When I Saw the King (2001)

Isaiah 6:1-9a

When I Saw the King

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 were seraphs, each with 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 to one another:

“Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty;

the whole earth is full of his glory.”

At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke.

“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.”

Then one of the seraphs flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. With it he touched my mouth and said, “See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.”

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!”

He said, “Go…”

Chronologically, the sixth chapter of Isaiah belongs at the first of the book, recounting, as it does, the commissioning of Isaiah to the prophetic office. Isaiah, it is reasonably speculated, was related to Uzziah. Jewish tradition states that Amoz, father of Isaiah, and Uzziah were brothers. If this is accurate, then it would account for Isaiah's access into the presence of kings throughout his ministry. Moreover, should this be true, it would account in part for the intense grief Isaiah demonstrated at the death of Uzziah, for he would be experiencing more than simply the death of a noted national figure, but as well he would be sensing the deep loss of a family member.

I find that we become extremely sensitive to spiritual reality in times of intense sorrow. Our senses become acutely attuned to that which we otherwise ignore or even to that to which we are insensible. It is an accurate and verifiable observation that an overwhelming majority of professing Christians point to some crisis in their life as a turning point which either brought them to faith or resolved some issue of life changing importance. A surprising number of full‑time Christian workers point to some time of intense sorrow or pressure as the means by which God captured their attention, turning them toward His service. This was the case with Isaiah by his own telling.

The picture which is painted in startling imagery here would inspire awe in the heart of the most jaded individual. The scene is drawn from the oriental court. The entrance of Bathsheba into the presence of Solomon was calculated to awe. The entrance of Esther into the presence of Xerxes seems to inspire poets and painters. The regal bearing of the British royal family, with the attendant pomp and pageantry creates an atmosphere of pomp and pageantry in every heart until even the most ardent republican dare not gaze upon the scene lest he be caused to rejoice at the royal mien. The picture which Isaiah paints is greater still. Gaze upon it and marvel, for a mortal soul will soon enter into the presence of the King of Glory, the God of Heaven and Earth.

Isaiah Had a Vision of the Lord. In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the LORD. A great evil has befallen us in this day—even a tragedy of world-wide magnitude. Though God is not dead, His people have lost their vision of Him. The people of the Living God live as if they did not know Him. When were you last aware of His presence? When last did you know that you were in the presence of the Creator, God of Heaven and earth? When did you last awaken from sleep with an overpowering sense of His presence, so real that you felt you could reach out and touch Him? When did you last enter into corporate prayer and the sense of His majestic presence was so real that you had to open your eyes in the midst of prayer to see if He were really present? When we have lost our vision of the Lord, our service becomes dry, mechanical; we have acquired peg‑leg religion. There is no life in it and we have to strap it on every morning.

Uzziah was a great king of Judah. He was as great as Pericles was in the history of Athens, or as Caesar Augustus was to Rome. Uzziah was a great builder, and he built Judah to new heights of power and stature. Now he was proven to be mortal—he died.

The death of this great leader was a national tragedy, bringing sorrow to the hearts of all the people. Grieving and sorrowing, Isaiah went to the Temple—he turned to the consolation which God alone can give. While in the Temple, he learned a great lesson.

Great and noble leaders are marvellous. We adulate them and acclaim their accomplishments. Open your eyes and look behind the throne of man and you will see another throne occupied by the Lord—Master of all. No man could rule, no mere mortal could achieve anything, except for the presence of that unseen throne.

During his grief stricken period of prayer, Isaiah was startled when he was permitted a vision of that other throne. How very like God! In the midst of the distress of death and the misery of melancholic mourning, God draws back the curtain and gives us a glimpse of Himself. It is not often that as we are rejoicing God gives us a vision of Himself. Job, rejected by friend and family, having lost all earthly goods, injured and sitting on an ash heap, saw the Lord. Paul, stoned and left for dead, was lifted into the third heaven where he saw things which are unlawful for any man to relate to another. John, exiled to the barren rock which we speak of as the Isle of Patmos, saw the coming King and His royal court. I'm going to be part of that court! You, too, shall be part of that court if you trust Him. Oh, how often God seems to use grief to give us a vision of Himself! In our distress, God pulls back the veil which obscures our vision and permits us to look upon Him who is behind every earthly ruler.

