I.
INTRODUCTION
People
without vision or revelation shall perish or cast off constraint (Proverbs
29:18). As servants of God who are called to carry out His will on earth, it
is thus very important that we know who God is and understand His will through
His nature. One who sees God shall possess His heartbeat for His people, as how
prophet Isaiah experienced in Isaiah 6:1-8.
II.
WHEN
ONE SEES HEAVENLY VISION
We are eager to see heavenly visions. Many desire to see how heaven looks like and what God has in store for us. Yet visions are not meant to please our flesh or desires. Throughout the Bible, God is a God of vision and revelation. He often reveals Himself to His people and communicates of His nature and His will, helping us to know who He is (e.g. Genesis 28:13, Exodus 3:6; Acts 9:3) and what His missions are (Abraham in Genesis 12; Moses in Exodus 3; Jeremiah in Jeremiah 1; Paul in Acts 9 and Acts 16 etc). When one sees heavenly vision, there is usually a tremendous renewal in one’s mind and heart followed by a new mission or direction in one’s life. Isaiah was transformed inside out in responding to the prophetic call with a heart of repentance, obedience and compassion.
1. HE SEES GOD (V1-4)
Isaiah
saw the vision of God. He saw His nature that God is a sovereign God who is above
heaven and earth. He is a holy God full of glory and worthy of all our worship
and praises.
1.1 HE SEES GOD’S
SOVEREIGNTY (V1-2)
(Isa
6:1-2NIV) In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne,
high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple.(2) Above him
were seraphs, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces,
with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying.
Isaiah
saw God sitting on a throne, high and exalted. Only kings sit on their thrones, and
Isaiah who had experienced the loss of a capable earthly king shifted his focus
towards the eternal King whose throne is in heaven. Yahweh is the God who reigns
over the temple as His train of robe filled the temple.
For
a theocratic nation as Israel, temple signifies the presence and authority of
God. It is the palace of God[1]. Though human kings
might pass away, God lives forever and He is in control. He is the Master of
the temple and worship. He is the hope of the nation. Knowing who He is creates
great hope in the midst of uncertainties and troubles. Israel might not have
another king who could excel in ruling, yet God is the Eternal King who will
determine the future of the nation.
The
seraphs waited attentively upon and served the Lord. They humbled themselves
before the Lord, singing praises and giving glory to Him. Seraphs were said to
be an effigy of foreign gods found in the days of Isaiah. Judah was surrounded
by nations which longed to overpower her and in order to secure herself, she
had to pay tribute to Assyria and bow down to the foreign powers.[2]
Yet
in the vision Isaiah saw, the foreign gods turned out to be God’s attendants
and servants. God had shown forth His sovereignty over the nations, that indeed
nations serve His purposes and His glory. There is no power God could not
overcome and this surely would comfort and strengthen the fainted heart of Isaiah.
Christians have to know that God is the King and He is enthroned. As a church we should humble ourselves and allow Him to rule and reign in our midst. While we emphasize the move and work of the Spirit, we have to acknowledge that the Spirit carries out the will and heart of the Father and the Son who are in heaven. God needs to be the One who covers the Church and directs the steps of His people.
We
are comforted too as we see God’s sovereignty over all gods. We who are called
to serve His will shall fear no men and powers. For God is able to subdue all
powers and all things work together to serve His will and purpose. We just have
to put our trust in Him and wait upon His helps and deliverances.
1.2 HE SEES GOD’S HOLINESS
(V3-4)
(Isa
6: 3-4 NIV) And they were calling to one another: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord
Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.” (4) At the sound of their
voices the doorposts and thresholds shock and the temple was filled with smoke.
The
seraphs called out to one another about the holiness of God. The threefold call
of seraphs signifies that holiness is God nature and He is absolutely and
completely holy.[3]
He needs not do anything to make Himself holier, nor does He restrain Himself
from doing anything in order to prove Himself holy.
