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Today's Little Lift
by Jim Bullington
Isaiah, Paul of the Old Testament (1 of 10)
Focus Text: Isaiah 6.1-7
The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia’s article on Isaiah begins with this opening paragraph: “Of all Israel's celebrated prophets, Isaiah is the king. The writings which bear his name are among the profoundest in all literature. One great theme--salvation by faith--stamps them all. Isaiah is the Paul of the Old Testament.” Following their lead, we have styles this mini-series, “Isaiah, Paul of the Old Testament.”
That Isaiah was a true prophet of Jehovah is a fact that is indisputable. His book begins with these words, “The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah.” (Isaiah 1.1). The use of the word “vision” in the singular captures every word contained in the book that bears Isaiah’s name; it does not imply that he saw only one vision but rather that the entirety of the book is inspired and hence came to Isaiah through God.
Isaiah’s “call” went like this: “In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the temple. Above it stood seraphim; each one had six wings: with two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one cried to another and said: ‘Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; The whole earth is full of His glory!’ And the posts of the door were shaken by the voice of him who cried out, and the house was filled with smoke. So I said: ‘Woe is me, for I am undone! Because 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.’ Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a live coal which he had taken with the tongs from the altar. And he touched my mouth with it, and said: ‘Behold, this has touched your lips; Your iniquity is taken away, And your sin purged.’” (Isaiah 6.1-7).
Although we know little of Isaiah’s past, we can be sure that the exalted appearance of the Lord to Isaiah was an event that he never forgot. He saw things that he had never seen previously, but his conclusions were entirely of his own mind; at Isaiah’s call, his view of God was shaped by his own conscience and limited only to his realm of human experiences. Like Moses, he initially declined the call albeit for different reasons. Isaiah’s response showed his great reverence for God but it also showed how limited God was in complying with Isaiah’s view of Him. If God possessed such majesty and power, could He not equip Isaiah to deliver His message? Regardless of Isaiah’s inadequacies, could God not equip him adequately to perform the tasks for which he was being called? To ask these questions is to answer them, yet Isaiah still declared, “Woe is me, for I am undone!” Isaiah’s first response is similar to other biblical characters who failed to see that the power was in God and His message, not in the messenger!
Humility is a positive trait, but when it runs afoul of what God demands of us, it becomes false humility. Let’s reverence God in a healthy manner but in so doing, let’s also give Him credit for being able to use weak and flawed vessels such as we are!
Questions:
1. What does the word “vision” cover in Isaiah 1.1?
2. What images and/or words in the focus text demonstrates God’s might and power?
3. Why did Isaiah think himself “undone” when he saw this image of God? Did God already know Isaiah’s character? His flaws? Weaknesses? What lessons can we learn for the fact that God knows us whether He ever appears to us or not?
4. What statement convinced Isaiah that he should answer God’s call?
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