Isaiah - Verse By Verse

Scripture:  Isaiah 6: 6 & 7 (NIV):  "Then one of the seraphs flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar.  With it he touched my mouth and said, 'See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin is atoned for.' "

Thought:  To me, only something given from God can erase sin and guilt.

Question:  Have I received that "something"?  Am I free of sin and guilt?

Here is the seraph acting as a messenger!  But this may not be the kind help or message we were hoping for!  We may not understand why God helps us in this way; but it works!  The angel says it will atone for our sin.  Fine, we say!  Bring on the hot coal!  A hot coal, a portion of a Holy altar's fire, too hot for the angel to pick up "bare-handed," is the saving device.  Fire is a purifier, but it brings severe pain to any of us who touch it.  Christ gave Himself to the awful "fires" of hellish sin for a time for our sake.  He underwent exceeding suffering, worse than being immersed entirely in flame, to atone for our sins.  It is true that no mention is made here that the coal is painful to Isaiah's lips, but the cost of providing a purifying, holy "fire" from which "coals" are drawn for sinners must have indeed been painful for both God and Christ to bring to us through Calvary.

Notice that because Isaiah pinpoints his lips as unclean, God has provided a specific remedy applied directly to the affected area:  Isaiah's "mouth" and "lips".  And now he is declared sin-free and guilt-free entirely!  Praise God!

Prayer:  Holy God, help me to ever remember that only through Your power and kindness to help me am I free of my sins!  Amen.

Scripture:  Isaiah 6:5 (NIV):  " '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.' "

Thought:  To me, until I come to a sense of personal "ruination", I will not fully know God.

Question:  Does "woe" come to you from outside yourself, or do you sense your own "woe" from within?

Isaiah reacts properly.  He also reacts personally.  This is good.  We all should react in these two ways to God.  To fail to do either results in never really knowing God fully at all.  If we do not react in true humility, our position before God is incorrect.  If we do not take in this scene personally, and accept responsibility for our condition before a Holy God, our need for His forgiveness is eliminated.  We must see our lack of holiness while simultaneously understanding how much above us He is in His holiness.  This produces the necessity for God, The One exalted high above us, to help us become "presentable" and "acceptable" in His sight.  Our "unclean lips"--sinfulness--must be dealt with.  We can do nothing.  The great, powerful God must do something.  Will he?  Is He kindly toward us?

Here is that word "woe" again.  We have seen it all through chapter 5 where God's judgments are pronounced against sinful Israel.  But this time the godly prophet Isaiah is announcing his own, personal "woe":  he feels worthless before such an awesome God as the angels boom out His holiness in loud praise.  The two kinds of woe are entirely different, and, to me, the "woe" of Isaiah, if found in our hearts as well, will eliminate the need for God to bring judgmental "woe" upon us!  This reminds me of Matthew 23:12:  "Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted."  Once we admit our sin and desperate need of cleansing, God moves favorably on our behalf.  Isaiah knows who God is!--that's the important issue:  the Lord is "the King, the LORD Almighty."  (All 4 letters of LORD capitalized indicates the Hebrew name "Jehovah", which is a transliteration of the word Yahweh, a word ancient Jews never pronounced out loud due to reverence for God's name.)

Prayer:  LORD Almighty, I bow before You!  I am undone in my sin!  Thank You for Your forgiveness through Christ.  Thank You for being willing to cleanse me!  Amen.

Scripture:  Isaiah 6:4 (NIV):  "At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke."

Thought:  To me, it is with great longing that I read of God's physically manifested presence and the angelic praise of such power.

Question:  Will I shake at the voice of the angels?

The exclamation by the angels of God's holiness and glory is very powerful and dramatic.  Oh, that we had this kind of praise on the earth today!  "The doorposts and thresholds shook":  usually any power that threatens the integrity of a large building strikes fear in us!  We worry when the realities around us are threatened by destruction.  We are at the mercy of forces beyond our control.  Here God and His heavenly host have our full attention!  "The temple was filled with smoke":  this is reminiscent of Moses' day and the initial indwelling of the tabernacle and temple by God.  He manifested His promised presence by smoke so all could see He had indeed come to them.

