e martë, 18 shtator 2007

Isaiah 6:1-13 (cont.)


Passage: In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne high and exalted, and the train of His robe filled the temple. Above him were seraphs, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. And they were calling to one another.

"Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of His glory."

At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke.

"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.

"Then one of the seraphs flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. With it he touched my mouth and said, "See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.

"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!

"He said, "Go and tell this people: 'Be ever hearing, but never understanding; be ever seeing, but never perceiving.' Make the heart of this people calloused; make their ears dull and close their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed.

"Then I said, "For how long, O Lord?" And He answered: "Until the cities lie ruined and without inhabitant, until the houses are left deserted and the fields ruined and ravaged, until the Lord has sent everyone far away and the land is utterly forsaken. And though a tenth remains in the land, it will again be laid waste. But as the terebinth and oak leave stumps when they are cut down, so the holy seed will be the stump in the land."

Journal: The actual word "Trinity" is not specifically laid out in Scripture. However, Scripture repeatedly reveals the truth of the Trinity. Here, the vision of Isaiah, and the dialogue within that vision, point to a triune God. That is, God existing as three persons (the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit), and yet as one God. ("Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, 'Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?'")

Yesterday, we saw the greatness of God as revealed by the posture of the seraphs (two wings covering their faces, two wings covering their feet, and two wings perpetually fluttering). Today, we focus on the words of the seraphs.

First, these words reveal that God is near. (". . . the whole earth is full of His glory.") The glory of God is revealed, in fact, by the nearness of God. It is not a microscope making God appear bigger than he is, for God is always bigger than we can fathom. Rather, the glory of God is tantamount to a telescope, revealing God in new and intricate focus and making that which is otherwise unfathomable more evident to us. It is God drawing near to us in His mercy and in His grace. It is a distant dot of light in the sky illuminated to reveal an intricate galaxy. It is an otherwise unknowable God making Himself known to us.

Second, the words of the seraphs reveal that God is holy ("Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty . . .") That is, God is separate from us. That is, God is different from us. That is, God is infinitely better than us. This is why we worship Him and this is why we exalt Him. He is purity in the midst of our spoil. He is the atonement to our compromised condition. Isaiah, though in a relative sense more holy than his brothers and sisters in Judah, was in a vertical sense completely devastated. He saw himself, the prophet of Judah, for who and what he was. He was wretched and unworthy. (""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.")

Finally, the words of the seraphs reveal the mercy of God in the midst of the rebellion of man ("With it [a piece of coal] he touched my mouth and said, "See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.") God took the initiative to forgive the sin of His servant, to remove the rebellion of His child. We must reflect on this great wonder, on this undeserved act of love. Enjoy the nearness of God. Worship the holiness of God. Humbly revel in the forgiveness of God.

Heard 'Round the House:
Last night, I had a heart to heart talk with Anna (age 7) about being overly sensitive. It is a typical deal, where our discipline and correction leads to her sadness and moping (and saying things like "Nobody likes me!") So, we had a rather serious talk, and both of us had watering eyes at the end. At the conclusion of our talk, I told her to go and tell her mommy how much she loved her and to give her a big hug (Jill had been the rod of correction this go around). She leaned forward toward me to tell me something very quietly, and I thought it might be meaningful and insightful. Well, sort of . . .
Anna (leaning in and whispering, with a big smile): After I hug mommy and tell her I love her, can you and me grab pillows and have a pillow fight on mommy?
Well, this was certainly surprising to me, but not as surprising as the sneak attack we had on mommy (I was hiding around the corner with two pillows in hand during the hug . . .)