Awesome horripilation ∙∙
For the LORD Most High is awesome. He is the great King of all the earth. – Psalms 47:2
Exodus 15:11-13
11 Who is like you among the gods, O LORD – glorious in holiness, awesome in splendor, performing great wonders?
13 With your unfailing love, you lead the people you have redeemed.
Many people have experienced horripilation without realizing it. It often occurs when we suddenly feel cold or witness something terrifying or awe-inspiring. This sensation frequently accompanies our wonder at the greatness of God. Horripilation is the scientific term for goosebumps. Goosebumps are the bristling of the hair on the skin due to fear, religious awe, or experiencing cold.
The word horripilation is derived from two Latin words: horrere, meaning to “bristle,” “shudder,” or “stand on end,” and pilus, meaning “hair.” The term horrerealso gives us the English word “horror,” which is associated with shaking, trembling, or dread when facing something frightening. It also conveys a feeling of religious awe or being awestruck.
In the book of Daniel, there’s a story about someone being terrified by a mysterious sight. It wasn’t the Father, the Son, or an angel, but just the fingers of what appeared to be a human hand. This hand suddenly appeared and began to write a message on the wall of the throne room. King Belshazzar saw it and was utterly terrified. We can only imagine his thoughts: “Oh, Marduk, which power or unseen deity has done this? Please save me.”
He was so frightened that his body shook and trembled, his knees knocked together in fear, and his hips grew weak. His face turned ghostly pale as the blood drained from it. Undoubtedly, he experienced a severe bout of horripilation.
Daniel 5:5-6
5 Suddenly, they saw the fingers of a human hand, writing on the plaster wall of the king’s palace near the lampstand. The king himself saw the hand as it wrote,
6 and his face turned pale with fright. His knees knocked together in fear, and his legs gave way beneath him.
Encountering the presence of the living God doesn’t always incite fear; for many, it inspires awe. They find themselves overwhelmed by the grandeur and magnificence of their extraordinary, otherworldly experience with the Father. It is an Encounter of the Third Kind with the living God. Some are momentarily immobilized, while many find themselves prostrate in reverence.
Daniel 10:8-9
8 So I was left there all alone to see this fantastic vision. My strength left me, my face grew deathly pale, and I felt very weak.
9 Then I heard the man speak, and when I heard the sound of his voice, I fainted and lay there with my face to the ground.
Daniel lost consciousness upon hearing the voice of the living God. He had been engaged in prayer and fasting for three weeks, earnestly seeking answers. The purpose of the visitation was to provide the answers to Daniel’s prayers.
REFLECT & PRAY
When Isaiah beheld the King of Kings in His complete holiness and splendor, he was overwhelmed by His glory and grander. At that moment, he became acutely aware of his own sinfulness. Just one look at the Father’s radiant light and purity was enough. Instantly, Isaiah was profoundly convicted of his own darkness and impurity, barely able to utter, “Woe is me, I am lost, for I am a man of unclean lips.”
Father, You alone are truly awe-inspiring! There is none like You. May I always remain excited when I think of You and feel Your presence.
INSIGHT
Why does the Father visit us?
What is the purpose of His visitations? Indeed, it is not to provide a sense of comfort or delight or to make us feel warm and fuzzy. Today, many within Christendom claim to have visions or encounters with the living God. In contrast to the accounts in Scripture, these individuals often boast about their experience. Their focus shifts from the Father to their own time in His presence, elaborating on how it felt for them. They go on and on about how wonderful it was for them.
When you peel away the façade, their narratives are not about the Father but about them. Their reported “eyewitness account” somehow exalts them rather than the Father. Their stories are titillating and sensational. Such experiences are often seen as benchmarks for euphoric spiritual encounters. Without a word, others are encouraged to desire and seek similar experiences. Yet, the Scriptures never suggest such occurrences.
Biblical narratives do not portray individuals seeking dramatic encounters with God. Instead, these divine visitations were sudden and unforeseen. Each theophany was remarkable and awe-inspiring, leaving those who experienced them feeling overwhelmed. Often, they felt undeserving and impure. When flawed humanity meets the living God, they are left speechless, astounded, and often dumbfounded. The profound beauty of the encounter halts them as the overwhelming holiness and glory of the Father strip away any pretense of religious pride, leaving them spiritually and emotionally exposed and undone.
Isaiah 6:1-11
1 It was in the year King Uzziah died that I saw the Lord. He was sitting on a lofty throne, and the train of his robe filled the Temple.
2 Attending him were mighty seraphim, each having six wings. With two wings, they covered their faces; with two, they covered their feet; with two, they flew.
3 They were calling out to each other, “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of Heaven’s Armies! The whole earth is filled with his glory!”
4 Their voices shook the Temple to its foundations, and the entire building was filled with smoke.
5 Then I said, “It’s all over! I am doomed, for I am a sinful man. I have filthy lips, and I live among a people with filthy lips. Yet I have seen the King, the LORD of Heaven’s Armies.”
6 Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a burning coal he had taken from the altar with a pair of tongs.
7 He touched my lips with it and said, “See, this coal has touched your lips. Now your guilt is removed, and your sins are forgiven.”
8 Then I heard the Lord asking, “Whom should I send as a messenger to this people? Who will go for us?” I said, “Here I am. Send me.”
In the presence of the King, Isaiah felt ashamed, unclean, and unworthy, likely wanting to flee and hide. However, the Father had different plans. He first needed to remove Isaiah’s feelings of unworthiness. An angel was sent to cleanse Isaiah and erase the guilt of his impure speech. In a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, Isaiah instantaneously experienced forgiveness for his sins. He was clean, clean all over, clean inside, clean through and through. What a marvelous moment!
Little did Isaiah know, he had been born for this very moment, preordained in eternity past. The Father had a mission for him, needing a remarkable individual to serve as His messenger. He extended the offer to Isaiah, asking, “Who will go for us?” Being purified, Isaiah was ready to respond.
When the Father declared, “I want you,” Isaiah was called to be a prophet. He eagerly accepted, declaring, “Here am I, send me.” As a result, the Father’s prophetic messages were conveyed to Israel, containing some of the most exquisite prophecies about the coming Messiah found in the Old Testament, culminating in the profound and eloquent book of Isaiah.
There are several discipleship moments to ponder:
As you explore the Scriptures, divine encounters with the living God are rare and infrequent.
These awe-inspiring visitations focus on the glory of the King, not the individuals He visits.
Such experiences often lead to a transformative life change, a fundamental shift in the recipient’s perspective.
When the Father calls, there is only one appropriate response: “Here am I.” In today’s language, we might say, “Father, what would you have me do?”
The Father is always at work seeking those willing to join Him in fulfilling His will on earth. Are you ready?
¯\_(ツ)_/¯12-17-2
© Dr. H 2024
Dr H Reflections 