Isaiah's prophecy now moves on to the death of King Uzziah.
Isaiah 6:1-3, A vision of God on His throne
In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him were seraphim, 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.”
This spectacular vision includes a dramatic description of God on His throne, with supernatural beings tending to Him, praising Him for His glory. In this image, God's robe has a train that fills out the throne room, while His glory fills the earth.
Grogan says that this section is unusual in that it provides us with a date and it is in first person singular, Isaiah describing personal events. Uzziah probably died around 740 BC.
The Hebrew word saraph is the singular of the word translated "seraphim" here. In three places in the Old Testament (Numbers 21:6, 8 & Deuteronomy 8:15) it is translated "fiery serpent" or "venomous snake". In Isaiah 14:29 or Isaiah 30:6 it is also a snake. Only here and in verse 6, below, does the word describe a supernatural creature.
Isaiah 6:4-7, Unclean lips
At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke.
Then one of the seraphim 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's natural, very human reaction, is shame at his unworthiness and the unworthiness of his people. If even the seraphim cover their faces before God (verse 2), it must be very scary for a mere mortal to be in God presence. But as Isaiah reacts in despair, a seraphim takes a coal from the burning altar and touches the lips of Isaiah and declares him clean, his guilt taken away and the sacrifice paid.
Isaiah 6:8, Me! Me!
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, renewed, is eager to respond and be God's servant-messenger.
Isaiah 6:9-10, Deaf, blind, heartened
He said, “Go and tell this people:
“‘Be ever hearing, but never understanding;
be ever seeing, but never perceiving.’
Make the heart of this people calloused;
make their ears dull
and close their eyes.
Otherwise they might see with their eyes,
hear with their ears,
understand with their hearts,
and turn and be healed.”
God's message to Isaiah's people (Israel and Judah) is that they will (continue to) be deaf and blind, irresponsive to His call. They, like the ancient Pharaoh of Egypt of Moses's day, have hardened hearts.
In the New Testament, the Gospel of John quotes this passage and adds that Isaiah saw Jesus's glory and spoke about him (John 12:40-41.) This passage is quoted in all four gospels, the book of Acts and the letter to the Romans. (Matthew 13:14-15, Mark 4:10-12, Luke 8:10, Acts 28:26-27, Romans 11:8.)
Isaiah 6:11-13, Until the cities lie in ruin
Then I said, “For how long, Lord?”
And he answered:
“Until the cities lie ruined
and without inhabitant,
until the houses are left deserted
and the fields ruined and ravaged,
until the Lord has sent everyone far away
and the land is utterly forsaken.
And though a tenth remains in the land,
it will again be laid waste.
But as the terebinth and oak
leave stumps when they are cut down,
so the holy seed will be the stump in the land.”
"How long, O Lord?" is a classic lament that occurs throughout the psalms! Isaiah asks about the end of this blindness and deafness of his people. God's answer is that this time the country will be ruined and desolate, with the people dragged into captivity. There will be a tenth of people left in the land and the trees cut down. This a picture of utter devastation. Unlike Isaiah, there is not yet repentance in the people of Israel and there is no healing hot coal.
At the end, amidst the destruction, there is a promise that a seed does indeed survive!
Some random thoughts
I am moved by the hot coal placed on the tongue of Isaiah. Although I do not see Christian communion as magical, still, when a wafer is placed on my tongue during communion, when I take a sip of communion wine, I am reminded: "See, ... your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.”
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