Isaías 6
Warren Wiersbe · Citado em PreceptAustin
Isaías 6
Wiersbe has an interesting thought on the significance of Isaiah 6… Anyone reading Isaiah’s first two messages (Isaiah 1-5) might be inclined to ask, “What right does this man have to pronounce judgment on the leaders of our land and the many worshipers in the temple?” The answer is in this chapter: Isaiah’s account of his call to ministry. Before he announced any “woes” on others, he first confessed his own sin and said, “Woe is me!” He saw the Holy One of Israel, and he could not keep silent… A great king may have left his throne on earth, but the greatest King was still seated on the throne of heaven. (See context in Be Comforted (Isaiah): Feeling Secure in the Arms of God) (Bolding added) Gary Smith writes that Chapter 6 also serves a literary function as the conclusion to Isaiah 2-5 and the introduction to Isaiah. 7-11. (New American Commentary: Volume 15a: Isaiah 1-39. Page183. B & H Publishing Group) Grogan adds that… it is impossible to link Isaiah 6 solely to chs. 1–5 or solely to chs. 7–12. It functions with both sections, both showing the way of hope for the future (in chs. 1–5) and explaining the present situation (in chs. 7–12). In this sense it is a genuinely strategic chapter, shaping and defining the book as a whole. (See context in The Book of Isaiah, Chapters 1–39) D L Moody wrote… Uzziah’s reign was a kind of Victorian era in Jewish history. It was when this passed away into shame and disgrace that Isaiah saw the Eternal King on his throne. (Notes from My Bible, p. 85) I saw the Lord sitting on a throne - How? In a vision? The text is silent. He saw Jehovah which is enough to know. To argue over how he saw Him is to miss the splendor of this scene. Before Isaiah is sent to preach to the sinful and rebellious nation, the majesty, greatness, and holiness of God is revealed to him. Who did Isaiah see? Comparing this text with Jn 12:41 (discussed below), it is clear that Isaiah saw Jesus, Who is Jehovah of the OT. In Jn 8:58 He declared that He was "I Am", the name ascribed to God in Ex 3:14+. It was Jesus Who Moses experienced in the burning bush. See a detailed discussion addressing the question "Did created men ever see the uncreated God? Fish writes… Verse 1 says that Isaiah saw the Lord. How this could be is not indicated. There are many verses in the Bible which teach that God is invisible and cannot be seen. “No man can see Me and live!” (Exod. 33:20). “No man has seen God at any time” (John 1:18). In fact Paul says that God “dwells in unapproachable light; whom no man has seen or can see” (1 Tim. 6:16). “God is spirit” (John 4:24). Yet Isaiah saw the Lord and many others in the Bible are said to have seen God. Jacob said, “I have seen God face to face” (Gen. 32:30). The Lord Jesus even said, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God” (Matt. 5:8). It is obvious that the phrase “to see God” is used in two different senses. Man cannot see God in His essence. Man can only see God as He has revealed Himself. Any time a person sees God, it is an indication that God has adapted Himself to the limited capacity of the creature. We do not know God as He really is. We only know God as He has revealed Himself. Our knowledge of God is never exhaustive and perfect, but it is nevertheless true. It is not exhaustive because no one can see God and live. It is true because God has accommodated Himself to the weakness of man so that there was a sense in which Isaiah was able to “see” God. (The Commission of Isaiah - Emmaus Journal V4:1, Summer, 95) James Montgomery
Isaías 6
Wiersbe - The prophet knew that he could not faithfully preach for the Lord unless he was prepared and cleansed. How different from some Christians who rush out to serve Christ before taking time to meet the Lord and be cleansed. (See context in Wiersbe's Expository Outlines on the Old Testament or borrow Wiersbe's expository outlines on the Old Testament) Luke records a similar teaching by Jesus that "The good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth what is good; and the evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth what is evil; for his mouth speaks from that which fills his heart. (Lk 6:45+) James wrote that "we all stumble in many ways. If anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to bridle the whole body as well. (Jas 3:2+) Unclean (02931)(tame) means defiled, rendered foul or dirty, soiled, sullied, impure, polluted. Tame' describes that which has become ceremonially impure by not following the Levitical laws properly or who had come in contact with something that rendered him unclean. Thus it is not surprising that of the 78 uses almost half are found in Leviticus. In short, tame' describes whatever does not suit the presence of the holiness of God. Tame' - 88x in 78v in the NAS - defiled(1), ill(1), unclean(83), unclean thing(1), unclean woman(1), who was unclean(1).Lev 5:2; 7:19, 21; 10:10; 11:4-8, 26-29, 