Chapters of His Heart: Isaiah 6

Isaiah experienced what very few people have ever experienced on earth, and his is one of  the few accounts that we have like it. Isaiah saw God.
He literally saw the Lord of heavens armies with his human eyes. Isaiah accounts that he was so overwhelmed at the holy presence of God that he immediately repented. He  was sure that he was going to die in the presence of such holiness. His words were "it's all over! I'm doomed..." (Isaiah 6:5). I know it sounds a bit dramatic but we're not talking about meeting a celebrity crush or the current top-of-the-charts pop star. This is The God of all creation. The holder of our universe. The one who knows how many hairs you have on your head (and how many are in your hairbrush). The one who planned out your ENTIRE life before you were even thought of in this world. The God who held your yesterday, is walking beside you right now, and has already prepared tomorrow. Isaiah wasn't being dramatic in the least, he was being realistic. Think of your human, flesh-ly filth in the presence of an all knowing, all seeing, everywhere God...your reaction would probably be more dramatic than Isaiah's.

The amazing part comes next. An angel attending God, called a seraphim, came up to the blubbering Isaiah with a live coal and places it on Isaiah's lips. Now, at this point I'm trying to picture the look on Isaiah' s face when this heavenly being comes at him with a piece of coal straight from the fire. I'm thinking panic mixed with 'I'm a dead man'. (Kind of the way my face looks when I'm dreaming that I tripped and then wake up to that horrible falling sensation.) When the coal touches Isaiah's lips the angel steps back and says, your guilt is removed, your sins are forgiven. Not that the hot coal did that, only God can forgive our sins. (The coal was more of a ceremonial metaphor of the purifying of our lives that has to happen before we can approach the throne of God on our own.)

Here comes the cool part. God says "whom should I send as a messenger to this people? (His people) Who will go for us?" Isaiah's response? "Here I am. Send me." God's reply, "yes, go". Two minutes ago Isaiah was an emotional mess because he knew he wasn't fit to be in God's presence. Then with one cleansing and empowering touch, a sinful form of a man was transformed into a messenger of the Lord. Could you even imagine the rush Isaiah must have felt when he heard the words "yes, go"? Excitement, adrenaline, courage, inadequacy, determination, fear, what potential, what responsibility! Being a messenger of God wasn't a cushy job. They had to deliver the hard messages right along with the easy ones, and it just so happened that Isaiah's first assignment was going to be pretty difficult. His job was to speak to a people who thought they were blessed by God and break the news that God was going to destroy them because of their disobedience. Talk about a tough crowd. In fact God already knew that the people wouldn't listen. One commentary reads:

"God told Isaiah that the people would listen but not learn from his message because their hearts had been hardened beyond repentance. God's patience with their chronic rebellion had finally exhausted. His judgement was to abandon them to their rebellion and hardness of heart. Why did God send Isaiah if He knew the people wouldn't listen? Although the nation itself would not repent and would reap judgement, some individuals would listen. In 6:13 God explains His plan for a remnant (holy seed) of faithful followers"                         -Life Application Study Bible notes on Isaiah 6:9-13 pg 1101

You may have come to the conclusion that all the book of Isaiah talks about is judgement and doom on Israel. That's where this chapter differs from the previous ones, and I love how God chose to end it. Have you ever watched a movie that ends in a way that just perfectly sets you up for a sequel? That's the way I feel God ends Isaiah 6, with a little cliff hanger. Like a sneak preview of what He's planning next. I love that. It's like getting a little glimpse of a new part of God's character for me. Like He's letting you in on something. I love reading the Bible and finding those little pieces of God. In talking about the punishment to come to Israel God says this:

"If even a tenth-a remnant-survive, it will be invaded again and burned. But as a terebinth or oak tree leaves stump when it is cut down, so Israel's stump will be a holy seed." -Isaiah 6:13

And roll credits. I love that! God is so playful, a master story teller. Through all of this God has shown us that His heart has a plan for His faithful followers. An individual plan to do great things in and through us like Isaiah, and a master plan that orchestrates our lives into the beautiful community of faithful followers who are living for God. God's heart has a plan.