Chapter 3 · Encounter 25 of 48
Holy, Holy, Holy
Prepare
Some passages invite us to stand a little farther back. Isaiah's vision is one of them. Ask God to quiet your heart, and read as someone who has been brought into the throne room.
Read Scripture
Open each passage here without leaving this Encounter.
Isaiah 6:1-8
Isaiah’s Commission
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. 2Above 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. 3And they were calling to one another:
“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty;
the whole earth is full of his glory.”
4At 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.”
6Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. 7With it he touched my mouth and said, “See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.”
8Then 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!”
Ponder
- Isaiah sees the Lord enthroned, attended by seraphim who cover themselves and cry out to one another. What does this scene communicate about God's holiness? Why might a threefold declaration matter, and what do you notice about the world his glory fills?
- Isaiah's immediate response is not delight but a confession of uncleanness. What does his reaction reveal about the distance between God's holiness and human sinfulness? How does God answer that confession, and what does his response suggest about his heart?
Look Again
Did you notice who takes the initiative after Isaiah's confession? Isaiah doesn't cleanse himself. A seraph brings a coal from the altar and touches his lips, declaring that his guilt is taken away.
The very fire that makes Isaiah tremble becomes the means of his cleansing. What might that suggest about the relationship between God's holiness and his mercy?
Practice
Set aside a few quiet minutes today to read Isaiah 6:3 3And they were calling to one another: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.”Isaiah 6:3
Prayer
Speak to God as the Holy One. Offer him your awe, then tell him honestly where you sense your own need for cleansing. Thank him that he doesn't leave us at a distance.