Isaiah’s commission

The vision of God in Isaiah

Isaiah’s Commission

Isaiah 6: 1-13

We are looking at the prophet Isaiah, whose prophecies spanned the reigns of four Kings of Judah, Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, although many believe that it was during the reign of the next king of Judah, Hezekiah’s son Manasseh, that Isaiah lost his life.

That could well be true and if you read 2 Kings chapter 21 you will see for yourselves what kind of king Manassaeh was. Here is just a few of the verses, which tell his story:

2 Kings 21:1–6 “Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem fifty-five years. His mother’s name was Hephzibah. He did evil in the eyes of the Lord, following the detestable practices of the nations the Lord had driven out before the Israelites. He rebuilt the high places his father Hezekiah had destroyed; he also erected altars to Baal and made an Asherah pole, as Ahab king of Israel had done. He bowed down to all the starry hosts and worshiped them. He built altars in the temple of the Lord, of which the Lord had said, “In Jerusalem I will put my Name.” In the two courts of the temple of the Lord, he built altars to all the starry hosts. He sacrificed his own son in the fire, practiced divination, sought omens, and consulted mediums and spiritists. He did much evil in the eyes of the Lord, arousing his anger.” 

In the early chapters of Isaiah, the prophet, by means of visions, coupled with his own observations, had learnt that civil society in Judah was corrupt, the leaders of the religion in Jerusalem had turned their back on God and gone their own way. In fact the whole nation had turned away from God and Isaiah learned that the time would come when disaster would come upon them and God, in his wrath, would bring Judgment on Judah, as he was about to do to Israel, the Northern kingdom, by the invasion of a foreign power.

And now we have reached chapter 6, the year that king Uzziah died. Now was the time for God to commission Isaiah to his life’s work for him. Up to this point, Isaiah had been looking at society, from the highest in the land, with access to the royal court, because of his own status of noble birth. and access to the religious leaders and his knowledge of the religion.

He was ready now for God to call him. It was as if God was saying to him. “Isaiah, you have spent a long time looking about you and you have seen what is wrong with your nation.  Now I want you to look up, I want you to come to me.”

There is a lesson her for all of us, isn’t there? We can spend so much time looking and discovering what is wrong with our own society, that if we are not careful, that can lead us into depression and anxiety. As Christians, we can look up and know that we have a God who is in control, not only of the big things that affect our society, but also the smallest details that affect our individual everyday lives.

Isaiah was probably In the temple in Jerusalem, when he had this momentous encounter with God.

What did he see?

Isaiah 6:1 “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.” 

When Isaiah said, “I saw the Lord”, this was the point at which he had such a personal experience of God, that from then on and for the rest of his life was the bedrock, which would enable him to faithfully carry out the mission that God was about to give him.

He saw the Lord as king. It is interesting that the word he used was not “Jehovah”, but “Adonai”, the word that is often applied to God.

We could find ourselves in a rabbit hole here if you remember such verses as

Exodus 33:20–22 “But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live.” Then the Lord said, “There is a place near me where you may stand on a rock. When my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by.” 

or

John 1:18 “No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known.” 

or

1 Timothy 6:15–16 “which God will bring about in his own time—God, the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see. To him be honour and might forever. Amen.” 

John’s gospel helps us to answer this. In chapter 12 he quotes from this chapter of Isaiah

John 12:37–41 “Even after Jesus had performed so many signs in their presence, they still would not believe in him. This was to fulfill the word of Isaiah the prophet: “Lord, who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?” For this reason they could not believe, because, as Isaiah says elsewhere: “He has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts, so they can neither see with their eyes, nor understand with their hearts, nor turn—and I would heal them.” Isaiah said this because he saw Jesus’ glory and spoke about him.” 

Isaiah saw a vision of Jehovah, a manifestation of God in the person of the Messiah.

We see this elsewhere in scripture

Exodus 24:9–10 “Moses and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and the seventy elders of Israel went up and saw the God of Israel. Under his feet was something like a pavement made of lapis lazuli, as bright blue as the sky.” 

1 Kings 22:19 “Micaiah continued, “Therefore hear the word of the Lord: I saw the Lord sitting on his throne with all the multitudes of heaven standing around him on his right and on his left.” 

