January 19 -- "Holy and Awesome!"

 Today’s Reading: 1 Chronicles 27 & Psalm 111

"Holy and Awesome!"

On the day we finally arrive in Heaven and look back on the history of our planet, there will be three things we will declare about our experience with our Creator: He sent redemption to His people; He has commanded His covenant forever; Holy and awesome is His name!

He sent redemption to His people. Repeatedly. Yahweh is a God of redemption. In Hebrew, this word “redemption” literally means “to place a distinction or division between, thus to liberate.” God repeatedly throughout history is seen liberating His people. By placing a distinction between Noah, who found grace in His sight, and the rest of the corrupt population, God liberated Noah and his family from the flood waters. God placed a distinction between the Jews and the Egyptians when, through Moses, He liberated the slaves from their bondage. Repeatedly in the history of Israel, we see God stepping in and sending judges to liberate them from the hands of their oppressors. Later He sent Ezra, Nehemiah, and Zerubbabel to liberate them from Babylon. And, in the most profound act of liberation, God sent His Son, the Lord Jesus to redeem an entire lost world from sin, misery, and eternal death.

He has commanded His covenant forever. Yahweh has made a legal agreement with the human race. This covenant contains His binding oath that He will perform certain things on behalf of those who accept the terms of His agreement and agree to follow Him. The New Covenant is the unchanging promise that God makes with humanity that He will forgive sin and restore fellowship with those whose hearts are turned toward Him. “’But this is the new covenant I will make with the people of Israel on that day,’ says the Lord. ‘I will put my law in their minds, and I will write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people’”  (Jeremiah 31:31-33). This is His forever, permanent covenant with mankind – it will never be rescinded or broken.

Holy and awesome is His name. Because Yahweh has sent redemption to His people and established His forever covenant with them, there is nothing left to say but that He is holy and awesome. The word “holy” means to be like none else. It reflects the fact that Yahweh alone is unique and separate from all other beings. It carries the idea of being pure and sacred and free from defilement of any kind. And His name is “awesome!” The Hebrew word here means to stand in awe, reverence, and honor of the One who is like no other.

What will you be doing in Heaven? Praising your God’s holy and awesome name as you reflect on His redemption and eternal covenant. That day can’t come soon enough!