Year 8, Day 356: Isaiah 6

Theological Commentary: Click Here

Isaiah 6 is iconic in many different ways.  Naturally, it is iconic because it is often referred to as the calling of Isaiah, although based on the beginning of Isaiah 1 it would seem that Isaiah was already a prophet before the events of Isaiah 6.

One of the iconic parts about this chapter is Isaiah’s reaction when He meets God.  He immediately expects death, confessing that He is an unclean man dwelling among people who are also unclean.  There are no less than two great messages that we can learn from this. 

First, Isaiah confesses His uncleanliness!  Isaiah doesn’t try to hide it.  He doesn’t try to explain it away.  He certainly doesn’t blame other people for it.  What Isaiah does is acknowledge its presence.  What a fresh breath of maturity!

Second, Isaiah expects judgment to come.  He doesn’t run.  He doesn’t blame God.  He’s got a realistic understanding of who he is and how inadequate He is to be standing where he has found Himself.  He expects judgment to come swift and fast.  Again, how mature!

God does something unexpected here.  We always here the wives-tales about how people in the presence of God die a fast death because God cannot tolerate the presence of sin.  Based on this passage, that’s completely bogus!  God may not tolerate the presence of sin, but that doesn’t mean God smites the sinners!  No, God provides a means for Isaiah’s atonement.  Just like God will do with Jesus, God finds a way for people who dwell in sin to still be able to dwell with Him.  God ultimately wants relationship.  How could He ever hope to have relationship if He never tolerated the presence of sinners?

Then, God commissions Isaiah.  For people that know me, my response to this passage often sounds like a broken record.  Listen to the words that God gives to Isaiah about His mission.  He is to tell the people, “Keep on hearing but don’t understand.  Keep on seeing but don’t perceive.  Your mind is dull, your ears are heavy, and your eyes are blind.  But don’t change, because if you do you’ll be healed.”

What is this all about?  God is telling Isaiah to be prepared to preach his heart out and get little effects.  He is preparing him to be called to a task that will see little fruit.  The reality is that people want to be who they are.  They aren’t interested in change.  They don’t want to be something that God wants them to be.  They want to justify their own actions with their own logic and stand high on their own understanding.  That’s the mission into which God commissions Isaiah.

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