Isa 6:6-8 | KingComments | STEP | While matter moves as the glory of God is revealed, the hearts of God’s people remain hard and motionless. But not Isaiah’s heart. The vision causes him to fall down before the LORD. The LORD is “a consuming fire” ( ; ). In this overwhelming light he sees himself as being just as doom worthy as the people. He is going to realize that his fate does not depend on an earthly king ( ), but on the LORD, the heavenly King, the three times holy God. That is why, after the six woes over the people in the previous chapter, he pronounces a “woe” for the seventh time, this time over himself ( ). It is the ‘woe me’ of a believer who learns to see himself in God’s presence. It is not about certain sins, as with the people, but about his sinfulness. That is a deeper work. Peter also comes to the conviction of his sinfulness in the presence of the Lord ( ). We also see it with Abraham who feels like this in God’s presence when he intercedes for Sodom for the sake of Lot ( ; cf. ). We see the same with Ezekiel when he is called ( ), with John on Patmos ( ) and with Saul when he is on his way to Damascus ( ) when they come face to face with the Lord Jesus in His glory. In each of them their further service is characterized by this appearance and encounter. We do not get these visions, but have them in the Word. By reading the Word we will have the same experience. We will behold the glory of the Lord with the eyes of our hearts and be changed into that image, just as they have been changed by it. We will be overwhelmed by the reading of God’s Word in the same way as Isaiah and the others. With the exclamation “woe is me” Isaiah makes himself one with the sinful people. He feels unclean in the presence of the LORD. He knows himself spiritually in the same unclean condition of leprosy as in which King Uzziah, mentioned in , ended up through pride ( ; ). By acknowledging the judgment that he is worth, Isaiah escapes the judgment that God must bring on the whole people. Self-judgment is always the way to personally escape the judgment with which God must strike the whole. For God is always ready to grant salvation. Isaiah now participates in the assurance of forgiveness. In this he is a type of the believing remnant in the future. This is how it should always be with us. The more we understand the characteristics of Christ’s atoning work and the glories of His Person, the more we will become aware of our sinfulness. The closer we are to the Lord, the greater the awareness of our unworthiness will be. Therefore, we will learn to identify ourselves with the condition in which our fellow-members of the body of Christ have come if they have become unfaithful and go a sinful way. We will learn to confess their sins as ours. Ezra and Daniel have learned and done this ( ; ; cf. ). Only in this way we can, like Isaiah here, be called and used by the Lord as a true blessing for others. For a contrite heart there is immediate grace (cf. ). A seraph brings Isaiah into contact with what lies on the altar ( ). Because of what the altar represents – Christ, Who offers Himself to God, which gives God the opportunity to offer forgiveness ( ) – Isaiah is assured of the forgiveness of his sins ( ). Through the application of a coal from the altar of incense, he is made fit for his service. He can now go out, surrounded by the aroma of the altar of incense (cf. ). In this section we find both a throne and an (incense) altar. This refers to the glory of the Lord Jesus as King and Priest. In Israel king and priest are always separated. When king Uzziah asserts himself to fulfill a priestly task, he becomes leprous ( ). Only the Lord Jesus, like Melchizedek, can be both King and Priest.

‏ Isaiah 6:6-8

Sinfulness and Forgiveness

While matter moves as the glory of God is revealed, the hearts of God’s people remain hard and motionless. But not Isaiah’s heart. The vision causes him to fall down before the LORD. The LORD is “a consuming fire” (Isa 33:14; Heb 12:29). In this overwhelming light he sees himself as being just as doom worthy as the people.

He is going to realize that his fate does not depend on an earthly king (Isa 6:1), but on the LORD, the heavenly King, the three times holy God. That is why, after the six woes over the people in the previous chapter, he pronounces a “woe” for the seventh time, this time over himself (Isa 6:5).

It is the ‘woe me’ of a believer who learns to see himself in God’s presence. It is not about certain sins, as with the people, but about his sinfulness. That is a deeper work. Peter also comes to the conviction of his sinfulness in the presence of the Lord (Lk 5:8). We also see it with Abraham who feels like this in God’s presence when he intercedes for Sodom for the sake of Lot (Gen 18:27; cf. Job 42:6). We see the same with Ezekiel when he is called (Eze 1:28), with John on Patmos (Rev 1:17) and with Saul when he is on his way to Damascus (Acts 9:3-4) when they come face to face with the Lord Jesus in His glory.

In each of them their further service is characterized by this appearance and encounter. We do not get these visions, but have them in the Word. By reading the Word we will have the same experience. We will behold the glory of the Lord with the eyes of our hearts and be changed into that image, just as they have been changed by it. We will be overwhelmed by the reading of God’s Word in the same way as Isaiah and the others.

With the exclamation “woe is me” Isaiah makes himself one with the sinful people. He feels unclean in the presence of the LORD. He knows himself spiritually in the same unclean condition of leprosy as in which King Uzziah, mentioned in Isa 6:1, ended up through pride (2Chr 26:19-21; Lev 13:45). By acknowledging the judgment that he is worth, Isaiah escapes the judgment that God must bring on the whole people. Self-judgment is always the way to personally escape the judgment with which God must strike the whole. For God is always ready to grant salvation. Isaiah now participates in the assurance of forgiveness. In this he is a type of the believing remnant in the future.

