Isaiah 6
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Isaiah’s Vision
Isaiah’s Vision
Hey guys, we come back to the book of Isaiah and with it we have been listening to the Lord and He speaks about their sin.
God had called them to follow Him, to live in accordance with the law, the commandments, and in doing so He would bless them.
But sadly they lived for self, for their own greed and sinfulness, and now Judgment await them.
But today, we find Isaiah experiences the Lord in a real and unique way.
So lets begin...
First three verses...
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!”
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So as we open this text today we find some great information, namely that we have a time frame for the event. Isaiah tells us that this that he is getting ready to describe, it happens in the year the King Uzziah has died.
Now we know this is about 740AD. And it is assumed that perhaps that king has already passed by the time of this vision. So we see these events take place 7 centuries before the birth of our Lord. But it is here that God is going to take about his coming into the world very soon.
Now it is during this time, Isaiah claims he sees the Lord God almighty, and look at this description.
So can we see God and live? That is a questions that some ask....
Well, yes and no, it is not possible to see God face to face, but we can see manifestations of God, we may not see his face or it may be obscured, but in any case God can reveal himself in a way that we can witness it.
Isaiah is detailed here, I saw Him, the Lord, seated on a throne. He is the King, He is highly exalted. In fact it said the Lord was high and lifted up.
And Isaiah says the train or hem of his garment, his robe filled the temple. He is clothed in splendor and majesty. Understand the King would wear a royal robe, one that is beautiful, colorful and of the finest material.
1 The Lord reigns; he is robed in majesty;
the Lord is robed; he has put on strength as his belt.
Yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved.
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Wow, the glory, the presence of the Lord is awesome and mighty. I can’t even imagine all the emotion that Isaiah faced as he tried to describe all that He was seeing.
Verse 2..... This heavenly dwelling place is far different that that of palace of Uzziah or his son Ahaz.
The Scriptures tell us that angels are there, the Seraphim, literally called the burning ones. But they are above the throne, these are active and alive angels, they are worshipping and serving the Lord God.
These angels have hands, faces, feet and wings… Listen to the description of them at Eze 1:13
13 As for the likeness of the living creatures, their appearance was like burning coals of fire, like the appearance of torches moving to and fro among the living creatures. And the fire was bright, and out of the fire went forth lightning.
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Verse 2 also says “.....Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew.”
Why did they cover themselves, the idea is that they are in a humble posture, they are once who worship and adore the Lord their God. But the most important part of their lives is the fact of their words.
Listen to verse 3 again… Isa 6:3
3 And one called to another and said:
“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts;
the whole earth is full of his glory!”
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Wow, how wonderful it is that they cry out such words of adoration. It should remind us to praise and honor the Lord our God. Holy, Holy, Holy they declare in calling out the very nature of our God.
And here is something we need to realize with this idea, they do not stop praising him.
They call out that the earth is full of His glory. How is this sinful and fallen world full of the glory of this Holy God? Some suggest that when you look at His creation the mountains, the stars, the very wonders of God. The all proclaim His greatness,
Wow, how wonderful to see all this taking place. I wish we could see, could experience His presence in a real and meaningful way.
Now look at verse 4
4 And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke.
Isaiah observed that the words of the angels were causing the foundations of the door way to shake and the room he was in was filling with smoke.
Smoke and a cloud is something that we associate with God. It conceals him so that human eyes can experience the living God. But needless, the scene is spectacular.
Now lets look at
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!”
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Verse 5, we see the response of Isaiah with all that he is witnessing at that moment...
Seeing all that has been revealed to him, Isaiah is immediately aware of his own unworthiness, and he is in need guilty, ,unclean before God.
Listen to his words, Woe is me, it is a cry of need, a cry of brokenness in front of a holy God.
I am lost, … he understands he is cut off, separated from God, Why?
He has unclean lips… His own impurity, his own sin. How can he praise God, or be in his presence in His current state. But He also knows that his brothern in the land are in the same or worse state.
