Isaiah #2
God’s Call
Isaiah 6:1-8
SCRIPTURE READING: Isaiah 6:1-8
INTRODUCTION:
A family asked a priest to help ‘straighten out’ a rambunctious young boy and his sister. After he agreed to speak to them separately, the older child, a girl of 8, went in to the office. She found the priest sitting solemnly behind a big desk. Silence - then the priest asked "Where is God?" More silence; the question was repeated. This happened three times, at which point the child burst out of the priest’s office and ran for home, straight upstairs to her room. ‘Boy, are we in trouble,’ she reported to her anxious younger brother. ‘Why? What happened?’ ‘God’s missing and they’re blaming us!’ Lillian Periqoe
The account in Isaiah 6 is a crisis event in Isaiah’s life which brings him into his prophetic office. His lifelong ministry begins at the time of the death of King Uzziah. It seems that Uzziah’s death had a big impact on Isaiah. Uzziah had ruled successfully for 52 years and was not only a good king (in God’s eyes), but was probably the last great king of the southern kingdom. Under his reign Israel prospered materially, and managed to subdue other kingdoms like the Philistines, Arabians, and Ammonites.
But now Uzziah is dead and things don’t look very good for the future of Israel’s southern kingdom. Isaiah enters the temple in order to make contact with God concerning this crisis time, and to his surprise he comes face to face with the real king of Israel sitting upon his throne high and lifted up, with his train filling the temple. He has the rare privilege of seeing God’s glory in person. Good King Uzziah may be dead, but Jehovah, the ruler of heaven and earth is alive and well. Behind the earthly throne is the heavenly throne.
1. COMPREHEND WHO GOD IS ISAIAH 6: 1-3
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. Isaiah 6:1
Isaiah went into the temple and found the Lord still on the throne. Some of us need to be reminded that God is still on the throne in our day. When we consider alarming things like terrorism and the threat of wars, crime, violence, moral depravity, gangs, drugs, and other disturbing things we need a fresh vision of God on the throne high and lifted up. He still hears and answers prayers. He is still working out his plan and his purpose in the midst of what looks like a world spinning out of control. But God is in control. He is high and lifted up, and he will not compromise with sin and man’s rebellion.
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." Isaiah 6:2-3
From other accounts in the Bible we know that Seraphim are around the throne of God. This lets us know that somehow Isaiah has been given a window into the throne room of Heaven itself. Not much is known about Seraphim but the Hebrew word Seraph means “to burn” and is used in connection with sin offerings and judgment. The seraphim are evidently the ones who search out sin to remove it from God’s presence while Cherubim protect the holiness of God. Both Cherubim and Seraphim are found in the books of Ezekiel and Revelation and are called the “living creatures.”
The very sight of God high and lifted up surrounded by Seriphim crying “Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord of Hosts: The whole earth is full of his glory” had a profound impact on Isaiah. Seeing the holiness and majesty of the living God knocked Isaiah off his feet. He could not stand on his feet in the presence of the three times holy God.
IN the presence of the holy God Isaiah had a profound sense of his own sinfulness. He became instantly aware that God will not compromise with evil and he was filled with terror.
2. CONFESS WHO YOU ARE ISAIAH 6: 4-5
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." Isaiah 6:4-5
Have you ever cleaned your living room and thought that it was clean only to have the sun shine in through the window and reveal all the dust that was left behind? Ruth Graham tells of the time that the TV news wanted to interview her and her husband Billy at their home. They got the house all spic and span clean. That is until the TV lights were turned on in their living room. All that Ruth could see was the dust and cobwebs that had been missed.
Light will always expose the dirt. The closer we get to Jesus the more we will have to deal with “hidden sin” in our lives. Little things that we had never noticed before will become a big deal when exposed by the light. D. Greg Ebie
Isaiah was God’s man before this experience, but His vision of God was the pivot point in his life, for this is what propelled him into prophetic ministry. Seeing himself in the presence of God he is undone. God’s holiness reveals to him his own unholy condition. In seeing God he was also able to see himself as he really was and he was devastated by his own lack of holiness. The problem with many of us today is that we don’t walk according to the word of God so we seldom get a vision of our own unholiness in the face of God’s holiness.
Because so many do not see things as they really are they are able to convince themselves that they really fine upstanding people, “better than most.” And they can justify anything they do making what they think is a strong case for their own worthiness. Take my word for it. These folks haven’t gotten a glimpse of God yet. If they had, they would be like Isaiah, on their face crying, “Woe is me, for I am undone because I am a man of unclean lips.”
This is why John Wrote in the New Testament, “But if we walk in the light as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanses (keeps on cleansing) us from all sin. (1 John 1:7) When we walk in the light of God’s word we will see what Isaiah saw. That we are all of unclean lips (and other body parts as well). Believe me, the one who feels he has some merit within himself has never seen the holiness of God. When Job had an experience like that of Isaiah, his reaction was to say, “I abhor myself and repent in dust and ashes.” (Job 42:5-6) Job was a fairly righteous man. He defended himself against his friends when they called him a sinner. But in the presence of God his story changed.
