Mark's Blog

One of the great experiences with Bible study is that moment when you are surprised by a very familiar text.  For missionary-types like myself who have been to hundreds of mission workshops, mission lectureships, and mission forums and who have delivered and heard countless sermons motivating Christians to do missions, the “Here am I! Send Me” text in Isaiah 6 is utterly familiar.

But this week it has been surprisingly new!

Poor King Uzziah—mostly remembered for the year he died! He reigned 52 years and was a pretty good king and God blessed his reign—until he became so powerful that he thought he could make his own religion with himself as the chief priest. He went into the temple in Jerusalem and offered incense on the altar, a function reserved for the Levitical priests. While raging at the priests who confronted him, God struck him with leprosy—which had the immediate effect of humbling him, but also making him an outcast until he died (2 Chronicles 26).

This backstory of King Uzziah is interesting because Isaiah’s vision in Chapter 6 takes him into the temple also, but here he sees the Lord on a raised throne, surrounded by winged seraph.  The Lord is wearing a robe that fills the temple—as does smoke—perhaps the smoke of his presence or the smoke of incense—what a scene!

Isaiah’s reaction in the temple is exactly the opposite of King Uzziah’s. Isaiah says, “I am ruined!”  He feels filthy  or “unclean” (as with leprosy) compared to the glory of the Lord.  And he is especially aware of how filthy his lips are—very interesting for a man who is about to be anointed a prophet!

And his people are also filthy!

There is no altar call, no pleading for forgiveness on Isaiah’s part! He cannot offer sacrifices as King Uzziah had attempted!  No, the initiative for forgiveness begins with God.  His messenger-seraph takes an ember from the altar and touches Isaiah’s lips—that must have been frightening!

“Your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for!”  All passive construction—all God’s doing, not Isaiah’s!  Not ours!

Then almost immediately, with his lips and soul still tingling from the burning coal-cleansing, Isaiah hears the Lord asking for a volunteer.  Now who else was in this scene except the seraph??  The Lord could have chosen a winged heavenly being to deliver His message—but that wasn’t their task.  Instead He called on Isaiah to volunteer—and, of course, he does—because he is in awe of God and he has been  cleansed—but his people are still filthy.

God sends Isaiah with the word “GO” as He has so many of us missionary types. That’s why verse 8 is one of the bread-and-butter verses of every missionary calling!

But here is the surprise!

The message that God gives to Isaiah to proclaim to his filthy people is one of judgment! Isaiah’s commission is to be the watchman (to borrow from Ezekiel) who blows the warning trumpet, only to be ignored. The enemy will come; the towns will be wasted; the people will be carried away!  Even the remnant who might survive the main onslaught will be invaded again—and nothing and no one will be left!!

I believe in the wrath of God, and I believe in judgment—but I am really happy that I—we—have been sent with Good News!  We have been sent with “God so loved the world that He gave His only Son . . .  .“  Our message is that every one can be saved!

If the prophets could go out with such bad news, surely we who have been cleansed should not be shy or timid about going out with the Good News.