31, 35, 38, 47; 13:11, 15, 36, 44-46, 51, 55; 14:40, 41, 44, 45, 57; 15:2, 25, 26, 33; 20:25; 22:4; 27:11, 27; Nu 5:2; 9:6, 7, 10; 18:15; 19:13, 15, 17, 19, 20, 22; Dt 12:15, 22; 14:7, 8, 10, 19; 15:22; 26:14; Josh 22:19; Jdg 13:4; 2Chr 23:19; Job 14:4; Ec 9:2; Isa 6:5; 35:8; 52:1, 11; 64:6; Jer 19:13; Lam 4:15; Ezek 4:13; 22:5, 10, 26; 44:23; Hos 9:3; Amos 7:17; Hag 2:13, 14 Job said that even "the heavens are not pure in His sight" (Job 15:15). For my eyes have seen the King - God was always to be the true King of the Jews. This verse is further evidence that Isaiah saw an OT Christophany or manifestation of Christ, Who at the end of the age will return to reign as the true and only "King of kings and Lord of lords" (Rev 19:16) Zechariah describes this glorious future day when Jesus the King will reign over all the earth (Maranatha!)… And it will come about in that day that living waters will flow out of Jerusalem, half of them toward the eastern sea and the other half toward the western sea; it will be in summer as well as in winter. And the LORD will be King over all the earth; in that day the LORD will be the only one, and His name the only one. (Zech 14:8, 9+) Fish writes that Isaiah… is a man with unclean lips. The lips are specified because of the fact that he had just seen choirs of holy creatures worshipping with pure lips. Notice the extent of his sense of sinfulness. Even if he uses his lips to praise and worship God, they are still unclean lips because he is unclean. In the presence of the thrice-holy God he is not even fit to worship properly. Sin so pervades our nature that it taints all of our thoughts and actions, not just those which we can specify as disobedient to God. Even with our best intentions and desires, our worship of God is imperfect. Perhaps it is because we never do anything 100% to the glory of God that no work is untainted with sin. Furthermore not only was Isaiah himself a man of unclean lips, he was a member of a nation with unclean lips. How could such a one as he live in the presence of the almighty and holy God? (The Commission of Isaiah - Emmaus Journal V4:1, Summer, 95) J Vernon McGee… Isaiah was God's man before he had this experience, but it still had a tremendous effect on him. The reaction of Isaiah to such a vision is revolutionary. He sees himself as he really is in the presence of God -- undone. It reveals to him his condition. When he had seen God, he could see himself. The problem with many of us today is that we don't walk in the light of the Word of God. If we did, we would see ourselves. That is what John is talking about in the first chapter of his first epistle: "But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth [keeps on cleansing] us from all sin" (1Jn 1:7). If we walk in the light of His Word, we are going to see exactly what Isaiah saw -- that we are undone and men of unclean lips. You have never really seen the Lord, my friend, if you feel that you are worthy or merit something or have some claim upon God. Job had an experience similar to Isaiah's, and his reaction was, "I abhor myself." Job was a self-righteous man. He could maintain his integrity in the presence of his friends who were attempting to tear him to bits. They told him that he was a rotten sinner, but he looked them straight in the eye and said, "As far as I know, I am a righteous man." From his viewpoint he was right, and he won the match against them. But he was not perfect. When Job came into the presence of God, he no longer wanted to talk about maintaining his righteousness. When Job really saw who he was, he said, "I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth thee. Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes" (Job 42:5, 6). If you walk in the light of the Word of God, you will see yourself, and you will know that even as a child of God you need the blood of Jesus Christ to cleanse you from all sin. You will find that other men had the same reaction when they came into the presence of God. John, on the Isle of Patmos, wrote, "And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead … " (Rev 1:17-note). When Daniel saw the Lord, he said, "Therefore I was left alone, and saw this great vision, and there remained no strength in me: for my comeliness was turned in me into corruption, and I retained no strength" (Da 10:8-note). That was also the experience of Saul of Tarsus, who became Paul the apostle. After Paul met the Lord, he no longer saw himself as a self-righteous Pharisee, but as a lost sinner in need of salvation. He then could say, "But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ" (Php 3:7-note). He saw his need of Jesus Christ. (Listen free online - Isaiah 6:1.mp3 Isaiah 6:2.mp3 Isaiah 6:3-5.mp3 Isaiah 6:6-8.mp3 Isaiah 6:9-13.mp3) (See context in Thru the Bible) Octavius Winslow writes… What an august revelation of the glory of Christ's Godhead was this which broke upon the view of the lowly prophet! How instructive is each