February 1, 2022
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Reading along with us in Isaiah? Here’s today’s reading:
Isaiah 6 (NIV)
Isaiah’s Commission
1 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. 3And they were calling to one another:
“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty;
Isaiah 6
Isaiah comes face to face with the Lord on His throne and what an appropriate response to immediately feel sinful and unworthy to stand before Him. I notice that even the seraphim remain in a humble stature using their wings to cover their face in His presence. And yet God makes Isaiah clean as the seraphim touch his lips with the hot coal.
When God asks who He should send out Isaiah eagerly jumps at the chance to Go out and do God’s work and receives his instruction to carry out God’s plan
I cannot imagine hot coal on lips. GOD had to have been so beyond angry and disgusted. No longer wanted to give them an opportunity to see hear or understand him.
This vision of the throne room is amazing. The holiness of God, which is continually proclaimed is too much for Isaiah to bear.
Then to see his immediate desire to serve God with no knowledge of what he will be called to do. And it’s not going to be a very popular message; there’s no call to repentance here, just judgment.
Isaiah 6
Isaiah receives this vision of God’s throne in the year that the longstanding, righteous king Uzziah dies. It is almost as if to say, the earthly king you have relied on for direction and righteousness is gone, but here is a vision of the true king…and what a vision it must have been. To think we one day will see the same, and it is in this presence that every knee will bow and tongue confess. So Isaiah’s response is the one anyone would have: humility and conviction. And yet God immediately responds with a cleansing coal to purify the lips of the prophet who will communicate His message. It must have been clear that this God is to be believed and obeyed, and so Isaiah offers himself willingly. And yet the words he speaks will be true but the ears who hear will not be receptive, and so by definition Isaiah’s words will harden them because they will have to make that effort to reject the message. And yet the message must go out. Because the people will not be able to say as destruction comes their way, that they were never told.
Isaiah has a vision of the throne room of God and is undone! The attending angel purifies his lips with a hot coal (ouch! but it doesn’t seem to hurt.) The Lord asks who they shall send and Isaiah answers the call. The call to give a message that won’t be heard apparently.
Isaiah 6