Welcome to Week One of our study in the Book of Isaiah. The prophet Isaiah (Hebrew, Yeshaˊyāhû, Jehovah is salvation or salvation of Jehovah) wrote the longest, most beautiful, and most Messianic of the prophetic books. Isaiah is quoted in the New Testament more often than any other prophet.
This week we come to the first nine verses of chapter 6, which record a vision Isaiah experienced as God called him to the prophetic office and sent Isaiah to deliver God’s message to a stubborn and rebellious nation of Israel.
Thank you to my wife Tracy for her work writing this week’s prayer prompts.
Index to Days 2 through 5
Day 1
What Isaiah Saw
Observe
Isaiah sees a vision of heaven. He doesn’t see idyllic scenes of pastoral bliss, with happy denizens strolling through verdant meadows. He sees the Lord and it dominates his vision.
Isaiah 6:1–2 (ESV)
1 In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. 2 Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew.
Exodus 33:17–23 (ESV)
17 And the Lord said to Moses, “This very thing that you have spoken I will do, for you have found favor in my sight, and I know you by name.” 18 Moses said, “Please show me your glory.” 19 And he said, “I will make all my goodness pass before you and will proclaim before you my name ‘The Lord.’ And I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy. 20 But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for man shall not see me and live.” 21 And the Lord said, “Behold, there is a place by me where you shall stand on the rock, 22 and while my glory passes by I will put you in a cleft of the rock, and I will cover you with my hand until I have passed by. 23 Then I will take away my hand, and you shall see my back, but my face shall not be seen.”
Exodus 34:29–35 (ESV)
29 When Moses came down from Mount Sinai, with the two tablets of the testimony in his hand as he came down from the mountain, Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone because he had been talking with God. 30 Aaron and all the people of Israel saw Moses, and behold, the skin of his face shone, and they were afraid to come near him. 31 But Moses called to them, and Aaron and all the leaders of the congregation returned to him, and Moses talked with them. 32 Afterward all the people of Israel came near, and he commanded them all that the Lord had spoken with him in Mount Sinai. 33 And when Moses had finished speaking with them, he put a veil over his face.
34 Whenever Moses went in before the Lord to speak with him, he would remove the veil, until he came out. And when he came out and told the people of Israel what he was commanded, 35 the people of Israel would see the face of Moses, that the skin of Moses’ face was shining. And Moses would put the veil over his face again, until he went in to speak with him.
Isaiah sees God seated on his throne, “high and lifted up.” That is, God is above and over all other authorities and powers. The train of his robe filled the temple. When one king would conquer another, they would cut a portion of the defeated king’s cloak and have it sewn into the train of their own. The longer the train, and the more pieces of other cloaks sewn into it, the more powerful the king. The train of the Lord’s robe is so large because the Lord has conquered every other king.
What is our expectation of heaven? Is it to be reunited with loved ones? To have a blissful retirement wandering in those meadows we mentioned? Or is it that we will be with the Lord? Is he what we look forward to the most about heaven? Pastor Sam said it in last week’s podcast: The church is guilty of making Jesus the means to an end. Heaven is the goal and Jesus is just how you get there. No! Jesus IS the goal, he IS the prize, and heaven is where we go to be with him.
- What do you imagine heaven will be like?
- Which pleases you more: Being with Jesus, or escaping judgment?
Lord, I may never see a glorious vision of you as you gave to Isaiah, but I pray that I will see you, first and always, in this world and in the lives or your people and in my own life. You have revealed yourself to me, even me! Transform me with this vision of your glory. I praise you and thank you.
Day 2
What Isaiah Heard
Observe
Isaiah heard the voice of the seraphim crying out “Holy, holy, holy!” In Hebrew, intensity is communicated by repetition. In particular, repeating the word holy three times when referring to God is called a trihagion. It not only emphasizes the intensity of God’s holiness, but the “thrice holy God” calls attention to his Triune nature.
Isaiah 6:3–4 (ESV)
3 And one called to another and said:
“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts;
the whole earth is full of his glory!”
4 And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke.
Revelation 4:8–9 (ESV)
8 And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and within, and day and night they never cease to say,
“Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty,
who was and is and is to come!”
9 And whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to him who is seated on the throne, who lives forever and ever,
Revelation 15:3–4 (ESV)
3 And they sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying,
“Great and amazing are your deeds,
O Lord God the Almighty!
Just and true are your ways,
O King of the nations!
4 Who will not fear, O Lord,
and glorify your name?
For you alone are holy.
All nations will come
and worship you,
for your righteous acts have been revealed.”
Psalm 19:1–3 (ESV)
1 The heavens declare the glory of God,
and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.
