The Call Of Isaiah (6:1-13)
Neal Pollard
There is an important shift in the book here at chapter six. It is a shift in message, focus, and national leadership. “The death of Uzziah (6:1) ends a period of relative strength and prosperity in Judah, when Assyria was weak. The wicked king Ahaz will now rule Judah (7:1), war and weakness will characterize this king’s reign, and Assyria will become the dominant international power on earth” (Smith, NAC, 183). Uzziah had reigned over Judah for 52 years, bringing relative stability and reigning with relative goodness. Ahaz will undo this. This chapter also both concludes the previous four chapters and introduces the next five.
When I was a teenager, I heard the late Howard Swann preach in Hazelhurst, Georgia, on Isaiah six. Brother Swann preached from the King James Version of the Bible, and his unforgettable sermon, whose main points I have borrowed, was entitled, “The Woe, The Lo, And The Go.” It is an ingenious way to divide the contents of the chapter, and I will follow that here.
In Isaiah’s call, we see the woe of sin (1-5). Isaiah is better able to appreciate an accurate picture of himself by first seeing the splendor of God. In this throne room scene, the prophet “saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up” (1). This heavenly vision takes place in the temple in Jerusalem (1), and the train of Jehovah’s robe fills it! Accentuating this splendor is the mention of the mysterious seraphim, making us think of the ark of the covenant in the most holy place. John Calvin and William Pringle say, “Some think that they are called seraphim because they burn with the love of God; others, because they are swift like fire; others, because they are bright. However that may be, this description holds out to us, as in sunbeams, the brightness of God’s infinite majesty, that we may learn by it to behold and adore his wonderful and overwhelming glory” (202). Whenever “seraphim” is found in singular form, it is translated serpent (and is akin to the “fiery serpents” in Numbers 21:6ff). This power and majesty is punctuated by the seraphim’s threefold declaration of God’s holiness and the shaking of the temple foundations! It all had to have been almost unbearably overwhelming for Isaiah!
Faced with this incredible picture, it causes Isaiah to see himself in contrast with God. What else could one say when faced by such a vision? He exclaims, “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!” (5). Because he truly sees God as He is, he truly sees himself as he is–lost, unclean, and unworthy. How we need to see God accurately, so we can see our sin problem accurately!
In Isaiah’s call, we see the “lo” of salvation (6-7). Isaiah sees the magnitude of his spiritual problem, as well as the spiritual problem of the whole nation (as outlined in the previous chapters). God reaches out and solves Isaiah’s sin problem without the prophet even asking. What a picture of grace and a foreshadowing of Christ’s sacrifice for us at Calvary. A seraph takes a coal from the altar and touched Isaiah’s unclean lips. Perhaps, like me, you have wondered why or how Isaiah saw the hot coal on his lips as a good thing. James Smith observes, “One of the seraphim touched Isaiah’s lips with a hot coal from the altar of incense. In this visional and symbolic gesture the young man received assurance that his sins had been purged” (OT Survey Series, 39). Just as he doesn’t actually see God with eyes of flesh, he doesn’t actually have the coal put on his literal lips. But the gesture is real. God must purify Isaiah from sin before He can use him in service, as it is for you and me today. We must be in Christ before we can viably serve Him. Isaiah says, “Behold” (“lo,” KJV) this has touched my lips. He recognized God’s salvation!
In Isaiah’s call, we see the “go” of the Great Commission (8-13). This is one of the more recognizable verses in Isaiah. We even sing it sometimes today. Isaiah hears the heavenly conversation, God asking who He should send and who should go with His business. Isaiah’s immediate, appreciative response is, “Here am I, send me” (8).
Now Isaiah is given his daunting duty. God sends him to tell the people to see, hear, and understand. But He says that despite their eyes, ears, and heart, they will not favorably respond. Isaiah 6:9-10 will be quoted repeatedly in the New Testament (Mat. 13:14; Mark 4:11-12; Luke 8:10; John 12:40; Acts 28:26-27). This refers to the hardness of heart which often meets the gospel message. Despite that, it must be shared!
Naturally, Isaiah wants to know the duration of his mission. God points ahead to a time of captivity (11-13) after which a remnant would return. Isaiah would not see this mission to its very end, though he will obviously live a long life of service (1:1). God informs the prophet of how long the message of salvation and obedience was to be preached. His part was to do it as long as he was able.
Isn’t it remarkable how much Isaiah’s mission mirrors our own? Confronted with the greatness of God and the magnitude of our sin and weakness, we receive the atoning salvation of His grace through Christ when we respond to it by obedient faith (Eph. 2:8-9). Cleansed from sin (Acts 22:16), the grateful response is to declare, “Here am I, send me.” Jesus left us a mission to accomplish (Matt. 28:18-19). We may not live to see the end of this mission, depending on when our Lord comes again. We should expect that many (not all!) will hear the message, but will harden their hearts. But some will accept it and obey. Either way, we should mimic the mindset of Isaiah and say to God, “Here am I, send me!”
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