A People Of Woe

In The Year of King Uzziah’s Death: King Uzziah reined from 792 - 740 B.C. Uzziah was a godly and powerful king, however when he insisted on burning incense in the temple he was struck with leprosy and remained leprous until his death in 740 B.C. (). Thus the year is 740 B.C.

The Lord’s Throne - If we were to see God, we would see that He is on His throne. God is not a mystic power looking for a place to reside. God is the ruling King who reigns over all things from his heavenly throne.

God is LORD. There are two words for LORD used in your Bibles. One with all caps and one without.

Lord without all caps is some form of adonai. This is the most exalted title given to God in the Old Testament, representing absolute sovereignty.

LORD, in all caps, is Yahweh. This is the sacred, ineffable name of God.

LORD, in all caps, is Yahweh. This is the sacred, infallible name of God.

Lord is God’s exalted title, and LORD is his name.

The title, Lord, that is reserved for God in the Old Testament, is given to Christ in the New Testament. So when Jesus is said to have the name above every name, it is not "Jesus" Paul is talking about—it is curios, adonai.

In our text today we see both used. We have the form adonai used in vs. 1,8,11. Then the Tetragrammaton which is the all caps name of God transliterated in four letters as YHWH and pronounce as YAHWEH is seen in verse 3,5,12.

Adoni - God is displayed as exalted and sovereign.

Isaiah 6:1 ESV

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.

Sovereign upon His Throne over all even death

Sovereign over death

Israels King had died yet the throne their true King was not empty. God remained on His throne though forgotten by His people. God remains sovereign over all things even in the midst of the death of kings and rebellious kingdoms. Most often in death we cry out, “where is God”. We don’t see God in His proper place but rather we as Israel, seek our own comforts and ways. Well friends, know this, God is on his throne as always and he is above our reasoning, and he is above death. In death God is exalted in being alive! Truth is that when death hits and scoffers arise, God remains high and lifted up and the heavenly temple is filled with his power, sovereignty and love displayed in His temple filling robe.

Isaiah 6:8 ESV

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.”

Sovereign in Salvation: Sovereign in effectual calling, removal of iniquity, forgiveness of sins and preparation of Saints.

When the world fails to see God and lives only for themselves; even then the counsel of God remaining on the throne calls out to those who would be humbled before God and answer to His call. The sovereignty of God is displayed in His ability to

take away iniquity,

forgive sins

and prepare his creation to answer to His call and embark in upon holy service for the Holy God.

Who here would amen this call of God and say hear am I, use me, teach me and send me. Just as God remains upon His throne, so God also remains in full charge of those who would serve Him. Woe is me is the prerequisite for serving God, not a degree or self assumed position. Woe is me is the constant of God’s saints while pride is the leading disqualification. We don’t call or claim ourselves, nor do we train ourselves. It is God who calls, God who sanctifies and God who commissions.

This is all to be confirmed in His Word and in obedience to His Word it is confirmed in our living.

Isaiah

Isaiah 6:11 ESV

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,

Sovereign in His timing and the balance of His scales

The supremacy of God is made known in that He remains upon His throne, He calls and commissions His people for His service, and He works all things together according to His perfect will by His providence in His timing. Thus we have the sovereignty of God displayed in His position, service and timing. God knows what needs to be done and for how long in order to rightly preserve His people.

Yahweh - God is shown as sacred/holy and infallible.

Isaiah 6:3 ESV

3 And one called to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!”

Holy in glory

All of these things which display the sovereignty of God - His position, serve also to emphasize to us His holiness. In a earthly Kingdom filled kingless and with chaos let this be known…That the holy God sits upon His throne sovereign and the entire earth is full of His glory, his riches, his splendor. Holy is the Father, Holy is the Son, and Holy is the Spirit, Holy, Holy, Holy is the LORD of hosts. Together they take counsel and together they work salvation in the hearts of man and preservation of the saints. In a beautiful display of the fullness of His riches God preserves existence and allows the Sun to rise, the trees to grow, the waters to flow, and the birds to fly. His set apart grace and love preserves man through the pruning of the seasons that the holy seed will grow again.

Isaiah 6:5 ESV

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!”

Holy in Righteousness

No man can stand before such a righteous God. Not only are we convicted by who we dwell amongst but by our very own lips we are made unable to be in the presence of His righteousness. So often man spends his time observing the course of man in attempt to attack the righteousness of God. However I would have you know that Isaiah new the misery of his state by simply seeing God. What a frightful awakening it will be for those who fail to recognize God before standing before him on judgment day. For then there will be no forgiveness, for then the woes will be eternal. But today if our hearts would be rendered sensitive, our ears sharp and our eyes clear then we would see the truth of God, hear the Word of God, have understanding to the ways of God and we would return to God and be healed. (Isaiah 6:10)

Isaiah 6:12 ESV

12 and the Lord removes people far away, and the forsaken places are many in the midst of the land.

Holy in Love

We don’t like to admit it, but when love is being displayed to a rebellious people it comes in the form of discipline for their own preservation. God displays the long-suffering and patient nature of His love in order that ten percent of a nation might be saved and return to Him.

There is no other King that can lead a rebellious people, that can prune and preserve a people as God. Even in man’s rebellion and exile God is working preservation of the saints.

He is high and lifted up. As King He is exalted above all. Isaiah saw the I AM, the highest of heights, Lord of Lords, the King of Kings. He was in the Kings chambers, in the midst of the King. A picture of the very room which we enter in prayer and the very throne which we will eventually stand before.

The Lord’s Robe

The Temple

Isaiah 6:2–4 ESV

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!” 4 And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke.

The Seraphim

Six Wings

Two covered his face

Two covered his feet

Two caused flight

Their proclamation to one another:

Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts

The whole earth is full of his glory!

Effects upon the Temple

The foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice

The house was filled with smoke

Isaiah 6:5–7 ESV

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!” 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.”

Isahiah 6:5-7

Isaiah’s Woe

I am lost

I am a man of unclean lips

I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips

My eyes have seen the Lord of hosts!

The Seraphim’s ministring to Isaiah

Seraphim flew to Isaiah

In his (Seraphim’s) hand was a burning coal

The coal was taken using tongs from the altar.

The Seraphim touched Isaiahs mouth with the coal and said:

“Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.”

Isaiah 6:8 ESV

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.”

Isaiah 6:

The call of God

Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?

The response of Isaiah

Here I am! Send me.

Isaiah 6:9–13 ESV

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.” 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.

Isaiah

The Commission of God to Isaiah:

Isaiah is called to give proclamation. The Lord sends Isaiah and tells him what to say.

He is to show the people as unresponsive to God’s word.

hearts…ears…eyes…eyes…ears hearts. This a-b-c/c-b-a inversion is called a chiastic arrangement. It is common literary device in the OT.

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