Filed under: a buttery garlic sauce.
Ever since I read Isaiah through completely for the first time, I have been mesmerized by this book. Therefore, I have made the executive decision to write on pieces that really strike. This is particularly opportune timing because Isaiah is home to most of the prophecies of the Virgin Birth and the life of Jesus, which is the message of Christmas, this whole obnoxiously society-centered season we are immersed into upon the end of Thanksgiving. Besides the seasonal appeal, let’s think about this…Isaiah gives a well-rounded account of the personality of God; most likely one of the most well-rounded. While Isaiah understands God’s wrath, he also reminds us of God’s compassion…and drives this balance into our heads for 66 chapters. I love it. My life is no stranger to a constant pursuit of understanding this balance. I have had to cram it down my throat at times to be reminded of God’s goodness, and other times I had to use it to slap myself in the face and refresh within me a reverent fear.
I’m going to break this up into sections and cover some of the most influential verses…also some of the most misunderstood and taken out of context verses. I think its important that if people are going to get verses tattooed on their bodies, share verses, and adopt small pieces of Scripture as their life verses, they need to understand context. “Jesus wept” doesn’t mean that he was emo, after all.
We begin our journey in Isaiah 6. (P.S. I will, 9.5 times out of 10, use the ESV. Just so I don’t have to keep attributing quotes to any particular version.)
In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wing: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!” And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. And I said: “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!” Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. And he touched my mouth and said: “Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.” And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here I am! Send me.”
-Isaiah 6:1-8
This passage begins with a vision that Isaiah saw. Now…seraphim with six wings and thresholds can get confusing, but most simply, in this vision, Isaiah saw the absolute glory of the Lord; his eyes were opened to the temple as a whole. Jesus talks about this particular prophecy being fulfilled in the end of John chapter 12. He quotes Isaiah 6:10, which is God’s dialogue with Isaiah post-vision, and then says to the people around him that Isaiah said these things because he saw the glory of the Lord and spoke of Jesus Himself.
Wouldn’t your response to actually seeing the glory of the Lord be that you are lost and unclean?! This is how Isaiah responds. “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips…”
So often, we walk through life and we see snippets of God’s glory throughout our days, but we remain oblivious and unchanged. Shouldn’t we be reacting how Isaiah reacted to these moments? In my personal opinion, I think we’ve sunk into a pattern of comfort, saying, “Oh, Jesus saved me from my sins. So when I do sin, when I am in the wrong, it’s fine because it is already paid for.”
NO. To live in sin is dangerous. Your sin is paid for, yes, but you can still dwell in a pattern of sin and death even once you are saved. To think that you can do whatever you want once you’re saved is the biggest mistake that Christians make. “I am saved, so I can drink too much. Even if I have a hangover in the morning, I’m already forgiven for it.” or “I am saved, so if I lie to someone, God will forgive me for it and everything will be perfectly fine.”
No! Sin puts divisions between you and God, even once you are saved. You will still crave His presence, you will still long for God, but you and God will be divided. Isaiah knew the Lord, which is why God used him in such a profound way, but in the presence of such greatness, we should be reminded that we are still not good enough to be immune to the correction and reproof of God’s glory, just like Isaiah was.
When Isaiah admits his fault and is humbled, the seraphim comes to him, cleanses his lips with a burning coal, and says that his sin is atoned for. The coal can mean a couple things. It can symbolize the actual atonement and cleansing that Isaiah undergoes, but as I look into the context, I realize that it is much more. Yes, the coal cleanses and takes away his sin, but in preparation for something more than just righteousness. This is the gift of prophecy and teaching being given to Isaiah. This is the moment that prepares Isaiah for what he is about to share…the prophecies about the coming Messiah, both as sacrificial lamb and as eternal ruler. Why do people focus so much on the verse that follows this moment? It is so pivotal.
When he receives this vision, the revelation of the glory of God, and then the gift of prophecy, Isaiah is prepared to answer the question that follows. The voice of the Lord says to Isaiah, “Whom shall I send and who will go for us?”
Isaiah says, “Here am I! Send me.” There is no hesitation. There is no “well, God…let me really think about who You can send and I’ll let You know in a couple days.” It doesn’t say, “Isaiah then sat down and pondered this for a while.” He just witnessed the glory of God and then God bestowed upon him the confidence to speak and proclaim the words He gives. Why would he stop and hesitate in this moment? Why would you?
And yet, we do. All the time, God blatantly places in front of us the call to go, the call to move. It’s something that we receive when the Holy Spirit dwells within us. However, too many people look for a sign or look for absolute assurance “from the Lord”, when these signs and wonders are most likely God shouting at us to “move already!” When the Holy Spirit has residency in your heart, your decisions, your thoughts, everything about you is ready to walk in the will of God, so why hesitate? If you are walking in obedience, then your decisions are Spirit-led! Are you trusting that God is guiding your steps? Then you should have no problem making a move. Are you confident in the Holy Spirit interceding on your behalf? Then stop waiting for everything to be spelled out for you. If you are in the will, then the Spirit will move through you without you waiting for an obvious answer.
You see…at Christmas, we celebrate the birth of our Savior. This Savior came and died for you; He was the coal placed upon your lips. So move. You are atoned for. Repent and walk in the will of God.
-CFG
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