A sight of God!

(James Smith, "Food for Hungry Souls")

"I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear-but now my eye sees You!
 Therefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes!" Job 42:5, 6.

Job now saw God in another manner than he had ever done before. He saw more . . .
  of His greatness and glory,
  of His power and majesty,
  of His holiness and sovereignty,
  of His grace and mercy.

The effect of seeing God: "Therefore I abhor myself." Job had disgusting and humiliating views of himself. Having a clearer and more correct view of his God-led him to despise himself, and he turned from himself with loathing! He now abhorred . . .
   the rashness he had displayed,
   the impatience He had manifested,
   the complaints he had uttered,
   the self-righteousness he had indulged,
   and the aspersions he had cast on his God.

Now he says, "I repent." My mind is changed, and I am sorry for my misconduct. According to the custom of the country, and the times in which he lived-he sat down on ashes, put dust on his head, humbling himself before God-loathing himself in his own sight for all his abominations.

A sight of God always humbles us!

It humbled the prophet Isaiah, who when he saw God, cried out, "Woe to me, for I am ruined! For my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty!"

It humbled the apostle Peter, who when he perceived the dignity and glory of Jesus, exclaimed, "Depart from me-for I am a sinful man, O Lord!"

It humbled the beloved John, who when Jesus appeared to him in Patmos, fell at His feet as dead!

God's glory always lays the believer in the dust of self-abasement.

Those who know the most of God-think the least of themselves.

Pride cannot live in the presence of God. His glory . . .
  consumes our self-righteousness,
  dries up our self-admiration, and
  spoils all our supposed moral beauty.

The higher we rise in our knowledge and enjoyment of God-the lower we shall sink in our estimation of ourselves.

"Therefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes!"
True repentance is always attended with self-abhorrence.
We abhor not only sinful self; but righteous self!

The more we understand God's love to us-the more we mourn over our sin and sinfulness. The tear of penitence will drop from the eye of faith, on the crystal threshold of the gate of the New Jerusalem. And then the light of glory will extinguish the light of faith-and there shall be no more sorrow nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain-for the former things will have passed away!