Isaiah has a vision of being in the temple where he sees God sitting on a throne. Seraphim surround God praising him as holy. Isaiah realizes his own sinfulness in comparison. A seraph touches Isaiah's lips with a burning coal from the altar, cleansing him and removing his guilt so he can be God's prophet.

1. Isaiah 6:1-8
Holy, Holy, Holy

2. Call to Worship
Praise the Lord.
Let all who draw breath praise the Lord.
Happy are those whose help is from God—
the One who made heaven and earth,
the One who created the seas and all that is in them.
Happy are those whose hope is in God—
the One who keeps faith forever,
the One who feeds the hungry
and defends the oppressed.
God will reign forever, for all generations.
Praise the Lord!
Let all who draw breath praise the Lord.

3. Isaiah 6:1-8
The book of Isaiah is generally acknowledged to be
the greatest of the prophetic books of the Old
Testament. The prophecy of Isaiah is quoted directly
or indirectly more times in New Testament than any
other Old Testament book.

4. Isaiah 6:1-8
It is viewed by many to be a “miniature Bible” with its
sixty-six chapters which contain a view of God and the
coming Messiah that is unmatched anywhere else in
Scripture.

5. Isaiah 6:1-8
The author of the book of Isaiah is “…Isaiah the son of
Amoz” (Isaiah 1:1). Isaiah is thought to have been
born around 762-760 B.C. and to have started his
ministry around 742-740 B.C., the final year of King
Uzziah’s reign.

6. Isaiah 6:1-8
The opening verses of Isaiah tells of the long duration
of Isaiah’s ministry through the reigns of Jotham,
Ahaz, and Hezekiah of Judah.

7. Isaiah 6:1-8
Surprisingly few details are recorded about the
personal life of the prophet Isaiah. His father’s name
was “Amoz” (Isaiah 1:1).

8. Isaiah 6:1-8
Tradition suggests that Isaiah’s father was a brother of
King Amaziah of Judah. If true, this would have made
Isaiah a cousin of King Uzziah and would have made
him a relative of King Uzziah’s successors, Jotham,
Ahaz, and Hezekiah.

9. Isaiah 6:1-8
One of the most memorable facts about Isaiah was
that Almighty God laid His hand upon him and Isaiah
was humbled by the majesty and holiness of God.
Isaiah knew God for who He is!

10. Isaiah 6:1-8
One cannot read the book of Isaiah without realizing
the importance of the concept of holiness.

11. Isaiah 6:1-8
There are several Hebrew words in the “holy” word
family, all of them taken from the basic Hebrew root
word qdsh. The basic meaning of the Hebrew word
contains the idea of “being set apart,” not in just any
sense but in relation to Jehovah God.

12. Isaiah 6:1-8
Holiness is the very essence of the Divine nature; the
great God is glorious in holiness. As God’s power is
the opposite of human weakness, so His holiness is
the opposite of man’s sinfulness.

13. Isaiah 6:1-8
Exodus 15:11 (HCSB)
Lord, who is like You among the gods? Who is like You,
glorious in holiness, revered with praises, performing
wonders?

14. Isaiah 6:1-8
“Holiness is the sum total of God’s character or
attributes. It is not an attribute, or even the chief
attribute; but it is the attributes. All of the
characteristics or descriptions of God are aspects of
His holiness” (Stephen W. Carlson).

15. Isaiah 6:1-8
Isaiah emphasizes that Jehovah God is holy; and His
holiness places demands of trust and obedience upon
His people, who must be holy also (Leviticus 20:7).

16. Isaiah 6:1-8
1 Peter 1:15-16 (HCSB)
…but, as the One who called you is holy, you also are
to be holy in all your conduct; for it is written, Be holy,
because I am holy.

17. Isaiah 6:1-8
The only reason Christians live holy is because of our
relationship to Holy God. While believers understand
that in this life we can never be sinless (Romans 7:14-
25; 1 John 1:8) as God is, His holiness is still our goal.

18. Isaiah 6:1-8
Ephesians 2:10 (HCSB)
For we are His creation—created in Christ Jesus for
good works, which God prepared ahead of time so
that we should walk in them.

19. Isaiah 6:1
Some scholars believe that Isaiah was a member of
the royal family; therefore, he had access to the royal
family that recognized he was a true prophet of God
and some of the kings called upon him in time of
trouble.

20. Isaiah 6:1
In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord
sitting on a throne, high and lofty; and the hem of his
robe filled the temple.

21. Isaiah 6:1
The occasion of Isaiah’s vision was when “king Uzziah
died.” King Uzziah reigned from about 792 to 740 B.C.
His 52 year reign is one of the longest recorded in the
Bible (2 Chronicles 26:3).

22. Isaiah 6:1
Isaiah met God while worshiping in the temple. He
saw that God is so majestic that the hem of His robe
(or “train”) filled the temple.

23. Isaiah 6:1
The Bible tells us in several passages that no man has
seen God and lived (Exodus 33:20; 1 Timothy 6:16;
John 1:18).
How did Isaiah survive?

