Isaiah 6:1 – 13 Isaiah’s Commission
“In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted; and the train of His robe filled the temple. Above Him stood seraphim, each having six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. And they were calling out to one another: “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of Hosts; all the earth is full of His glory.” At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook, and the temple was filled with smoke.
Then I said: “Woe is me, for I am ruined, because I am a man of unclean lips dwelling among a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of Hosts.”
Then one of the seraphim flew to me, and in his hand was a glowing coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. And with it he touched my mouth and said: “Now that this has touched your lips, your iniquity is removed and your sin is atoned for.” Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying: “Whom shall I send? Who will go for Us?” And I said: “Here am I. Send me!” And He replied: “Go and tell this people, ‘Be ever hearing, but never understanding; be ever seeing, but never perceiving.’
Make the hearts of this people calloused; deafen their ears and close their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed. ” Then I asked: “How long, O Lord?” And He replied: “Until cities lie in ruins without an inhabitant, until the houses are left unoccupied, and the land is desolate and ravaged, until the LORD has driven men far away, and the land is utterly forsaken. And though a tenth remains in the land, it will be burned again. As the terebinth and oak leave stumps when felled, so the holy seed will be a stump in the land.”
When Isaiah entered the temple that day, he had nothing more in mind than worshiping and leaving. Were there others with Isaiah? We don’t know. All that we know is that suddenly Isaiah saw wonders that nobody had ever seen before. As Isaiah was worshiping, he had a vision of Elohim, the One True Living God. “I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted; and the train of His robe filled the temple. Above Him stood seraphim, each having six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. And they were calling out to one another: “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of Hosts; all the earth is full of His glory.” At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook, and the temple was filled with smoke.”
By this point, Isaiah had fallen flat on his face and was under a deep conviction of sin. “Then I said: “Woe is me, for I am ruined, because I am a man of unclean lips dwelling among a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of Hosts.” When we actually come under the influence of the holy, our first response must be our overwhelming sense of sin and unworthiness. But what could Isaiah do? What can any of us do?
“Then one of the seraphim flew to me, and in his hand was a glowing coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. And with it he touched my mouth and said: “Now that this has touched your lips, your iniquity is removed and your sin is atoned for.” What Isaiah could not do for himself, God did for him. Now, how would Isaiah respond? “Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying: “Whom shall I send? Who will go for Us?” And I said: “Here am I. Send me!”
When facing the Holy, all that we can do is to confess our sinfulness and ask God what He wants us to do. But God’s assignment for Isaiah was an extremely difficult one. Isaiah was tasked with warning the people of Judah and continuing to warn them until everything was completely destroyed. ““Until cities lie in ruins without an inhabitant, until the houses are left unoccupied, and the land is desolate and ravaged, until the LORD has driven men far away, and the land is utterly forsaken. And though a tenth remains in the land, it will be burned again. As the terebinth and oak leave stumps when felled, so the holy seed will be a stump in the land.”
APPLICATION: Somehow, when people speak about the call of God, they always think of something enjoyable and glorious. Many times, those styling themselves as prophets envision standing before a crowded auditorium pronouncing “Thus says the Lord!” while everyone shouts “Amen!” The LAST thing we might imagine is what actually happened to Isaiah. Rather than preaching a popular message that would garner appreciation, Isaiah had to repeatedly warn the people of Judah that God was furious at their unfaithfulness to Him. God told Isiah that Isaiah was to persist in preaching that message until Judah was literally reduced to a burned stump.
It’s likely that had God not called Isaiah in such a dramatic fashion, Isaiah might not have believed that this message was really from God. Who wants to go throughout your home town and your country preaching a message that nobody wants to hear? Little wonder that eventually, wicked King Manasseh stuffed Isaiah into a sack made of animal skin and then sawed him in half.
The question for each of us is this: what will we do with the call of God, especially if it results in our suffering and loss? As we approach Christmas, we must remember that we are celebrating a time when God made the ultimate sacrifice by sending His Son to live and die as a man. Faced with that reality, how can any of us tell God “No.”
Remember the famous quote from Jim Elliot, who was martyred by Auca Indians. “He is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.”
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to always say “Yes” to Your call. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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