Read Isaiah 6
Isaiah’s Commission
6 In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple. 2 Above him were seraphim, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. 3 And they were calling to one another:
“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty;
the whole earth is full of his glory.”
4 At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke.
5 “Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.”
6 Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. 7 With it he touched my mouth and said, “See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.”
8 Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?”
And I said, “Here am I. Send me!”
9 He said, “Go and tell this people:
“‘Be ever hearing, but never understanding;
be ever seeing, but never perceiving.’
10 Make the heart of this people calloused;
make their ears dull
and close their eyes.
Otherwise they might see with their eyes,
hear with their ears,
understand with their hearts,
and turn and be healed.”
11 Then I said, “For how long, Lord?”
And he answered:
“Until the cities lie ruined
and without inhabitant,
until the houses are left deserted
and the fields ruined and ravaged,
12 until the Lord has sent everyone far away
and the land is utterly forsaken.
13 And though a tenth remains in the land,
it will again be laid waste.
But as the terebinth and oak
leave stumps when they are cut down,
so the holy seed will be the stump in the land.”
Go Deeper
The word “holy” is defined as “exalted or worthy of complete devotion as one perfect in goodness and righteousness.” Holiness is most accurately defined in who God reveals Himself to be. We see in this chapter that our God is a holy one. The first time the word “holy” is seen in scripture is in Genesis where God blessed the sabbath day and made it “holy”. The seventh day was set apart from all of the other days. Similarly, God is set apart from everything that has ever existed. He is not like us. God’s holiness is core to who He is. He is holy because He is God.
We see in this chapter that Isaiah has a vision of God. In this vision, God is sitting on His throne, high and lifted up, with the hem of His robe filling the temple. The seraphim, which are angelic beings, covered their faces before God. The only thing the seraphim could say when they were in God’s presence was “holy, holy, holy” is the Lord. The word “holy” isn’t used just once, but three times. This is important because in Hebrew, words are often repeated to show their significance. If a person wanted to emphasize something, it was said multiple times. The seraphim were accentuating the beauty of God’s holiness in a song.
In this vision, we see Isaiah’s confession, the atonement for his sin, and his commission to prophetic ministry. In the presence of God’s holiness, Isaiah declares “Woe to me! ….“I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty” (v. 5). He is aware of his sin in the presence of God, because he realizes how broken he is in comparison to a God who is holy, righteous, and pure. The seraphim then go and place a hot coal on Isaiah’s lips and say to him, “Your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for” (v. 7). Before that took place, Isaiah felt unworthy as a messenger of God. But when he confesses, he is forgiven of all his iniquity. Note that Isaiah could not get rid of his sin on his own, it was only made possible at the altar–the place of sacrifice. From there, the Lord asks who He can send to speak to His people. Isaiah replies “Here I am, send me” (v. 8). There seraphim touched his lips specifically, so that he is able to be an acceptable minister of God’s words. Isaiah is then commissioned to go into prophetic ministry.
God’s holiness leads to Isaiah’s obedience. When Isaiah got a glimpse of Heaven, it changed everything. This is true of us today. When we fix our eyes on eternity, our perspective shifts to the things that are above. The way we view eternity determines the way we live today. God’s holiness should lead to our trust in Him and our obedience to do whatever He calls us to do, no matter the cost. Heaven is filled with continuous worship of God, as He is high and lifted up on His throne. “Holy, holy, holy” is the song we will sing for all of eternity. He is worthy of our worship, our praise, and our complete devotion every day. Let it be today that we join in on the hymn of Heaven!
Questions
- What holds you back from saying to God, “Here I am, send me”?
- We are called to be holy because God is holy. What are areas of your life that you lack a pursuit of holiness?
- How can you spend time meditating on Heaven every day?
3 responses to “Isaiah 6”
8 Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?”
And I said, “Here am I. Send me!”
Love this verse! Not just the “send me” part, but the “here am I” as well! Pick me out of the crowd, take me out of obscurity, I want to serve you God!
Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory!”
Everything we see, and feel here in this world is God’s glory. Sunrise, baby soft skin, birds tweeting, on and on. This is amazing glory!! Worship begins with who God is, not with the worshiper’s mood. His holiness corrects casual familiarity, self-centered praise, and every attempt to redefine Him according to human preference.
Like us , Isaiah’s guilt is removed and his sin atoned for through provision from God’s altar. He receives cleansing; he does not achieve it. Then he is commissioned to go. Found this “Service is the fruit of grace, not payment for grace.” this is a great statement.
God thank You for Your grace and that I do not take that for granted. Thank You for crying Holy, Holy, Holy and how amazing Your whole earth is full of Your glory. God thank You for these minutes of this day that I can love You well and serve You by serving others that are around me in Jesus name amen.
WOOHOO!!!!
“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty;
the whole earth is full of his glory” (v3).
When we grasp God’s holiness it changes everything. All our preconceived notions of our righteousness pales in comparison to his holiness. Lord, let us see your glory that exposes our broken, sinful selves piercing the darkness by illuminating the straight and narrow path that leads to you.