Ezekiel 1:1 “In my thirtieth year, in the fourth month on the fifth day, while I was among the exiles by the Kebar River, the heavens were opened and I saw visions of God.” 

Daniel 7:13 ““In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence.” 

What did Isaiah see?

He saw the Lord on a throne. The Lord rules over the affairs of men. His presence cannot be limited to Solomon’s magnificent temple. The train of his robe, just the hem, fills the temple. What is significant about that?

It is probably more significant than we realize. We first come across it when God is giving to Moses instructions for the clothing that Aaron the high priest was to wear

Exodus 28:33–36 “Make pomegranates of blue, purple and scarlet yarn around the hem of the robe, with gold bells between them. The gold bells and the pomegranates are to alternate around the hem of the robe. Aaron must wear it when he ministers. The sound of the bells will be heard when he enters the Holy Place before the Lord and when he comes out, so that he will not die.

The word is sometimes translated as wing, edge, border, skirt or corner of a garment and carries with it the idea of deliverance or protection.

Exodus 19:4 “‘You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself.” 

We see it in 1 Samuel 15:26–28 This was at the time when king Saul fought against the Amalekites, but did not completely destroy everything that belonged to them as Samuel had instructed.

“But Samuel said to him, “I will not go back with you. You have rejected the word of the Lord, and the Lord has rejected you as king over Israel!” As Samuel turned to leave, Saul caught hold of the hem of his robe, and it tore. Samuel said to him, “The Lord has torn the kingdom of Israel from you today and has given it to one of your neighbors—to one better than you.” 

Here Samuel used it as a symbolic picture of Saul’s kingdom being torn from him.

And there was an incident later when Saul was in pursuit of David, who was hiding with his men in the depths of a cave. Saul, not knowing David was there, went into the cave to relieve himself.

1 Samuel 24:3–4 

“He came to the sheep pens along the way; a cave was there, and Saul went in to relieve himself. David and his men were far back in the cave. The men said, “This is the day the Lord spoke of when he said to you, ‘I will give your enemy into your hands for you to deal with as you wish.’ ” Then David crept up unnoticed and cut off a corner of Saul’s robe.” 

Did David gloat over this? Far from it.

1 Samuel 24:5 “Afterward, David was conscience-stricken for having cut off a corner of his robe.” 

And Saul was not slow to recognise the significance:

1 Samuel 24:20 “I know that you will surely be king and that the kingdom of Israel will be established in your hands.” 

We find it again in the story of Ruth. Naomi tells her daughter-in-law put on her best garment and when Boaz lies down she is to go and lie down at his feet

Ruth 3:9 

““Who are you?” he asked. “I am your servant Ruth,” she said. “Spread the corner of your garment over me, since you are a guardian-redeemer of our family.”” 

The King James version puts it this way:

“Take your maidservant under your wing, for you are a close relative.”

So the hem, or wing of the garment, is a symbol of shielding or protecting and we find it throughout the psalms.

Psalm 36:7 “How priceless is your unfailing love, O God! People take refuge in the shadow of your wings.” 

Psalm 91:4 “He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.” 

Do you remember the occasion when Jesus said, “Who touched me?” or Who touched my clothes?

Luke 8:43–44 

“And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years, but no one could heal her. She came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak, and immediately her bleeding stopped.” 

It was important to her to act in faith by touching the hem of Jesus robe. Deliverance and healing. That’s what Jesus said to her, “Your faith has made you well.”

And there was not only that woman. There were others

Matthew 14:36 “and begged him to let the sick just touch the edge of his cloak, and all who touched it were healed.” 

Mark 6:56 “And wherever he went—into villages, towns or countryside—they placed the sick in the marketplaces. They begged him to let them touch even the edge of his cloak, and all who touched it were healed.” 

Deliverance, Protection, Healing. That’s the significance of the hem or wings of the priestly garment.

Malachi 4:2 

But to you, who fear my name, the Sun of Righteousness shall arise with healing in his wings.

Next time we sing the carol “Hark, the herald angels sing, we will have a bit more insight when we come to that line.

Back to Isaiah’s vision. 

He sees the Seraphim, whose wings cover their faces. They too cannot look directly at God, but they can give the message that God is holy. “holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord Almighty.”

