The Holiness of God by R. C. Sproul
Holy, Holy, Holy: Chapter Two 1In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple. 2 Above him were seraphim, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. 3 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 shook and the temple was filled with smoke. 5 "Woe to me!" I cried. "I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty."
6 Then one of the seraphim 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." 8 Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?" And I said, "Here am I. Send me!" (Isaiah 6:1-8, NIV)
The Lone Prophet- The OT prophet was a God-called emissary, sent to represent God to the people and call them to personal and corporate holiness.
- For most of Israel’s history, the prophet was despised, rejected, persecuted, and often killed.
Isaiah the Man- Isaiah, unlike most prophets, was of the nobility. He had access to the royal courts.
- Isaiah’s ministry spanned the reigns of four kings: Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah.
Isaiah’s Call- Isaiah was called to be a prophet in the year of King Uzziah’s death.
- Uzziah had been a good king, but his success and wealth led him to pride and presumption in his later years.
- Isaiah went to the temple to grieve the death of the king, but instead encountered the King of Kings.
A Vision of the Lord- Isaiah was granted a vision, in which he saw the glory of the Lord in the temple.
- The Lord is envisioned as a great, exalted King-Priest, with the edges of his priestly robe filling the whole temple.
Seraphim- The Seraphim, a type of angelic being, were attending the high exalted Lord.
- Their mission is to worship and serve the King and Creator of the universe.
- They cover their faces and feet in honor of their holy Creator.
Holy, Holy, Holy- The Seraphim cry in unison: “Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.”
- The three-fold repetition is for superlative emphasis.
- The only time that an attribute of God is given this emphasis.
Trembling before a Holy God- The inanimate materials of the temple respond in awe and fear before the presence of their Maker.
- God’s presence in theophany often results in similar accompanying signs and wonders in Scripture.
“Woe to Me!”- A “woe” is a pronouncement of doom, a curse on the enemies of God.
- Here, Isaiah the prophet pronounces a curse of judgment on himself.
- God’s holiness revealed to him the full measure of his sinfulness.
Cleansed with Fire- God is holy and gracious.
- In grace, he cleanses his soon-to-be prophet with a “burnt offering,” an atonement for his sin.
- God cleanses his lips, which represents Isaiah’s whole self, and thus purifies him.
“Here am I. Send me!”- God brings Isaiah to ruins by the awesome presence of his holiness.
- His grace atones for Isaiah’s sins and cleanses him.
- God makes him fit for service and mission and calls him as his prophet to his people.
Questions:- What do Uzziah’s final years in leprosy teach us about the holiness of God?
- What do the actions of the Seraphim reveal about God’s holiness?
- How is God’s holiness revealed to us?
- How does God’s holiness cause us to better see our own sinfulness?