Our
human understanding tells us that we have to do something (e.g. reading bible,
praying, serving etc) or not to do something (no drinking, no partying, no
lying etc) for us to become holy. But God Himself speaks of His holiness and He
is the source of holiness. Holiness is His moral character. Being a holy God of
transcendence He demonstrates His holiness through His doings of immanence in
the lives of His people.[4] It is in Him and through
Him that we could possess divine holiness. Trying to be holy without His
enablement frustrates us as we fail along the way.
The
holiness of God brings forth His glory in our midst. His holiness instills a
holy fear in us knowing that we have to stand before Him for judgment if we
remain unclean. As we come before God in worship, we need to constantly be
reminded that we are cleansed by His blood and we are to rely on Him to live a
holy life.
2. HE SEES HIMSELF (V5a,6-7)
Immediately
after seeing the sovereignty and holiness of God, Isaiah saw himself, a sinner
who was in troubles standing before a holy and transcendent God. Whenever one
is conscious of God, one will be conscious of his own sins and his need for
God.
2.1 HE SEES HIS OWN SINS
(V5a)
(Isa
6: 5a NIV)”Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips…”
Isaiah
saw himself as a man of unclean lips. In the Old Testament, “unclean” was a
general term describing a condition unfit for one to stand before God.[5] Yet then he stood before
God with his unclean lips. Isaiah felt terribly sorry about his sins. As a
prophet, he would to be used as mouthpiece of God to proclaim His truth. Therefore
God has to open his eyes for him to realize his state of utter destruction and
ruin.
Before God uses any vessel, He will always
cleanse the vessel beforehand. It is our responsibility to admit our sins when
God reveals to us. God is not pleased with those who refuse to admit their
sins. In the parable of the prayers of Pharisee and the tax collector, we
understand that God does not despise a sinner, but He abhors those who condone
sins and make excuses in refusing to repent before Him. Isaiah was chosen
because he responded in a right manner when he confessed his sins.
2.2 HE SEES HIS NEED OF DEPENDENCY
ON GOD (V6-7)
(Isa
6: 6-7 NIV) Then one of the seraphs flew to me with a live coal in his hand,
which he had taken with tongs from the altar. (7) With it he touched my mouth
and said, “See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your
sin atoned for.”
Isaiah’s
lips were cleansed with a live coal from the altar touching his mouth and an
affirming statement made by the seraph, declaring his guilt being taken away
and his sin atoned for. Coal conveys the meanings of atonement, restoration,
redemption, cleansing and reconciliation.[6] The seraph carried out the
will of the Lord in cleansing the prophet and making him ready to be a vessel
for God’s glory and power.
No
one is able to take away our own sins. We have to depend on God to cleanse us. With
the cleansing comes with empowerment of God upon our lives to equip us for
the ministry He has called us. Isaiah saw his helplessness before God and
before sin. As ministers of God we need to learn to depend on God to overcome
our sins and to cleanse us from all the impurities so that we can be effective
in our witness.
3. HE SEES OTHERS (V5b, 8)
Whenever
God calls a man, He calls him for the purpose of meeting the needs of others.
Isaiah who saw God and heard the voice of God’s calling was filled with a godly
burden to reach out to His people. He saw the nation that needed God and he
availed himself to be that channel of God’s blessing.
3.1 HE SEES OTHERS’ NEEDS
OF GOD (V5b)
(Isa
6: 5bNIV)…and I live among a people of unclean lips….
The
impact of Isaiah seeing his own sins caused him to have compassion and
affection towards his countrymen. If the people were to perish, he was to
perish too. He was one among them, an utter sinner who lived among a group of
utter sinners, and he was to share their destruction if God’s anger and
judgment were to pour on them. It is when we identify ourselves with others
that we could feel for them.
Too
often, we see ourselves better and holier, thus we isolate ourselves from the
sufferings of others. We might be ministering to the sinners, but we could not
identify their pain of sins. We might be serving the poor, but we could not
feel the desperation of their cries. We need to see ourselves in the eyes of
God in order to see others’ needs clearly and identify with their cries.