particular of His beatific vision! Mark the profound humility of the seraphim-they veiled with their wings their faces and their feet. They were in the presence of Jesus. They saw the King in His beauty, and covered themselves. But the effect of this view of our Lord's divine glory upon the mind of the prophet is still more impressive: "Then said I, Woe is me! For I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips…for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts." What prostrated his soul thus low in the dust? What filled him with this self-abasement? What overwhelmed him with this keen sense of his vileness? Oh, it was the unclouded view he had of the essential glory of the Son of God! And thus will it ever be. The beaming forth of Christ's glory in the soul reveals its hidden evil; the knowledge of this evil lays the believer low before God with the confession, "I abhor myself. Woe is me! For I am undone." Beloved, let this truth be ever present to your mind that as we increasingly see glory in Christ, we shall increasingly see that there is no glory in ourselves. Jesus is the Sun which reveals the pollutions and defilements which are within. The chambers of abomination are all closed until Christ shines in upon the soul. Oh, then it is these deep-seated and long-veiled deformities are revealed; and we, no longer gazing with a complacent eye upon self, sink in the dust before God, overwhelmed with shame, and covered with confusion of face. Holy posture! Blessed spectacle!-a soul prostrate before the glory of the incarnate God! All high and lofty views of its own false glory annihilated by clear and close views of the true glory of Jesus. As when the sun appears, all the lesser lights vanish into darkness, so when Jesus rises in noontide glory upon the soul, all other glory retires, and He alone fixes the eye and fills the mind. "With twain they covered their faces, and with twain they covered their feet." Their own perfections and beauty were not to be seen in the presence of the glory of the Lord. How much more profound should be the humility and self-abasement of man! Have we covered ourselves-not with the pure wings of the holy cherubim, but with sackcloth and ashes before the Lord? Have we sought to veil-not our beauties, for beauty we have none-but our innumerable and flagrant deformities, even the "spots upon our feasts of charity," the sins of our best and holiest things; and, renouncing all self-glory, have we sunk, as into nothing before God? Oh, we are yet strangers to the vision of Christ's glory, if we have not. If the constellation of human gifts and attainments, distinctions and usefulness, on which unsanctified and unmortified self so delights to gaze, have not retired into oblivion, the Sun of Righteousness has yet to rise upon our souls with healing in His wings. Today in the Word - “Apart from Me–you are nothing.” (Jn 15:5). In light of this truth the great saint of yesteryear Andrew Murray prayed… Lord, I gladly accept the arrangement: I am nothing–You are all. My nothingness is my highest blessing, because You are the Vine, which gives and works all, so be it, Lord!– Andrew Murray, The True Vine Humility and brokenness aren’t very popular in our culture. Although some action heroes show sensitivity, the message of our society is that success demands toughness. But “having your act together” runs contrary to Scripture. Over and over, we see people driven to the Lord in their helpless need. For the past few days, we’ve considered aspects of God’s nature that need to be understood to foster prayer. For the next few days, we’ll consider attitudes of our hearts that open us to prayer. Helplessness is one such attitude. Consider the following insights from Ole Hallesby in his excellent book, Prayer: “Listen, my friend! Your helplessness is your best prayer. It calls from your heart to the heart of God with greater effect than all your uttered pleas. He hears it from the very moment that you are seized with helplessness, and He becomes actively engaged at once in hearing and answering the prayer of your helplessness (cp He 2:18-note).” TODAY ALONG THE WAY - Self-sufficiency can be a serious barrier to prayer. Many people take the adage “the Lord helps those who help themselves” to mean that they can never come to the Lord until they have exhausted their own resources. But passivity and helplessness are not the same. Isaiah’s attitude was brokenness in the blinding light of God’s holiness (Isa 6:5). Yet Isaiah’s eager response, “Here I am!” (Isaiah 6:8) reveals how he was actively ready to respond to God. Or consider the woman in today’s reading from Mark. Despite her best efforts to find help, her terrible condition worsened and she desperately sought Jesus (Mk 5:26, 27). Both this woman and Isaiah show the close link between humility, coming helplessly before the Lord, and obedience. Do you ponder your true helplessness and vulnerability apart from Christ? Reflect back