{"id":279,"date":"2018-01-01T14:04:41","date_gmt":"2018-01-01T13:04:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/buch.jehovah-shammah.de\/?p=279"},"modified":"2018-01-01T14:04:41","modified_gmt":"2018-01-01T13:04:41","slug":"the-call-of-isaiah","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/buch.jehovah-shammah.de\/index.php\/2018\/01\/01\/the-call-of-isaiah\/","title":{"rendered":"The Call of Isaiah"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the year that king Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and his train filled the temple.<\/em><\/p>\n

Isaiah 6:1<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

The call of Isaiah, the Prince of the Prophets, is recorded in d<\/span>etail in Isaiah 6:1\u201313<\/a>. The first five chapters of the Book of Isaiah appear to be sermons that he preached prior to actually being called to his prophetic office. Isaiah was a \u201cbig city\u201d prophet, who<\/span> was a master of the Hebrew language. Throughout the Hebrew text of the Book of Isaiah, he plays many word games, because he knew the language very, very well.<\/p>\n

This is a study of one way God called a <\/span>prophet and will be divided into four units: the call of the prophet, the cleansing of the prophet, the commissioning of the prophet, and the judgment of the people.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

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A. The Vision of the Throne\u2014Isaiah 6:1<\/a><\/p>\n

In the year that king Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and his train filled the temple.<\/em><\/p>\n

Isaiah saw the heavens open up, and he saw the Temple of God\u2014not the Temple on earth, but the Temple in Heaven. Isaiah makes four statements in this verse.<\/p>\n

The first statement is the timing of the vision in verse 1a<\/a>: In the year that ki<\/em>ng Uzziah died.<\/em> The year in which Isaiah received this vision was the year that King Uzziah died (739 b.c.), which will prove significant in relationship to Isaiah\u2019s call. King Uzziah is an example of someone who started out well, but ended up badly. The complete story is given in 2 Chronicles 26:1\u201323<\/a>. Verses 1\u20135<\/a> describe his reign. He was a king who did right in the eyes of the Lord; he sought to follow the Lord and the commandments of the Lord and God blessed him by extending his kingdom. Verses 6\u201315<\/a> detail his conquests and his might. He received all these tremendous blessings from God because he did that which was right in the eyes of the Lord. In fact, along with his contemporary Jewish king, Jeroboam II, who was ruling the Kingdom of Israel, they reestablished Jewish authority to the extent that it existed in the days of David and Solomon. Toward the latter part of Uzziah\u2019s life, something changed. Verses 16\u201323<\/a> record Uzziah\u2019s sin and judgment. He was filled with pride and decided that he could be both king and priest, something clearly forbidden under the Mosaic Law. A priest had to be of the Tribe of Levi, but the king had to be of the Tribe of Judah. Under the Mosaic Law, both offices could not be filled in one person. When he tried to perform the function of a priest in the Temple, God judged him, and he was stricken with leprosy. From that day on, Uzziah had to live apart from society. According to the Mosaic Law, every time someone came anywhere near him, he would have to cry, \u201cUnclean! Unclean!\u201d He was a king who started out well, but ended badly and died a leper. In the year King Uzziah died, Isaiah received this vision. That year will prove significant.<\/p>\n

According to 2 Kings 15:3\u20134<\/a>, the time Isaiah received his call was a time of tremendous outward prosperity, but the people had become spiritually cold. It was in that year that Isaiah saw the Lord sitting upon a throne.<\/em> The very sharp contrast between the first sentence and the second should not be missed: In the year that king Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up<\/em>. In other words, Judah\u2019s king may have died, but this Eternal King would never die. God is forever on His Throne, watching over the destiny of Israel. A king had many functions, and one of the functions was that of a judge. A king who filled the function of judge would sit upon his throne and judge over his kingdom. When Isaiah saw God sitting upon His Throne, he saw God as the King ready to practice that kingly prerogative of a judge and pronounce judgment.<\/p>\n

