Isaiah chapter 6
Isaiah beholds the holiness of the LORD God. Isaiah is called to be a prophet to the nation.
ISAIAH BEHOLDS THE HOLINESS OF THE LORD GOD
VERSE 1. In the year that king Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up; and his train filled the temple.
BBE translation. In the year of King Uzziah’s death I saw the Lord seated in his place, high and lifted up, and the Temple was full of the wide skirts of his robe.
the year. Probably 738 BC.
King Uzziah. This is the king Uzziah named in the genealogy of Jesus Christ:
Matthew 1:8. Asa became the father of Jehoshaphat. Jehoshaphat became the father of Joram. Joram became the father of Uzziah.
Matthew 1:9. Uzziah became the father of Jotham. Jotham became the father of Ahaz. Ahaz became the father of Hezekiah.
death. Uzziah died in 742 BC.
wide skirts. That is, the “train” of his robe.
VERSE 2. Above him stood the seraphim. Each one had six wings. With two he covered his face. With two he covered his feet. With two he flew.
seraphim. It literally it means “burning ones.”
Each one had six wings. The seraphs have six wings.
VERSE 3. One called to another, and said, “Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of Hosts! The whole earth is full of his glory!”
Holy, holy, holy. The angels behold the holiness of the LORD God.
VERSE 4. The foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke.
ISAIAH IS CALLED TO BE A PROPHET TO THE NATION
VERSE 5. Then I said, “Woe is me! For I am undone, because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell among a people of unclean lips: for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of Hosts!”
Jacob saw the LORD God face-to-face. But after that, nobody was permitted to see the face of God. Not even Moses. No one was permitted to see him and live. Read more »
VERSE 6. Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar.
A seraph brought a burning ember and touched Isaiah’s lips.
VERSE 7. He touched my mouth with it, and said, “Behold, this has touched your lips; and your iniquity is taken away, and your sin forgiven.”
your sin forgiven. The seraph forgives sins, just like Jesus Christ. Is this Jesus Christ, in disguise?
VERSE 8. I heard the Lord’s voice, saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here I am. Send me!”
This verse is fantastic! Would you consider memorizing it? More great verses to memorize from the Book of Isaiah and from the entire Bible.
who will go for us. The “us” suggests the Holy Trinity.
Here am I. Send me! Isaiah responds to God like young Samuel.
In our day, God still looks for people who will respond to his call. He looks for those who will go, and speak on his behalf. Will you heed his summons?
God did NOT tell Isaiah to do these things:
- Stay and pray
- Stay and pay others to go
- Go and be silent
- Stay and be silent
VERSE 9. He said, “Go, and tell this people, ‘You hear indeed, but don’t understand. You see indeed, but don’t perceive.’
MSG translation. He said, “Go and tell this people “‘Listen hard, but you aren’t going to get it; look hard, but you won’t catch on.’
Go, and tell this people. Isaiah is tasked to communicate God’s revealed truth. He is commissioned with the ministry of prophet.
Listen hard. Most people do not listen hard.
but you aren’t going to get it. If people do not listen hard, it should not be a surprise that they don’t get it.
But in this case, even if they listened hard, they still wouldn’t get it.
VERSE 10. Make the heart of this people fat. Make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their heart, and turn again, and be healed.”
BBE translation. Make the hearts of this people fat, and let their ears be stopped, and their eyes shut; for fear that they may see with their eyes, and be hearing with their ears, and their heart may become wise, and they may be turned to me and made well.
MSG translation. Make these people blockheads, with fingers in their ears and blindfolds on their eyes, So they won’t see a thing, won’t hear a word, So they won’t have a clue about what’s going on and, yes, so they won’t turn around and be made whole.
lest they see with their eyes. The Lord Jesus Christ said these words.
He spoke in parables so that people wouldn’t get it.
If they had understood his message, they would either have made him a secular king. Or they would have crucified him prior to the appointed time.
they won’t turn around. That is, they won’t repent.
and be made whole. That is, they won’t be made whole.
VERSE 11. Then I said, “Lord, how long?” He answered, “Until cities are waste without inhabitant, houses without man, the land becomes utterly waste,
Lord, how long? A prophet beholds the holiness of God, and wonders how long before he acts to correct the evils we humans do to each other.
A prophet also wonders how long he has to keep delivering a message of doom.
Until cities are waste without inhabitant.This predicts the Assyrian siege of Jerusalem.
VERSE 12. and the LORD has removed men far away, and the forsaken places are many within the land.
removed men far away. This predicts the Assyrian siege of Jerusalem.
VERSE 13. If there is a tenth left in it, that also will in turn be consumed, as a terebinth, and as an oak, whose stump remains when they are cut down; so the holy seed is its stock.”
MSG translation. And even if some should survive, say a tenth, the devastation will start up again. The country will look like pine and oak forest with every tree cut down — Every tree a stump, a huge field of stumps. But there’s a holy seed in those stumps.
a tenth. This is the faithful remnant.
The Bible describes a uniquely faithful group of believers called “the remnant.” Are they Jewish or Christians? Now or in the future? Who are they really? Read more »
the holy seed. That is, Jesus Christ.
a holy seed in those stumps. There is hope.
ISAIAH
CHAPTERS: 01, 02, 03, 04, 05, 06, 07, 08, 09, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66
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Unless otherwise noted, all Bible quotations on this page are from the World English Bible and the World Messianic Edition. These translations have no copyright restrictions. They are in the Public Domain.