Wednesday Aug 12, 2015

The Holiness of God - chapter 2: "Holy, Holy, Holy"

The Holiness of God by R. C. Sproul

Holy, Holy, Holy: Chapter Two

¹In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple. ² Above him were seraphim, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. ³ And they were calling to one another: "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory." ⁴ At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke. ⁵ "Woe to me!" I cried. "I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty." ⁶ Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. ⁷ With it he touched my mouth and said, "See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for." ⁸ Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?" And I said, "Here am I. Send me!" (Isaiah 6:1-8, NIV)

The Lone Prophet

The OT prophet was a God-called emissary, sent to represent God to the people and call them to personal and corporate holiness.
For most of Israel’s history, the prophet was despised, rejected, persecuted, and often killed.

Isaiah the Man

Isaiah, unlike most prophets, was of the nobility. He had access to the royal courts.
Isaiah’s ministry spanned the reigns of four kings: Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah.

Isaiah’s Call

Isaiah was called to be a prophet in the year of King Uzziah’s death.
Uzziah had been a good king, but his success and wealth led him to pride and presumption in his later years.
Isaiah went to the temple to grieve the death of the king, but instead encountered the King of Kings.

A Vision of the Lord

Isaiah was granted a vision, in which he saw the glory of the Lord in the temple.
The Lord is envisioned as a great, exalted King-Priest, with the edges of his priestly robe filling the whole temple.

Seraphim

The Seraphim, a type of angelic being, were attending the high exalted Lord.
Their mission is to worship and serve the King and Creator of the universe.
They cover their faces and feet in honor of their holy Creator.

Holy, Holy, Holy

The Seraphim cry in unison: “Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.”
The three-fold repetition is for superlative emphasis.
The only time that an attribute of God is given this emphasis.

Trembling before a Holy God

The inanimate materials of the temple respond in awe and fear before the presence of their Maker.
God’s presence in theophany often results in similar accompanying signs and wonders in Scripture.

“Woe to Me!”

A “woe” is a pronouncement of doom, a curse on the enemies of God.
Here, Isaiah the prophet pronounces a curse of judgment on himself.
God’s holiness revealed to him the full measure of his sinfulness.

Cleansed with Fire

God is holy and gracious.
In grace, he cleanses his soon-to-be prophet with a “burnt offering,” an atonement for his sin.
God cleanses his lips, which represents Isaiah’s whole self, and thus purifies him.

“Here am I. Send me!”

God brings Isaiah to ruins by the awesome presence of his holiness.
His grace atones for Isaiah’s sins and cleanses him.
God makes him fit for service and mission and calls him as his prophet to his people.

The Holiness of God - chapter 2: "Holy, Holy, Holy"

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