Isaiah 6
Isaia 6:2:
Seraphim stood above Him, each having six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. |
The seraphim are not mentioned elsewhere, and the origin and meaning of the name can only be supplied by conjecture. It must suffice to say that they appear here as most exalted ministers of the Divine Being. One thing to note about the six wings, is that they are paired. When God brought the animals into the ark, it was two by two. When God created our ‘bodies which are fearfully and wonderfully made’ note the two’s to be found – two eyes, two ears, two arms, two legs, two hands, two feet, two lungs; these things are paired. God paired man and woman. God pairs wisdom and knowledge and on and on you can go with what God has paired in two’s. He has paired 3 sets of wings for His purpose.
“Wings” are emblematic of the “rapidity” of their movement; the number here, perhaps, denoting their celerity and readiness to do the will of God. |
Isaiah 6:3-8:
And one cried to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; The whole earth is full of His glory!” 4 And the posts of the door were shaken by the voice of him who cried out, and the house was filled with smoke. 5 So I 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.” 6 Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a live coal which he had taken with the tongs from the altar. 7 And he touched my mouth with it, and said: “Behold, this has touched your lips; Your iniquity is taken away, And your sin purged.” 8 Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying: “Whom shall I send, And who will go for Us?” Then I said, “Here am I! Send me.” |
Leading up to the moments mentioned in Isaiah 6:3-8, Isaiah was shown the magnificent bigness of God (Is 6:3), the evilness of himself (Is 6:5) and God's forgiveness (Is 6:7).
The culmination is at Is 6:8 in which God asks "Whom shall I send" and is answered by Isaiah when he replies: "Here I Am, Send Me." This was Isaiah's moment. This was the experience, the quiet moment of solitude and quiet contemplation that changed things radically for Isaiah. He was never the same again. He set his sights on a new course, a new calling....or maybe his new calling set its sights on him.....but in that moment of solemn wonder, something happened to Isaiah............and he was never the same again. In just a decision, in just a moment, a life was changed forever. |
Isaiah 6:8-10:
I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? then said I, here am I; send me. And he said, Go, and teach this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not. Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart |
God did not address the call to Isaiah; Isaiah overheard God saying "who will go for us?" The call of God is not for the special few, it is for everyone. The chosen ones are those who have come into a relationship with God through Jesus Christ and they hear the still small voice questioning the time "Who will go for us?" It is not a question of God singling out a man and saying "Now you go." Get out of your mind the idea of expecting God to come with compulsion and pleadings. When our Lord called His disciples there was no irresistible compulsion from outside. Just the passionate insistence of His "Follow Me."
Leading up to the moments mentioned in Isaiah 6:3-8, Isaiah was shown the magnificent bigness of God (Is 6:3), the evilness of himself (Is 6:5) and God's forgiveness (Is 6:7). The culmination which is at Is 6:8 in which God asks "Whom shall I send" is answered by Isaiah when he replies: "Here I Am, Send Me." This was Isaiah's moment. This was the experience, the quiet moment of solitude and quiet contemplation that changed things radically for Isaiah. He was never the same again. He set his sights on a new course, a new calling....or maybe his new calling set its sights on him.....but in that moment of solemn wonder, something happened to Isaiah............and he was never the same again. In just a decision, in just a moment a life was changed forever. "Here I am, Lord, send me." - Zorek Richards The call of God is the expression of God's nature, not our nature. The call of God is not the echo of my nature, my affinities and personal temperament are not considered. As long as I consider my personal temperament and think about what I am fitted for, I may never hear the call of God. |