The second statement presents a problem in that Isaiah said in verse 1b<\/a>: I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne<\/em>. According to Exodus 19:21<\/a> and 33:20<\/a>, no man can see God and live. No man can see the very essence of God and survive. This is what the Book of Exodus taught, and yet Isaiah states: I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne.<\/em> In the New Testament, it is stated that no man has seen God at any time (Jn. 1:18<\/a>, 1 Tim. 6:13\u201316<\/a>). Yet Isaiah 6:1<\/a> states that he saw the Lord sitting upon a throne<\/em>. Is Isaiah 6:1<\/a> contradicting the clear statements of Exodus and the teachings in the New Testament that no one has seen God? Not one bit. This very chapter is quoted in John 12:36\u201341<\/a>. What Isaiah actually saw was a visible manifestation of the Second Person of the Trinity-Yeshua (Jesus) the Messiah. It is true that no man can see God and live; that is, no man has seen God as He really is, in His divine essence, in the fullness of His glory. But what Isaiah saw was the same as others had seen before him and after him. They saw a visible manifestation of God, and according to John 12<\/a>, what Isaiah saw in this chapter was a visible manifestation of the Second Person, Yeshua the Messiah, the King of the Jews. Indeed, Judah\u2019s king may have died, but this Eternal King will not die.<\/p>\n

The third statement describes the position of God in verse 1c<\/a>: He was high and lifted up<\/em>. The point here is that Judah\u2019s king may sin, as Uzziah did, but this King will not sin.<\/p>\n

And the fourth statement describes the appearance of God in verse 1d<\/a>: his train filled the temple<\/em>. So magnificent was the appearance of God in this manifestation that His robe alone filled the entire Temple.<\/p>\n

Again, the Temple which Isaiah saw in this vision was not the earthly Temple but the heavenly Temple. Similar examples of this are in 1 Kings 22:19<\/a>; Psalm 11:4<\/a>; 18:6<\/a>; 29:9<\/a>; Jonah 2:7<\/a>; Micah 1:2<\/a>; and Habakkuk 2:20<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

B. The Attendants Around the Throne\u2014Isaiah 6:2<\/a><\/p>\n

Above him stood the seraphim: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly.<\/em><\/p>\n

Isai<\/span>ah introduces the seraphim. The Hebrew word seraph<\/span> means, \u201cburning one.\u201d It is used this way in Psalm 104:4<\/a>. Seraphim can be distinguished from angels and cherubs in that seraphim have six wings. Thes<\/span>e are the same as the four living creatures<\/em> that John saw in Revelation 4:6\u20138<\/a>, also having six wings. Angels have no wings; cherubs come with either two wings or four wings; but seraphim are unique in<\/span> that they have six wings. The six wings come in three pairs, with each pair having its own specific function. One pair is used for the purpose of covering the face, a covering necessary in light of the fact that they face God\u2019s glory. When one is confronted with God\u2019s glory, the procedure was to cover the face. The secon<\/span>d pair is used for the covering of their feet, which is a sign of humility. And the third pair is used to fly, emphasizing service.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

C. The Ministry Around the Throne\u2014Isaiah 6:3<\/a><\/p>\n

And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is Jehovah of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.<\/em><\/p>\n

Isaiah describes the ministry of the ser<\/span>aphim around the Throne. This is the same ministry as the four living creatures<\/em> of Revelation 4:6\u20138<\/a>, which is to declare the threefold holiness of God and His glory. They emphasize two attributes. The<\/span> first attribute is that of holiness. Holiness means \u201cfreedom from all imperfections.\u201d Three times the seraphim cry: Holy, holy, holy<\/em>. That in itself is an implication of the Trinity. To cry holy thre<\/span>e times implies that they are calling three personalities holy. One of Isaiah\u2019s favorite terms for God is the Holy One of Israel<\/em>. Throughout the Book of Isaiah, he described God as \u201cthe Holy One of Is<\/span>rael\u201d a total of twenty-four times. This is significant because, outside of the Book of Isaiah, God is referred to as the Holy One of Israel<\/em> only six times. Also, in Isaiah He is called the Holy One o<\/em><\/span>f Jacob<\/em> (Is. 29:23<\/a>), and four other times Isaiah calls Him merely the Holy One. All together in Isaiah, God is called the Holy One<\/em> twenty-nine times. Isaiah loved to refer to God as the Holy One, the <\/em><\/span>Holy One of Jacob, the Holy One of Israel<\/em>. Probably the origin of Isaiah\u2019s favorite phrase concerning God comes from what he heard these seraphim calling God: Holy, holy, holy<\/em>.<\/p>\n

The second attribute of<\/span> God that the seraphim constantly emphasize is his glory.<\/em> The glory<\/em> is the revelation of all His other attributes. All the attributes of God emphasize His particular glory<\/em>.<\/p>\n