We despair in the face of evil which threatens to inundate us momentarily. Would that the people of the Living God might seize this truth—God is on the throne. We need a vision of the Lord! The poet has said:

Truth forever on the scaffold,

Wrong forever on the throne;

Yet that scaffold rules the future,

And behind the dark unknown,

Standeth God within the shadow

Keeping watch above his own.

Beautiful thought! Moses persevered because he saw Him who is invisible [Hebrews 11:27]. That is the secret! We need a fresh vision of the Invisible One who rules over all.

What a vision is presented here! May I teach you something? Isaiah relates that he saw the Lord. When he says that, he employs the Hebrew word yn:doa}, properly translated Master. Later, he identifies that Master as Yahweh—the great I am. When the prophet says he saw the Lord, he is emphasising His mastery over all things. We need to see that truth—God is master over all things, nothing excepted.

He was seated on a throne.

Your throne, O God, will last forever and ever;

a sceptre of justice will be the sceptre of your kingdom.

[Psalm 45:6]

Paul’s last picture of the Christ sees Him seated on that throne [1 Timothy 6:15, 16]. Attending the Lord of Glory are the Seraphs—the shining ones, the burning ones. With two wings they covered their faces, as though to acknowledge their unworthiness to look on the One whom they serve. They demonstrate deep humility in the presence of God. With two wings, they covered their feet, as though to admit they are unworthy to stand in the presence of God. Moses removed his shoes in the presence of God, for he was standing on holy ground. No creature, man included, is worthy to stand in the presence of God. With two wings, they were flying, ready to serve the Creator of Heaven and earth. At His Word, they instantly obey. How much we, the people of God, could learn from the seraphs which serve Him.

The burning ones worship God in great, antiphonal song:

Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty;

the whole earth is full of His glory.

That is the song of the cherubim before the throne of the Lamb:

Holy, holy, holy

is the Lord God Almighty,

who was, and is, and is to come.

And, laying their crowns before the throne, the redeemed of God shall sing:

You are worthy, our Lord and God,

to receive glory and honour and power,

for you created all things,

and by your will they were created

and have their being.

[Revelation 4:8, 11]

The temple was filled with smoke. The glory of the Lord shall one day fill the earth.

The earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD,

as the waters cover the sea…

His glory covered the heavens

and his praise filled the earth.

His splendour was like the sunrise;

rays flashed from his hand,

where his power was hidden.

[Habakkuk 2:14; 3:3b, 4]

When the Tabernacle was at last complete, the glory of the Lord filled that structure [Exodus 40:34, 35]. When construction of the Temple was concluded and the Ark of the Covenant was at last brought into the Holy Place, the glory of the Lord filled that structure so that the priests could not enter to perform their holy duties [1 Kings 8:10, 11]. We have no concept of what it means for the glory of the Lord to so fill a structure that mere mortals are incapable of entering into that place. I fear that we have no understanding of what it is for the power of God to be so manifest that people can no longer stand. However, I long for such glorious power to be revealed among His people in this day and in this place.

Habakkuk prophesied that the glory of the Lord shall one day fill the whole earth! How majestic is our God! How marvellous is His power! How awesome is the Lord God of Heaven and earth whom we serve and whose we are! I want to see the glory of the Lord revealed. I long to see Christ in His power—and I shall! I don't have to wait! We can know it now! How very much I need this vision. How very greatly you need this vision. How very greatly we each need this vision of the Lord.

“Lord, reveal your glory in this day! Let it be here and let it be now! Permit your holy people see your majesty, your might and your power! Let the world know that we are your people and that you are our God! Amen!”

Here is a thought for you. Should God reveal Himself among His holy people, who of us could enter this structure? Should our God expose His majesty in our midst, who would stand? I suggest that we have become startlingly casual about our worship. Few of us have ever known the presence of the Living God. Yet, in the heart of each of us lying latent is the longing that He would reveal Himself. I urge you who long for His glory to pray to that end. I call all who seek the majesty of God in this place to dedicate themselves to calling of Him to reveal His glory to us.

I have often pondered what would happen were the people of God to pray with the boldness of Moses. You will recall that after Moses had smashed the stone tablets, he spoke with God. Join me in eavesdropping on that conversation.

Moses said to the LORD, “You have been telling me, ‘Lead these people,’ but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. You have said, ‘I know you by name and you have found favour with me.’ If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favour with you. Remember that this nation is your people.”

