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¹⁰ Again the Lord spoke to Ahaz: ¹¹ “Ask a sign of the Lord your God; let it be deep as Sheol or high as heaven.” ¹² But Ahaz said, “I will not ask, and I will not put the Lord to the test.” ¹³ And he said, “Hear then, O house of David! Is it too little for you to weary men, that you weary my God also? ¹⁴ Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. ¹⁵ He shall eat curds and honey when he knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good. ¹⁶ For before the boy knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good, the land whose two kings you dread will be deserted. ¹⁷ The Lord will bring upon you and upon your people and upon your father’s house such days as have not come since the day that Ephraim departed from Judah—the king of Assyria!” (Isaiah 7:10-17)

Have you ever asked the LORD for a sign? Perhaps it was to affirm a particular decision which you faced or a particular path you should follow. The LORD told King Ahaz to “Ask a sign of the Lord your God; let it be deep as Sheol or high as heaven.”

 What was King Ahaz’s response to the LORD’s request that he ask for a sign? “¹² But Ahaz said, “I will not ask, and I will not put the Lord to the test.” Ironically, by refusing the LORD’s request to ask for a sign by saying he would not put the LORD to the test, Ahaz was pretending to be humble and in effect was putting the LORD to the test.

The LORD said, ¹³ “Hear then, O house of David! Is it too little for you to weary men, that you weary my God also?” Isaiah’s response to the king was one of rebuke on the LORD’s behalf. The prophet not only took King Ahaz to task for his behavior but also the entire nation of wearying, or trying the patience, of God.

In light of King Ahaz’s refusal to ask the LORD for a sign of encouragement, the LORD decided to give the king, and the nation, His own sign. In effect, the LORD said, “You do not want a sign. Well, I’m going to give you a sign whether you want it or not.” What a sign it turned out to be. ^14 “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel”

The word “behold” means to call attention to a detail, hear, and emphasize and idea. The word “virgin” can mean a sexually mature female of marriageable age, who may or may not be sexually active (Genesis 24:43; Exodus 2:8; Psalm 68:26; Proverbs 30:19; Song of Songs 1:3; 6:8). The context will demand or suggest if the young woman is sexually active.

The corresponding New Testament texts are not only found in Matthew 1:18-25, in which Isaiah 7:14 is quoted in vs. 23, but also in Luke 1:26-38, in which Mary asks the question, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” Both New Testament texts assert the meaning of virgin to be an unmarried woman who has not engaged in any sexual activity.

The phrase “shall conceive” means to become pregnant. The child who is born will be a boy, a son. His name will be Immanuel, which means the LORD is with us in whom we may have confidence.

John Calvin writes, “Immanuel. This name was unquestionably bestowed on Christ on account of the actual fact; for the only-begotten Son of God clothed himself with our flesh and united himself to us by partaking of our nature. He is, therefore, called God with us, or united to us, which cannot apply to a man who is not God. It is therefore evident that it denotes not only the power of god, such as he usually displays by His servant, but a union of person which Christ became God-man.”

 What will the Messiah be like? What does the text from Isaiah 7 say about Immanuel? This is what we will explore next time.

Soli deo Gloria!

¹⁰ Again the Lord spoke to Ahaz: ¹¹ “Ask a sign of the Lord your God; let it be deep as Sheol or high as heaven.” ¹² But Ahaz said, “I will not ask, and I will not put the Lord to the test.” ¹³ And he said, “Hear then, O house of David! Is it too little for you to weary men, that you weary my God also? ¹⁴ Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. ¹⁵ He shall eat curds and honey when he knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good. ¹⁶ For before the boy knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good, the land whose two kings you dread will be deserted. ¹⁷ The Lord will bring upon you and upon your people and upon your father’s house such days as have not come since the day that Ephraim departed from Judah—the king of Assyria!” (Isaiah 7:10-17)

Have you ever asked the LORD for a sign? Perhaps it was to affirm a particular decision which you faced or a particular path you should follow. The LORD told King Ahaz to “Ask a sign of the Lord your God; let it be deep as Sheol or high as heaven.”