on Andrew Murray’s prayer. Then ask the Lord to translate your sense of brokenness into an eager willingness to follow Him more fully. Today in the Word - How did Isaiah respond to this vision? He was immediately and absolutely conscious of his sinfulness. He cried out that he was “ruined” or “undone”. Surely no sinner could see the holy God and live. How did God show mercy to Isaiah? Isaiah was not consumed (cf. Lam 3:22, 23). What’s more, the Lord sent an angel to him with a live, cleansing coal from the altar before His throne. The coal touched his mouth, corresponding to Isaiah’s sense of “unclean lips” and his imminent prophetic calling. He had been eternally transformed! If you feel led to join the hosts of heaven in proclaiming the utter holiness of our God, sing a relevant chorus or hymn, such as “Holy, Holy, Holy,” during your prayer time today (or see the links below). Related Resources: Hide Me In Your Holiness - a beautiful old Maranatha chorus When I Look Into Your Holiness How Deep The Father's Love For Us - Fernando Ortega Holy, Holy, Holy Isaiah 6:6 THEN ONE OF THE SERAPHIM FLEW TO ME WITH A BURNING COAL IN HIS HAND, WHICH HE HAD TAKEN FROM THE ALTAR WITH TONGS. flew: Isa 6:2 Da 9:21, 22, 23 Heb 1:7,14 in his hand: Eze 10:2 Mt 3:11 Ac 2:3 Rev 8:3, 4, 5 which: Lev 16:12 Heb 9:22-26 13:10 Rev 8:3, 4, 5 Isaiah's confession and contrition was met with God's gracious provision of mercy as He promised in Isaiah 57… For thus says the high and exalted One Who lives forever, whose name is Holy, “I dwell on a high and holy place, and also with the contrite and lowly of spirit (descriptive of Isaiah) in order to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite. (Is 57:15) One of the seraphim - The worshipping one became a ministering one, reminiscent of the writer of Hebrews rhetorical question concerning angelic beings… Are they not all ministering spirits, sent out to render service for the sake of those who will inherit salvation? (He 1:14-note) A burning coal - The Seraphim are themselves "burning ones" and here bring a "burning coal". While this may have been a literal coal, it is used symbolically (otherwise it would have literally burned Isaiah) and in the context was God's vehicle for purifying His prophet of his uncleanness. Therefore in this context, symbolic interpretations, such as those quoted below certainly appear to be warranted. The altar - John describes an altar in heaven (Rev 6:9, Rev 8:3), but one cannot state with certainty that that is the same as seen by Isaiah. Raymond Ortlund feels that the burning coal… belongs to the place of sacrifice and atonement and forgiveness. But this holy thing touches Isaiah's dirty mouth, and it does not hurt him, it heals him. What we must see, in the context of the whole Bible, is that this burning coal symbolizes the finished work of Christ on the cross. (Preaching the Word – Isaiah: God Saves Sinners) McGee on the burning coal… from the altar… This "live coal" has come from the burnt altar where sin had been dealt with. In the next chapter we will see the prediction of the birth of Christ, but it is not the incarnation of Christ that saves us, it is His death upon the Cross. For this reason, Isaiah needs the live coal from off the burnt altar, which is symbolic of Christ's death. This living coal represents the cleansing blood of Christ that keeps on cleansing us from all sin… I believe it would be more accurate to say that this glowing coal is symbolic of none other than the Lord Jesus Christ. He was the One high and lifted up on the throne, and He was the One lifted up on the Cross. It is absolutely essential that He be lifted up, because He came down to this earth and became one of us that He might become "… the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world" (Jn 1:29). And so the lips of this man Isaiah are cleansed. I take it that this act of putting the coal on his lips was just an external manifestation of what happened in the inner man. It is what proceeds out of the heart of a man that goes through the lips; and, when the lips are cleansed, it means that the heart is cleansed also. There was a man in the New Testament who also was "undone." His name was Paul, and he cried out, "O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?" (Ro 7:24). When Paul said this, he was not a lost sinner but a saint of God, learning the lesson from God that he needed to walk in the Spirit because he could not live for God by himself. Living for God can only be accomplished by divine grace. Man's responsibility is to confess his sinfulness and his inability to please God. Therefore, we need to have the redemption of Christ applied to our lives again and again and again. (Listen free online - Isaiah 6:1.mp3 Isaiah 6:2.mp3 Isaiah 6:3-5.mp3 Isaiah 6:6-8.mp3 Isaiah 6:9-13.mp3)(See context in Thru the Bible) Ironside feels that the altar ultimately pictures… the altar of sacrifice, which prefigured the Cross. That live coal told