This is how it should always be with us. The more we understand the characteristics of Christ’s atoning work and the glories of His Person, the more we will become aware of our sinfulness. The closer we are to the Lord, the greater the awareness of our unworthiness will be. Therefore, we will learn to identify ourselves with the condition in which our fellow-members of the body of Christ have come if they have become unfaithful and go a sinful way. We will learn to confess their sins as ours. Ezra and Daniel have learned and done this (Ezra 9:1-15; Dan 9:3-23; cf. Neh 9:16-37). Only in this way we can, like Isaiah here, be called and used by the Lord as a true blessing for others.

For a contrite heart there is immediate grace (cf. Isa 57:15). A seraph brings Isaiah into contact with what lies on the altar (Isa 6:6). Because of what the altar represents – Christ, Who offers Himself to God, which gives God the opportunity to offer forgiveness (2Cor 5:20-21) – Isaiah is assured of the forgiveness of his sins (Isa 6:7). Through the application of a coal from the altar of incense, he is made fit for his service. He can now go out, surrounded by the aroma of the altar of incense (cf. 2Cor 2:14-16).

In this section we find both a throne and an (incense) altar. This refers to the glory of the Lord Jesus as King and Priest. In Israel king and priest are always separated. When king Uzziah asserts himself to fulfill a priestly task, he becomes leprous (2Chr 26:19). Only the Lord Jesus, like Melchizedek, can be both King and Priest.

Call and Command

Isaiah is now fit to bring his serious message. He hears “the voice of the Lord” (Adonai, Isa 6:1) with the question of whom He will send (Isa 6:8). The “Lord”, Who is speaking here for the first time, is God the Holy Spirit (Acts 28:25b-27). At the same time it is also the Lord Jesus, as we know from the already quoted text from John 12 (Jn 12:41). This explains why the first question says “I”, singular, and the second question “Us”, plural. The plural “Us” (cf. Gen 1:26) makes it clear that the triune God – Father, Son and Holy Spirit – is speaking here.

The question is not so much a general consideration, nor is it addressed to several people, but is addressed to the heart of Isaiah personally. It is clear that the question has not been asked to the angels in heaven. If that were so, the whole heavenly host would have immediately come forward and exclaimed: ‘Send me, send me!’ However, the angels remain silent. No one but Isaiah has been made fit to answer this question. He is the vessel that is cleansed and therefore useful to the Master (2Tim 2:21).

Isaiah answers immediately. He has no questions or objections and says: “Here am I. Send me.” None of “His angels … who perform His word” (Psa 103:20) can be sent to sinful people for this service. Only a man whose lips are unclean at first, but have now been cleansed, can be sent to a people whose lips are unclean. With the same goal, we too are on earth.

There is nothing that prevents the fellowship between Isaiah and the Lord. When everything that stands in the way of our fellowship with the Lord Jesus is removed, we can fulfill every task He commands us to do in His power. Then nothing that He asks of us will be too heavy for us. Here we see the order:

1. first being convinced of our own unworthiness in God’s presence, then

2. cleansing and then

3. sent out in the service of God.

The command Isaiah receives is a very heavy one (Isa 6:9). He has to go to “these people” and bring them the judgment of hardening. By calling the people “this people” – and not speaking of “My people” – the LORD takes distance from His people (Isa 6:9-10; cf. Exo 32:9 ; 21 ; 31; Num 11:11-14).

The message of hardening that Isaiah is to bring (Isa 6:10) will later also be brought to the people by the Lord Jesus (Mt 13:10-15). At the same time, this makes clear why this judgment of hardening must come on the mass of the people: because they reject the Lord Jesus. This rejection is clearly evident in attributing the work of the Spirit in Christ to “Beelzebul the ruler of demons”, that is to satan himself (Mt 12:22-32).

Still later, this verse of Isaiah will also make clear that the people reject the testimony of the Holy Spirit through the mouth of Paul (Acts 28:25-27). With this they will seal the judgment of hardening.

They have persisted so much in their sin of rejecting the LORD and are so stubborn in their refusal to return to Him, that the possibility of conversion and healing is now over. They will hear the preaching, but they will not understand its spiritual meaning. They will think that they see, they will even boast that they see, but their rejection of the Lord Jesus will be proof that they are blind and that their sin remains (Jn 9:39-41).

Whoever falls under the judgment of hardening is from that moment on no longer accessible to the Word of God. The heart has become of stone. It is indeed true that someone can no longer come to God if God no longer draws him (Jn 6:44). Then God has surrendered him to himself and his lusts because he himself has chosen to do so (Rom 1:24 ; 26 ; 28). This is the judgment on Israel.

That judgment of hardening has not come over the whole of Israel, but over a part of it (Rom 11:25). That part is the mass. It is the unbelieving mass that is in the land. Since that time, evangelizing among orthodox Jews has been almost without result, because of this hardening. Jews do regularly come to repentance, there is always a remnant, even in this time (Rom 11:5), but these are exceptions. The mass is hardened.

At the beginning of Zionism, in the nineteenth century, there seemed to be a national revival among the Israelites. Many returned to the land. Some also came to repentance. There came faith in Jesus as the Messiah. On the basis of their own Scriptures it was and is explained that the Messiah had already come. But the vast majority of those who live in Israel don’t like the Messiah Jesus at all and rely on their own strength and follow their own insights to face the problems.