A sign is defined as a visible event intended to communicate a meaning beyond that which is normally understood in the outward appearance of the particular event. In a few examples in the Old Testament, “sign” refers to the observances of heavenly bodies in an astrological sense (Genesis 1:14; Jeremiah 10:1-2), or to the “signs and wonders” as indications of God’s miraculous work within the history of the world (Deuteronomy 4:34; 6:22; Nehemiah 9:10; Psalm 105:27; Jeremiah 32:20). On other occasions, the word sign is used as an insignia of the Mosaic Covenant. Thus, the wearing of the law on the wrist and forehead and the keeping of the Sabbath are considered signs of the relationship between Israel and God (Deuteronomy 6:1-8; 11:18; Ezekiel 20:12, 20).

The Tyndale Bible Dictionary explains that, “The most numerous and significant usages of “sign” appear in relation to the OT prophetic ministry. Beginning with Moses, signs are used to confirm that God has spoken to the prophet. Thus, when Moses received the message of deliverance that he was to bring to the children of Israel in Egypt and the pharaoh, he was given two signs: his staff was changed into a serpent and his hand was afflicted with leprosy (Ex 4:1–8). Signs and wonders were also used by false prophets. After a sign had been given and had come to pass, the leaders of Israel were to examine the message of the prophet to see if it led the people away from the true worship of God. If it did, the prophet who had given the sign was to be put to death (Deuteronomy 13:1–5).”

 Within the Old Testament, the character of the sign varies and often is miraculous. For example, some of the great miracles of the OT are prophetic signs. These would include the moving of the shadow back up the steps of Hezekiah’s palace to confirm Isaiah’s prediction that the king would recover from his mortal illness (2 Kings 20:8–9; Isaiah 38:21–22).

A sign could also be predictive so the people could know whether the prophet had spoken the truth by whether or not the event came to pass. This would include the prophet’s foretelling the death of both of Eli’s sons on the same day (1 Samuel 2:34; I Samuel 14:10; 2 Kings 19:29; Isaiah 37:30).

Sometimes the sign was carefully timed, and the recipient was told that the appearance of the sign would show when to act to fulfill the prophetic message (1 Samuel 10:7–9). At other times, the events predicted were acted out in the life of the prophet. These symbolic actions demonstrated the truth of the prophet’s message. Take for example the Prophet Isaiah’s nakedness for three years to demonstrate the fate of those who preached trust in Egypt’s power (Isaiah 20:3; see also Ezekiel 4:1-3).

Signs in the NT occurrences were much like those in the Old Testament. There are references to heavenly signs that will occur as indications of the end times, and those with special knowledge will understand that the end is drawing near (Matthew 24:3, 30; Mark 13:4, 22; Luke 21:11, 25–26). These apocalyptic signs have no astrological correlations as in the OT.

Arguably, the most significant meaning of a sign from God, both in the OT and the NT, was to confirm the message given by God. This message would come through the prophetic and apostolic ministry to, respectively, Israel and the church.

The LORD told King Ahaz to ask Him for a sign. It could be as deep as the depths of the earth or as high as heaven itself. What was Ahaz’s response and what would be the sign God would give to the king? That is what we will study when next we meet.

Soli deo Gloria!

“In the days of Ahaz the son of Jotham, son of Uzziah, king of Judah, Rezin the king of Syria and Pekah the son of Remaliah the king of Israel came up to Jerusalem to wage war against it, but could not yet mount an attack against it. ² When the house of David was told, “Syria is in league with Ephraim,” the heart of Ahaz and the heart of his people shook as the trees of the forest shake before the wind.

³ And the Lord said to Isaiah, “Go out to meet Ahaz, you and Shear-jashub your son, at the end of the conduit of the upper pool on the highway to the Washer’s Field. ⁴ And say to him, ‘Be careful, be quiet, do not fear, and do not let your heart be faint because of these two smoldering stumps of firebrands, at the fierce anger of Rezin and Syria and the son of Remaliah. ⁵ Because Syria, with Ephraim and the son of Remaliah, has devised evil against you, saying, ⁶ “Let us go up against Judah and terrify it, and let us conquer it for ourselves, and set up the son of Tabeel as king in the midst of it,” ⁷ thus says the Lord God: “‘It shall not stand, and it shall not come to pass. ⁸ For the head of Syria is Damascus, and the head of Damascus is Rezin. And within sixty-five years Ephraim will be shattered from being a people. ⁹ And the head of Ephraim is Samaria, and the head of Samaria is the son of Remaliah. If you are not firm in faith, you will not be firm at all.’ ”

 When we face extraordinary circumstances, be they economical, relational, political or ecclesiastical, we may often respond with fear and trembling. While it is biblically appropriate to respond in such a way to the LORD, it is not appropriate when facing difficult and extreme circumstances.