24. Isaiah 6:1
Man cannot see God as He truly is, but God did reveal
Himself to His chosen servants, in such a way that
they knew that God did appear to them. Such was the
case with Abraham (Genesis 18:3), Jacob (Genesis
32:24-30), and Moses (Exodus 3:4). In Isaiah’s case,
God adapted Himself to a form that Isaiah was able to
see and live.

25. Isaiah 6:1
Isaiah saw the Lord Jesus.
John 12:39-41 (HCSB)
This is why they were unable to believe, because
Isaiah also said: He has blinded their eyes and
hardened their hearts, so that they would not see with
their eyes or understand with their hearts, and be
converted, and I would heal them. Isaiah said these
things because he saw His glory and spoke about Him.

26. Isaiah 6:1
For Isaiah this was a time of national crisis. With king
Uzziah’s death the nation of Judah was in trouble.
King Uzziah’s 52 year reign had been a good reign for
the most part but at the close of his rein King.

27. Isaiah 6:1
Uzziah had allowed his heart to be lifted up and he
entered into some sacred areas reserved only for
God’s priest (2 Chronicles 26:16-21). As a result of his
sin King Uzziah was stricken with leprosy and died.

28. Isaiah 6:1
This was also a time of personal crisis for Isaiah. Isaiah
was burdened and overwhelmed with the pressures
of the day (Isaiah 1:5-7).

29. Isaiah 6:1
Isaiah 1:5-7 (HCSB)
Why do you want more beatings? Why do you keep on
rebelling? The whole head is hurt, and the whole heart is
sick. From the sole of the foot even to the head, no spot is
uninjured— wounds, welts, and festering sores not
cleansed, bandaged, or soothed with oil.
Your land is desolate, your cities burned with fire; before
your very eyes foreigners devour your fields— a
desolation overthrown by foreigners.

30. Isaiah 6:2
Seraphs were in attendance above him; each had six
wings: with two they covered their faces, and with
two they covered their feet, and with two they flew.

31. Isaiah 6:2
He had no doubt come to Solomon’s “temple” to pray
when God gave him this life changing vision.
God in His sovereignty and wisdom emptied an
earthly throne so Isaiah could see His eternal throne.
He still does that today!

32. Isaiah 6:2
In his vision of the throne room of God, which far
exceeded the dimensions of the temple (which the
hem of His robe filled), Isaiah saw angelic beings who
continuously served God.

33. Isaiah 6:2
God’s praise comes from these “seraphims.” Isaiah 6
is the only place seraphims” are mentioned in the
Bible. A “seraphim” is a “fiery angel.” Each “seraphim”
had “six wings,” a “face” and “feet” and was able to
“fly.”

34. Isaiah 6:2
Two of their wings covered their faces, because even
though they were holy angels they were unworthy to
look upon God face to face.

35. Isaiah 6:2
Perhaps they covered their feet because they knew
they were unworthy to serve God. Yet they flew
always to signify that they were always and
immediately obey and serve God.

36. Isaiah 6:3
And one called to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is
the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory.”

37. Isaiah 6:3
These holy angels called out to one another in the
hearing of Isaiah the ultimate moral and spiritual fact
about God: God is holy.

38. Isaiah 6:3
They also declared the ultimate authority of God: God
is the LORD of hosts (a number of beings too large for
us to count or understand).

39. Isaiah 6:3
The whole earth reveals the glory of God, because
God created the whole earth. As we have studied,
those with spiritual discernment see the work of our
Creator and learn some truths about God when they
look at His creation.

40. Isaiah 6:3
The manifestation of Isaiah’s vision defies any human
description. Isaiah “saw also the Lord sitting upon a
throne, high and lifted up.” “High and lifted up”
speaks of God’s power and position elevated above
that of earthly power and position.

41. Isaiah 6:3
He is above all that is earthly, human, and creaturely
(Colossians 1:16-18).

42. Isaiah 6:3
Colossians 1:16-18 (HCSB)
…because by Him everything was created, in heaven and
on earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones or
dominions or rulers or authorities— all things have been
created through Him and for Him.
He is before all things, and by Him all things hold
together. He is also the head of the body, the church; He is
the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He
might come to have first place in everything.

43. Isaiah 6:3
The confession of the “seraphim” came as they “cried
one unto another.” “Cried” means “called out, recited,
utter with a loud sound.” Their thrice repeated “Holy,
holy, holy” suggests the divine perfection which
separated God from creation. It also expresses the
triune nature of God.

44. Isaiah 6:3
This particular part of Isaiah’s vision so touched the
prophet that it became the main expression Isaiah
used when referencing God. Isaiah used the
expression “the Holy One of Israel” 27 times in his
prophecy.

45. Isaiah 6:3
The closest believers can come to this type of
confession here on earth is to meditate on God’s self-
existence, self-sufficiency, eternality, omnipresence,
omnipotence, omniscience, immutability, sovereignty,
incomprehensibility, righteousness, justice,
faithfulness, truth, love, mercy, graciousness,
longsuffering and patience.

46. Isaiah 6:3
The prophet Malachi wrote, “Then they that feared
the LORD spoke often one to another: and the LORD
hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance
was written before him for them that feared the
LORD, and that thought upon his name” (Malachi
3:16).

