Dwell in the Word: Isaiah 6:1-7

Contemplate these questions as you dwell in Isaiah 6:1-7:

1. The concept of God's absolute holiness is central in Isaiah 6. How does Isaiah's encounter with the holiness of God transform his understanding of his own sinful nature and that of his people? What can this teach us about recognizing our own shortcomings in the light of God's perfection?

2. The Seraphim's act of cleansing Isaiah's lips with a burning coal symbolizes the purification of his iniquity. What significance does this act hold in the context of atonement and forgiveness? How does this event reflect the divine initiative in granting absolution and cleansing?

3. Isaiah's response to God's holiness and grace leads to acknowledgment, repentance, and restoration. How can this passage guide believers today in approaching God with humility, recognizing their need for forgiveness, and experiencing the cleansing offered through Christ's sacrifice?

Transcript:

Well, here we are in Isaiah 6, and just like a few days back, I have a memory of a song from 90s Christian music to remind me of this passage. Just a few days back, I mentioned the song Women of Zion by Johnny Q-Public. Well, today the song is Isaiah 6 from the punk band called One Bad Pig. Yes, that was their name. They even had a little mascot who was a pig dressed in leather and it had spikes and stuff. Yeah, it was interesting. But anyway, that is a part of my past I thoroughly enjoy, and have fond memories of. I remember seeing One Bad Pig at the Sonshine Music Festival in Wilmer, Minnesota. I think it would have been in '91 or '92, a fantastic show. But I remember them performing this song, Isaiah Six. And the idea behind the song and the idea behind the passage here is the absolute holiness of God and being convicted of our sin because of it. Now, we see here that Isaiah sees this vision or sees God in the temple, and he also sees his seraphim. Now, we have this description of the seraphim. We don't know exactly what they looked like, but we do know that they had six wings.

Now, we would naturally think that the six wings would be useful for flying faster or flying longer. But here, Isaiah tells us that they cover their face, that they cover their feet, and with two, they are flying. Well, the reason they might be covering the feet, we think, is because the words used here could be feet or legs. Probably the idea of modesty, of covering themselves up is the idea there. But with the face, we get the idea that God is holy, God is absolutely holy, and so they're covering their face from seeing the mighty one, the Almighty, holy God of Israel. And then with the last two, they are flying. Well, what do they say? And I love this phrase here. I don't know why it draws me in, but And one called to another. They're calling back and forth the absolute holiness of God. Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts, the whole earth is full of His glory. Now, if you're not familiar at all with the teaching of R. C. Spruel, you know what I'm about to say about holy, holy, holy. Now, in Hebrew, repetition is the way in which you have emphasis.

As R. C. Sproul teaches in his teaching on the holiness of God, and specifically of this passage, usually we see the idea of something being amplified to the second level. For example, if it was a pit, pit. If it's a really deep pit, we might call it a pit pit. I think that's the example actually R. C. Sproul uses, so I'm stealing that from him. But we don't see anywhere in scripture, anywhere else in the Hebrew language where it's taken to the third level. But here it is. God is not just holy. God is not just holy, holy. It's taken to the third level. He is holy, holy, holy. God is absolutely the holiest thing that we could ever possibly imagine. And we can't even really fully imagine the holiness of God because He is pure. He is perfect. He is mighty. He is all those things that we know God to be. And we see here that when this is revealed to Isaiah, the foundations of the temple shake. Now, remember, the idea of the temple would have been one of the biggest, most secure buildings that these people would have understood in their world.

This was a big building by their standards, but yet God is able to shake it. He is more powerful than even the building that is to contain His holiness for the worship and the sacrifice of the people. God shakes the thresholds here, but also the temple is filled with smoke. The smoke from the incense in the law, the idea is that it veils the holiness of God from the priests who are going into the Holy of Holies. That's also the idea that we see here. But we see what Isaiah's reaction is. 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. This is a really powerful thing because we have seen God speaking out against the iniquity, against the idolatry, against everything that is going on in Judah, Jerusalem, and Israel. It's talking about the people, the people. It's really easy when we think about sin to think about those people over there. But when Isaiah is confronted with the absolute holiness of God. He understands his own iniquity.

He understands that it isn't just those people over there who have unclean lips. He understands that his lips are unclean also. That is the point of understanding the holiness of God. That is the point of understanding and truly understanding God's law that we understand. It isn't just other people. It is me too. I am holy or I am not holy, but God is, and so I need a cure. I need something to make it so that I can be in the presence of God. Then we see this amazing image that the Seraphim fly to Isaiah, and they take this burning coal from the altar, and they touch the mouth of Isaiah, and essentially they burn his unclean lips clean. And what do they tell him? Your guilt is taken away and your sin atone for. Notice that Isaiah doesn't do this. He has no activity in this whatsoever other than his Statement of Repentance and his acknowledgment of his sinfulness and what happens. God provides a means by which he is having His sins taken away that he is forgiven. As we think of this passage, may we understand the absolute holiness of God. When we come into His presence, when we worship Him, may we acknowledge that He is holy and we are not and we need Him, we are not able to clean our lips on our own because we are a misstate and unclean people ourselves, right?

We need God to make us clean. So may we continually understand the holiness of God. May we desire to be forgiven. May we desire to understand fully the depth of what Christ has done for us that He has come through the power of God, and He has given us this gift of faith that helps us to understand that we are made holy not by what we do, but by what He has done, by the truth that our sin is atone for because of what Christ has done for us in His life: death, resurrection, and ascension.