Such was the case with Judah’s King Ahaz. He was fearful and faint hearted about what Israel’s and Syria’s kings were planning to do against Jerusalem. Instead of being strong and courageous (Joshua 1:1-9), he was scared.

It was at this moment that God sent Isaiah, along with his son Shear-jashub, to tell Ahaz to be careful, to be quiet, to not fear and to not be faint hearted. The LORD’s oracle contained two positives and two negatives.

To be careful was a command to guard oneself and to heed. This command was intended to warn Ahaz to not make any aid from Assyria while in a condition of panic.

To be quiet was a command to be undisturbed and relieved in Ahaz’ mind, emotions and will. In other words, to be still and know that Yahweh was in control (Psalm 46:10).

To not fear was a command to not be frightened by the circumstances of life. How often do we need for God to remind us of this.

Finally, to not be faint hearted was a command to not be weak in the inner man. The LORD commanded Ahaz to not be weak in what he thought, what he felt and what he chose to do.

The LORD had every intention of intervening in the situation. He was actively involved in the lives of His people in the past, and remains so in the present and the future. In fact, the very presence of Isaiah’s son, Shear-jashub, was to assure the king of this. How? Because Shear-jashub means a remnant shall return (Isaiah 6:13). Isaiah’s son was a standing memorial to Ahaz and the Jews that the nation should not, notwithstanding the general calamity (Isaiah 7:17–25; 8:6–8), be utterly destroyed (10:21, 22).

In fact, God informed Ahaz that his enemies would be judged. In fact, the Tribe of Ephraim represented all ten of the northern tribes of Israel. Isaiah predicted their coming destruction because of their idolatry (Hosea 4:17). In 65 years they would cease to be a people, first through the captivity of most of them in 722 B.C. (2 Kings 17:6) and then with the importation of foreign settlers into the land in c. 670 B.C. (2 Kings 17:24; 2 Chronicles 33:11; Ezra 4:2).

Finally, Isaiah informed King Ahaz that “If you are not firm in faith, you will not be firm at all.” What the LORD commanded Ahaz was to remember to trust in, commit to, to depend upon and worship only the LORD. The king, or any other believer, was to not place their faith in any other object economically, politically, relationally or ecclesiastically.

What was true for Ahaz is true for believers in Christ today.

Soli deo Gloria!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“In the days of Ahaz the son of Jotham, son of Uzziah, king of Judah, Rezin the king of Syria and Pekah the son of Remaliah the king of Israel came up to Jerusalem to wage war against it, but could not yet mount an attack against it. ² When the house of David was told, “Syria is in league with Ephraim,” the heart of Ahaz and the heart of his people shook as the trees of the forest shake before the wind.

³ And the Lord said to Isaiah, “Go out to meet Ahaz, you and Shear-jashub your son, at the end of the conduit of the upper pool on the highway to the Washer’s Field. ⁴ And say to him, ‘Be careful, be quiet, do not fear, and do not let your heart be faint because of these two smoldering stumps of firebrands, at the fierce anger of Rezin and Syria and the son of Remaliah. ⁵ Because Syria, with Ephraim and the son of Remaliah, has devised evil against you, saying, ⁶ “Let us go up against Judah and terrify it, and let us conquer it for ourselves, and set up the son of Tabeel as king in the midst of it,” ⁷ thus says the Lord God: “‘It shall not stand, and it shall not come to pass. ⁸ For the head of Syria is Damascus, and the head of Damascus is Rezin. And within sixty-five years Ephraim will be shattered from being a people. ⁹ And the head of Ephraim is Samaria, and the head of Samaria is the son of Remaliah. If you are not firm in faith, you will not be firm at all.’ ”

 One of the most significant and familiar Messianic Prophecies contained in Scripture, and quoted each Advent Season, is Isaiah 7:14. It says, “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” But do you know to whom Isaiah is speaking? What were the circumstances which prompted God to speak through the prophet in such a manner and with such a wonderful promise? What is meant by the words sign, virgin, conceive and Immanuel? For the next couple of days, we will seek to provide the biblical answers to these questions.