The LORD replied, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”

Then Moses said to him, “If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here. How will anyone know that you are pleased with me and with your people unless you go with us? What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face of the earth?”

And the LORD said to Moses, “I will do the very thing you have asked, because I am pleased with you and I know you by name” [Exodus 33:12-17].

You might have concluded that Moses had been exceptionally bold with what had transpired between himself and the Living God. To this point, he has asked that God would teach him His ways, and God has graciously consented. He has asked that God go with the people, and God has agreed to this request. Moses has asked that the people be distinguished from all the other peoples on the earth, and God has concurred with his request. Now, listen to this next request.

Then Moses said, “Now show me your glory” [Exodus 33:18].

Would that we were so bold! God heard this request. It is obvious from the Word that the Lord was pleased with the audacity of the request.

The LORD said, “I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the LORD, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion” [Exodus 33:19].

I would that even a handful of God’s people would seek a vision of the Lord in our midst. I would that two or three among us were sufficiently audacious to dare ask God to reveal His glory among us. I would that some of us were on such praying ground that we dared ask such an audacious request of the Living God, for I am convinced that we desperately need a vision of the Lord.

Isaiah Had a Vision of Himself. Isaiah's vision of the Lord prepared him for a second, less desirable, though greatly needed, vision. It is a truth that the nearer we are to God, the more we abhor ourselves. You mark the man who considers himself respectable. That is a man far from God—in need of revival. If you consider yourself to be someone, you may be certain that you are in need of revival. You need a fresh vision of the Lord.

Oh, how casually we enter into His holy presence. I know that we are encouraged to enter boldly into His presence. I know that I am a child of the King, born from above into His family. I know that He, in grace and mercy, receives me and pours out His love on me. May I say something you need to hear. God is holy and deserves reverence and awe. The surest sign that we have not spoken with God, the surest sign that we have not touched the throne of grace, the surest sign that we have voiced words which are unheard, is that we come away with a haughty attitude—proud and unchanged.

Every individual we meet in the pages of holy writ who entered into the presence of the Living God, came away changed. Moses, standing before the burning bush, covers his face, removes his shoes and falls to his knees. Jacob, wrestling at the Brook Jabok, marvels that his life is preserved. Manoah, seeing that same figure, whom he identifies as Yahweh—the Lord of Heaven and earth—bemoans his fate for he is convinced that he shall soon die. Righteous Job repents in ashes and abhors himself in the presence of the Lord. Habakkuk, catching a faint glimpse of the Living God speaks of his fear and declares that his bones were as though decayed. Peter, seeing the risen Christ, cries out, Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man [Luke 5:8]. John, meeting the risen, reigning Christ while exiled to Patmos, falls as though he is dead. How awesome is this mighty God we serve. Dare we any longer treat Him as a vulgar and familiar friend?

Because we, the Church, dare treat the risen Christ and the Lord of Glory with nonreverential attitudes, the world treats Him with contempt and becomes coarse and rude toward the professed Bride of Christ. We tolerate the profane world doing with the holy Bride of Christ what none would tolerate toward their own bride because we have lost the true estimate of ourselves and we have lost our vision of the Lord of Glory.

Seeing the Lord of Glory, does the prophet say, “Lord, thou hast chosen well. I am good. I am holy. I am righteous. I am a great soul‑winner. I can pray ever so well. I can speak so eloquently. Lord, thou hast chosen well.” Is that what the prophet says? No! A thousand times NO! Woe to me! I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips! Those lips—my lips, your lips—speak things which no believer ought ever to say. Out of our lips flow gossip, slander, lies, vile estimates of brother and sister believers, jealous vindictiveness. I am a man of unclean lips. We are a people of unclean lips.

“Lord, I thought I was respectable, but I have seen the Lord of Glory. I have a foul nature; I have a sinful disposition. I am unclean. I am a fountain of uncleanness and a spring of wickedness. Angels praise God, as I have heard them; but I, wicked wretch, am altogether unfit to praise Him.”

With tears of anguish I lament,

Here, at Thy feet, my God,

My passion, pride and discontent,

And vile ingratitude.

Sure there was ne'er a heart so base,

So false as mine has been;

So faithless to its promises,

So prone to every sin.

“Woe to me! I am ruined! I am a man of unclean lips, and I live in the midst of a people of unclean lips.