This is a scene we know nothing about firsthand today--we are so unused to it.  Let us be in awe of God!  Let us join the angels in loud praises of His holiness!  Let us tremble in fear at God's tremendous perfection and power!

Prayer:  All-powerful Father, I thank You that Your awesomeness and the praise of Your angels fills heaven.  Bring this to us here on earth--may Your Kingdom come!  Amen.

Scripture:  Isaiah 6:3(NIV):  "And they were calling to one another:  'Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.' "

Thought:  To me, the human mind cannot fully grasp the power and creative force of God's holiness.

Question:  Do I remember every day that God made this earth and all that is in it out of nothing?

What a sight and what a sound--this kind of praise!  Do we have any idea how holy God is?  What a great day when credit is finally given on earth to God's holiness!!

"The whole earth is full of his glory":  may our eyes not be blinded by Satan to the fact that all the earth's beauty and magnificence is from God's hand of creation.  He conceived of it all and brought it into being out of nothing by merely speaking the word.  This fact alone demands our most active praise.

But even more praiseworthy than the creation of the earth is the holiness of God.  His nature includes many attributes, but holiness, as we have roughly defined before as "purely perfect--whole and intact, missing nothing and containing no flaw--that which cannot be transgressed or violated", is the focus of the angels here in this verse.  The first words out of the seraph's mouths are "Holy, holy, holy!"  They are chorusing these words back and forth to each other.  How many seraphs are there?  We are not told here, but out of each mouth comes "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty."  Among God's greatest virtues is His holiness.  And all creation should praise that quality in Him.  I believe it is by the "strength and power" of holiness that God is able to create all things by merely speaking them into existance.

Prayer:  Lord Almighty, Holy, holy, holy are You and all Your works!  I bow in humble awe before You.  There is no one like You!  Your perfection and eternal existance separate You from all other beings!  Amen.

Scripture:  Isaiah 6:2 (NIV):  "Above him were seraphs, each with six wings:  With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying."

Thought:  To me, visions of the Lord often have accompanying angels.

Question:  Do I believe in angels?

Near the Lord in His place of holy residence, are the angels (seraphs or seraphim).  The term literally means "burning ones" or "fiery ones", supposedly so-named because of their burning love for God.  These angels stand "above him", ready to minister at His first command.  To assist their ministering afar each is equipped with two wings for flying.  Angels are primarily messengers, so here thy are ready with their wings of flight, to go at His word.

To me, in order to come near to God, the angels must cover their faces and feet with their remaining wings.  How awesome He is!  How holy His presence and how terribly terrifying to be in His presence!  Even the holy angels must approach with coverings for their faces and feet. 

Prayer:  Lord, when I consider the angels and how they act in Your presence, I am reminded how awesome and even terrifying You are!  Help my worship of You to follow in the style of the seraphim as they enter Your presence covered by their wings and in humility.  Amen.

Scripture:  Isaiah 6:1 (NIV):  "In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple."

Thought:  To me, we need "eyes" to see beyond this earth.

Question:  Have I "seen" the Lord behind the scenes?

Isaiah suffers the loss of his earthy King.  To whom will he look for leadership?  God in His great mercy brings a tremendous vision of glory to fill the prophet's void.  And Isaiah, in turn, records it for posterity and the vision is shared with us!  It is so much better to look beyond our frail, earthly rulers and see the Great God Who is standing always behind them.