D. The Declaration from the Throne\u2014Isaiah 6:4<\/a><\/p>\n

And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke.<\/em><\/p>\n

Next, the result of the declaration of Go<\/span>d\u2019s holiness is described. Although the foundations of the thresholds shook<\/em>, because this is the Temple in Heaven, the Temple never collapsed. Instead, the Temple was filled with smoke<\/em>. Smoke is a com<\/span>mon symbol of God\u2019s Shechinah Glory, God\u2019s presence (Ex. 20:18<\/a>; 1 Kg. 8:10\u201311<\/a>; Ezek. 10:4<\/a>). Suddenly, the Temple in Heaven was filled with the Shechinah Glory of God, symbolized by the smoke<\/em> that Isai<\/span>ah saw.<\/p>\n

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II. The Cleansing of the Prophet\u2014Isaiah 6:5\u20137<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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<\/span><\/span>A. The Sinfulness of the Prophet Realized\u2014Isaiah 6:5<\/a><\/p>\n

Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes ha<\/em><\/span>ve seen the King, Jehovah of hosts.<\/em><\/p>\n

After seeing this tremendous vision of God, and after hearing the cry of the seraphim concerning God\u2019s holiness, Isaiah suddenly became aware of his own sinfulness.<\/span> Indeed, one can never really appreciate how sinful one is until one measures himself against the absolute righteous standard, which is the holiness of God. One can always come out looking pretty good by comparing himself to other people. When comparison is made to other believers or other people, one can always find someone worse than himself. But when compared<\/span> to the absolute standard of holiness, the holiness of God, the only conclusion one can make is the same as Isaiah\u2019s in verse <\/span>5a<\/a>: Woe is me! for I am undone<\/em>. The Hebrew word translated I am undone<\/em> means \u201cto be put out of existence,\u201d \u201cto<\/span> be utterly destroyed.\u201d When Isaiah saw the absolute holiness of God, he saw how very sinful he was. This is interesting because, in the first five chapters of the Book of Isaiah, he berated the sinfulness of Israel. Now he clearly sees how<\/span> sinful he is himself. He feared he was about to be put out of existence, he was about to be utterly destroyed, because he, a deep sinner, had seen the absolutely righteous, holy God.<\/span><\/p>\n

There are three reasons why Isaiah felt he was going to be put out of existence. The first reason is in verse 5b<\/a>: because I am a man of unclean lips<\/em>. Here is another contrast. <\/span>The lips of the seraphim were saying: Holy, holy, holy<\/em>, but the lips of Isaiah were sinful. Furthermore, Isaiah used the term unclean<\/em>. The term unclean<\/em> was the cry of a leper. Isaiah received this vis<\/span>ion in the year that King Uzziah died. Uzziah was stricken with leprosy and, for the rest of his life, he had to cry to anyone approaching him, \u201cUnclean! Unclean!\u201d Now those words, which Uzziah used s<\/span>o frequently concerning himself in the closing days of his life, Isaiah used for his own lips. Again, only when one sees God\u2019s holiness can he fully see his own sinfulness. A good example of this very principle is found in the Book of Job. In <\/span>Job 1:8<\/a> and 2:3<\/a>, God called Job a righteous man. Then later in Job 42:5\u20136<\/a>, as Job also saw and compared himself with God\u2019s absolute righteousness, he became <\/span>deeply aware of his sinfulness. But God reckoned Job as being righteous because of his faith. Isaiah, when he compared himself to God, also became aware of his own sinfulness.<\/p>\n

The second reason Isaiah<\/span> felt he was going to be put out of existence is in verse 5c<\/a>: I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips<\/em>. The people were just as bad, something Isaiah spoke of in the first five chapters.<\/p>\n

And t<\/span>he third reason Isaiah felt he was going to be put out of existence is in verse 5c<\/a>: mine eyes have seen the King, Jehovah of hosts. It was a common experience on the part of the Old Testament saints t<\/span>hat, whenever they saw some kind of a visible manifestation of God\u2019s presence, they feared for their lives (Gen. 32:30<\/a>; Judg. 6:22\u201323<\/a>; 13:22<\/a>).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
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B. The Atonement of the Prophet Accomplished\u2014Isaiah 6:6\u20137<\/a><\/p>\n

