Isaiah was presumably the most godly man on planet Earth. And when he beheld the glory of God, he didn't high-five the angels. He pronounced a curse on himself.
Scripture Focus: Isaiah 6:4-7
"Then I said, 'Woe is me, for I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.'"
When Isaiah beheld the glory of God—the throne, the seraphim, the holiness—the foundations of heaven's thresholds trembled at the voice of God. The temple filled with smoke. And Isaiah didn't say, "Woe is them." He didn't say, "Look at how sinful the nation is." He said, "Woe is me."
Never before had Isaiah had a more accurate view of himself—the finitude of his own existence, the sinfulness of his soul. This is the effect of coming to grips with the holiness of God.
Isaiah knew something about human lips. They're monitors of the heart. They give expression to the soul. They reveal what's truly inside. And so he says, "I'm a man of unclean lips. I live among a people of unclean lips. For my eyes have seen the Lord of hosts."
"I'm ruined. I'm done for. Just destroy me."
You and I flatter ourselves. But until we see who God is, we will never see ourselves for who we are.
Isaiah, the purveyor of truth for the people of God, says, "I'm ruined." He feels his guilt.
Thankfully, verse 6: "Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a burning coal in his hand, which he had taken from the altar with tongs. He touched my mouth with it and said, 'Behold, this has touched your lips; and your iniquity is taken away and your sin is forgiven.'"
What a gift.
Then Isaiah hears the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?" And Isaiah says, "Here I am. Send me!"
You see that line on missions T-shirts all the time. But you have to understand—the only people who say that with any level of integrity are the people who have been gripped by the holiness of God, who have consequently sensed their sin, and who have then received God's forgiveness and removal of their guilt.
And then when the question is asked, "Who wants to live for My glory?" Isaiah says, "Please. I mean, please send me. I'll do anything. I'll do anything."
Listen—it's a dark day when people live as if God is on their level. It's a dark day when spiritual leaders have a casual view of God.
If prosperity doesn't humble you, it will always blind you with pride. Uzziah thought he was on God's level. He waltzed into the temple thinking, "I'm a big deal." And God struck him with leprosy for the rest of his life.
Do you think much of yourself this morning? Catch this vision of God. See His holiness. And you'll see yourself for who you really are—ruined, unworthy, unclean. But also forgiven. Cleansed. Sent.
1. When was the last time you felt the weight of your own sin in light of God's holiness?
2. Do you flatter yourself, or do you see yourself accurately in light of who God is?
3. Have you experienced the kind of forgiveness that makes you say, "Here I am, send me"?
Stay dialed in