God, our Great King, brings Himself as the replacement of the earthly king.  Oh that I, and we, may have this kind of vision, too!  That God will take over for us and lead us more justly and more kindly than we've ever been led before!  How we all hunger for Christ to be exalted in this way; with His "train", or following reputation, flowing large and filling the place of worship.  (Here in the United States, every election year, and we are in one now, our hopes are lifted once again to seek and embrace a better leader than we have thus far known.  It seems we are always dreadfully disappointed with our human politicians.  To me, this "hunger of hope" has been instilled in us by God, and is laying in wait for Our Lord's soon coming.  God knows we will not be disappointed at all in the leadership of Jesus Christ, Our Great Savior, Healer and Sovereign King!)

Today, we are the "temples" He fills via the Holy Spirit.  Does Christ's glory fill you and me now?  "Tomorrow", Christ will come to the Holy City and fulfill this vision of Isaiah's literally:  He will rule on His throne and be highly exalted.  Let it be!

Prayer:  Great God, thank You for spiritual visions that cement our faith in You and Your Son, Jesus Christ.  Help me to cherish what "visions" You have shown me--may they feed and encourage my faith.  There are many such visions in Your Word--thank You for those.  Amen.   

Scripture:  Isaiah 5:30 (NIV):  "In that day they will roar over it like the roaring of the sea.  And if one looks at the land, he will see darkness and distress; even the light will be darkened by the clouds."

Thought:  To me, Satanic power is horribly dark and distressful.

Question:  Have I known the "roar" of the devil?

"That day", of course, is God's Day of Wrath--a season of outpoured anger in judgment upon Israel.  It is the result of their rebellion against God in pushing Him aside, mocking and disobeying Him and serving self.  The "they" who "will roar" are the Assyrian armies, ordained by God to attack Israel.  They are God's instrument of judgment upon His unruly children.  The Assyrians have been granted the opportunity and ability by God, to "roar over" Israel, the "prey" (Isaiah 5:29), until only "darkness and distress" fill the land.  The "light" of day will be "darkened by the clouds", which, to me, speaks of how the light of God's truth and beauty has been obscured completely by Israel's sins.

When God uses Satan in our lives, the little bit of our hope and faith in God can become completely obscured for a time.  All seems dark and distressful.  Even as the nations, the pagan enemy territories around Israel, will advance so strongly that it will be drowned and overwhelmed, so we can sometimes fall away from God so far that the only reality is God's judgment upon us.  Just as the noise of "the sea" drowns every other sound, without let-up, so the enemy hordes will conquer and oppress and block out any good.

Believers who refuse to listen to God's Word and fail to apply it to their lives will become the objects of God's anger.  In His anger God will call for Satan to come and oppress them.  Truth and light will shrink to nothing while the evil and subjugation of Satan will take over in those peoples' lives.  That is "the day" of judgment for them.

Yet even this judgment attack is a merciful move by God!

Prayer:  Great Savior, thank You for saving me from the enemy!  Forgive me my sins and restore me, Lord, that I may not suffer the horrors of the evil one, particularly the darkness he brings.  Amen.

Scripture:  Isaiah 5:29 (NIV):  "Their roar is like that of a lion, they roar like young lions; they growl as they seize their prey and carry it off with no one to rescue."

Thought:  To me, the sooner we admit the reality of Satan, the better.

Question:  Have I admitted I am no match against Satan?

Lions are a symbol of strength and irresistable power.  They are the King of the beasts.  Israel was diminished into fear and trembling at the attacks of the Assyrians in this case, and became weak and helpless against their might.  The language of this verse paints a picture of subjugation through fear and intimidation.  Roaring, growling, seizing, carrying prey off and no one to rescue are all strong descriptions of the power of control this enemy had.  And remember in yesterday's verses, Isaiah 5: 27 and 28, God had enabled their power so that Israel would indeed be defeated.  It was His plan. 

Satan is like a roaring lion--I peter 5:8:  "Be self-controlled and alert.  Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour."  Like the lion, Satan is strong, frightening, malicious and set on bringing death and destruction to you!  He is very strong, as though he had the strength of youth on his side.  He conquers and no man comes against him.  Who could?  Even as God unleashed the Assyrians upon Israel in judgment, so God allows Satan access to our lives for His purposes, but with one great difference:  we have the indwelling Christ to overcome Satan.  Christ has defeated His enemy--He did this on the cross.  When Satan endeavors to derail us, will we cry out to our God Who is the only antidote against the enemy?  There is "no one" else "to rescue" us!