3.2 HE SEES OTHERS’ NEEDS OF HIS SERVICE
(Isa
6:8NIV) Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who
will go for us?” And I said, “Here I am. Send me.”
Isaiah
responded to God when he heard the voice of God calling for minister to be sent
to His people. He saw himself as a vessel that God had cleansed and intended to
work through. He demonstrated his concerns for the people by availing himself to
be representative of God.
God
always needs workers for His harvest field. It is common for people to compete
with one another for a secular job vacancy. It is common also for a minister to
struggle over several roles found in the Kingdom of God because the harvest is
plentiful but the workers are few. If we were the ones who hear God and His
calling, we should avail ourselves for the service of His Kingdom. We serve God
by serving the needs of others.
III.
CONCLUSION
Seeing
heavenly vision helps us to advance spiritually in God and the experience will
draw us closer to Him and His call of ministering to the needs of others. Unless
we see God, we will be stagnant and unable to bring godly impact or renewal in
our society. Seek therefore to encounter God in our walk with Him!
BIBLIOGRAPY
Boyd,
Frank M. The Book of the Prophet Isaiah.
Springfield: Gospel Publishing
House, 1950.
Hastings,
James. The Great Texts of the Bible, v6:
Isaiah. Grand Rapids: Wm. B.
Eerdmans
Publishing Company.
Ma, Denny Y C. Glory
& Redemption：A Commentary Book of Isaiah. Kowloon: Tien
Dao Publishing House，Ltd, 1999.
Martin,
Alfred & John A. Martin. Isaiah.
Chicago: Moody Press, 1983.
McKenna, David. Mastering the Old Testament: Isaiah 1-39. Dallas: Word
Publishing, 1994.
Morgan, Dr G. Campbell. Morgan’s Expository Series: Isaiah. Monterey Park: Living
Spring Publications, 1985.
Motyer, Alec. Tyndale
Old Testament Commentaries: Isaiah. Taiwan: Campus
Evangelical Fellowship, 1996.
Oswalt,
John N. The New International Commentary
on the Old Testament: The Book
of
Isaiah chapter 1-39. Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans
Publishing Company, 1986.
Tang, Samuel Y. C. Exposition on the Book of Isaiah v1. Kowloon: Chinese Baptist
Press International Ltd, 1997.
Sawyer,
John F.A. The Daily Study Bible Series:
Isaiah V1. Philadelphia: The
Westminster
Press, 1984.
Vine,
W.E. Isaiah: Prophecies. Promises.
Warnings. Michigan: Zondervan Publishing
House, 1972.
Watts,
John D.W. Word Biblical Commentary:
Isaiah 1-33. Waco: Word Books
Publisher, 1985.
Widyapranawa , S.H. Isaiah 1-39 The Lord is Savior: Faith in National Crisis. Grand
Rapids: WM. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1990.
Webb,
Barry. The Message of Isaiah.
Leicester: Inter-varsity of Press, 1996.
Young, Edward J. The Book Of Isaiah: V1, Chp 1-18. Grand Rapids: William B.
Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1981.
[1] John N. Oswalt,
The New International Commentary on the
Old Testament: The Book of Isaiah chapter 1-39 (Grand Rapids: WM. B.
Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1986), 178.
[2] S.H.
Widyapranawa, Isaiah 1-39 The Lord is
Savior: Faith in National Crisis (Grand Rapids: WM. B. Eerdmans Publishing
Co., 1990), 30-31.
[3] Samuel Y. C. Tang , Exposition on the Book of Isaiah v1 (Kowloon: Chinese Baptist Press
International Ltd, 1997), 86.
[5] Barry Webb, The Message of Isaiah (Leicester:
Inter-Varsity Press, 1996), 60.
[6] Alec Motyer, Tyndale
Old Testament Commentaries: Isaiah (Taipei: Campus Evangelical Fellowship,
1996), 89.
No comments:
Post a Comment