Isaiah

This year is a first for me. I am in Bible Study Fellowship for a first time. I've heard things about it from people over the years and decided to pursue it. I'm really impressed with how organized they are. The curriculum that they have for kids is so great- basically they teach what we are learning too. Which, considering we're studying Isaiah this year, is not exactly an easy task. It was too sweet to hear Owen sing "Owee, Owee, Owee" (Holy, Holy, Holy) yesterday while packed away during carpool.

I don't know about you but I've always put the "prophet" books on the "interesting and important but not necessarily applicable" category in my mind.
Oh how wrong I was!
Not only am I finding great nuggets of application I'm seeing a lot of parallel with the nation of Israel and our own.
In Isaiah chapter 5 he has a list of "woes" that he is telling the straying Israelites. God tells their nation to end their pursuit of materialism, alcoholism, pride, greed, injustice and ignoring God's laws. Hmm- sounds like another nation I'm familiar with.
Then in chapter 6 Isaiah "saw the Lord".
His response?
"Woe is ME."
He didn't point fingers at his culture, his country, his neighbors, his 'church', his family. He didn't have any other judgments to pass except that which he was most familiar with- his own sin.

So what is my response when I catch a glimpse of God?

Do I compare my sin with others?
For some reason we tend to think OUR sin is acceptable and THEIR sin is disgraceful. We shake our head when we hear about someone elses poor choices, someone elses straying family member, someone elses marriage problems, someone elses struggle with greed. Meanwhile our own choices, family, marriage and our own pursuit of anything other than God- goes unchecked in our lives and is deemed "not as bad as them" by us.
That's just the ugliness of plain ole pride!

So what then we we have a moment to glimpse his glory?
What happens when we "see the Lord".
Would I be one to acknowledge my own sin- to understand the depth and depravity of it each day-not as be oppressed by that knowledge but to be humbled by it?
Oh that I will be made completely aware of my own sin- and completely in awe of the cleansing that follows.