Isaiah 6[i]
Uzziah died
in approximately 742 B.C.
Uzziah was
king in Jerusalem, ruling over the country of Judah. He was a descendant of David. However, in case one should think this made
him perfect, he was also the great, great, great grandson of none other than
Jezebel. But, that is a different story
for a different time. Uzziah was the 10th
king of Judah after the nation of Israel divided.
Uzziah
became king at the age of 16, and he reigned 52 years. The Bible says he did right in the eyes of
the Lord, except he did not remove the high places and altars where people made
sacrifices.
The Law of
Moses was clear that there was to be one central place of worship for the whole
nation. (Deuteronomy 12) This is one law that Uzziah did not adhere to
nor did he enforce it as the ruler of his people.
The story
of his reign is an amazing success story.
He conquered the enemies surrounding his nation. He expanded the nation’s territory, and
elevated the country to a position or regional power. When the Assyrians invaded the region, they
conquered every nation in their path.
However, Uzziah led a coalition of the surrounding nations and stopped
the advance of the Assyrians. This historical
campaign was one of the last things he did.
He died before the Assyrians could retaliate.[ii]
There is a
blot on his record. Uzziah was rich,
powerful and successful, and the Scriptures tell us that he became proud. In his pride, he entered into the temple to
burn incense, which was something that only the priests were to do. The high priest and 80 accompanying priests
tried to stop the king, but he became furious with them. God intervened and leprosy instantly appeared
on the forehead of Uzziah. Uzziah died a
leper in isolation. In his last years,
his son, Jotham, took charge of the palace and government, sharing the throne
with his father.
Isaiah 6
records one of the great visions of the Bible.
Isaiah 6:1 says, “It was in the year King Uzziah died that I saw the
Lord. He was sitting on a lofty throne,
and the train of his robe filled the Temple.”
Isaiah
dates this from the year King Uzziah died.
Therefore, we know some of what was going on in Judah at that time. We know that the nation was prosperous. We know that they had a strong military. However, they were facing a dangerous
enemy. Assyria was conquering the
surrounding nations, and laying the foundations for what would become the
Babylonian Empire and then later the Persian Empire. The Assyrians were a concern for everyone,
even Egypt.
The Lord
chose this time to show Himself to Isaiah.
The People
of Judah were religious. They had the
Temple of God and continued to offer daily sacrifices. However, God was not impressed with their
sacrifices. In Isaiah 1 God gave this
message concerning the people of Judah:
2Listen, O
heavens! Pay attention, earth! This is what the LORD says: “The children I
raised and cared for have rebelled against me.
3Even an ox knows its owner, and a donkey recognizes its
master’s care—but Israel doesn’t know its master. My people don’t recognize my care for them.” 4Oh, what a sinful nation they
are—loaded down with a burden of guilt. They
are evil people, corrupt children who have rejected the LORD. They have despised the Holy One of Israel and
turned their backs on him. (Isaiah
1:2-4)
God was not
happy with them, and yet they continued to be prosperous and successful. Because of their success, they thought
everything was okay, including their relationship with God.
In Isaiah
6:1, Isaiah says, “I saw the Lord.” He
saw a sight that was so magnificent that his first response was, “It’s all
over! I am doomed, for I am a sinful
man.” (Isaiah 6:5) When Moses saw the glory of God, his face
shown for years afterward. For Isaiah, the
sight was so glorious that even the angels present were covering their
faces. Very few men in history have seen
such a vision of God’s glory. In Moses’s
case, it strengthened him and sustained him through many years of leading the
people of Israel through the wilderness.
In Isaiah’s case, it was to strengthen and sustain him through many
years of preaching to a stubborn, obstinate people.
God told
Isaiah to deliver this message to the people of Judah. He said:
“Yes, go, and say to this people, ‘Listen
carefully, but do not understand. Watch
closely, but learn nothing.’ 10Harden
the hearts of these people. Plug their
ears and shut their eyes. That way, they
will not see with their eyes, nor hear with their ears, nor understand with
their hearts and turn to me for healing.”
(Isaiah 6:9-10)
In John 12,
Jesus quotes this text to explain the unbelief of the Jews. Even though they saw many miraculous signs,
the Jews would not believe in Jesus.
Isaiah saw
the glory of God, while a nation remained blind to that same glory. A mere handful out of thousands were able to
see the glory of God in Jesus Christ when he walked this earth. John 1:10 says of Him, “He came into the very
world he created, but the world didn’t recognize him.” In much the same way, although there were many
prophets in Judah, Isaiah was the only one who saw this glorious vision of God.
Isaiah
describes what he saw. He says, “He was
sitting on a lofty throne, and the train of his robe filled the Temple.” The English Standard Version translates this
“high and lifted up.” Isaiah does not
describe God, but rather His throne. This
is significant because God told Moses, “But you may not look directly at my
face, for no one may see me and live."
