I Fell On My Face

 History is full of human rulers who sat in majestic palaces and demanded the respect of those who entered their presence. But regardless of their ornate apparel and commanding voices, those human rulers were simply men. While men might have quivered in their throne rooms, they did not dissolve into dust by gazing at the glory of kings.

Beholding the Almighty King of the universe is a different matter entirely. When Moses asked to see the face of God, he was told: “you cannot see my face, for man shall not see me and live” (Exodus 33.20). The full glory of the King of Kings is such that mortal man is inherently unable to behold it without destruction. This point was so well understood that many in the Old Testament even feared to have conversations with angels (Genesis 32.20, Judges 6.22-23, 13.22). During the days of Moses, when God spoke to the people from Mount Sinai and revealed himself in a shrouded form of smoke and fire, the Israelites were amazed they lived to tell the tale: “Behold, the Lord our God has shown us his glory and greatness, and we have heard his voice out of the midst of the fire. This day we have seen God speak with man, and man still live” (Deuteronomy 5.24).

God gave several of his prophets diluted visions of his grandeur before sending them to preach his messages. Ezekiel is a good example of both the awesome glory of God and the proper human response. In Ezekiel chapter one, the prophet first saw a stormy wind coming from the north with flashes of fire and something like gleaming metal. Out of this ominous storm he saw four “living creatures” with wings and multiple faces. Beside the creatures was the appearance of wheels within wheels that were full of eyes. Above this remarkable picture was a throne, upon which God himself was seated in an appearance of fire, gleaming metal, and rainbow. All of this was described by Ezekiel as “the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord” (Ezekiel 1.28). As glorious as this vision was, it was still several steps removed from the truest form of God’s glory. But what was the prophet’s reaction? “And when I saw it, I fell on my face.”

Do you and I fall on our faces, too? Some people tremble with excitement and fear to shake the hand of a human celebrity, but they think of the God of the Bible with a yawn. Some people pour over magazines and internet articles to gain juicy details about Ben Affleck’s current relationship status, but they have not given attention to the messages of the Holy One. If we are living on his earth, we are standing in his throne room. Those who accept his son’s sacrifice on the cross are allowed to “behold the glory of the Lord” with “unveiled face,” as we are transformed to reflect His glory (2 Corinthians 3.18). Have you trembled before your King?          ~Nathan Combs