Then flew one of the seraphim unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar: and he touched my<\/em> mouth with it, and said, Lo, this has touched your lips; and your iniquity is taken away, and your sin forgiven.<\/em><\/p>\n

God\u2019s intention was not to put Isaiah out of existence, but to make atonement for his sinfulness; and the atonement was made. Isaiah\u2019s sin was cleansed with a live coal<\/em> from the altar<\/em>. The Altar was a place of sacrifice and, as always, the blood was still the means. The coal was taken from the heavenly altar, and the lips of Isaiah were touched because that is where he was most conscious of his sin. The result was that the iniquity was taken away. The Hebrew word actually means that the sin was \u201ccovered\u201d or \u201catoned\u201d because, during the Old Testament period, sin could not be removed; the blood of animals could never take away sin, according to Hebrews 10:1\u20134<\/a>. Only with the death of the Messiah could sin be removed. So for now, Isaiah\u2019s sins were covered.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

III. The Commissioning of the Prophet\u2014Isaiah 6:8\u201310<\/a><\/p>\n

The call of God and Isaiah\u2019s response are recorded in verse 8<\/a>: And I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?<\/em><\/span> Then I said, Here am I; send me.<\/em><\/p>\n

The call could only come after Isaiah\u2019s sin had been cleansed. The call came with a question: Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?<\/em> In this two part question tha<\/span>t God asked from His Throne, both the unity of God and the plurality of God are emphasized. Unity is found in the first sentence: Whom shall I send?<\/em> Notice that the singular pronoun I<\/em> is used. Plurali<\/span>ty is found in the second part of this sentence: who will go for us?<\/em> The plural pronoun us<\/em> is used. Isaiah\u2019s response was: Here am I; send me.<\/em> The three English words, Here am I<\/em>, are a translation of <\/span>only one Hebrew word, hineni. Hineni<\/span> is a one word response of submission and service to God. For example, Abraham said: Here am I<\/em> or hineni<\/span>, in Genesis 22:1<\/a> and 11<\/a>. Jacob said: hineni<\/span> in Genesis 31:1<\/span>1<\/a> and 46:2<\/a>. Moses said: hineni<\/span> in Exodus 3:4<\/a>. In Isaiah 6:8<\/a>, Isaiah said: hineni<\/span>, Here am I; send me.<\/em> It is a response of submission and service to God.<\/p>\n

Isaiah responded before he was actually told wh<\/span>at the commission was, and that came in verses 9\u201310<\/a>: And he said, Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not. Make the heart of this people fat, <\/em><\/span>and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and turn again, and be healed.<\/em><\/p>\n

The commission of Isaiah is a d<\/span>eclaration of two things. First, there was a declaration of an inability to understand in verse 9<\/a>. Isaiah was going to be sent to be a prophet to a people who would never understand what he was trying<\/span> to say. Because they would not understand what he was trying to say, he would not get much of a response. In other words, Isaiah was told, \u201cDo not expect a successful ministry.\u201d From the viewpoint of man, his ministry would be a failure. From the viewpoint of God, Isaiah\u2019s ministry was a great success<\/span>.<\/p>\n

The second declaration was a declaration of hardening in verse 10<\/a>, and the hardening will do th<\/span>ree things. First, it will fatten the heart of the people. The Hebrew words mean, \u201cto make fat.\u201d The emphasis is that they will become a people without feeling for the work of divine grace. Secondly, it will <\/span>make their ears heavy<\/em>. The words mean, \u201cto make dull of hearing.\u201d They will have an inability to listen to the Word of God. Thirdly, it will shut their eyes. The Hebrew word means, \u201cto smear t<\/span>hickly.\u201d The picture is that their eyelids would be smeared so thickly that they will not be able to open them. There will be an inability to see spiritually. There will be a spiritual hardening; a hardening of feeling, a hardening of spiritual hearing, and a hardening of spiritual seeing. This will have three results. First, spiritual blindness; secondly, spiritual de<\/span>afness; thirdly, spiritual non-understanding.<\/span><\/p>\n

The reason for this divine hardening is lest they should turn again, and be healed<\/em>. Because of the continual hardening of their own hearts, they will now be hardened for good by God s<\/span>o the punishment would come. That is the point of the phrase. Because of their own continuous hardening that Isaiah clearly emphasized in the first five chapters, they would now be hardened for good. Punishment and judgment were now inevitable.<\/p>\n