(Exodus 33:20) Isaiah was
impressed with the lofty, majestic power of God. The first thing he describes is the exalted
position of God.
In Isaiah
1, God had accused Judah of despising the Holy One of Israel. They had too low a view of God. Isaiah saw a
lofty, exalted throne with God seated on it.
The biggest mistake humanity makes is despising God. We tend to think too little of Him and too
much of ourselves. It is crucial for us
as individuals and as nations to remember who God is. In Deuteronomy 8, God warned Israel:
11“But that
is the time to be careful! Beware that
in your plenty you do not forget the LORD your God and disobey his commands,
regulations, and decrees that I am giving you today. 12For when you have become full and
prosperous and have built fine homes to live in, 13and when your
flocks and herds have become very large and your silver and gold have
multiplied along with everything else, be careful! 14Do not become proud at that time
and forget the LORD your God, who rescued you from slavery in the land of
Egypt.
18Remember
the LORD your God. He is the one who gives
you power to be successful. (Deuteronomy
8:11-14, 18)
Uzziah
demonstrated what pride does. He grew
proud because of his success and then tried to enter into God’s presence on his
terms rather than on God’s terms. He
never entered the temple again, and died a leper.
We can know
God, but the first and greatest hindrance to our entering into the knowledge of
God is pride. How can we hold onto our
pride when we see God on a lofty throne, high and lifted up?
Along with
the throne, Isaiah saw mighty seraphim attending God. Each had six wings. With two wings, they covered their feet, with
two, they covered their faces and with two, they flew. They were calling out to each other, “Holy,
holy, holy is the Lord of Heaven’s Armies!
The whole earth is filled with his glory!” (Isaiah 6:2-3)
The angels
covering their faces is an indication of God’s glory, and covering their feet
is an indication of God’s holiness.
These mighty, heavenly beings continually proclaim God’s holiness. Throughout Scripture, we confront the
holiness of God. God is holy beyond our
ability to comprehend.
The
dictionary definition of “Holy” according to Google is “dedicated or
consecrated to God or a religious purpose; sacred.” In the Old Testament, the Hebrew word
translated holy means “set apart” or “separate.” In the New Testament, the Greek word
translated holy means “set apart.” These
meanings are consistent with the idea of dedication. However, when applied to God, dedication does
not capture the meaning of “holy.” When
we say God is holy, we mean that he is separate from His creation. He is entirely “other” than His
creation. While God has created all
things and sustains all things, He is not “all things.” He is separate, “other.” Another idea is captured in this
separateness. His “separateness” also
extends to His absolute purity. The
Bible says, “God is light, and there is no darkness in him at all.” (1 John 1:5)
Light is another expression of God’s purity, His holiness. The brilliance of God’s holiness is why faces
are always covered in His presence. Even
the eyes of angels cannot bear to look upon the brilliant radiance of His
glory, His holiness.
Overwhelmed
by what he saw, Isaiah said, “It’s all over! I am doomed, for I am a sinful man. I have filthy lips, and I live among a people
with filthy lips. Yet I have seen the
King, the LORD of Heaven’s Armies.” (Isaiah 6:5)
Upon seeing God, Isaiah was painfully aware of his sinfulness. This is the effect of confronting God’s
perfect holiness. The burning coal taken
from the altar and touched to Isaiah’s lips burnt away the impurities. Without the intervention of Jesus Christ and
His sacrifice to pay the price for our sins and purify us, we would all be
consumed by the presence of God’s holiness just as fire consumes a moth.
However, pride
keeps us from acknowledging sin. Isaiah
was called to confront this problem in Judah.
They did not acknowledge that they were sinful. Jesus confronted this problem on the streets
of Jerusalem. They did not acknowledge
they were sinful. We confront this
problem in our own lives.
Even
Christians, who are saved by faith and cleansed of their sins by the blood of
Christ, often will not admit their sins.
1 John 1:8 warns us, “If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling
ourselves and not living in the truth.”
God showed
Isaiah a vison of His own majesty and holiness in order to make Isaiah aware of
his people’s sin of pride.
Through
Isaiah’s record, God confronts our pride.
God still speaks. Isaiah’s vision
still lives. How do we respond? Do we, like Isaiah, say, “It’s all over! I am doomed, for I am a sinful man.” Or, do we, like Judah, harden our hearts?
Why not be
reconciled to God today?
Why not
call on His name and receive His cleansing?
1 John 1:9
says, “But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us
our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.”
[i]
Unless otherwise noted Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New
Living Translation. Copyright © 1996,
2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation.
Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Steam,
Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
[ii]
Unger’s Bible Dictionary, Moody Bible Institute, Chicago, 1966.