Prayer:  Almighty God, we are helpless against the crushing power of Satan.  How we need Your supernatural help!  Thank You, Lord, that whenever I call for You, in the powerful name of Christ, You will come to save!  Amen.

Scripture:  Isaiah 5:27 and 28 (NIV):  "Not one of them grows tired or stumbles, not one slumbers or sleeps; not a belt is loosened at the waist, not a sandal thong is broken.  Their arrows are sharp, all their bows are strung; their horses' hoofs seem like flint, their chariot wheels like a whirlwind."

Thought:  To me, the fact that God has a plan behind the allowed evils of our day is intriguing and comforting.

Question:  Could God destroy Satan and abolish all evil right now?

God smoothes the way for the enemy to attack!  Everything goes their way--they seem "blessed" in their horrible onslaught.  God prevents them from tiring, He equips them and provides all they need, He enables them to have the best of weapons and the swiftest horses.  Not one small detail is found as an obstacle to their plan.  Why?  Even as a loving father brings the rod upon his child to make an impression of correction, so God brings the armies of the "distant nations" (Isaiah 5:26) to teach the Israelites an important lesson.

If we ever catch ourselves wondering why Satan is so strong and capable, why his ambassadors are so numerous and effective, why God allows them freedom in the world, why their effectiveness at times even seems "blessed" by God's enablements, here is a scripture explaining why.  God USES Satan.  God USES the enemy.  They become God's instruments of judgment.  He therefore speeds them on their way to perform their task for His large purposes.

No doubt this enemy will create fear in the heart of the Israelites!  A "fear" they should have had for God Himself...

Prayer:  Great God, may Your great plans be accomplished as You have willed!  Help me to only trust You, obey You and find myself in Your care if and when the enemy attacks.  Amen.  

Scripture:  Isaiah 5:26 (NIV):  "He lifts up a banner for the distant nations, he whistles for those at the ends of the earth.  Here they come, swiftly and speedily!"

Thought:  To me, God is Supreme Commander-in-Chief over all the wars of the world.

Question:  Is the idea of God being behind war repugnant to us?

In the extension of God's wrath comes the enemy.  The lifted "banner" is their rallying point.  And God is The One Who has cleared the way for them to come together in strength.  God summons them, (the Assyrians).  He opens the way for them to assault Israel. "He whistles for those at the ends of the earth."  What a phrase!  God is moving His pawns and other pieces on the great chessboard of life.  He is ever sovereign and in full control.  Do we grasp the concept of how God allows, engineers, arranges and controls war in our world?  Here He is whistling for the enemy to come near and invade Israel, just as a man might whistle for his dog or horse to come to him.  The reaping time, which is an equal consequence to the sowing of their sins, is at hand!

Perhaps the idea that God is sovereign over all wars raises some questions.  Are all wars "judgments" from God?  Why doesn't God put an end to war?  Aren't some wars plainly man's doing alone? 

To me, as illustrated in this verse, God uses the Assyrian armies, the enemy of Israel, as the instrument of His judgment.  God has a specific purpose in bringing, (whistling for), the Assyrians!  God has good purposes in mind.  We must believe this--we do have reason to hope!

Hope must be clung to during times such as these.  There is hope yet for Israel despite the conquering hordes.  God still cares.  He would not work with Israel this way if He didn't care!  God USES the enemy to further His will in the lives of His chosen people or else He would have wiped them out more quickly, effectively and directly.

Prayer:  Lord, there are purposes in war.  You are at work judgmentally in war.  Help me to understand this when my enemies attack.  Equip me to cling in hope to You and to learn from Your judgments.  Amen. 

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