There is just one other occasion in the Bible, where that phrase “holy, holy, Holy, occurs.

This is in John’s vision of the throne of God in Revelation chapter 4:

Revelation 4:8

“Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under its wings. Day and night they never stop saying: “ ‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty,’ who was, and is, and is to come.”” 

God is a holy God. That’s what  Isaiah realises. If he had known it before, he is now completely convinced that God’s nature is to be holy. That’s probably why he often speaks of God as “the Holy one of Israel.”

How does Isaiah respond?  Till now he has reported on the sins of the people, but now it is Isaiah himself, standing before the Holy God. He is aware of his own sinfulness and he has no answer, no defence.

Isaiah 6:5

 ““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.”” 

In the previous chapter he has just proclaimed woes on virtually everyone in Judah

Isaiah 5:8 

“Woe to you who add house to house and join field to field till no space is left and you live alone in the land.” 

Isaiah 5:11

 “Woe to those who rise early in the morning to run after their drinks, who stay up late at night till they are inflamed with wine.” 

Isaiah 5:18 

“Woe to those who draw sin along with cords of deceit, and wickedness as with cart ropes,” 

Isaiah 5:20 

“Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter.” 

Isaiah 5:21

 “Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes and clever in their own sight.” 

Isaiah 5:22 

“Woe to those who are heroes at drinking wine and champions at mixing drinks,” 

Now it is not about other people. Isaiah acknowledges his own sin. He is no different from anyone else. His sin deserves the same woe that  he has called upon others. He deserves whatever punishment God is going to hand out.

Isaiah has just confessed his sin when he cried out, “I am a man of unclean lips.”

Then we see God’s response to Isaiah’s confession. His fire, which is often a symbol of God’s wrath, this time is a purifying fire, burning away the sin but not the sinner. 

“your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.”

I have often wondered why the angel touched Isaiah’s lips with the burning coal. Perhaps it has something to do with Isaiah saying, “I am a man of unclean lips.” Or perhaps it has to do with the ministry of Prophecy that Isaiah would have for  the rest of his life. Perhaps it was both.

It reminds me of Paul’s words in Romans, where he says,

Romans 10:8–9 

“But what does it say? “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,” that is, the message concerning faith that we proclaim: If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” 

That was Isaiah’s position.

Now he was ready for what God had in store for him. 

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!”” 

But note that this was an invitation from God, not an instruction, not a demand.

This is always how God works. “Who will go for us?” We are invited to join his work, but it is up to us to respond to that invitation. Our difficulty often seems to be that we want to know what is involved in the work and what it will cost us, before we commit.

Notices Isaiah’s faith. His response was immediate; 

“Here am I, send me.” 

I don’t suppose he had any real idea how hard the task was going to be. God hadn’t yet told him what that task was.  It was to give a message to the people:

 “Go and tell this people.”

And what was the message ? The people were to hear from Isaiah that whatever they see around them, or whatever they hear, their hearts are so far from God, that they don’t understand that the path they are on will lead to destruction. If they did understand, they would repent, turn back to God and be healed.

Isaiah was to be prepared for his message to be rejected, to fall on deaf ears.

He does have a question,

“How long?”

Isaiah is not given a time, but a series of events, culminating in exile

Isaiah 6:12 

“until the Lord has sent everyone far away and the land is utterly forsaken.” 

God’s people in exile, the cities ruined, the fields ruined and ravaged and only a tenth of the people left behind.

But there is hope

Isaiah 6:13 

“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.”” 

The holy seed will be the stump in the land.

God is going to bring judgment on this generation of his people, but just as in the wilderness there was a whole generation who would not enter the Promised land, their rebellion did not thwart God’s ultimate plan. So here too a generation in rebellion will lose their inheritance and God’s blessing. 

God’s plan stands and will not fail.

The holy seed will be a stump in the land. Job writes about a tree. 

Job 14:7

At least there is hope for a tree:

If it is cut down, it will sprout again, and its new shoots will not fail.

I believe that God, having given to Isaiah the task of declaring a message of judgment to a stubborn people who would not listen, was encouraging Isaiah with a message of hope.

And Isaiah was soon to come to understand a lot more of God’s plan or redemption.

Isaiah 11:1-2

A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse, from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.

The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him — the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord — and he will delight in the fear of the Lord..