On the Isle of Patmos John saw God and recorded, “And when I saw Him I fell at his feet as dead.” (Rev. 1:17)
When Daniel saw God he wrote, “Therefore I was left alone, and saw this great vision, and there remained no strength in me: for my comeliness was turned in me into corruption, and I retained no strength.” (Dan. 10:8)
We can see the effect God’s presence had on Isaiah, but notice what happened next while Isaiah kneeled in terror because of his own unholiness.
3. RECEIVE GOD’S CLEANSING ISAIAH 6: 6-7
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." Isaiah 6:6-7
One day Henry Ford was driving in the Michigan countryside whenhe came upon a man whose Model T had broken down. The guy was bent under the hood trying to figure what was wrong. Mr. Ford stopped and asked if he could take a look. In a few minutes, he had the car running. The grateful owner said, “I’m amazed at your ability; you fixed my car so easily.” Ford replied, “I ought to be able to fix it, because I’m the one who designed it.” The same is true with God—He designed us, and He can fix whatever’s wrong with us. Robert Leroe
When Isaiah spoke of his unclean lips, he got no argument from anyone in that holy place. Isaiah’s self evaluation was taken at face value. The Seraph, who’s job is to keep sin from God’s holy presence, flew to the burnt altar where sin had been dealt with and came before Isaiah with a live coal in his hand. This coal is symbolic of Christ’s death on the cross. It represents the cleansing blood of Christ that keeps on cleansing us from all sin.
Isaiah is indeed a man of unclean lips. He wasn’t just being humble or self effacing, he saw reality when he saw the holy God. The condition for cleansing is confession which Isaiah did readily. Remember the words of 1st John 1:9, If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” The glowing coal is symbolic of none other than Jesus himself. He alone is able to cleanse sin through what he did on the cross.
The coal is touched to Isaiah’s lips and rather than being burned he is cleansed. But notice what happens next. This cleansing action prepared Isaiah for the call to ministry that follows.
4. RESPOND TO GOD’S CALL 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!" Isaiah 6:8
It is interesting that up to this time Isaiah had never heard the call of God. I wonder how many Christians have never felt like they were called to do anything because they have never been cleansed. They have never seen this great need to be a clean vessel so that God can use them in mighty ways.
Isaiah heard God’s call, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” and His response was, “Here I am, send me.” He heard God’s call for the first time and responded to it, as a cleansed individual will do.
Notice also that God’s call to Isaiah was unique. God spoke as one seeking out a volunteer. He didn’t command Isaiah’s response. Instead he allowed Isaiah to volunteer. That is quite a change from God’s call to Jonah who was commanded to go to Nineveh (quite against Jonah’s will as the story lets us know.) Not so with Isaiah. God calls for a volunteer and hears Isaiah’s offer to go for Him. I’m glad to know that God’s call is unique for each and every person. He knows us so well and speaks to each of us with a personal call, customized just to fit us.
I love Isaiah’s story because I feel that that was the way God called me. He didn’t command me like an army General might do, but invited me to volunteer for service. I consider Isaiah’s words to fit me to a T. He called, “Who will go for me?” And I said, Here am I, send me.” I have served God as an ordained minister for 33 years and have never regretted answering that call.
Someone told me years ago when I was contemplating going into ministry, “If you can do anything else, don’t be a minister.” I don’t know who first thought that one up, but it’s a crock! I can do all kinds of other things, but I would never trade any other thing I could do in place of serving God. And my advice to young people considering ministry is this. “Do other things if you must; but none of them will ever match the joy of serving God. That is the greatest thing you can do, and any other thing is a pitiful second place in comparison.”
CONCLUSION:
When Isaiah saw God high and lifted up his life was never the same again. He was one of, if not the greatest of the Old Testament prophets, and to him was given the noble task of prophesying about the coming of Messiah. He told us more about the life of Jesus than any other prophet, and he wrote about it 700 years before it happened. I’m glad Isaiah saw God and responded to the call he was given. The Bible tells us about many things we are called out of and called into. Consider some of these examples:
I. Called from labor to rest (Matt. 11:28)
II. Called from death to life (1 John 3:14)
III. Called from bondage to liberty (Gal 5:13)
IV. Called out of darkness into light (1 Pet. 2:9)
V. Called from bondage to peace (1 Cor. 7:15
VI. Called to the fellowship of His Son (1 Cor. 1:9)
VII. We are called to a high calling (Phil. 3:14)
VIII. We are called to a holy calling (2 Tim. 1:9)
IX. We are called to a heavenly calling (Heb. 3:1)
What would you do if God gave you a call? What kind of response would you give? Could he be calling you today, and to what is he calling you? What will you say?
