Doxology Doctrine: Praise Him Above, Ye Heav’nly Host

Praise God from whom all blessings flow;

Praise Him all creatures here below;

Praise Him above, ye heav’nly host;

Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

Amen.

The Heav’nly Host

The penultimate line of the Doxology couples nicely with the preceding line to expand the worship of God from the earth below into the heavens above. The contrasting terms “below” and “above” encompass the totality of worship that our God desires and deserves from all locales. Imagining and meditating on the heavenly host offering praise to God quickly reveals that when the children of Yahweh gather to worship corporately, they are portraying a small picture of heavenly events. Within Scripture, there exists a majestic scene that reveals the worship of our God on behalf of the “heav’nly host.”

Isaiah 6:1-7

1 In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. 2 Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. 3 And one called to another and said:

“Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts;

the whole earth is full of his glory!”

4 And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. 5 And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!

6 Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. 7 And he touched my mouth and said: “Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.”

Positioning and Posture

Within this celestial scene, Isaiah provides significantly helpful details about the positioning and posture of the Lord and the seraphim. Notice the Lord’s position is “upon a throne.” This placement is because he is the Ruler of the heavenly host, and he is the only proper recipient of worshipful adoration. And his posture? Sitting. He is not standing, bowing, walking, or running. He is sitting down confidently and radiantly in a posture that expresses his reign and approval of the worship given unto him. The seraphim are standing behind the throne, flying. This position is their place of worship: not on the throne, but rather serving the One on the throne. And their posture? “Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew” (v. 2).

The seraphim in Isaiah 6 cover their faces and feet because of the holiness of the Lord. Scripture testifies to this when Moses hears the Lord say to remove the sandals off his feet because “the place on which you are standing is holy ground” (Exodus 3:5). The ground was not holy because of its geological composition but because it was the location where “the angel of the Lord appeared” (Exodus 3:2). And who could forget how Jesus’ face “shone like the sun and his clothes became white as light” at his transfiguration before Peter, James, and John (Matthew 17:2; cf. Acts 9:3)?

The idea that the seraphim took their particular position and posture of worship because of God’s holiness receives confirmation in verse 3, when one seraph calls out, saying, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!” Our God’s holiness is so prevalent among the heavenly host that it calls attention to his glory among the whole earth. Truly, we serve a mighty and majestic King!

Conclusion

The Doxology calls the heavenly host to praise the Creator of all blessings. Thankfully, Scripture provides insight as to how the heavenly host worships God. The seraphim in Isaiah 6 take a position of service to the one who sits on the throne and a posture of humble worship by covering their faces and feet. With their mouth, they confess God’s holiness and glory. We “creatures here below” will bring delight to our King in corporate worship if we, like the heavenly host, come to him acknowledging his reign and rule, humbling our hearts before him, and declaring his holiness and glory in heaven above and on earth below.