2 Day to day pours out speech,
and night to night reveals knowledge.
3 There is no speech, nor are there words,
whose voice is not heard.
Psalm 57:11 (ESV)
11 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens!
Let your glory be over all the earth!
Habakkuk 2:14 (ESV)
14 For the earth will be filled
with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord
as the waters cover the sea.
Romans 1:20 (ESV)
20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.
The voices of the seraphim were so powerful that it caused the structure of the temple itself to shake. And what is it they so powerfully declared? The whole earth is full of his glory! We often get so caught up in the brokenness of this fallen world that we cannot see the glory of God on display all around us. Romans 1:20 says God’s evident glory in creation is sufficient to render us without excuse for knowing he exists. The world today is no more reprobate than it was in the days of Isaiah, in fact there are shocking parallels between ancient Israel and modern day America. Can we see past the ruinous sin and still perceive the glory of God around us?
- What are some examples of God’s glory you personally have seen in the world around you?
- Why do we become so obsessed with what’s wrong with the world?
Heavenly Father, with all the competing voices in this world, I pray that you will tune my ear to you, and the voices that offer praise to you. In the thunder, help me hear of your strength. In the laughter, help me find your joy. In the weeping, Lord, give me your compassion. Strengthen my voice to speak and sing your praises.
Day 3
What Isaiah Felt
Observe
Isaiah’s reaction to all that he saw and heard was to pronounce doom upon himself.
Isaiah 6:5 (ESV)
5 And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!”
Job 42:5–6 (ESV)
5 I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear,
but now my eye sees you;
6 therefore I despise myself,
and repent in dust and ashes.”
Daniel 10:15–17 (ESV)
15 When he had spoken to me according to these words, I turned my face toward the ground and was mute. 16 And behold, one in the likeness of the children of man touched my lips. Then I opened my mouth and spoke. I said to him who stood before me, “O my lord, by reason of the vision pains have come upon me, and I retain no strength. 17 How can my lord’s servant talk with my lord? For now no strength remains in me, and no breath is left in me.”
Luke 5:8 (ESV)
8 But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.”
Revelation 1:7 (ESV)
7 Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him. Even so. Amen.
Psalm 12:2 (ESV)
2 Everyone utters lies to his neighbor;
with flattering lips and a double heart they speak.
Psalm 31:18 (ESV)
18 Let the lying lips be mute,
which speak insolently against the righteous
in pride and contempt.
Psalm 34:13 (ESV)
13 Keep your tongue from evil
and your lips from speaking deceit.
Psalm 59:7 (ESV)
7 There they are, bellowing with their mouths
with swords in their lips—
for “Who,” they think, “will hear us?”
Psalm 140:3 (ESV)
3 They make their tongue sharp as a serpent’s,
and under their lips is the venom of asps. Selah
Ephesians 4:29 (ESV)
29 Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.
Text note for Bible nerds: The ESV, in my opinion, really waters down verse 5. It has Isaiah saying “I am lost,” and that is simply not what the word means. Among all English translations, only the ESV and the RSV (upon which the ESV is based) use the word lost. The KJV/NKJV use the word undone, the NASB/NIV/CSB translate it as ruined, the NLT (never one to miss a chance for a dramatic rendering) has Isaiah saying he was doomed. One of the most technically accurate of the modern translations, the NET, says it should be translated destroyed.
Isaiah is not saying merely that he is lost, Isaiah is so overwhelmed by the infinite holiness and glory of God that he was poised to come apart on the molecular level! That is why I favor the KJV/NKJV rendering of “undone,” meaning that his creation was reversed, literally “uncreated” or “unmade.” All this from seeing the glory of God on full display. Isaiah was not alone in feeling this way. Other godly men in the presence of the Lord reacted the same: Job (Job 42:5-6), Daniel (Daniel 10:15-17), Peter (Luke 5:8) and John (Revelation 1:7) each collapsed under the weight of having their sinful selves compared with a holy God.
Why did Isaiah focus on his lips? Certainly he did not see sinful speech as his only failing, but what comes out of our mouths is the clearest indication of what’s going on in our hearts, as the Psalms make clear: By nature, our lips are full of flattery and false intent (Psalm 12:2). By nature, our lips lie and are proud (Psalm 31:18). By nature, our lips deceive (Psalm 34:13). By nature, our lips are violent (Psalm 59:7). By nature, our lips bring death to others (Psalm 140:3). What is revealed by your lips?
- What will people know is in your heart when they listen to what comes out of your mouth?
- According to Ephesians 4:29, what words should come out of our mouths?
