Isaiah had a marvellous vision of the Lord, the throne, the temple, the seraphim, and the glory. To him God’s holiness stood out in sharp contrast to the sham and self-righteousness of the people all about him. He was standing in the presence of God and he found himself overcome with a flood of unworthiness – overwhelmed he exclaimed, ‘Mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts’.
Isaiah saw the Lord of all, sitting upon a high, exalted throne; His train filled the temple. No vision more glorious had ever burst upon human eyes. He saw God, the sovereign absolute Lord, seated upon a throne, before which the seraphim continually proclaimed His holiness. The apostle John is inspired to say that the glory seen by Isaiah was the glory of the pre-incarnate Christ, John 12. 41.
The vision of Jehovah as King was a necessary preparation for Isaiah’s service. In his prophetic ministry he will speak vividly and forcefully of the control of Jehovah behind and above and beyond all the political intrigue and conflict of nations. Kingdoms rise and fall at His command for He is sovereign Controller of the nations. But it was not only necessary that Isaiah received a vision of the sovereignty of God; he needed a vision of the ‘thrice declared holiness of Jehovah’. When brought into that holy light, he saw everything clearly and it produced in him a sense of self-abasement. In the burning light of divine holiness Isaiah realized that he was unclean. He was touched with a sense of his own sin and ruin as well as the people’s, and he cried, ‘Woe is me, for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips’. The closer a believer comes to God, the more sinful and unworthy he feels. The same man who previously denounced the sins of the people with a series of woes, now laments over his own ruin. But there is provision for his sin and uncleanness. Atonement was available in the sacrifice upon the altar, and the touch of the live coal upon his lips resulted in his iniquity being taken away and his sin being purged. The action of the seraphim prepared Isaiah for the call to service. Do not miss the importance of the lesson Isaiah learned; to speak for God requires clean lips.