of the fire of judgment having burned itself out upon the offering. The representative of the grace of GOD to needy men flew swiftly to tell of His saving favor, based upon the atoning sacrifice. Isaiah 6:7 HE TOUCHED MY MOUTH WITH IT AND SAID, "BEHOLD, THIS HAS TOUCHED YOUR LIPS; AND YOUR INIQUITY IS TAKEN AWAY AND YOUR SIN IS FORGIVEN Heb. caused it to touch - Jer 1:9 Da 10:16 iniquity: Isa 43:25 53:5,10 Mt 9:2 Heb 9:13,14 1Jn 1:7 2:1,2 THE GOSPEL IN ISAIAH "YOU SIN IS FORGIVEN" HALLELUJAH! He touched my mouth with it - Isaiah's mouth was cleansed but represented cleansing of his entire person. Beloved, perhaps it is not your mouth, but your wandering eyes which need to be cleansed of defiling, pornographic images. Acknowledge your "ruined" state and cry out for God's cleansing. Iniquity (05771)('avon) is a verb with the basic meaning of to bend, twist, distort. 'Avon is is a twisting of the standard or deviation from it and thus refers to iniquity, guilt or punishment for guilt. The derivative noun 'awon occurs with only the derived, abstract theological notion of the root: "infraction, crooked behavior, perversion, iniquity, etc." Taken away (05493) (cuwr) conveys the primary sense of to turn aside and thus means to depart, remove, or be removed Sin (02403)(chattat/chattath) like it's NT counterpart (hamartia [word study]) means to miss the mark or to fall short of the divine standard. In the majority of cases chatta'ah denotes sins against man, e.g. 1Sa 20:1 Ps 59:3, or against God, mainly in the historical and prophetical literature. Forgiven (KJV = purged) (03722)(kapar related to koper = to cover as in Ge 6:14, ransom, as in Ex 21:30, Nu 35:31, Ps 49:7, an atonement by blood - Lev 17:11) means to atone by offering a substitute. Kaphar includes the ideas of to forgive, be merciful, pacify, pardon, purge (away), put off, reconcile or make reconciliation. Kaphar - 101x in 93v in the NAS - appease(1), appease*(1), atone(3), atoned(2), atonement is made(1), atonement shall be made(1), atonement was made(1), atoning(1), canceled(1), expiation can be made(1), forgave(1), forgive(4), forgiven(5), made atonement(3), make atonement(71), makes atonement(2), making atonement(1), pardon(1). Ge 32:20; Ex 29:33, 36, 37; 30:10, 15f; 32:30; Lev 1:4; 4:20, 26, 31, 35; 5:6, 10, 13, 16, 18; 6:7, 30; 7:7; 8:15, 34; 9:7; 10:17; 12:7f; 14:18, 19, 20, 21, 29, 31, 53; 15:15, 30; 16:6, 10f, 16, 17, 18, 20, 24, 27, 30, 32, 33, 34; 17:11; 19:22; 23:28; Nu 5:8; 6:11; 8:12, 19, 21; 15:25, 28; 16:46f; 25:13; 28:22, 30; 29:5; 31:50; 35:33; Dt 21:8; 32:43; 1Sa 3:14; 2Sa 21:3; 1Chr 6:49; 2Chr 29:24; 30:18; Neh 10:33; Ps 65:3; 78:38; 79:9; Prov 16:6, 14; Isa 6:7; 22:14; 27:9; 28:18; 47:11; Jer 18:23; Ezek 16:63; 43:20, 26; 45:15, 17, 20; Da 9:24. Scofield - Hebrew kaphar means to propitiate, to atone for sin. According to Scripture the sacrifice of the law only covered the offerer's sin and secured the divine forgiveness. The OT sacrifices never removed man's sin because it was "impossible for the blood of bulls and of goats to take away sins" (Heb 10:4-note). The Israelite's offering implied confession of sin and recognized its due penalty as death; and God passed over his sin in anticipation of Christ's sacrifice which did, finally, put away those sins "committed beforehand" [OT times] (Heb 9:15-note, He 9:26-note; Ro 3:25-note). Fish adds that "Symbolically the fire had a purifying effect, but the cleansing came not from the fire, but from the initiative of the Lord and the fact that a sacrifice for sin had been offered. Young comments, “The action of the seraph in touching the coal to the lips of Isaiah symbolized the fact that, the necessary propitiatory sacrifice having been made, his sins were forgiven.” Isaiah’s woeful cry is silenced. By the gracious work of the Majestic and Holy One upon the throne through atonement his sins are taken care of along with the resultant guilt. (The Commission of Isaiah - Emmaus Journal V4:1, Summer, 95) Motyer observes that "The two verbs, has touched and is taken away, are co-ordinate perfects, stressing that as soon as the one happened the other happened also. Isaiah contributes nothing; all is of God—‘This touched your lips and your iniquity went’. (Motyer, J. A. The Prophecy of Isaiah: An Introduction & Commentary. Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity Press) Isaiah is an excellent OT illustration of the powerful principle taught in 1John 1:9… If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 Jn 1:9-note) Isaiah confessed in Isa 6:5 ("I am a man of unclean lips") and the faithful God in His boundless mercy provided purification and forgiveness of his whole being (not just from unclean lips but from iniquity and sin). Praise God. Vine feels that "If we are to engage in any particular service for the Lord, we can render it effectively only as we freshly appropriate to ourselves the efficacy of the atoning sacrifice of Christ for the cleansing of our hearts from sin. For each occasion we must come to the Throne by way of the Cross. We must come to the Mercy-Seat (Christ Himself) “that we may obtain mercy." (Vine, W. Collected writings of W. E. Vine. Nashville: Thomas Nelson) Forgiven (03722) (kaphar/kapar) means to cover, to make atonement (to effect a kopher or ransom price, the price that God's justice required), make amends, to pardon, to release. To remove the guilt of a wrongdoing (Ex 29:36). The related word kapporet describes the mercy seat, an "atonement cover", the gold cover on the ark of the covenant where atonement is made. Motyer adds that: As we speak of a sum of money as sufficient to ‘cover’ a debt, so kipper/koper is the payment of whatever divine justice sees as sufficient to cover the sinner’s debt, the death of the substitute sacrifice on the altar. (Ibid) Wycliffe Bible Commentary asks "How could the prophet's impure lips repeat that angelic song? His conscience was burdened by a sense of personal weakness and failure. He could only confess his helplessness and fallen estate. But God's redeeming grace hastened to meet his need, applying to his lips a coal from the incense altar (originally from the altar of blood sacrifice; cf. Lev 16:12). Isaiah was thus cleansed and equipped for praise, intercessory prayer, and the proclamation of God's word. (See context in The Wycliffe Bible Commentary or borrow Wycliffe Bible Commentary) Wiersbe - How tragic it would be to have the throne without the altar! There would be conviction of sin, but no cleansing. Note that it was more important for the seraph to equip Isaiah to be a soul-winner than to praise God. True worship ought to lead to witness and service. Too many Christians want to hold on to a "spiritual experience" with the Lord, rather than be prepared to go out to share the Lord with others. There is a wonderful word of encouragement here: God quickly answers prayer and cleanses us (1John 1:9). He longs to equip us to serve Him. (See context in Wiersbe's Expository Outlines on the Old Testament or borrow Wiersbe's expository outlines on the Old Testament)
Isaías 6
Wiersbe - He did not discuss his call with the Lord, as did Moses (Ex 3:11-4:15) and Jeremiah (Jer 1:4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10), but accepted the appointment and made himself available to his Master. (See context in The Bible Exposition Commentary) Isaiah's prompt response and surrender to Adonai's call reminds us of two fishermen in the NT men who also heard and surrendered to the Lord's call… And walking by the Sea of Galilee, He (Jesus) saw two brothers, Simon who was called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. And He said to them, "Follow (command) Me, and I will make you fishers of men." And they immediately (eutheos = instantly, straightway, forthwith) left the nets (abandoned the temporal), and followed (for the eternal) Him (akoloutheo = literally "to walk the same road"!) (Mt 4:17, 18, 19) Paul like Peter and Andrew manifested a similar complete surrender to Adonai (Kurios) declaring I do not consider my life of any account as dear to myself (death to self, surrender to the Lord, not one's own but bought with a price), in order that I may finish (teleioo = accomplish, bring to an end or to the intended goal. Not just to terminate a thing but carry out to full, to carry through completely.) my course (dromos = race - see 2Ti 4:7-note), and the ministry which I received from the Lord (kurios = Master - Greek word used to translated Adonai) Jesus, to testify solemnly of the gospel (euaggelion) of the grace (good news of unmerited favor, in contrast to the bad news of the law) of God. (Acts 20:24)
Isaías 6
Wiersbe - "Go and tell" is still God's command to His people (Isa 6:9; see Mt 28:7; Mk 5:19). He is waiting for us to reply, "Here am I; send me." (Ed: Truth be said if we went and told exactly what Isaiah was to go and tell, keep listening but do not perceive, etc, that message would not be well received! Wiersbe of course is applying this section, saying go and tell the gospel to the lost.) (See context in The Wiersbe Bible Commentary: Old Testament) This people (same phrase Isa 6:10, 8:11, 12, 9:16, 28:11, 14, 29:13, 14) - The phrase "this people" rather than "My people" seems to convey a sense of contempt with a clear implication that God sees Judah's unbelief and unclean lips (Read Je 7:4, 5,6,7, 8, 9, 10, 11)! (cf Ex. 32:9, 21, 31; Nu 11:11, 12, 13, 14). This people in context is a reference primarily to the people Judah and Jerusalem (Isa 1:1), a people of unclean lips! Keep on listening… do not perceive… keep on looking… do not understand - Can you imagine Isaiah's first reaction upon hearing these words he was to speak to the people of Judah - to say they are not seeker friendly would be an understatement! In fact, almost any one (including believers) upon hearing these words would surely think these do not sound like words from a God of grace and mercy Who is relentlessly