To begin with, what was the historical context that preceded the prophecy of Isaiah 7:14?  The answer is found in Isaiah 7:1-2. “In the days of Ahaz the son of Jotham, son of Uzziah, king of Judah, Rezin the king of Syria and Pekah the son of Remaliah the king of Israel came up to Jerusalem to wage war against it, but could not yet mount an attack against it. ² When the house of David was told, “Syria is in league with Ephraim,” the heart of Ahaz and the heart of his people shook as the trees of the forest shake before the wind.”

The time frame for this narrative is 735 B.C. However, the seeds for this conflict between the Nation of Judah with Israel and Syria took place approximately 200 years before.

In 931 B.C., King Solomon died (2 Chronicles 9:29-30). In the immediate aftermath of his death, many people of Israel revolved against Solomon’s successor, his son Rehoboam. Ten of the nation’s 12 tribes appointed Jeroboam their king and became concentrated in the northern portion of the land. These ten tribes became known as Israel. The two remaining tribes (Judah & Benjamin) remained in the southern portion of the land. They became known as Judah (2 Chronicles 10).

Both Israel and Judah had their own kings who succeed Jeroboam and Rehoboam respectively. While the southern kingdom of Judah had a mixture of good and bad kings, the northern kingdom of Israel did not have a good king in the lot. All of them were evil, resulting in God’s destruction of Israel in 722 B.C. by the Assyrians. The LORD’s prophets in the northern kingdom included Elijah, Elisha, Amos, Hosea, Jonah and Micah.

Upon hearing the news that both Israel and Syria were planning to attack Jerusalem, King Ahaz was understandably concerned, troubled and fearful. The LORD’s message by Isaiah to King Ahaz was one of assurance. The two invading kings would not prevail.

More to come from Isaiah 7:1-9, but how comforting it is to know that the LORD continues to provide assurance to His people through His precious promises. What the LORD asks of His people is that they would trust Him. May we do so.

Soli deo Gloria!

 

 

 

 

 

^8 “And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here I am! Send me.” ⁹ And he said, “Go, and say to this people: “‘Keep on hearing, but do not understand; keep on seeing, but do not perceive.’ ¹⁰ Make the heart of this people dull, and their ears heavy, and blind their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed.” ¹¹ Then I said, “How long, O Lord?” And he said: “Until cities lie waste without inhabitant, and houses without people, and the land is a desolate waste, ¹² and the Lord removes people far away, and the forsaken places are many in the midst of the land. ¹³ And though a tenth remain in it, it will be burned again, like a terebinth or an oak, whose stump remains when it is felled.” The holy seed is its stump.” (Isaiah 6:8-13)

Isaiah 6:8-13 not only reveals God’s commissioning of Isaiah ben Amoz to the office and responsibility of prophet but also God’s revelation as to what message and oracle the prophet will proclaim. Essentially, Isaiah will proclaim and reveal the will of God for the Nation of Judah in the 8^th century B.C. The oracle Isaiah will proclaim will be fulfilled in 605, 695, and 586 B.C.

Chapter Two of The Westminster Confession of Faith states that God works all things according to the counsel of His own immutable will (Ephesians 1:11). It was the will of the LORD to judge Judah for its sin and it was also His will for Isaiah to communicate this oracle of judgment.

Dr. R. C. Sproul comments that “Here we have a summary statement about the working of God’s will. God works all things according to the counsel of His own will. He does not work things out according to my will of your will or popular opinion. He does not rule by referendum. The Ten Commandments (not suggestions) express God’s own will. What He wants determines how He works. That is fundamental to our understanding of God. Even Jesus, in His agony in Gethsemane, prayed, ‘Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done’ (Luke 22:42), because He understood that God does what is best and righteous. God’s choices and actions are determined by His omniscience, righteousness, holiness, and the rest of His attributes. He will act not according to a lesser being’s desire, opinion, or counsel but according to His own counsel.”

