Isaiah 6
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In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple.
2 Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly.
3 And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.
4 And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke.
5 Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts.
6 Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar:
7 And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged.
8 Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.
9 And he said, Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not.
10 Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed.
11 Then said I, Lord, how long? And he answered, Until the cities be wasted without inhabitant, and the houses without man, and the land be utterly desolate,
12 And the Lord have removed men far away, and there be a great forsaking in the midst of the land.
13 But yet in it shall be a tenth, and it shall return, and shall be eaten: as a teil tree, and as an oak, whose substance is in them, when they cast their leaves: so the holy seed shall be the substance thereof.
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Commentary
King Uzziah became proud of his accomplishments and confident that he was accountable to no one. One day he presumptuously entered the Temple and performed the ministry assigned exclusively to priests. When rebuked by the priests, the king got angry. Immediately he was struck with leprosy (II Chron. 26:16-21).
In contrast to King Uzziah, we see the prophet Isaiah standing in the shaded porch of the Temple, feeling unworthy to enter. How could he be sure that God was calling him to warn proud, obstinate and presumptuous leaders like the king? Such boldness was dangerous. As these thoughts swirled in his head, Isaiah is taken off in vision and it seems like the Temple walls are lifted. But, what he sees is more than the Most Holy place of the earthly temple. He beholds the very throne room of heaven where the King of kings is surrounded by choirs of heavenly beings singing “Holy, holy, holy” (v.3).
During Isaiah’s 60 years of ministry, when he met with opposition, trials and persecution, all he needed to remember was this vision. He had seen the heavenly King! Now we see Him only by faith but someday—face to face.
Lloyd and Sheila Schomburg
Pastoral couple
Kentucky-Tennessee Conference