Dear Lord, I have felt like Isaiah. At times my sin and failure rises up in my mind until it seems to fill my world. I fail over and over, and in my failure I hurt the people I love, waste the precious time you’ve given me and neglect your work. Too often my words injure rather than bless. Cleanse me Lord, and bring words of praise and encouragement to my heart, so they flow from my heart to my mouth.
Day 4
God’s Response
Observe
God does not stand idly by while Isaiah literally falls apart, nor does God banish him from the throne room.
Isaiah 6:6–7 (ESV)
6 Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. 7 And he touched my mouth and said: “Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.”
Hebrews 1:7 (ESV)
7 Of the angels he says,
“He makes his angels winds,
and his ministers a flame of fire.”
Matthew 3:11 (ESV)
11 “I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.
Hebrews 9:22–26 (ESV)
22 Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.
23 Thus it was necessary for the copies of the heavenly things to be purified with these rites, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. 24 For Christ has entered, not into holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true things, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf. 25 Nor was it to offer himself repeatedly, as the high priest enters the holy places every year with blood not his own, 26 for then he would have had to suffer repeatedly since the foundation of the world. But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.
2 Corinthians 5:21 (ESV)
21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
One of the seraphim grabs a coal from the altar and carries it over to Isaiah, touching it to his lips. Why a coal from the altar? An altar used for burnt offerings was surrounded by a bed of red-hot coals and as the sacrifice was made, the blood would run down from the altar and sear onto the coals. An altar in the throne room of heaven would only have seen one sacrifice: the Lamb of God who died to take away the sin of the world. It was the blood of that Lamb that was seared onto those coals, and it was that same blood that took away Isaiah’s iniquity and made atonement for all his sin. We do not need to fear seeing the overwhelming glory of God, nor do we need to shrink from the shocking realization of the depth of our sinfulness. The correct response to God’s glory and holiness, viewed through the lens of our sinfulness, is to cast ourselves wholly upon God’s unmerited favor toward us and believe that he has atoned for our sin. The level of gratitude we feel for what God has done is directly proportional to how clearly we perceive these things.
- How does God forgiving us differ from us forgiving one another?
- Why can’t we forgive as God does and why should that comfort us when we imagine what it will be like to come before him?
Precious Jesus, thank you, a thousand times and then a thousand times again, for your sacrifice. Thank you for bearing the punishment for my sin. Thank you Father for this plan to redeem your people, established at the foundation of the world, taught to us by your prophets and carried out by your precious son, Jesus. As I live in the freedom of your forgiveness, teach me your mercy and help me to forgive others.
Day 5
Isaiah’s Response
Observe
God has a question, “who will go for us?” Isaiah’s answer was immediate: “Here am I. Send me.”
Isaiah 6:8–9a (ESV)
8 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.” 9 And he said, “Go, and say to this people:
Exodus 4:10–13 (ESV)
10 But Moses said to the Lord, “Oh, my Lord, I am not eloquent, either in the past or since you have spoken to your servant, but I am slow of speech and of tongue.” 11 Then the Lord said to him, “Who has made man’s mouth? Who makes him mute, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Is it not I, the Lord? 12 Now therefore go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall speak.” 13 But he said, “Oh, my Lord, please send someone else.”
Acts 26:16 (ESV)
16 But rise and stand upon your feet, for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you as a servant and witness to the things in which you have seen me and to those in which I will appear to you,
Romans 12:1–2 (ESV)
1 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
There should never be a need for anyone to make an appeal for believers to serve the mission of God. The fact that we are reluctant to go and do anything that’s needed, even for the slightest moment, shows the grip sin has on us. In Isaiah’s case, God was sending him to prophecy a coming judgment to a stubbornly sinful Israel. When Isaiah asked what he should tell them, the Lord responded by explaining the outcome: Isaiah would preach fruitlessly to the people. Can you imagine that? God sends you with his message to the people, tells you in advance that you will fail, and when you ask for how long you must do this, the only answer given is “until I say stop.” How often do we evaluate a request based on its likely outcome? We declare we don’t want to waste our time, but God is in control of all outcomes, both success and failure. We don’t go because we like where we are going, or because we think we can do good along the way. We go because the God who has made atonement for all our sin asks us to go. That’s all the reason we should need.
- What does it mean when you need to know why something is requested or what the likely outcome will be before you do what is asked?
- What do you feel like you would be willing to do for God and how does that objectively compare to what you actually do for him?
Father God, I hold so tightly to the temporary things of this world. I let my eyes focus only on the next thing, the next project or promotion, the next purchase, the next event. Help me to value the eternal things of your mission and your kingdom. Work my hands loose from this life until I can say, “here am I, send me,” and then strengthen me to go when I hear your voice.