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ISAIAH CHAPTER 6
OBSERVATION STAGE
The purpose of
the observation stage is to maintain focus on the text at hand within the
normative rules of language, context and logic 
.
.This
limits the observer to the content offered by the book of Isaiah. This
will serve to avoid going on unnecessary tangents elsewhere; and more
importantly, it will provide the framework for a proper and objective
comparison with passages located elsewhere in Scripture.
Remember that something elsewhere may be true, but in the text at hand it may not be in view.
(Isa 6:1 YLT) '''In the year of the death of king Uzziah - I see the LORD, sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and His train [of His robe] is filling the temple.
(Isa 6:2 YLT) [Seraphim] are standing above it: six wings [has] each one; ... two [each] covers its face, and... two [each covers] its feet, and with two [each it flies]
(Isa 6:3 NASB) And one called out to another and said, "Holy, Holy, Holy, is the LORD of hosts, The whole earth is full of His glory."
(Isa 6:4 HOLMAN) The foundations of the doorways shook at the sound of their voices, and the temple was filled with smoke.
(Isa 6:5 NKJV) So I [Isaiah say] "Woe is me, for I am undone! Because 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."
(Isa 6:6 ASV) Then [flies] one of the seraphim unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar:
(Isa 6:7 NKJV) And he touched my mouth with it, and [says] "Behold, this has touched your lips; Your iniquity [has been] taken away, And your sin [is] purged [Hebrew, lit., atoned for]."
(Isa 6:8 YLT) And I hear the voice of [my] LORD, saying: "Whom do I send? and who [goes] for Us?" And I say, "Here [am] I, send me."
(Isa 6:9 YLT) And He [says], "Go, and [have it told] to this people, 'Hear... hear, and [you] do not understand, And see.. see and [you] do not know.'
(Isa 6:10 NKJV) Make the heart of this people fat, And their ears heavy [unable to ear clearly what is said] And shut their eyes; Lest they see with their eyes, And hear with their ears, And understand with [each one with his] heart, And return and be healed.
(Isa 6:11 YLT) And I say, " 'Till when, O LORD?" And He [says], ... till cities have been wasted - without inhabitant and houses without man and the land is wasted - a desolation,
(Isa 6:12 NASB) [And] the LORD has removed men far away [from the land] And [great] is the [desolation in the heart of the land.
(Isa 6:13 NKJV) But yet a tenth will be in it, And will [have returned] to be consumed, As a terebinth tree or as an oak, Whose stump remains when it is cut down. So the holy seed shall be its stump," '''
(Isa 6:1 YLT) '''In the year of the death of king Uzziah - I see the LORD, sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and His train [of His robe] is filling the temple. (Isa 6:2 YLT) [Seraphim] are standing above it: six wings [has] each one; ... two [each] covers its face, and... two [each covers] its feet, and with two [each it flies] (Isa 6:3 NASB) And one called out to another and said, "Holy, Holy, Holy, is the LORD of hosts, The whole earth is full of His glory." (Isa 6:4 HOLMAN) The foundations of the doorways shook at the sound of their voices, and the temple was filled with smoke." ''' =
In the year of the death of king Uzziah, Isaiah sees "the LORD sitting on a throne." Isa 1:1 establishes that Isaiah lived and served the LORD during king Uzziah's reign and that Isaiah's experience as described in chapter 6 would have occurred within the 12 calendar months of the king's death which is estimated to be around 739-740 B.C.
That this is a vision as opposed to a physical experience of Isaiah's within the Temple in Jerusalem or via a translation of him into heaven is compelling:
1) The nature of the book of Isaiah and the writings of a number of other key prophets is stipulated as largely visionary, (Isa 1:1; 2:1; cf. Ezek 8:4; 40:1-2; Dan 7:13; Micah 1:1; Na 1:1; Zech 1:8),
2) If Isaiah actually was in the presence of the LORD, he would have been destroyed. The fact that he was not destroyed implies a vision and the representation of the glory and the holiness of the LORD - of Almighty God, not His actual presence.
3) The overwhelmingly expansive portrayal of the LORD "sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and His train [of His robe]... filling the temple" with angelic beings surrounding Him with no corroboration of this occurring in the temple in Jerusalem in historical time is a portrayal that has characteristics best explained by a vision rather than a finite physical experience.
