Setting the Scene
The period in which Isaiah was called to be a prophet for God was a time of transition and even upheaval. The nation of Judah was coming out of more than 50 years with King Uzziah (aka Azariah) being on the throne (see 2 Kings 15 and 2 Chronicles 26). His reign had been mostly positive, but there were significant troubles toward the end of his life (2 Chronicles 26:16-21). With his time on the throne coming to an end, the people must have wondered what would come next. In this context, with this uncertainty hanging over everyone, Isaiah saw his great vision of the Lord seated on the throne ruling over all the earth.
God is the Holy King of all the earth, so you are free not to pin all your hopes on tomorrow’s news.
What Isaiah saw, and what we are invited to see, is a glimpse of what some have called the “most real world”: the reality of God’s rule over all the earth (6:1). It can be difficult to keep this vision before us when our minds are occupied with the latest news and all the changes Involving political leaders, nations at war, and other social turmoil. But the true king remains on the throne, and in spite of all of the trouble of everyday life, he is the one reliable and trustworthy constant.
Seeing God’s holiness lets us see ourselves in a new light. We are sinners whose lives can be made whole by the Holy God.
When Isaiah saw the Lord, he was shown how holy and glorious God really is, depicted in the activities of the angelic beings (seraphim) singing God’s praises around the throne in the temple (6:2-4). Becoming more deeply aware of God’s glory and holiness, Isaiah saw himself in a new light. Measured by God’s standard, even Isaiah’s best efforts – his words and his ability as a speaker – looked feeble and polluted by sin (6:5). He feared for his life. But the holy God made provision and cleansed Isaiah from his sins when one of the seraphim took a burning coal from the altar and touched Isaiah with it (6:6-7). This is a picture for us of what happened at the Cross of Jesus Christ: in Jesus, we meet God’s holiness but are not destroyed by it. Instead, we are made whole.
Sent: Moving from Sinners to Servants
Now that Isaiah is cleansed of his sin, he is free to accept God’s call for him to go and serve wherever God sends him (6:8). This is what will be needed for the people of Judah as a whole as well: chapters 1-5 show them to be both a mess and the chosen vehicle of God’s purposes.
Today we recognize that the multi-ethnic, international community of Jesus’ followers (the church) is called to bear witness to the world by pointing to God’s goodness. This community is made up of people who, like Isaiah, have come into contact with the painful but healing cross of Jesus Christ. As we are continually made more like Jesus, we are able to be a sign to the world that God is the one who is on the throne and still working in a world that no human leader can ever fully fix.
Discussion Questions
1. Do you worry about the world we live in? What are some of your worries? How do election seasons play into your worries (both provincially/locally and around the world)?
2. Read 2 Kings 15:1-7. What is your impression of Azariah (aka Uzziah) based on this passage?
Now read 2 Chronicles 26:11-23. How does this fuller account of Uzziah’s reign add to your understanding of his life and character?
3. In the biblical text, again and again we see that it is possible to recognize someone’s positive contribution, and yet stop short of making them out to be a figure who does no wrong. Do we sometimes over-idealize human leaders? Have you ever struggled with this balance in your assessment of political leaders in our time?
4. Read Isaiah 6:1-4. How do you think Isaiah’s vision of the Holy God may have made him reconsider the human leaders of his day?
5. Read Isaiah 6:5-8. How might Isaiah’s encounter with the Holy God have affected him as he undertook a mission to speak words of correction to the leaders of his day?
6. How do you think the Christian church and Christian individual believer might be able to present a faithful picture of the “most real world” to today’s society? Can you think of specific ways in which followers of Jesus might live and think in different ways than the culture around us?
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