Isaiah 6
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1In the year that king Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up; and his train filled the temple. 2Above him stood the seraphim. Each one had six wings. With two he covered his face. With two he covered his feet. With two he flew. 3One called to another, and said, “Holy, holy, holy, is Yahweh of Armies! The whole earth is full of his glory!” 4The foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. 5Then I said, “Woe is me! For I am undone, because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell among a people of unclean lips: for my eyes have seen the King, Yahweh of Armies!” 6Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar. 7He touched my mouth with it, and said, “Behold, this has touched your lips; and your iniquity is taken away, and your sin forgiven.” 8I heard the Lord’s voice, saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here I am. Send me!” 9He said, “Go, and tell this people, ‘You hear indeed, but don’t understand; and you see indeed, but don’t perceive.’ 10Make the heart of this people fat. Make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and turn again, and be healed.” 11Then I said, “Lord, how long?” He answered, “Until cities are waste without inhabitant, and houses without man, and the land becomes utterly waste, 12And Yahweh has removed men far away, and the forsaken places are many within the land. 13If there is a tenth left in it, that also will in turn be consumed: as a terebinth, and as an oak, whose stock remains when they are felled; so the holy seed is its stock.”
World English Bible (public domain)
“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 6:8
Summary
In Isaiah Chapter 6, the prophet Isaiah receives a transformative vision of God seated upon a throne, exalted and majestic. Surrounded by seraphim who declare God's holiness, the scene underscores God's immense glory and purity. Isaiah becomes acutely aware of his own sinfulness and inadequacy, lamenting his unclean lips amidst a people of similar condition. In response, one of the seraphim touches Isaiah's lips with a coal from the altar, symbolically cleansing him and preparing him for service. This pivotal interaction conveys God's grace and the purification necessary to serve Him faithfully. Isaiah then hears the divine call, 'Whom shall I send?' to which he responds readily with, 'Here I am! Send me.' This eager acceptance is met with God's commissioning of Isaiah to deliver a sobering message to a people resistant to divine truth. Ultimately, this chapter reveals key themes such as God's holiness, human sinfulness, the possibility of redemption, and the call to prophetic ministry. Theologically, Isaiah 6 emphasizes the necessity of divine cleansing before one can effectively participate in God’s mission, highlighting the intersection of judgment and hope.
Key Themes
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