Reflections based on Isaiah 6:1–8.
Isaiah describes the vision of God seated on His throne that he was given at the time of his commissioning to be God’s prophet. It echoes much of the wording in Revelation 4, which we looked at previously: the opulence, angels calling out God’s holiness again and again. I am always fascinated by the image of God on a throne with the train of His robe filling the whole temple.
What is striking here is Isaiah’s response, seen in verse 5. By coming face to face with God’s holiness, he instantly recognises his spiritual ‘dirtyness’. There is no way he can measure up before such a holy God, so he cries out ‘Woe is me!’. He is about to be commissioned to take God’s unpopular word to the people of Israel and coming face to face with God undoes him. Surely this should be our response too as we think on His holiness?
Look at what God does though — He sends a seraph (a type of angel) to Isaiah with a burning coal to touch his lips and tell him that his sins are forgiven. It isn’t the coal that cleanses him — only God can do that – but that painful cleansing process was necessary both to encourage Isaiah that he was the right person to be God’s messenger, and to also make him ready for his commission. He was being ‘set apart’ (interestingly, what the word ‘holy’ means). We too must accept God’s cleansing processes in our own lives in order for us to be His messengers to this world.
Isaiah was given this vision of God’s holiness in a time when spiritual and moral standards were at an all-time low – sound familiar? We need this type of arresting vision of holiness for ourselves in order not to be dulled to the spiritual decline in our own culture.
Prayer: I am sorry Lord that so often I just don’t see how far our society has travelled from You. Thank You for this reminder that only You can cleanse us from our sin. Amen.