seeking to save sinners. The following section gives some insight into these somewhat difficult to understand commands which Isaiah was to go and tell. In a word, Isaiah 6 shows that unbelief is the result of rejection of the light that is given, and that the rejection of the light in turn, in accord with the sovereign decree of God, gradually makes belief impossible. Woe! But note that even in the face of Judah's steadfast unbelief by the majority of souls, there is Isaiah, a picture of the remnant, those who see and are convicted by the light, who confess sin and who receive redemption from the Redeemer! Praise God! Fish points out that… What is to be heard is the message of God through Isaiah, and what is to be seen are the works of God which prominently display His providence. The message and the revelation are to be repeatedly before the nation, yet she is forbidden to perceive and understand. (The Commission of Isaiah - Emmaus Journal V4:1, Summer, 95) MAN'S RESPONSIBILITY GOD'S SOVEREIGNTY Isaiah 6:9,10 has been the subject of much debate and speculation because instead of calling his readers to repent and to not harden their hearts, these verses command Isaiah to issue a proclamation which is just the opposite! Remembering that the best commentary on Scripture is Scripture, it behooves the sincere student of God's Word to try and discern a similar action elsewhere in the Scriptures. In Exodus we see how Pharaoh's decision to harden his heart was followed later by Divine hardening. Ten times the Scripture records that Pharaoh hardened his own heart (Ex 7:13, 14, 22; 8:15, 19, 32; 9:7, 34, 35; 13:15), and ten times it records God's hardening of Pharaoh's heart (Ex 4:21; 7:3; 9:12; 10:1, 20, 27; 11:10; 14:4, 8, 17). This sovereign act of God, designed to make His power known (Ro 9:17-note) might seem cruel except that Pharaoh volitionally hardened his own heart against God (Ex 8:15), and so fully merited God's judgment. Here is an example of the great mystery, inscrutable to our finite minds, of God's election versus man's will. Like two sides of the same coin, both are real but can only be viewed and pondered separately. Neither can be discarded. Paul uses this as an example of the inscrutable will of God and of His mercy toward men (Ro 9:14, 15, 16, 17, 18-note). In sum, Pharaoh hardened his own heart before God hardened it, though the prediction that God would do so preceded Pharaoh's choice. So even as Moses' ministry to Pharaoh resulted in hardening of his heart rather than repentance, in a similar fashion Isaiah's prophetic ministry to Judah would (sadly) result in increased hardening of his hearer's hearts. We see a similar "judicial hardening" of men in the last days (during Daniel's Seventieth Week = the Tribulation), Paul describing the time when… that lawless one (Antichrist) will be revealed whom the Lord will slay with the breath of His mouth and bring to an end by the appearance of His coming (Second Coming of Messiah), that is, the one whose coming is in accord with the activity of Satan, with all power and signs and false wonders, and with all the deception of wickedness for those who perish, because (Here is the root cause of why God "hardens" hearts - His judicial hardening) they did not receive the love of the truth (They made a volitional choice to reject the only Truth that gives life Jn 14:6 and sets free Jn 8:31, 32) so as to be saved. And for this reason (What reason? Their refusal to receive Truth!) God will send upon them a deluding influence (Their repeated rejection reaps righteous retribution from God!) so that they might believe what is false, in order that they all may be judged who did not believe the truth (He reiterates that this is not God's desire but is their choice), but took pleasure in wickedness (How they behave shows what they really believe). (2Th 2:8, 9, 10, 11) Warren Wiersbe - God does not deliberately make sinners blind, deaf, and hard-hearted; but the more that people resist God’s truth, the less able they are to receive God’s truth. But the servant is to proclaim the Word no matter how people respond, for the test of ministry is not outward success but faithfulness to the Lord. (See context in The Wiersbe Bible Commentary: Old Testament) John Fish asks… How could this (Isa 6:9,10) be the message of “God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1Ti 2:3, 4)? Could the Lord Who is “not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance” (2Pe 3:9-note) keep men and women from salvation by preventing them from understanding the message of the Gospel?