He had, they (as a people) had not been obedient to God and were in need. Great need....
He now understand all their brokenness simply because He has been in the presence of God. When we understand the holiness of Almighty God, we certainly understand our need and our lostness before God.
When you think about the idea of standing in front of God and standing in His presence, one should look at Psalm 15. I am not going to read it, but jot that down and look at it.
Now lets look at verses 6-7
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.”
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Once Isaiah confessed his sinfulness and his need for help (I am ruined), God reached out to him through the seraph, and that particular angel brought atonement and forgiveness to him.
The angel came with a live coal from the altar of burnet sacrifices, and this is a coal not from the physical temple but from the altar in the presence of God.
To take away his guilt, to provide an atonement the angel touches the lips of Isaiah. Now he didn't burn His lips but purified them, his mouth, lips and his whole life.
He removed his guilt, his sin the angel says is atoned for.... and this guilt can no longer keep him from the presence of God.
Wow, isn’t this what Jesus did for us, his atonement, His sacrifice atoned for our sin and made us right in front of God. No longer separated.
How wonderful it is my friends to know that God has forgiven our sins!
Now, lets look at verses 8-10
8 And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here I am! Send me.” 9 And he said, “Go, and say to this people:
“ ‘Keep on hearing, but do not understand;
keep on seeing, but do not perceive.’
10 Make the heart of this people dull,
and their ears heavy,
and blind their eyes;
lest they see with their eyes,
and hear with their ears,
and understand with their hearts,
and turn and be healed.”
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Here we see Isaiah’s commissioning if you will. But it is here that God calls out to all of heaven, to all of the Trinity, who will go for us, who will be on mission for us. Who can we send?
Isaiah did not know or understand what was required of him, but simply knew he must go, He must volunteer for His service. He offered no excuses like Moses or Jeremiah..
He was simply willing to go and submit himself to to the service and glory of God.
And God received His offer and tells him to go and say… Go and say to these people who are of unclean lips. These people who should have heard and listened, literally followed God ( remember God has said they did not hear nor understand ). They saw but did not see or perceive God, their eyes are closed to the truth. The idea is they have been willfully disobedient.
If we know and understand the word of God, we should follow, but people choose not too. They do!
And into verse 10 it gets worse...
Instead of understanding and responding to the message of God we see just the opposite...
The hearts are calloused, their ears are dull or heavy and their eyes are closed to the truth. Why has this happened, they have repeatedly refused to follow the God, therefore it is the appropriate time for God to judge them and punish them.
These these last 3 verses
11 Then I said, “How long, O Lord?”
And he said:
“Until cities lie waste
without inhabitant,
and houses without people,
and the land is a desolate waste,
12 and the Lord removes people far away,
and the forsaken places are many in the midst of the land.
13 And though a tenth remain in it,
it will be burned again,
like a terebinth or an oak,
whose stump remains
when it is felled.”
The holy seed is its stump.
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Isaiah understood the nature of God’s plan. He didn’t object to what God was doing, but he agonized over hearing it. And I think he was troubled, hearing about the future of his own people.
And he would have to carry that message for them to hear. it’s hard at times to remind people that they are in their sin. To call them to repent and turn and then how sad when they do not.
It makes you wonder if Isaiah every wondered if there was hope.
God’s answer is this.....
God tells him this will continue until the land is destroyed and the people are exiled.
The description of the military disaster is painted as a total destruction and the cities are abandoned, the fields and the homes.
The Lord says that He will send them to another land, making it clear that it is He who is doing this thing...
Verse 13 is read like a message of hope if you will. Less than a 10th of the people will survive in the land, for after the forest is cut literally, the destruction of the land. it will be burned again,
The tress are cut and then burned, but yet the stumps remain and they will bring forth life again.
The holy seed is not identified completely, it may refer to a time when the people come back or a time when the Messiah will come.