The call of Isaiah the Prophet

THE CALL OF ISAIAH THE PROPHET

The experience of Isaiah took place in the year King Uzziah died and his experience is said to have taken place in the Temple of Solomon.

Isaiah saw God sitting on his throne in heaven where He was highly lifted up. God’s seraphim were present. According to Isaiah, each of the seraphs had six wings. The first pair, they used to cover their face, the second pair, they used to cover their feet and the middle two they used in propelling themselves around.

The Seraphim sung to the holiness of God. They said, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory.” As they did so, Isaiah felt the foundations of the Temple of Solomon trembling and the place filled with smoke.

When Isaiah beheld this scene, the King and the Lord of hosts, he felt very unclean before the holiness he was looking at. He acknowledged that he was a man of unclean lips and dwelt among people with the same type of lips. He said, "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."

Suddenly, one of the seraphs took a burning coal from the altar and flew toward Isaiah. He touched Isaiah’s lips with the burning coal. The seraph said as he did so that as the burning coal had touched his lips, Isaiah’s guilt was taken away and his sins forgiven.

Then Isaiah heard a voice calling “whom shall I send and who will go for as?” According to Isaiah, he said, “Here am I, send me.”

Thus Isaiah was called into the ministry to preach the words of God to the people.

SIGNIFICANCE OF ISAIAH’S EXPERIENCE

Control over the entire universe

One of the significant points to mention is the fact that God was not only the King or God of Israel but he was also the king of the entire world. This is why, in the vision, the whole earth was full of his glory. His holiness is not restricted to the temple alone but extends to the entire earth.

Isaiah’s self consciousness of sin

Another significant point to mention is the fact of how Isaiah felt before the Lord. By saying that, “Woe is me! For I am lost, for I am a man of unclean lips and I dwell in the midst of a people with unclean lips”, Isaiah was confirming how inseparably linked his sins were to those of the people among whom he lived.

Purification of the prophet

The cleansing of the lips of Isaiah was an indication that the prophet himself needed to be cleansed before he could carry the message to the people. This was the first time a prophet’s lips had to be cleaned to qualify to do the work of the Lord.

THE ATTRIBUTES OF GOD THAT IS REVEALED ISAIAH’S ENCOUNTER

1. The purity of God

2. The righteousness of God

3. The majesty of God

SAMPLE QUESTIONS

1. a. Describe the encounter between Isaiah and the Lord of hosts in the Temple of Solomon.

    b. In which three ways is this encounter significant?

2. a. Narrate the story of the call of Isaiah.

    b. Describe three ways in which God calls his servants in your country today.

3. a. “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.” Trace the circumstances that led to the making of this statement. How did the maker of this statement react to God’s search for a person to send?

    b. List three aspects of God that was revealed in this experience.

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