Isaiah 6:1-7
In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him were seraphs, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. And they were calling to one another:
"Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty;
the whole earth is full of his glory."
At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke.
"Woe to me!" I cried. "I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty."
Then one of the seraphs flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. With it he touched my mouth and said, "See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for."
I just want to draw attention to a few parts of the passage. This scene is very similar to the scene found in Rev. 4. Isaiah saw God seated on the throne and seraphs were surrounding Him crying "Holy, Holy, Holy". It is interesting to note that the seraphs were covering their faces and their feet with their wings. Even though they are so close to God, the seraphs still had to cover themselves in the presence of the King. I think it once again shows the creatures that are closest to God have a strong sense of humility and awe before God. It's kind of paradoxical, that the closer we are to God, the more we recognize His "set apart-ness" from us.
Examining the response of Isaiah, provides us a good guide to response to God's holy presence. First, Isaiah responded in a holy dreadful fear. He said "woe is me, I am ruined" which is like calling down a curse on himself. He really felt that he was ruined. Second, Isaiah was fearful because he was a "man of unclean lips". He became aware of his sins. Third, Isaiah was concerned about the sin of his people, for he "live among a people of unclean lips". Lastly, Isaiah responded in this way because his "eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty."
The application of this passage is simple. The question is do we have the same response when we encounter God. Are we stricken with a holy fear? "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding" (Prov. 9:10) "Work out your salvation with fear and trembling" (Phil. 2:12b). It is important to have a healthy fear of God. When we encounter God, are we made aware of our sins and how much we need a savior? Thirdly, when we see our King, are we drawn to the people that are around us and how they desperately need Jesus? Do we realize that seeing the King is a big deal, and it is by His grace that we can even come to Him each day?
The last part of the passage is amazing. The seraph brings a coal from the altar and touches Isaiah lips for the atonement and removal of his sins. Removal and atonement of sin is absolutely necessary to enter the presence of God. The coal from the altar gave Isaiah one time access to the throne room of God, how much more glorious is the blood of Christ which gives us unlimited access to His presence. The coal in Isaiah 6 points forward to Jesus and the necessity of the cross. It is impossible to approach a holy God without a holy saviour!
As this section about the holiness of God comes to an end, I just want to draw attention back to the cross. If this short study of the holiness of God did not give you a higher view of God and a deeper appreciation of Christ and the work done on the cross then the past few blog entries have failed you. God's holiness demands us to have a holy savior, which is God himself for no one is holy like our God, Jesus Christ. And this savior must atone for and remove our sins, which is only accomplished through the cross. My prayer is that as we look upon God and His holiness we would gain deeper insights into His glorious gospel and rejoice for it is truly good news.
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