4) The shaking of the foundation stones of the doorways of the temple with no corroboration of this actually happening in Jerusalem in historical time.
5) The seraph's touching the burning coal to the mouth of Isaiah to purge him of his sins with no evident pain or injury stipulated is best explained as a vision rather than a finite physical experience.
Note that the LORD's long robe which filled the temple spoke of His royalty and majesty, (Isa 6:1).
The next verse portrays angelic beings called seraphim, standing above the throne of the LORD, each with six wings - two wings covering the angelic being's face, two covering its feet, and two with which it evidently uses to fly. The seraphs are bright creatures, for the word means 'burning ones'; yet they hide their faces from the greater brightness and the glory of the LORD. Isaiah reports that one seraph called out to another and said, "Holy, Holy, Holy is the LORD of hosts, The whole earth is full of His glory." The threefold occurrence of the word rendered "Holy" does not suggest the Trinity, as some have supposed. Repeating a word three times for emphasis is common in the Old Testament. The threefold repetition of the word holy means, in this context, that the LORD is set-apart - supremely transcendent above all things. It suggests supreme holiness. The phrase "LORD of hosts" is a term used to refer to God Almighty. The word hosts refers to all of the angelic beings, over which He is LORD, implying that He is Almighty. The seraph made the superlative declaration that the whole earth was full of the glory of the LORD, conveying the same kind of majestic, all-encompassing imagery of the robe of the LORD filling the temple. The declaration was of such great import that it shook the foundation of the doorways of the temple. The foundation of the doorways were large foundation stones on which the doorposts stood. This shaking symbolized the almighty power of the LORD. Isaiah then observed that "The temple was filled with smoke." The word rendered "smoke" was used in this context to refer to the glorious presence of the LORD God Almighty. Note that Isaiah mentioned the robe, temple and seraphim, but not the form of the LORD Himself. Had Isaiah been presented before the LORD, it would have destroyed Isaiah, (cf. Ex 33:19). Hence it was a vision and the representation of the glory and the holiness of the LORD - of Almighty God, not His actual presence, (Isa 6:2-4).
(Isa 6:1 YLT) '''In the year of the death of king Uzziah - I see the LORD, sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and His train [of His robe] is filling the temple. (Isa 6:2 YLT) [Seraphim] are standing above it: six wings [has] each one; ... two [each] covers its face, and... two [each covers] its feet, and with two [each it flies] (Isa 6:3 NASB) And one called out to another and said, "Holy, Holy, Holy, is the LORD of hosts, The whole earth is full of His glory." (Isa 6:4 HOLMAN) The foundations of the doorways shook at the sound of their voices, and the temple was filled with smoke. (Isa 6:5 NKJV) So I [Isaiah say] "Woe is me, for I am undone! Because 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." (Isa 6:6 ASV) Then [flies] one of the seraphim unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar: (Isa 6:7 NKJV) And he touched my mouth with it, and [says] "Behold, this has touched your lips; Your iniquity [has been] taken away, And your sin [is] purged [Hebrew, lit., atoned for]." (Isa 6:8 YLT) And I hear the voice of [my] LORD, saying: "Whom do I send? and who [goes] for Us?" And I say, "Here [am] I, send me." (Isa 6:9 YLT) And He [says], "Go, and [have it told] to this people, 'Hear... hear, and [you] do not understand, And see.. see and [you] do not know.' (Isa 6:10 NKJV) Make the heart of this people fat, And their ears heavy [unable to ear clearly what is said] And shut their eyes; Lest they see with their eyes, And hear with their ears, And understand with [each one with his] heart, And return and be healed.) =
Isaiah, in the presence of the holiness and the majesty of the LORD, said, "Woe is me, for I am undone, Because 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." The word rendered "undone" means destroyed - doomed to die. In view especially considering the seraph's resounding declaration of the holiness and glory of the LORD, Isaiah acknowledged his sinfulness before the LORD and concluded that because of his iniquity, he would be destroyed, (Isa 6:5).