IV. The Judgment of the People\u2014Isaiah 6:11\u201313<\/a><\/p>\n

After Isaiah answered the call to become a prophet, God then told him some discouraging news: he was to be sent to a people that would remain spiritually <\/span>blind, spiritually deaf, and spiritually without feeling for the work of divine grace. Isaiah was given a rather discouraging commission. The judgment that is spelled out is the depopulation of the Land. <\/span>Then said I, Lord, how long? And he answered, Until cities be waste without inhabitant, and houses without man, and the land become utterly waste, and Jehovah have removed men far away, and the fo<\/em><\/span>rsaken places be many in the midst of the land.<\/em><\/p>\n

Isaiah\u2019s natural response is in verse 11a<\/a>: Lord, how long?<\/em> \u201cHow long do I have to keep on speaking to a people that will be unresponsive?\u201d In answer to <\/span>Isaiah\u2019s question, God described two waves of judgment.<\/p>\n

The first wave of judgment, in verses 11b\u201312<\/a>, was to be until cities be waste without habitant;<\/em> until the inhabitants were removed from the land<\/span>. Specifically, this prophecy was fulfilled in a.d. 70 when Jerusalem and the Temple were destroyed by the Roman Empire and the Jewish people dispersed all over the world. It is because of this that t<\/span>he vision came when it did. Verse 1<\/a> states the vision came in the year that king Uzziah died<\/em>, which was 739 b.c. It was during the reign of King Uzziah that the City of Rome was founded on the Tiber R<\/span>iver. And it was during the reign of Uzziah that God called Isaiah to be a prophet (Is. 1:1<\/a>) In the course of the next eight centuries, Rome grew to be a world power and Rome fulfilled the description<\/span> found in verses 11b\u201312<\/a>. Isaiah is told about a wave of judgment that was to be fulfilled in a.d. 70, in which the Land became desolate and without inhabitant. During the reign of King Uzziah, Rome wa<\/span>s founded; during the reign of King Uzziah, Isaiah was called to be a prophet; Rome would be the nation to fulfill Isaiah\u2019s prophecy.<\/p>\n

Isaiah describes a second wave of judgment in verse 13<\/a>: And if the<\/em><\/span>re be yet a tenth in it, it also shall in turn be eaten up: as a terebinth, and as an oak, whose stock remains, when they are felled; so the holy seed is the stock thereof.<\/em><\/p>\n

A Remnant of Jews will retu<\/span>rn; this is the present return from the Dispersion to the present Jewish State of Israel that has been in the Land since 1948. But the present Remnant of Jews to return from the Dispersion will be eat<\/span>en up by a second wave of judgment. This time the judgment is that of the Great Tribulation. The Remnant will be like a felled terebinth or oak, which still has life and can sprout again. After the second wave of judgment, the judgment of the Great Tribulation, when once aga<\/span>in the Jewish population will be decimated. According to Zechariah 13:8\u20139<\/a>, Israel will be decimated to two thirds of the numb<\/span>er, it will sprout to life and grow again. Verse 13<\/a> states that the holy seed will re-grow into a tree again. That is the picture of Israel in the Messianic Kingdom. While they may be eaten up by the <\/span>second wave of judgment of the Tribulation, it will not be total. The seed will remain, and this holy seed will grow into a tree.<\/p>\n

Isaiah was called to be a prophet in this manner. He was told not to e<\/span>xpect a great listening audience, not to expect a successful ministry, but a ministry ordained and blessed by God. And that is all that any true servant of God needs.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In the year that king Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and his train filled the temple. Isaiah 6:1 The call of Isaiah, the Prince of the Prophets, is recorded in detail in Isaiah 6:1\u201313. The first five chapters of the Book of Isaiah appear to be … <\/p>\n

\u201eThe Call of Isaiah\u201c <\/span>weiterlesen<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-279","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-allgemein"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/buch.jehovah-shammah.de\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/279","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/buch.jehovah-shammah.de\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/buch.jehovah-shammah.de\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/buch.jehovah-shammah.de\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/buch.jehovah-shammah.de\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=279"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/buch.jehovah-shammah.de\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/279\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":280,"href":"http:\/\/buch.jehovah-shammah.de\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/279\/revisions\/280"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/buch.jehovah-shammah.de\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=279"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/buch.jehovah-shammah.de\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=279"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/buch.jehovah-shammah.de\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=279"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}