6:1 Why did Isaiah date this passage since he did not date most of his others?70Probably he did so because King Uzziah had been the best king of Judah since Solomon. Nevertheless during the last part of his reign he suffered from leprosy, a judgment from the Lord for his pride (2 Kings 15:5; 2 Chron. 26:16-23). In this respect his life was a foreview of the history of the nation he ruled. When Uzziah died, most people in the nation would have felt a great loss. Who would lead them next, and would he provide for them all that Uzziah had? Assyria was growing in power and ambition to the east, so the threat of foreign invasion was real. Israel needed a strong king.71At such a time Isaiah received a vision of Israel's true king, Yahweh, who was more than adequate to provide for His people. This unusual vision prepared the prophet to act and speak for God (cf. Gen. 32:30; Exod. 19:21; 20:19; 33:20; Deut. 18:16; Judg. 13:22).72
Isaiah described Yahweh as sovereign ("Lord"), the overlord of all the earth. He was exalted by means of His throne on which He was sitting in royal attire. The glory of His person filled His awesome, celestial palace-temple (cf. 1 Kings 22:17-23; Job 1:6-12; 2:1-6; Ezek. 1:3-28; 8:1-4; Dan. 7:2, 9-10; Zech. 3:1-5; Rev. 4-5).73
6:2 Fiery angels attended the Lord.74They covered their faces, as we do when we are in the presence of something extremely brilliant, to hide and protect themselves from the greater glory of God. They covered their feet for the same reason and perhaps as an indication that they renounced going anywhere on their own. They used their third pair of wings to fly, namely, to carry out the orders of their sovereign.
6:3 Their joy in God's presence was evident in their calling out to each other ascribing supreme holiness to Yahweh of armies.75Holiness is distinctness from all that is not divine, especially in reference to ethical behavior.76Isaiah saw God as absolutely upright, correct, and true. His glory was not restricted to the throne room or to heaven, however, but it filled the whole earth. God's glory fills the earth in that the revelation of God's attributes fills the earth.
6:4 The praise of one and then another of the seraphim was so powerful that it shook the heavenly temple to its foundations. Isaiah also saw smoke billowing throughout the space suggestive of God's power to consume (cf. 33:14; Exod. 19:18; Deut. 4:24; Heb. 10:26-31; 12:29; Rev. 9:2).
6:5 Isaiah feared that he would be consumed since he was in the presence of the purest of all beings. He announced woe on himself; he was in deep trouble (cf. 5:8, 11, 18, 20, 21, 22). He first had to become aware of his own sin and uncleanness before he could worship God as he should. Not only did he have unclean lips himself, but he dwelt among a people whose lips were very unclean and, therefore, unfit to praise God.77Unclean lips evidence unclean hearts (cf. Matt. 12:34). Whereas God was holy, Isaiah and the Jews were unclean, not upright, not pure in their ethical conduct. Isaiah sensed his danger because he saw the real King of Israel who was Yahweh of armies. It is in seeing God for who He is that we can see ourselves for who we are and can, therefore, accurately evaluate our condition (cf. Job 42:5-6; Dan. 10:14-17; Rev. 1:17).
6:6 Isaiah only acknowledged his hopeless condition--he did not plead with God or make vows to God--and God then went into action. Confession must precede cleansing (cf. 1 John 1:9). The altar from which the seraphim took the coal was probably the brazen altar in heaven in which case the coal itself symbolizes substitute sacrifice.78Fire in the Old Testament symbolizes the wrath of God (Gen. 3:24; Num. 11:1-3), the holiness of God (Exod. 3:2-6; 19:18-25), His purifying process (Num. 31:22-23; Mal. 3:2-3), and the context of the Law (Deut. 4:12, 33, 36).
6:7 God's purging agent touched Isaiah's mouth, and the angelic messenger assured the prophet that he had been completely cleansed of his uncleanness.
6:8 God then asked for a volunteer to serve Him, evidently among any present in the throne room (cf. 1 Kings 22:19).79Note the balance of divine sovereignty and human choice in His words: He would send someone, but that someone needed to be willing to go. God's grace to him in not consuming him but rather cleansing him motivated Isaiah to volunteer to be God's servant.
This section is a major revelation of the grace of God and the condition for spiritual cleansing. It is one of the premier salvation passages in the Old Testament. God's grace on this occasion so impacted Isaiah that his ministry bore this hallmark, as we observe in this book.
"Here in this matchless passage we find the reason why so few are willing to serve God. They need above all the conviction of sin. Only when a man has been convicted of sin and has understood that the Redeemer has borne the guilt of his sin is he willing and ready joyfully to serve God, to go wherever God may call him."80
Many preachers of this passage have pointed out that the order of events is very significant. First, after gaining a greater appreciation for God's holiness and his own sinfulness, Isaiah said "woe"acknowledging his own uncleanness. Second, the seraphim said "lo"("behold"in the NASB) pointing to God's provision for cleansing. Third, God said "go"(v. 9) giving the prophet a mission to fulfill.