Let’s begin to unpack today’s text. To begin with, after hearing the Seraphim proclaiming the LORD’s holiness, Isaiah now hears the voice of the Yahweh. ^8 “And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” The pronoun “us” may well be a biblical evidence of the Trinity (Genesis 1:26; 11:7). Isaiah promptly replies, “Here am I. Send me.” even before the LORD tells him what his prophetic ministry will involve. This demonstrates Isaiah’s trust in, commitment to, dependence upon and worship of Yahweh. In short, Isaiah’s response demonstrates his faith.   

 Yahweh then gives Isaiah His instructions. ““Go, and say to this people: “‘Keep on hearing, but do not understand; keep on seeing, but do not perceive.’ ¹⁰ Make the heart of this people dull, and their ears heavy, and blind their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed.”

 Dr. John MacArthur explains that, “Isaiah’s message was to be God’s instrument for hiding the truth from an unreceptive people. Centuries later, Jesus’ parables were to do the same (Matt. 13:14–15; Mark 4:12; Luke 8:10; cf. Isa. 29:9–10; 42:18; 43:8; Deut. 29:4; John 12:40; Acts 28:26–27; Rom. 11:8).”

 Isaiah responded by saying, ““How long, O Lord?” Because of Judah’s rejection of God’s message, Isaiah asked how long he should preach this message of divine judgment. The LORD’s response was, ““Until cities lie waste without inhabitant, and houses without people, and the land is a desolate waste, ¹² and the Lord removes people far away, and the forsaken places are many in the midst of the land. God replied that it must continue until the cities are desolate (v. 11) and the people have gone into exile (v. 12).

 However, the LORD always has a remnant. ^13 “And though a tenth remain in it, it will be burned again, like a terebinth or an oak, whose stump remains when it is felled. The holy seed is its stump.” Dr. MacArthur concludes that, “Though most will reject God, the tenth, also called “stump” and “holy seed,” represents the faithful remnant in Israel who will be the nucleus who hear and believe.”

 Take time today and thank God that He has made you a part of the faithful remnant. If you are a believer in Jesus Christ, repent of your sins and trust Christ alone as your Lord and Savior.

Soli deo Gloria!

“And he touched my mouth and said: “Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.” (Isaiah 6:7)

In the LORD’s personal and continual atonement from both the penalty of sin and the power of sin within the heart and soul of the believer in Christ, God not only forgives but also restores the individual in question to intimate fellowship between themselves and God.

This restoration is a personal restoration to intimate fellowship with the holy LORD. “And he touched my mouth and said: “Behold, this has touched your lips;” Why did the Seraphim angel touch Isaiah’s mouth with the hot coal from the Altar of Incense? It is because that was where the prophet was conscious of his unholiness. His speech had not been holy and separated from sinfulness.

This restoration was a painful for Isaiah unto intimate fellowship with the holy LORD. Repentance and restoration is not easy but it is necessary for intimate fellowship to be restored. It is seeing one’s sin, and the holy LORD, as it, and He, should be seen. No rationalization, no validation and no defensive explanation can replace the searing awareness of my sin and the gracious forgiveness and cleansing from God.

King David wrote, “¹ Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. ² Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin! ³ For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. ⁴ Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you may be justified in your words and blameless in your judgment.” (Psalm 51:1-4).

Though personal restoration with the LORD may be truly painful, it is also truly wonderful. “Your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.”  The prophet’s perversity, depravity and guilt for his sin was taken away. The LORD took it away. God forgave Isaiah of his sin. Cleansing had taken place because Isaiah’s sin had been covered by a substitutionary atonement, which is centered in Jesus Christ alone, and was prefigured for the Old Testament saint by the brazen altar of sacrifice.

