Isaiah saw a vision from God that shook him to his core. The Lord was seated on his throne. Angelic creatures, with ground-shaking voices, called out, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory” (Is. 6:3).

The Hebrew word glory means weight.

Imagine standing on a platform (about the height of a basketball goal) with a medium-sized aquarium (about 3’x3′) full of water below you. Then imagine lifting a concrete block, aiming it just right, and dropping it into the aquarium.

SPLASH! CRASH!

When we encounter the glory of God, our agendas, priorities, and lives get blown out of the water. Tim Keller calls it “a soulquake.”

If you imagine God as a fuzzy concept or a useful personal assistant ready to grant your wishes, you reduce his glory to a small rubber duckie falling into a tank of water. It only causes a few ripples. It’s convenient. Your neatly constructed life need not make any adjustments, but your view of God will be completely skewed.

Sadly, Tulsa is the epicenter of the Prosperity Gospel movement. Just last week I visited with a precious, faithful woman on hospice. A TV preacher rattled her mind with a disgraceful sermon: “If you have faith, God will heal you. With faith you’ll be healthy, wealthy, and comfortable.” She asked me, “The heavy medicine impacts my brain, but I don’t understand what he said. Is it true?” Nope. Not even close. How dare that preacher assault this sweet, ailing woman with such garbage. The Bible never confirms what he taught, and our heroes of the faith did not experience it either. But sermons about taking up our cross don’t generate the kind of income he seeks.

You and I, not just TV preachers, might also reject the glory of God. How are you doing with your fears? Your greed? Your schedule? What does your budget reflect about your view of God?

Isaiah demands we dare not reduce God to a lightweight. Instead, we must allow the full weight of God, the glory of God, to displace our schedules, our financial planning, our careers, our greed, our apathy, our fears, our animosity, our lives.

SPLASH! CRASH!

Agendas and plans go flying.

Let’s not try to fit God neatly in our lives. Let’s quit acting like his glory will only lead to minor ripples. Let the weight of God come crashing down.

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We’re studying Isaiah at Highland Park. You can hear sermons and learn more at hptulsa.com.

glory isaiah weight