Then one of the
seraphim flew to Isaiah with a live coal [literally, "a hot stone"],
in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from the altar in the
temple. The phrase rendered "the altar" was evidently the altar
of burnt offering in the court of the priests before the temple. The burnt
altar was used for the sacrifices symbolic of the cleansing of sins -
pointing to the once for all atoning sacrifice for sins unto eternal life
in the Kingdom of God. Note that fire was a symbol for purity, hence the
word rendered "seraphim," which means "burning ones,"
corroborates the role of the seraph in the purification of Isaiah. When
the seraph touched Isaiah's mouth with the hot coal, (for Isaiah would be
commanded to bring a message to the people of the LORD through his lips),
the seraph said "Behold, this has touched your lips; your iniquity
has been taken away, And your sin is purged [Hebrew, lit., atoned for]."
The word rendered "purged" in the NKJV refers to the process of
killing an animal and sprinkling the blood on the altar for atonement of
sins. It literally means "covered" in the sense of ones sins
being expiated. It is the same word that is translated "atoned for."
It does not signify that the "hot coal" actually effected the
cleansing of Isaiah's sins; but that the hot coal from the altar which was
touched to Isaiah's lips symbolically represented his forgiveness through
his expressing of a moment of faith in the LORD's gracious provision of an
atoning sacrifice for his sins, (cf. Isa 1:18
).
So now Isaiah could speak through his lips the message the LORD had for
His people, Judah. That he did express this moment of faith was
demonstrated when he told the LORD, "Here [am] I, send me,"
implying that he was worthy of serving the LORD. So just as the
sacrificial action on the altar was symbolic of forgiveness of sin through
an individual's faith in the LORD's provision of an atoning sacrifice for
sins; so the action of the seraph touching the hot coal to the lips of
Isaiah was symbolic of the purging of Isaiah's sin, (Isa 6:6-7).
Isaiah then said, "And I hear the voice of my LORD, saying: 'Whom do I send? And who goes for us? And I [Isaiah] say, 'Here am I, send me.' Notice that the plural "Us" refers to the LORD alone, corroborating that the LORD is one God with more than one Personality. For no created, finite creature could be included in the plural word rendered "Us" in the context of the phrase rendered "And who goes for Us?" For that would mean that those included would be on an equal level with the LORD - Almighty, infinite uncreated God, being represented as having His justice and holiness. No where in Scripture is there any indication that any created, finite being has the holiness and justice of the LORD. Nor does it convey the plurality of majesty, for that does not best fit the context of the passage.
Once the seraph declared the purging of Isaiah's iniquity, the LORD spoke out. His words were evidently directed to Isaiah, "Whom do I send? and who [goes] for Us?" in the sense of whom should the LORD send to proclaim His message to His people. Isaiah, after the seraph's declaration of the purging of his sins, responded confidently, "Here [am] I, send me." Although the vision portrayed in chapter 6 is not stipulated as the official time when Isaiah was initiated as a prophet of the LORD, since the first five chapters provide a wealth of prophetic information in the absence of anything specific relative to Isaiah acting in the role of a prophet, it may be reasonably concluded that this was the time when Isaiah realized his grand purpose before the LORD, albeit immediately after his iniquity was taken away and his sin purged [Hebrew, lit., atoned for]. The rest of the chapter deals with the message that Isaiah was to deliver to the people of the LORD, (Isa 6:8):
The LORD responded, "Go, and [have it told] to this people, 'Hear... hear, and [you] do not understand, And see.. see [in the sense of perceive what Isaiah is saying] and [you] do not know [in the sense of not understanding].' " Notice the repetition, emphasizing that the people would hear and see over and over again, yet repeatedly do not receive the knowledge of the message that Isaiah gives. They would repeatedly fail, because of their willful ignorance, (Isa 6:9).
The LORD gave Isaiah further instructions, "Make the heart [in the sense of the minds] of this people fat [in the sense of dull / sluggish, unable to change the mind and turn to the LORD], And their ears heavy [unable to hear clearly what is said] And shut [lit., "blind"] their eyes; Lest they see with their eyes, And hear with their ears, And understand... [each one with his] heart [i.e., his mind], And return [in the sense of turn back to the LORD] and be healed [in the sense of physical as well as spiritual healing, implying leaving them vulnerable to physical as well as spiritual destruction]. Ironically, despite Isaiah's motivation to serve the LORD, the LORD's instructions to him stipulated that the message would neither be heard, nor seen, nor known. Because of the willful stubbornness of the people, Isaiah's message would further dull their minds, make their ears unable to hear, and their eyes blinded from seeing the truth. The result would be that they would not turn back to the LORD and be healed of their sins, implying temporal and eternal consequences. Because the people had not listened, they would not listen now. It was not a matter of their inability to comprehend, but of a deliberate and willful ignorance and unbelief. This was a call to a very discouraging ministry. Verse 10 is in a common OT poetic form: six of the seven lines are in a chiasm: heart... ears ...eyes in lines 1-3; and then in reverse order: eyes... ...ears ...heart in lines 4-6, (Isa 6:10).