John Calvin writes, “We see how God condescends to meet the weakness of human sense. He puts the tongs into the hand of a seraph, that by means of it he may take a coal from the altar and apply it to the Prophet’s mouth. By the aid of the outward sign God assisted the prophet’s understanding. There is no reason to believe that the coal possessed any virtue, as superstitious persons imagine that in the magical arts there is some hidden power. Nothing of this sort is to be found; for it is God alone who can cleanse our pollution in whatever part it exists.”

Calvin concludes by saying, “The angel administered the cleansing, but was not the author of it; so that we must not ascribe to another what belongs to God alone. This is expressly stated by the angel himself, who claims nothing as his own, but bringing forward the sacred pledge which he had received from God, laid it as a sacrament on the lips of the prophet. Not that he (Isaiah) could not be cleansed without the coal, but because the visible sign was useful for the confirmation and proof of the fact. And such is the use of sacraments (baptism and the Lord’s Supper) to strengthen us in proportion to our ignorance; for we are not angels that can behold the mysteries of God without any assistance, and here He raises us to Himself by gradual advances.”

May the LORD so do to us what He did to the Prophet Isaiah.

Soli deo Gloria!

 

    

 

 

^“Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar.” (Isaiah 6:6) 

A.W. Tozer, in his book The Knowledge of the Holy, writes, “The sudden realization of his personal depravity came a stroke from heaven upon the trembling heart of Isaiah at the moment when he had his revolutionary vision of the holiness of God. His pain-filled cry, ‘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 mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts,’ expresses the feeling of every man who has discovered himself under his disguises and has been confronted with an inward sight of the holy whiteness that is God. Such an experience cannot but be emotionally violent.”

 In his 1923 book entitled “The Idea of the Holy,” Rudolf Otto calls the holiness of God the Incomprehensible Something and the Mysterium Tremendum, which means the awesome mystery. It is the permanent religious instinct, the sense within one’s mind, will, and especially one’s emotions for the unnamed Presence that is within all of creation. This Presence stuns the individual with a supernatural, supra-rational manifestation of the transcendent Other. When man is confronted with the holiness of God, he is brought low and overwhelmed. He can only tremble and be still.

Such was the case with the prophet. Such is the case with anyone who has truly  encountered the holiness of God. It may occur most frequently when reading and studying Scripture. This recently happened to me when I was reading and studying 2 Timothy 4:1-5 and Proverbs 4:1-19. The words, and their meaning, leaped off the page, so to speak, and I was confronted with holy truth while at the same time my unholy soul. God confronted me, convicted and convinced me of His Word’s sacredness and at the same time my un-sacredness and need for repentance and cleansing.

This repentance and cleansing is what we begin to witness in today’s text from Isaiah 6:6. The LORD did not leave Isaiah in a perpetual state of undoneness. He never does. He graciously provided cleansing, forgiveness and restoration once again for the prophet bringing him back into an intimate fellowship with Him. The LORD never compromises His holiness or presents His holiness to be thought of as less than it is. Rather, He restores the penitent sinner and raises them to an even greater awareness of the LORD’s awesome separateness from sin. Therefore, what God is, the redeemed and sanctified believer seeks to be (Leviticus 11:44; I Peter 1:13-16) which is holy.

God initiates the blessing. “Then one of the seraphim flew to me.” In the aftermath of the current scene, one of the Seraphim or burning ones who Isaiah had seen worshiping Yahweh. This one Seraphim flew, with the one set of wings given for that purpose, to Isaiah. God must have summoned the angel and dispatched him to the prophet.  

The Seraphim angel did not come empty handed. On the contrary, he had a burning coal in his hand. The word burning means glowing, live, and hot. The angel had removed the hot coal from the altar. Most likely, the altar in question here is the Golden Altar of Incense (Exodus 30:1-10) which is located within the Holy Place of the Temple before the veil which separates the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies. The Golden Altar of Incense represents the worship of Yahweh by the saints.

The golden altar was used for burning incense, which twice every day was offered by the priest after he had tended the wick and oil on the holy lamps. Its horns were also sprinkled with the blood of the sin offering. Poured out on burning coals the incense produced a delightful aroma in the Holy Place. It was the offering of the person whose sins had been forgiven by blood and who then went on to express the fragrance of love and worship, which was most pleasing to God.

