We begin in chapter 6 the second section of Isaiah's published work. It is a mixture of prophetic material given to us within a historical context. He tells the story of Israel's decline toward the sentence already revealed in the courtroom scene of the first five chapters, the courtroom of an Eastern potentate who is Lawgiver, Ruler and Judge. The offense of Israel and Judah is personal, a failure of a covenant relationship.
King Uzziah was also called Azariah. It gets a little confusing because the High Priest who opposed the king when the latter attempted to burn incense in the Temple (2 Chronicles 26:16ff) is also named Azariah. This foolish act brought wrath from God in the form of leprosy, spreading downward from the forehead of Uzziah. Naturally, this disease required he be isolated, and his son Jotham acted as co-regent. The incident came late in Uzziah's reign, a failure at the climax of a long reign great in prosperity, defense technology improvements, and fame. He reaped the blessings of obedience to the Covenant until that last few months. While his son was also faithful, the people had begun to rebel against God. Uzziah died around 740-739 BC.
Having grown up in the royal household during the heyday of Uzziah's greatness, Isaiah had already begun his ministry as prophet. Hardly had his feet been established on that path, but Uzziah does this crazy thing with the incense, is driven out of the Temple, and takes up an internal exile, isolated in a separate house. He died in shame. How bitter the end it must have been for Isaiah to see such a plummet from the heights of fame and power. Was holiness so fragile? As he prays in the Temple, Isaiah receives answer to His deepest questions.
He finds himself transported in a vision into the very throne room of God Almighty. From the symbolic earthly structure to the real thing in Heaven, Isaiah can scarcely describe what he saw. The image is not meant to portray a factual description, but Isaiah points out the hallmarks of what should seize upon every man who finds himself in such a place. It is the extremity of everything which men in that time associated with greatness and power. If a king gets to wear long robes totally impractical for manual labor, God wears one so long it spreads across the entire floor. If most kings get servants hovering with fans around their thrones, God has winged angelic creatures fanning His. If men wear robes and shoes to cover their feet in respect before kings, God has seraphim covering their feet with wings. If men who serve kings respectfully avert their eyes downward in the presence of kings, God's angels cover their faces with more wings. And so it goes, producing the image of power and holiness beyond all human ken.
Indeed, holiness was the primary refrain from these hovering seraphim. So great were God's throne comforters, their very cries shook the structure which housed the scene. The presence of smoke reminds us of Eastern prayer rituals using incense. In the midst of this, Isaiah notes he is struck dumb. This angelic choir sings rapturously of God's holiness, but Isaiah is unfit to even say it. Surely any man of faith, moved by the Spirit of God, maintains in the forefront of his consciousness always a sense of unworthiness before the Lord! This is the primary mark of the Spirit's presence in a human soul. Isaiah had seen unworthiness in the mirror of his own soul, and a whole nation of filthiness around him. None were fit to declare His holiness.
The word seraphim comes from the root word for "glowing" -- their mere existence as holy creatures of God causes them to luminesce. In the ANE, light was always associated with fire, and it is this fiery glowing creature who has no trouble taking in his hand a coal from the Altar of Sacrifice in Heaven's Court, though he used tongs to select it. Symbolically, confessed sin is exposed to the cleansing power of blood sacrifice. Sins kept back from confession cannot be forgiven. By confessing the truth of his life, Isaiah stands in the place of God's mercy. So he is cleansed by the coal of a sacrifice, and made fit to speak of God's holiness. When the Lord calls for one to speak His message, Isaiah now has boldness to volunteer.
The Lord's message is hardly news to Isaiah, but serves as a warning to those who should receive it. The logic of this is they have chosen sin; they shall have it. They have chosen to ignore God; they shall be prevented from seeing and hearing Him. In Hebrew culture, the heart is the seat of the will. A "fat heart" is one which is unresponsive, unable to jump at God's call. Having just presented the vision of God on His throne in Heaven, we should have already figured out our place is sitting in the corner like any minor servant, quietly waiting to be called, at which point we come at a run and fall down before Him. It's not from fear we do this, but a sure knowledge there is no better life in this world. It's really all we could want. Isaiah points out the contrast from this with a nation which can't be bothered to even listen, much less obey.
Notice the very Eastern view of time here. Isaiah's question held nothing of an interest in hours and dates. Isaiah would have expected such answer as he got: The Nation of Israel would remain foolish until they were brutally conquered, taken away, exiled to some distant place. Hebrew conceptions of time is not as a thing to be measured, but a space between pivotal events. Don't ask what date a thing will come, but ask what the sign will be. Until then, keep your mind on your assignment. So Isaiah would preach and prophesy until the march of Babylon.
Once they are gone, and their sentence is served, only a tenth would return to this land. Even then, they will be targets for more wrath and destruction. Like a tree stump that keeps getting trimmed back every time it sprouts, Israel would never be what she once was, what she could have and should have been. However, there is a hint in some far distant time, when the time is right, the tree would grow again, because it would remain alive in its stump.
The good times are past for Isaiah. As he mourns the loss of a glorious reign, a reign which ended disgracefully, all that is before him is the heavy burden of prophecy even while the people have already begun the path of decline. Most difficult for him as a man is the sure knowledge his service would not change the nation. From a human point of view, it would be a futile ministry. It remained nonetheless the thing to which God called him.
Return to Isaiah Index
[<-- Previous]
[Next -->]
By Ed Hurst
26 June 2008
COPYRIGHT NOTICE: People of honor need no copyright laws; they are only too happy to give credit where credit is due. Others will ignore copyright laws whenever they please. If you are of the latter, please note what Moses said about dishonorable behavior -- "be sure your sin will find you out" (Numbers 32:23)