Isaiah 6

Old Testament priests and kings, when they were invested with the authority of their offices, were anointed with oil poured upon their heads. This was not the case with prophets. What we see instead is that they were brought directly into the heavenly council of God and given an anointing from the Spirit of God as they were commissioned for service. Their work was not an easy calling. Here we have recorded for us the experience of the prophet Isaiah as God called him and spoke to him about the difficult prophetic ministry before him.

In this chapter Isaiah is brought to the throne room of God in a vision. He describes mysterious heavenly angelic creatures who are captivated by God and continually engaged in His worship. We cannot pause too long in our consideration of angels, since by their own mouths they insist they we focus upon God. "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory." This is the interest of heaven - the Lord God Almighty. (Yet the seraphim speak of earth - that the whole earth is full of God's glory. How is it that we lose sight of this fact?)

As Isaiah is brought to see the glory of God in heaven he considers himself in mortal danger. He speaks of his sin and the sin of his community where he dwells. How can he live, since he has seen the Lord? The answer comes from the altar of the heavenly temple. A burning coal from the place of sacrifice is the agent for sanctification. A hot coal on the lips does not sound like a safe cure for anything. But this coal is a symbol. It takes away guilt and atones for sin. It is fitting that it comes from the altar, for the animals that were slain in the Old Testament worship system were sacrificed on the altar, and their blood was supposed to ceremonially take away guilt and atone for sin. But Isaiah was in the real temple in heaven. He needed something more than a ceremonial cure for his uncleanness. Without question this coal must be symbolic of Christ Himself, who alone is the atoning sacrifice for sin.

The right reaction of one who knows that his sin has been decisively put away is to offer up your body as a living sacrifice in the service of the God who gives such abounding grace. This is what Isaiah does. When the call goes out for servants who will go forth in the service of God, Isaiah says, "Here am I! Send me."

But what is the mission that the prophet has just signed up for? I wonder how many of us would sign up for the trials ahead of us in our lives if we could see the cost at the beginning of the journey. It is an expression of the Lord's mercy that He does not tell us all that He knows about the challenges ahead of us. He understands our weakness, and accommodates His revelation to us so that we need not be forever inquiring into things that are part of his secret will. There are many things that it would be best for us not to know until the thing ahead of us actually happens.

Isaiah's situation is something of an exception to this general rule. Even he is not given many specifics, but the severity of the trial ahead of him is clear. One of the most difficult things for anyone who attempts to speak God's Word to His people is when we find out that people will not listen to us. This is what the prophet is told here. God opens up to Isaiah something of the mystery of his providence, specifically that there will be no lasting recovery for Old Testament Israel. How can we deal with the obvious meaning of these words that tell us so plainly that God does not intend for Israel to repent and return to Him at this time?

This challenging fact is not all that different from any grievous event in our lives where we are brought to wonder why? Ultimately for all the smaller individual unanswered whys and for this massive and epochal Old Testament why, we must come to the same conclusion. God has a plan. He understands what He is doing for His own glory. His ways are higher than our ways, and His thoughts are higher than our thoughts. Ultimately we must trust God that He knows what He is doing in closing up of the Old Testament era and beginning of the New Testament era.

Some of the answer does seem to come in the final words of this chapter. A mighty oak is to be felled for sure (Israel), but there will yet be a holy seed as its stump. Something or someone from the very root of Israel will yet remain. There will be an Israel within Israel, even when it seems that all is lost. Ultimately that Israel will consist of one holy seed - one righteous man. If we want to be perplexed by anything that we face, first be perplexed that this one holy seed died on a Roman cross. Then consider the eternal good that proceeded from that one death and the resurrection that followed it. Today the gospel of that one burning coal purifies not just one set of prophetic lips, or even just one elect nation, but the elect of every nation are brought into the household of faith through Him. Together let us be willing to be used by Him, and sent by Him, however perplexing the mission may seem to be at various points along the way. Together let us rejoice, because our guilt is taken away, and our sin is atoned for.