The Golden Altar speaks to us of the worship of Jesus Christ and God’s people through him as our high priest and mediator. It was only on the basis of His one sacrifice on the altar of the cross that worship is made possible. The coals, which lit the incense, was carried from the altar of sacrifice to the Altar of Incense. The coal also represents that repentance and restoration can be painful but necessary.

Since we view Isaiah 6 not as the scene of Isaiah’s conversion but rather consecration to be God’s prophet, then it makes sense that the live coal would have come from the Altar of Incense indicating the Isaiah’s worship of Yahweh would be unhindered by his forgiven sin.

Take the opportunity today to thank the LORD for when He cleanses you from the guilt of your sin and purifies your heart and soul. While it may initially be painful, the blessing of repentance and restoration unto holiness is truly sweet.

Soli deo Gloria!

And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for 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!” (Isaiah 6:5)

Upon experiencing the holy presence of the LORD, the Prophet Isaiah exclaimed, “Woe is me!” Was Isaiah being overly dramatic or was there a real weight of significance to what he said about, and to, himself? The fullness of his words must be examined within the historical context of the prophet’s main responsibility before God and before the people.

The prophet of God communicated a divine message. His sermons were not cleverly devised in his offices and in front of a computer. He did not wake up each morning wondering what he was going to say that would be creatively imaginative.

The prophet of God communicated a divine message from God. It was called an oracle. Oracles were announcements from God. God commanded the prophet to announce the oracle. He was not to change any word or dilute its full force.

Oracles could be in two forms. There were positive oracles, or oracles of good news. These were prefaced by the word blessed. However, there were also oracles of bad news or judgment. These oracles were prefaced by the word woe.”

Throughout the first five chapters of Isaiah, the oracle of woe is predominant in Isaiah’s messages from God to the people of Judah. However, in recalling God’s divine commission to the office of prophet, Isaiah does not announce an oracle of woe upon the nation but rather upon himself. The grammar in the Hebrew indicates that he did so repeatedly.

Isaiah’s continuous cry of woe is a passionate cry of grief or despair. He is in a condition of great sorrow. He not only feels this grief, but he is also aware of it in his mind and will. In other words, his soul is filled with remorse. He is lost or undone. He recognizes that he is in a ruinous condition. In the dazzling display of God’s holiness, Isaiah is ready to die.

Isaiah’s great sorrow is first and foremost not about the sins of the nation, but rather about his own personal sins. In particular, his speech. He is undone because of his polluted and impure words. He, who has the responsibility of communicating God’s holy Word, acknowledges that he is filled with his own sinful and polluted words. As one commentator explains, “His consciousness of having unclean lips, his tongue or speech, was in no doubt because “He had just heard holy lips sing perfect praise.”

Dr. John MacArthur writes, “If the lips are unclean, so is the heart. This vision of God’s holiness vividly reminded the prophet of his own unworthiness, which deserved judgment. Job (Job 42:6) and Peter (Luke 5:8) came to the same realization about themselves when confronted with the presence of the Lord (cf. Ezek. 1:28–2:7; Rev. 1:17).”    

Isaiah’s statement is most striking because he was probably the most righteous man within the nation of Judah. Much like the Prophet Daniel (Daniel 9:1-21) Isaiah does not dismiss the nation’s sins, but first and foremost acknowledges his own sin. He is not comparing himself to other people, but rather to God. Isaiah is a broken man because he has seen the holy, holy, holy LORD.

Dr. R. C. Sproul writes, “Isaiah’s call to ministry is well known, and it is remarkable for what it says about Isaiah and all other human beings. Without a doubt, the prophet was one of the most righteous and holy men in all of Judah, for the prophets were generally known for their piety and devotion to our Creator. Consequently, one might expect Isaiah to be confident in the presence of God and for the Lord to praise His servant for His goodness. Yet that is not what happened when Isaiah met Yahweh “in the year that King Uzziah died” (Isa. 6:1). Confronted with a vision of God on His throne, Isaiah could only proclaim an oracle of woe upon himself (v. 5). An oracle of woe was the worst prophecy that could be given of a nation or an individuals, and here Isaiah applies it to himself for his uncleanness (v. 5). As holy as Isaiah might have been in comparison to the other Judahites in his day, he was absolutely filthy in comparison to the Lord God Almighty.”

