.

The catalog of others who dishonored God is numerous. The following is only a small sampling:

  •      Saul did not submit himself to God, but in impatience and self-styled disobedience he failed to follow all of God’s instructions (1 Sam. 15:11). So God removed him from the throne.

  •      Uzzah failed to recognize the majesty of God’s holiness by daring to defy God’s instructions (Num. 4:15, 19–20). God struck him down for his irreverence (2 Sam. 6:7).

  •      Uzziah became proud, acted in a corrupt manner, was unfaithful to the Lord, and in an affront to God’s holiness, entered the temple to burn incense. God struck him with leprosy (2 Chron. 26:16–23).

  •      Ananias and Sapphira lied to the Holy Spirit. By sinning against the holiness of God in such a way, they lost their lives within hours of their deceit (Acts 5:1–11).

  •      The Corinthians ate of the bread and drank from the cup in an unholy manner during the Lord’s Supper (1 Cor. 11:27–30). As a result, many became sick and some even died.

God does not always deal as immediately and directly in a physical way with those who fail to uphold His holy character. But there will always be some consequence. Here are a few of the main ones: It gives the enemy an opportunity to blaspheme God. That is what Nathan told David (2 Sam. 12:14; cf. Ezek. 20:39; 1 Tim. 5:14; 6:1). God’s Word is dishonored (Titus 2:5). 

Sin can disqualify you from further service in the King’s court. Saul is the classic illustration of that (1 Sam. 15:23). You can lose your life or well-being (Acts 5:5, 10). God may withhold spiritual blessings (Num. 20:1–12). God’s anger is invoked (Isa. 5:25). God’s Spirit is grieved (Isa. 63:10).

The Fear of the Lord Is Not an Option

The psalmist asked rhetorically, “Who may dwell on Thy holy hill?” (Ps. 15:1) The answer is simply, “He who walks with integrity, and works righteousness, and speaks truth in his heart” (v. 2). There is no greater need today than for believers once again to ascend the platform of fearing God.

A.W. Tozer said it well, “No religion has been greater than its idea of God.” That gem has a corollary: No church is greater than its reverent awe of holy God. He is holy and demands recognition as such. Although most believers know that intellectually, I’m afraid very few realize what that means practically.

Clearly, the fear of God is not optional: “Live in the fear of the Lord always” (Prov. 23:17); “fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matt. 10:28); “in all things obey … fearing the Lord” (Col. 3:22). Central to the Book of Proverbs is the Hebrew word yare, which refers to fear and honor. Solomon used it eighteen times.

God has always called His people to have such a perspective of the awesomeness of His holiness:

  •      The fear of God pressed Manoah to expect instant death because he had seen God (Jud. 13:22).

  •      Upon seeing the magnitude of God’s holiness, Job repented and retracted all that he had foolishly said (Job 42:5–6).

  •      Standing in the presence of God’s holiness, Isaiah pronounced a curse on himself, “Woe is me, for I am ruined!” (Isa. 6:5)

  •      Habakkuk trembled at the voice of holy God (Hab. 3:16).

  •      The restored remnant feared the Lord when they heard His holy word spoken by the Prophet Haggai (Hag. 1:12).

  •      During our Lord’s earthly ministry, the disciples often came face to face with His power and holiness. On one occasion when they were crossing the Sea of Galilee, a storm appeared. Although they were afraid of the storm, they feared greatly (literally “feared a great fear”) when Jesus calmed the storm (Mark 4:41). They became much more fearful of the presence and power of God than they were of the deadly storm. Stained by the sin of unbelief, Peter implored his sinless Lord to depart from him (Luke 5:8). John, James, and Peter fell on their faces and were exceedingly afraid when they heard the voice of God (Matt. 17:6).

  •      People in an unbelieving community begged Christ to leave their region because they feared His holy power (Mark 5:17).

  •      The Jerusalem church was in deep awe of God’s holiness (Acts 2:43; 5:5, 11), and throughout Judea, Galilee, and Samaria, the churches continued on in fear of the Lord (Acts 9:31).

  •      Beholding the magnificence of the glorified Christ, John fell in fear at His feet as a dead man (Rev. 1:17).

In each of those examples, God’s presence produced the “anxiety of holiness.” As I stated at the beginning of this chapter, that is an attitude largely missing in our method-oriented, pragmatic day. And it is especially missing in our prayers. To revive it, we must pursue holiness in the fear of God. That has always been God’s desire for His people: “I am the Lord your God. 

Consecrate yourselves therefore, and be holy; for I am holy” (Lev. 11:44). Peter echoed that plea: “But like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; because it is written, ‘You shall be holy, for I am holy’ ” (1 Peter 1:15–16; cf. Lev. 19:2). Today the challenge for Christ’s church is this: “Let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God” (2 Cor. 7:1).

Author: MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (1995). Alone with God (pp. 59–62). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.