”Oh, Lord God, righteous and holy, our nation exalts wickedness as it elevates sodomites to positions of prominence, speaks evil of Your children and exalts unrighteousness. Our leaders are incapable of courage or godliness as they fight and destroy one another and serve their own interests. None within our various governments seem able to stand for morality. The Faith is ridiculed on the campuses of our nation and community newspapers laugh at righteousness, yet none show indignation about such mockery. The newspapers of our cities jeer at those few individuals or organisations who dare to stand for conscience sake, speaking out against the identification of evil.

“The children of our cities are sold into all sorts of evil through literature provided in our public libraries and through the entertainment brought into our homes, as even our living rooms are invaded by a flood of vile and loathsome filth. These same children are betrayed by the very people hired to teach them, so that they grow up despising authority and seeking their own pleasure as the highest good. Lord, even prostitution of our youth has grown to the point that it has become the major source of revenue for our great cities—and our community is also seriously contaminated.

“Oh, God, profanity—blasphemy of the vilest sort—seems present on every lip, from the tender child to the cultured woman and the professional man. Your Holy Name is become a byword in ever conversation, and people seem incapable of speaking without blaspheming Your glorious and righteous Name. From the great to the small, there are none who are righteous. Oh, God, I am a man of unclean lips and I live among a people of unclean lips. Oh, righteous Lord, if You spare our city, if You spare our province, if You spare our nation—surely You owe Sodom and Gomorrah an apology.”

God, in mercy, sent a seraph to remove sin from the lips of Isaiah. He will do the same for any man willing to confess his true condition. The angels do not think themselves too good to serve God nor to serve God's messengers on earth. The seraph leaves that holy company to do service to poor, unholy creatures.

The fire is hot and we rebel against the purging fires of God. We have never learned the meaning of that old hymn:

When through fiery trials thy pathway shall lie,

My grace, all sufficient, shall be thy supply;

The flame shall not hurt thee; I only design

Thy dross to consume, and thy gold to refine.

We need to each learn the application of 1 Peter 4:12‑19. Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. If you suffer, it should not be as a murderer or thief or any other kind of criminal, or even as a meddler. However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name. For it is time for judgement to begin with the family of God; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God? And,

“If it is hard for the righteous to be saved,

what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?”

So then, those who suffer according to God’s will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good.

This live coal is not to burn—but it is to purge, to purify. Through the Spirit of burning judgement we are fit for our assigned office, as the disciples were fitted for their offices on the day of Pentecost through the burning, cloven tongues of fire.

Five things happened when Isaiah was touched with the coal.

He was pardoned.

He was purged.

He received a personal call.

He experienced personal surrender.

He was given a personal commission.

Does the fear of God being God keep us from seeking a vision of His majesty? Does the fear of God being God keep us from seeking a vision of ourselves? Who among us does not shrink from purging which fits us for His call and His commission?

Isaiah Had a Vision of a Lost World. Isaiah had a vision of God and he had a vision of himself. Seeing both God and ourselves from a new perspective, we will experience a vision of the world around us unlike any we have previously experienced. It is astonishing what we will see when we look through the eyes of God. We are astonished at the sin we see in our world. It brings grief into our heart knowing that it was for such that our Saviour tasted death. But, oh, how moved we are when we are made aware of that great love, the yearning for a fallen creation. No wonder Isaiah volunteers.

We'll not have this vision of the world from the perspective of the Master until we are pardoned and purged. We turn it around as if somehow the call and surrender would bring purification. It is by grace that we are purged from our rebellion and sin. It is by grace that we are purified and sanctified. After, always after, we can hear the voice of God and see the world through His eyes. Do you hear the voice of the Master, Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?

Where, Lord? Where would you have me go? Is it to Africa? Is it to Nepal? Is it to Sri Lanka? Is it to an impoverished native reserve in my own country? Is it to my own town? Is it to my own family? Always, God would have us begin where we are.

Do you not have neighbours? Do you not have loved ones? Do you not have those who are fellow workers or fellow students? This is where you start. This is where God would have you first serve.

Charlemagne had a regiment of soldiers for one purpose. They were not to fight the ordinary battles, but he had one regiment by his side to do one thing, when it came to the impossible, to give their lives. This regiment had volunteered to die. The highest honour conveyed upon one of his soldiers was to be placed in this regiment. Those soldiers were willing to die for an earthly king, but I hear One say, Who will go for us? Who is willing to die to self?

"I, Lord. I shall go." And the response is, Go. God is in the sending business. Will you go? Amen.