The only way unholy people can be in the presence of the thrice holy LORD is to possess His holiness. This the believer in Christ has by grace alone, through faith alone in the person and work of Jesus Christ alone. It is called justification (Romans 3:21-26). Take time today to thank the LORD for His gracious mercy in declaring sinners righteous in His sight on the basis of Jesus’ substitutionary atonement on the cross. This atonement will be vividly illustrated as the text of Isaiah 6 continues to unfold.

Soli deo Gloria!

 

 

 

 

And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for 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!” (Isaiah 6:5)

When an individual comes to an understanding of the LORD’s holiness, they also come to an understanding of their sinfulness. What was true of Israel, the Apostle Peter (Luke 5:1-11) and the Apostle John (Revelation 1:9-20) was also true for Isaiah ben Amoz.

Dr. R. C. Sproul writes that, “The prophet in the Old Testament was a lonely man. He was a rugged individualist singled out by God for a painful task. He served as a prosecuting attorney of sorts, the appointed spokesman of the Supreme Judge of heaven and earth to bring suit against those who had sinned against the bench. The prophet as not an earthly philosopher who wrote his opinions for scholars to discuss; he was not a playwright who composed dramas for public entertainment. He was a messenger, a herald of a cosmic king. His announcements were prefaced by the words, ‘Thus says the LORD’.”

Such a prophet was Isaiah ben Amoz. Isaiah was a prophet of prophets. What the New York Yankees are to professional baseball and the New England Patriots are to the National Football League, the example for which all other teams are compared, so was Isaiah. Along with Jeremiah, Ezekiel and Daniel, Isaiah is referred to as major prophet.

Isaiah ministered in and around Jerusalem as a prophet to the Kingdom of Judah during the reigns of four kings: Uzziah (called “Azariah” in 2 Kings), Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah (Isa. 1:1), from 739–686 B.C. He evidently came from a family of some nobility because he had easy access to the king (7:3). He was married and had two sons who bore symbolic names: “Shear-jashub” (“a remnant shall return,” 7:3) and “Maher-shalal-hash-baz” (“the spoil speeds, the prey hastens,” 8:3). 

Dr. John MacArthur writes, “When called by God to prophesy, in the year of King Uzziah’s death (c. 739 B.C.), he responded with a cheerful readiness, though he knew from the beginning that his ministry would be one of fruitless warning and exhortation (6:9–13). Having been reared in Jerusalem, he was an appropriate choice as a political and religious counselor to the nation. Isaiah was a contemporary of Hosea and Micah. His writing style has no rival in its versatility of expression, brilliance of imagery, and richness of vocabulary. The early church father Jerome likened him to Demosthenes, the legendary Greek orator. His writing features a range of 2,186 different words, compared to 1,535 in Ezekiel, 1,653 in Jeremiah, and 2,170 in the Psalms. Second Chronicles 32:32 records that he wrote a biography of King Hezekiah also. The prophet lived until at least 681 B.C. when he penned the account of Sennacherib’s death (cf. 37:38).”

Tradition teaches that Isaiah met his death under King Manasseh (c. 695–642 B.C.) by being cut in two with a wooden saw (cf. Heb. 11:37).

A final note. What set the prophet of God apart from all other men and their occupations was the sacredness of God’s call. A prophet did not apply for the job. God sovereignly selected who would serve Him as a prophet. Because God’s call upon a man to be His prophet was a sovereign one, it was an offer an individual could not refuse. Additionally, the call and job of being a prophet was for life. There was not quitting or retiring. The prophet’s job ended the day he died.

What we witness in Isaiah 6 is not an account of Isaiah’s conversion but rather an account of God’s call. Upon witnessing the heavenly seraphim choir give praise to the thrice holy LORD of the universe, Isaiah was anything but ready to be a prophet. It is to this call, and Isaiah’s initial reaction, that we will examine when next we meet.

May the Lord’s truth and grace be found here.

Soli deo Gloria!