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God Calls Isaiah to be a Prophet
Isaiah 6.1-13
Good News Translation (GNT)
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1 In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the
Lord. He was sitting on his throne, high and
exalted, and his robe filled the whole Temple.
2 Around him flaming creatures were standing,
each of which had six wings. Each creature
covered its face with two wings, and its body
with two, and used the other two for flying.
3 They were calling out to each other:
"Holy, holy, holy! The Lord Almighty is holy!
His glory fills the world."
4 The sound of their voices made the foundation
of the Temple shake, and the Temple itself
became filled with smoke.
5 I said, "There is no hope for me! I am doomed
because every word that passes my lips is
sinful, and I live among a people whose
every word is sinful. And yet, with my own
eyes I have seen the King, the Lord Almighty."
6 Then one of the creatures flew down to me,
carrying a burning coal that he had taken from
the altar with a pair of tongs.
7 He touched my lips with the burning coal and
said, "This has touched your lips, and your
sins are forgiven."
8 Then I heard the Lord say, "Whom shall I
send? Who will be our messenger?"
I answered, "I will go! Send me!"
9 So he told me to go and give the people this
message: "No matter how much you listen,
you will not understand. No matter how much
you look, you will not know what is
happening."
10 Then he said to me, "Make the minds of these
people dull, their ears deaf, and their eyes
blind, so that they cannot see or hear or
understand. If they did, they might turn to me
and be healed."
11 I asked, "How long will it be like this, Lord?"
He answered, "Until the cities are ruined and
empty - until the houses are uninhabited -
until the land itself is a desolate wasteland.
12 I will send the people far away and make the
whole land desolate.
13 Even if one person out of ten remains in the
land, he too will be destroyed; he will be like
the stump of an oak tree that has been cut
down."
(The stump represents a new beginning for
God's people.)
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Taken from 'word-on-the-web' supplied by the
Scripture Union
God Calls Isaiah to Be a Prophet
Isaiah 6.1-13
Ascending the throne at sixteen and reigning for fifty-two years, Uzziah was the most prosperous
Judean king since Solomon, but he presided over spiritual decline, with the Assyrian threat looming.
Jerusalemites lived with false hope, seeing their prosperity as God's blessing. Self-deceived, their
religious superficiality cloaked an unhealthy body politic, full of greed, oppression and neglect of the poor.
Uzziah's death brings a turning point to the nation's life and a sudden dramatic encounter for the prophet.
Our lives are in the hand of God, and the seasons of our ministries fit the context of our church and nation
in ways we can only begin to imagine.
For Isaiah, God's appearance is described in the language of royalty and wonder.
His train, attendants (cherubim, fiery winged creatures) and throne signal his majesty, power and
unapproachable glory.
We need a vision of God that emphasises his holiness and not just his likeableness. Too often our intimacy
with the God, we are taught to call 'dad' (abba), replaces a right respect, awe and even fear.
Isaiah instantly recognises his own sinfulness, and that of his people. Cleansing and commission come together.
Not for Isaiah the sense of shame and guilt that prevents him from being willing to serve.
Like Moses, Jeremiah and other prophets he responds to God's call with mingled resistance and hesitation,
on the grounds of his own unsuitability.
This is transformed into a willingness to go in God's service, despite and even because of his weaknesses.
Christians today need to receive and respond to God's call as Isaiah did.
Not only do we need to go to Israel, but to all nations, with an all-consuming message on our lips of
God's compassion for his creation, his judgement on our sin, and the good news that challenges and
changes all humanity.
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