47. Isaiah 6:4
The pivots on the thresholds shook at the voices of
those who called, and the house filled with smoke.

48. Isaiah 6:4
Perhaps no other building in Jerusalem rivaled the
size, construction, and importance of the temple
(though King Solomon’s palace may have come close).
Still, when the angels declared the holy character and
majesty of God, their powerful voices shook the very
temple in which Isaiah worshiped.

49. Isaiah 6:4
In his vision, smoke filled the temple. “Smoke” is
sometimes associated with the presence of God

50. Isaiah 6:4
Exodus 19:18 (HCSB)
Mount Sinai was completely enveloped in smoke
because the Lord came down on it in fire. Its smoke
went up like the smoke of a furnace, and the whole
mountain shook violently.

51. Isaiah 6:4
The rising “smoke” may represent that sacred silence
in which our worship should begin and end. Isaiah is
describing the presence of God covering every corner
of the temple.

52. Isaiah 6:5
And I said: “Woe is me! I am lost, for I am a man of
unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips;
yet my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!”

53. Isaiah 6:5
Isaiah realized how horrible his sins were and the sins
of God’s people in this context of God’s holiness,
power, and absolute authority as King of kings.

54. Isaiah 6:5
Remember that even God’s highest and holiest angels
know they are not worthy enough to serve God apart
from God’s love and grace.

55. Isaiah 6:5
When man comes face to face with God through
God’s revelation of Himself he must respond in some
manner. Some men respond in fear. Others submit.
Some run away never to be in God’s presence again.

56. Isaiah 6:5
Isaiah shows the proper response to God’s presence.
“Woe is me” means Isaiah acknowledges that he has
no right to be in God’s holy presence and live.
“Undone” comes from a Hebrew word meaning “to
be lost, to perish, or to be annihilated.” It also carries
the meaning of “speechless or silent.”

57. Isaiah 6:5
Isaiah senses himself to be “incomplete.” It is the
same with all men who are without Christ. No man
can stand in the presence of a holy God without
becoming profoundly aware of his sinful condition.

58. Isaiah 6:5
His speech and that of the “people” among whom
Isaiah dwells is “unclean.” “Unclean” is just that,
“unclean.” Confession of sin is not easy; it involves a
tremendous sense of God’s holiness and purity and
our unworthiness.

59. Isaiah 6:5
“For mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of
hosts” are humbling words coming from a humbled
prophet. It is only when man sees God that he really
sees himself.

60. Isaiah 6:6
Then one of the seraphs flew to me, holding a live coal
that had been taken from the altar with a pair of
tongs

61. Isaiah 6:6
God sent an angel to cleanse the lips of Isaiah, using a
coal from God’s holy altar. The “coal” that was used in
Isaiah’s cleansing was “live.”

62. Isaiah 6:6
Isaiah speaks of no physical pain but did experience a
moral and spiritual cleansing and renewal. God
cleansed Isaiah’s lips, and Isaiah would use his lips in
the service of God.

63. Isaiah 6:6
We want a relationship with God today that requires
no pain, no self-examination, no brokenness, no
repentance, and no offense.

64. Isaiah 6:7
The seraph touched my mouth with it and said: “Now
that this has touched your lips, your guilt has
departed and your sin is blotted out.”

65. Isaiah 6:7
With Isaiah’s guilt removed and his sins blotted out so
no one would ever see again or remember those
behaviors of Isaiah that demonstrated any past
rebellion against God the Lord, Isaiah could now hear
the words of God and reply to the words of God with
all feelings of guilt and shame removed.

66. Isaiah 6:7
His sinful past would no longer make him unworthy
to serve God, for God had made him worthy by His
cleansing.

67. Isaiah 6:7
There is no question in Isaiah’s mind where his
“cleansing” came from. It came from outside himself.
God and God alone had cleansed Isaiah. Our
“cleansing” also comes from an outside source. It also
comes from the place of sacrifice. For us, our
“cleansing” comes from the cross of Calvary and the
blood of Jesus Christ.

68. Isaiah 6:8
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!”

69. Isaiah 6:8
“Also I heard the voice of the Lord…” is a reminder
that only the man whose sins have been forgiven is
worthy and able to “hear the voice of the Lord” and
obey Him.

70. Isaiah 6:8
Before Isaiah even knew the tasks that God wanted
him to perform, he told God that He could send him,
that he was willing to do whatever God wanted done.

71. Isaiah 6:8
In this sense, Isaiah became as the holy angels that
worshiped God day and night: he was ready to do
immediately whatever God asked of Him and he was
eager to tell others the truth about the true God, the
LORD of hosts.

72. Isaiah 6:8
Navy Captains often, especially in times of war, are
required to sail with “sealed orders.” They do not
know when they leave port their destination nor do
they have an explanation of where they are going and
what they are to do. Nevertheless, they sail on with
an allegiance to obey whatever is required.

73. Blessing
May you set the Lord continually before you;
because He is at your right hand, you will not be
shaken.
Therefore may your heart be glad
and may your glory rejoice;
may your flesh also dwell securely.
Psalm 16:8-9 (NASB)