(Isa 6:1 YLT) '''In the year of the death of king Uzziah - I see the LORD, sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and His train [of His robe] is filling the temple. (Isa 6:2 YLT) [Seraphim] are standing above it: six wings [has] each one; ... two [each] covers its face, and... two [each covers] its feet, and with two [each it flies] (Isa 6:3 NASB) And one called out to another and said, "Holy, Holy, Holy, is the LORD of hosts, The whole earth is full of His glory." (Isa 6:4 HOLMAN) The foundations of the doorways shook at the sound of their voices, and the temple was filled with smoke. (Isa 6:5 NKJV) So I [Isaiah say] "Woe is me, for I am undone! Because 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." (Isa 6:6 ASV) Then [flies] one of the seraphim unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar: (Isa 6:7 NKJV) And he touched my mouth with it, and [says] "Behold, this has touched your lips; Your iniquity [has been] taken away, And your sin [is] purged [Hebrew, lit., atoned for]." (Isa 6:8 YLT) And I hear the voice of [my] LORD, saying: "Whom do I send? and who [goes] for Us?" And I say, "Here [am] I, send me." (Isa 6:9 YLT) And He [says], "Go, and [have it told] to this people, 'Hear... hear, and [you] do not understand, And see.. see and [you] do not know.' (Isa 6:10 NKJV) Make the heart of this people fat, And their ears heavy [unable to ear clearly what is said] And shut their eyes; Lest they see with their eyes, And hear with their ears, And understand with [each one with his] heart, And return and be healed. (Isa 6:11 YLT) And I say, " 'Till when, O LORD?" And He [says], ... till cities have been wasted - without inhabitant and houses without man and the land is wasted - a desolation, (Isa 6:12 NASB) [And] the LORD has removed men far away [from the land] And [great] is the [desolation in the heart of the land. (Isa 6:13 NKJV) But yet a tenth will be in it, And will [have returned] to be consumed, As a terebinth tree or as an oak, Whose stump remains when it is cut down. So the holy seed shall be its stump," ''' =
When Isaiah asked the LORD, " 'Till when, O LORD?" Isaiah was ready to speak whatever God wanted him to say, but he wanted to know how long he would be required to deliver such a terrible message of horrific judgment to which the people would be unresponsive, even callous, and suffer so severely. Since there was more than one prophet of the LORD during this period, it is evident that the other prophets would be provided with the same message and experience the LORD's terrible judgment upon their people, (cf. Jer 1:6-8, 17; Ezek 2:3-8 et al). A lamenting tone is implied; for all the prophets, it is implied, would most likely weep at their peoples' destruction. The LORD responded to Isaiah's " 'Till when?" with "Till cities have been wasted - without inhabitant and houses without man and the land is wasted - a desolation, [And] the LORD has removed, (i.e., deported), men far away [from the land] And [great] is the [desolation in the heart lit., inner part] of the land, (their cities and fields will be ruined. But yet a tenth will be in it, And will [have returned] ... [to be consumed, i.e., to be laid to waste]. As a terebinth tree or as an oak, Whose stump remains when it is cut down. So the holy seed shall be its stump," [referring to a remnant of believers]''' The phrase rendered "A tenth in it" in the NKJV refers to a tenth of the people of Judah that would be deported to a far off land along with the others, but who would return to their land, yet be consumed, i.e., laid to waste as well - except for the remnant - the holy seed. The LORD would preserve those who were His faithful, who believed in Him. Although Isaiah did not live that long, the LORD meant for him to keep on proclaiming His message throughout Judah's terrible downfall which would nearly wipe out their entire population. On the other hand, the LORD promised that all would not be lost, that a remnant of His people, a small number of whom would survive - those who would believe. He has a continuing purpose of life for the remnant of His people, (Isa 6:11-13).