… It is a people immersed in sin. During the reign of Uzziah, Judah was politically and militarily at her height, but chapters 1–5 show that her spiritual, moral, and social ills had reached the crisis state. There was an advanced religious corruption… Departure from God inevitably results in moral and social corruption, and these are apparent… It was to this people that Isaiah was commissioned to preach, and while Judah was not as far degenerate as the northern kingdom of Israel, it was a people so immersed in sin as to be incapable of repentance and correction. Isaiah’s preaching was therefore to be a part of the judgment of God resulting in judicial blindness upon the nation. (The Commission of Isaiah - Emmaus Journal V4:1, Summer, 95)(Bolding added) Matthew Henry (concise commentary) has a balanced comment noting that "God sends Isaiah to foretell the ruin of His people. Many hear the sound of God's word, but do not feel the power of it. God sometimes, in righteous judgment, gives men up to blindness of mind, because they will not receive the truth in the love of it (see 2Thes above). But no humble inquirer after Christ, need to fear this awful doom, which is a spiritual judgment on those who will still hold fast their sins. Let every one pray for the enlightening of the Holy Spirit, that he may perceive how precious are the Divine mercies, by which alone we are secured against this dreadful danger. Yet the Lord would preserve a remnant, like the tenth, holy to him. John
Isaías 6
Wiersbe - It would be like the stump of a fallen tree from which the shoots (“the holy seed”) would come, and they would continue the true faith in the land. Isaiah needed a long-range perspective on his ministry or else he would feel like he was accomplishing nothing. (See context in The Wiersbe Bible Commentary: Old Testament) It is interesting to see the meaning of this same fraction of a "tenth" in Leviticus where Moses records that… every tenth part of herd or flock, whatever passes under the rod, the tenth one shall be holy to Jehovah. (Le 27:32-note) The concept of a believing remnant of Judah is alluded to again in Isaiah 7:3 where we encounter Isaiah's son whose name Shear-jashub (see ISBE note) means a "remnant shall return". In that passage Isaiah was saying that sin would yield captivity, but that God would bring a Redeemer (cf Isa 7:14). Isaiah has more prophecies about Jesus Christ than any OT prophet. Isaiah refers frequently to the doctrine of the remnant (and a term often used synonymously = "survivors")… Remnant - Isa 10:20, 21, 22-note, Isa 11:11, 16-note, Isa 15:9, 16:14, 28:5, 37:4, 37:31, 37:32, 46:3 Survivor = Isa 1:9 Isa 4:2, 3 (he who is left… and remains) Isa 37:32 Isa 66:19 Like a Terebinth (note) or an oak - The tenth which survives the exile is compared to a terebinth or an oak tree. This comparison prepares the reader for an understanding of the truth that even after the tenth has been subjected to burning, a stump will remain and be available to "regrowth". Skinner explains that "As the terebinth and oak when cut down retain the principle of vitality in their roots, which will again spring up into a great tree (cf. Job 14:7ff.), so the ruined Israel contains the indestructible germ of the future kingdom of God, the “holy seed” is wrapped up in it. Vine explains that the stump remains and "has life in it after the cutting off of the branches; it can shoot out into verdure again. All this describes, in a twofold application, the circumstances of the remnant both after the return from captivity and hereafter in the great tribulation. The nation, consisting of the remnant, will, under the hand of their Messiah-Deliverer, revive and be glorified (see Isa 11:1-note). (Collected writings of W. E. Vine. Nashville: Thomas Nelson) The holy seed is its stump - More literally "the seed of holiness its stump". There is some disagreement as to how to best interpret this phrase, so the reader needs to be a Berean (Acts 17:11), even regarding the present comments. Although the nation of Israel like a great tree might have been felled (North exiled to Assyria in 722BC, South exiled to Babylon 586BC) and therefore appear to have been completely destroyed, "a tenth" pictured as a "stump" will retain the "holy seed" (cf Isa 4:3-note), which in turn appears to picture faithful Jews who believe in their Messiah (they are part of the believing remnant), the holy seed of Abraham. (Gal 3:16, cf Ge 22:18 where "seed" = Messiah) Later in Isaiah Jehovah promises that … the surviving remnant of the house of Judah shall again take root downward and bear fruit upward. (Isa 37:31) Grogan - How astounding that God should use the word “holy” (qadosh) of the remnant of His people when it has been used already in Is 6:3 in relation to His own transcendent being! This is condescending grace indeed! (See context in Isaiah) Criswell - This verse describes the extent of the destruction as nearly complete. But God is promising that just as a tree may sprout again from a stump, so there will be a remnant of the nation that will survive. Ryrie - After the 70 years in Babylon, a tenth would return. These would, in turn, be subject again to chastisement (burning) but not eradication. Israel would sprout like the terebinth (an oak-like tree from which, when cut, flows a fragrant, resinous juice) and oak trees. (Ibid)