When Isaiah Was Called by the Lord Isaiah

When Isaiah Was Called by the Lord Isaiah 6: 1 -13

Isaiah’s Vision of the Lord Isaiah 6: 1 -4 • He saw the Lord in his majestic glory – The Lord’s robe filled the entire room – Though he saw God in his glory, the sight must have been indescribable, or the prophet could not reveal what he saw – John tells us he saw the glory of the Lord Jesus (12: 41) – This vision is similar to the experience of Paul, which he could not fully reveal (2 Corinthians 12: 1 -4)

The Angels Served the Lord • The saraphim were celestial beings, an angelic order, who stood above God ready to serve at his call, along with the cherubim – They covered their faces in God’s presence – They constantly worshiped him by singing, “Holy, holy is the Lord of hosts” – Isaiah repeatedly refers to God as “the Holy One of Israel” (29 times versus 6 in the rest of the Bible) • While they stood ready to serve, the awesome majesty of God is seen in the posts shaken at his voice and the house filled with smoke

Isaiah Saw Himself Isaiah 6: 5 • Isaiah recognized his own spiritual poverty, which was doubled by his nation’s sinfulness, when he stood in the presence of the Lord – Like the leper who must cry a warning to those approaching, Isaiah saw himself as a man of unclean lips (Leviticus 13: 45), which may explain why he did not join in the song – Later, he recognized we are like filthy rags despite all our righteousness (Isaiah 64: 6) – Compare Matthew 5: 3; Acts 22: 6 -10

Isaiah’s Cleansing Isaiah 6: 6 -7 • One of the seraphim touched a coal from the altar to Isaiah’s lips so he could be cleansed – Likely, the lips are cleansed because this is the part of his body the prophet had specifically mentioned – Interestingly, seraph means fire, which here is the fire of God’s love from his altar

Isaiah’s Calling Isaiah 6: 8 • Having been cleansed, Isaiah readily responded to the Lord’s call • Those who have been cleansed of their sins feel a debt to God that compels them to carry out the will of God (1 Corinthians 9: 16; Titus 2: 14; 1 Peter 2: 9)

Isaiah’s Commission Isaiah 6: 9 -10 • Isaiah was commissioned to go to a people who had rejected the Lord’s message • These words are applied to others who rejected God’s word as a result of their own attitude (Mark 4: 10 -12; Acts 28: 17 -27; Romans 11: 7 -8) – Paul told the Thessalonians about the deception of those who did not receive the love of the truth (2 Thessalonians 2: 8 -12)

Isaiah’s Sighing Isaiah 6: 11 a • Isaiah wanted to know how long this hardening state would exist in Israel – This sighing resulted from the prophet being a part of the very people God condemned and his knowledge that God’s promises would not allow him to cast off Israel forever (Exodus 32: 9 -14)

The Duration and the Remnant Isaiah 6: 11 b-13 • God first told Isaiah that he would lay waste the towns, houses and land, while sending the inhabitants far away • A remnant (10%) would return – Likely God used the terebinth and oak trees to represent the returning remnant because they both can spring up again from the root