Isaiah 6: Group Study Handout

How to use: read Isaiah 6 aloud together, then take the questions in order. One page is enough for an evening.

Overview

In the year King Uzziah died, Isaiah saw the Lord on a high throne, with the temple filled by His train (vv. 1-2). Seraphim surrounded the Lord, proclaiming, 'Holy, holy, holy, is Yahweh of Armies!

Key verse

“I heard the Lord’s voice, saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here I am. Send me!”
Isaiah 6:8 (WEB)

Outline

Isaiah 6:1–2 Isaiah's Vision of God
Isaiah 6:3–4 The Proclamation of Holiness
Isaiah 6:5–7 Isaiah's Realization and Cleansing
Isaiah 6:8–10 The Divine Commission
Isaiah 6:11–13 The Message of Judgment

Discussion questions

In v2, what do the seraphim use to cover their faces and feet?
In v5, why does Isaiah say 'I am a man of unclean lips'?
God's command in vv. 9-10 to Isaiah seems paradoxical: why send a message that ensures the people's inability to understand?
Isaiah's question, 'How long?' in v11 raises tension: why does God delay the people's healing?
When have you felt 'unclean' like Isaiah in v5, and how did it affect your response to God?

Go deeper

Passages that echo Isaiah 6: Matthew 13, Isaiah 44, John 12.

Before next time: read Isaiah 7.