Isaiah 5-8

Todays passage: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=isaiah%205-8&version=NIV

Isaiah is one of my favorite books of the Bible, and chapter 6 is one of my favorite chapters in that book. It’s such a beautiful opportunity to see the Lord, to see ourselves in light of who He is, to hear His call and then to walk in faith’s total dependence.

“I saw the Lord…” (Isaiah 6:1). So who did God see?

A God who is Holy, holy holy
He is Lord of Hosts, God Almighty
His glory fills the earth
He is lofty, exalted, He is King
He is our judge; He sees our sin, He reveals to us our sin
He is a God who provides atonement of our sins

“Then I said, ‘Woe is me, for I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean lips, And I live among a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.’" (Isaiah 6:5).

Isaiah also saw himself in light of the Lord. What he saw, wasn’t pretty. He saw himself as a sinner, as unclean, as unworthy. He knew he was not worthy to be in the presence of such majesty. He was awestruck.

“Then I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, ‘Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?’ Then I said, ‘Here am I. Send me!’” (Isaiah 6:6).

Isaiah heard the call of the Lord. He is a God who speaks to us and Isaiah heard his voice after his sin was atoned for. God had a purpose for Isaiah, and without even waiting to hear what it was, he signed up for the job. He didn’t dwell on the sin that God had just forgiven him of, He didn’t try to explain or justify it. He just accepted the forgiveness and answered God’s call. He faithfully jumped from “Woe is me” to “Here am I, send me!”

“He said, "Go, and tell this people: 'Keep on listening, but do not perceive; Keep on looking, but do not understand.' "Render the hearts of this people insensitive, Their ears dull, And their eyes dim” (Isaiah 6:9).

We have learned about the character of the people of Israel in the books of the Kings and the first 5 chapters of Isaiah. So what God asked Isaiah to do something that wasn’t going to be easy. He warned Isaiah in advance that the people wouldn’t listen. Their hearts were hard and hearing Isaiah’s message would only harden them more. Isaiah didn’t question God. He didn’t ask “Why bother, Lord”. He didn’t come up with a list of excuses. He just asked “How long”. He acted in faithful obedience without questioning God’s divine plan.

As Christ followers, we are all commissioned to share the good news of the Gospel. This chapter shows such a wonderful example as to how we are to respond to our commissioning. Like Isaiah, we should take time to stand in awe of our Holy Lord’s Majesty. We should ask God to reveal our sin, acknowledge it, and cry out to him for forgiveness. Realizing that forgiveness is immediate and complete, we should expect in confidence to hear from the Lord, and without questioning God’s plans, move forward in faithful obedience.

Today's post submitted by Kelly Coxe