Isaiah 6

Isaiah 6:1–6

Isaiah 6 provides one of the clearest and most profound lessons in all of Scripture concerning what it means to truly know God. The Christian life is ultimately about knowing God—not merely knowing facts about Him, but personally experiencing His character, His presence, and especially His holiness. Isaiah’s encounter with the Lord beautifully illustrates this truth.

King Uzziah – The Obstacle

The opening words of the chapter are significant: “In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord…“. The mention of King Uzziah is far more than a historical date stamp.

From 2 Chronicles 26, we learn that Uzziah became king at only sixteen years of age and reigned over Judah for fifty-two years. For much of his reign he was a godly king who sought the Lord, and as long as he sought the Lord, God caused him to prosper. He achieved remarkable military victories over the Philistines and the Arabs, fortified Jerusalem, built towers, developed impressive military defenses, and became famous throughout the surrounding nations because the Lord greatly helped him. For much of his life, Uzziah would have appeared to be the model king. It is certainly possible that Isaiah, having grown up during Uzziah’s long reign, admired him as a godly leader and perhaps even as a spiritual hero.

Perhaps, without even realizing it, Isaiah’s view of God had become somewhat connected to the man through whom God was working. Such a tendency is not uncommon. Even today many Christians instinctively turn to a pastor, teacher, or someone they regard as especially spiritual and ask them to pray, almost as though their own prayers somehow carry less weight before God. While there is certainly nothing wrong with asking others to pray for us, there is a danger when our relationship with God becomes dependent upon another person’s spirituality rather than our own walk with Him.

Sadly, Uzziah did not finish well. Scripture tells us that after becoming strong, his heart became proud. In his pride he entered the Temple to burn incense upon the altar, a privilege God had reserved exclusively for the priests. As a result, God struck him with leprosy, and he spent the remainder of his life isolated from both the Temple and much of the nation.

Isaiah would certainly have known these events. Whether Isaiah had become captivated by Uzziah’s earlier success or later disillusioned by his tragic failure, it is possible that Uzziah himself had become an obstacle. An obstacle that needed to be removed. Only after Uzziah’s death does Isaiah write: “I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of His robe filled the temple“.

Sometimes God must remove the things—or even the people—that have unintentionally become the focus of our attention before we truly see Him for who He is. How many believers have become discouraged because a pastor, teacher, or trusted Christian leader failed morally or spiritually? Sadly, some become so disillusioned that they walk away from church altogether. Their faith had quietly become anchored to a person rather than to God Himself. Isaiah’s experience reminds us that while godly leaders are blessings from God, they were never meant to replace God.

The Holiness of God

Having seen the Lord upon His throne, Isaiah now encounters something far greater than the greatness of any earthly king. He encounters the holiness of God. The English word “holy” is translated from the Hebrew קָדוֹשׁ (qadosh, Strong’s [H6918]), meaning holy, sacred, set apart, or consecrated. Brown-Driver-Briggs likewise defines the word as holy, sacred, the Holy One, or set apart. To speak of God’s holiness is to speak of His absolute uniqueness. There is no one like Him. Isaiah himself later records God’s own words:

Isaiah 40:18 – “To whom then will you liken God, or what likeness compare with Him?“, and again, Isaiah 46:5 – “To whom will you liken Me and make Me equal, and compare Me, that we may be alike?“. God alone is holy in the fullest sense of the word. His holiness is not simply moral perfection. It is His absolute otherness—His uniqueness as the Creator, wholly distinct from His creation.

Isaiah’s Response

It is only after Isaiah sees God’s holiness that he truly sees himself. Immediately he cries: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!“. This is a remarkable contrast to the previous chapter. In Isaiah 5, the prophet repeatedly pronounces “Woe” upon others. “Woe to those…“

Yet after seeing the Lord, Isaiah no longer says, “Woe to them“. Instead, he says, “Woe is me!“. This is one of the clearest evidences that a genuine encounter with God changes a person. Before seeing God’s holiness, it is often easy to recognize the sins of others. After seeing God’s holiness, we become painfully aware of our own.

This is one of the greatest challenges in evangelism. We can tell unbelievers that they are sinners, yet many will simply accuse us of being judgmental because they measure themselves against other people. Compared with someone worse than themselves, they believe they are doing reasonably well. 

But Scripture never measures us against one another. It measures us against God. Without God, what is the standard of holiness? What is the target? What is the measure by which righteousness is judged? Only when we truly see God’s holiness do we recognize how far we ourselves have fallen short.

God Reveals, Cleanses, and Redeems

Isaiah’s conviction was never intended to leave him in despair. One of the seraphim took a burning coal from the altar and touched Isaiah’s lips, declaring: “Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for“. Only after Isaiah encountered God’s holiness, confessed his own uncleanness, and received God’s cleansing was he commissioned to go and proclaim God’s message to Israel—even though God had already revealed that many would refuse to listen.

From my observation, this is the pattern that runs throughout Scripture. God first reveals Himself. That revelation exposes our true condition. God then cleansses those who come to Him. Finally, He redeems and commissions them for His service.

• God reveals.
• God cleanses.
• God redeems.

And only then does He send His people into the world to proclaim His truth.