What is the meaning of Isaiah 6:5? Then I said Isaiah’s words flow out of an encounter that left no room for indifference. The prophet had just seen the seraphim proclaim, “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of Hosts” (Isaiah 6:3). • Sudden response: As soon as heaven’s song ends, Isaiah speaks. Every genuine vision of God invites an immediate, personal reply (cf. Exodus 34:8). • Personal ownership: “I said”—not what someone else thought or what the crowd felt. Faith is never secondhand (Romans 14:12). Woe is me The man who, in the previous chapter, declared six “woes” against Judah now turns the spotlight inward (Isaiah 5:8-23). • Prophetic self-indictment: Isaiah uses the same word of doom he had leveled at the nation. A true servant never exempts himself (Matthew 7:5). • Echoes in Scripture: Peter falls at Jesus’ knees, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord” (Luke 5:8); Job says, “I despise myself” (Job 42:6). When holiness draws near, self-confidence evaporates. for I am ruined “Ruined” speaks of being undone, silenced, dismantled. • Confronted with reality: Manoah feared death after seeing the Angel of the LORD (Judges 13:22). Isaiah feels the same unraveling of self. • Healthy collapse: What seems like destruction is actually the prelude to restoration; the coal from the altar will soon touch his lips (Isaiah 6:7). because I am a man of unclean lips Isaiah pinpoints his sin in the very area God will later use—his mouth. • Lips reveal the heart (Matthew 12:34). The prophet who declared God’s word realizes how far short his own speech has fallen. • Common human condition: “The tongue is a fire” (James 3:6). Even one ill-chosen word betrays impurity (Ephesians 4:29). • Need for cleansing: Only an altar-coal, symbolizing atoning sacrifice, can make unclean lips fit for holy service (Isaiah 6:6-7). dwelling among a people of unclean lips Isaiah’s confession widens from the personal to the communal. • Shared guilt: Like Daniel, who prayed “we have sinned” (Daniel 9:5), Isaiah identifies with his nation’s iniquity. • Mission insight: Recognizing the people’s uncleanness prepares Isaiah to carry a hard message to them (Isaiah 6:9-10). • Biblical pattern: “Everyone lies to his neighbor” (Psalm 12:2); “Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness” (Romans 3:14). The prophet is not alone in needing grace. for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of Hosts The vision explains the conviction. • Reality of God’s kingship: Isaiah does not merely see a monarch; he sees “the King,” the ultimate authority (Psalm 24:10). • Holiness unveiled: When John beheld the glorified Christ, he fell “as though dead” (Revelation 1:17). Sight of divine majesty exposes human sin. • Christ-centered fulfillment: John 12:41 notes Isaiah “saw Jesus’ glory.” The throne Isaiah saw belongs to the One who later takes a cross, making cleansing possible (1 Peter 2:24). summary Isaiah 6:5 captures the soul-shaking moment when a prophet stands before absolute holiness. Seeing the King leads to: • An instant, personal confession—“Woe is me.” • A recognition of total undoing—“I am ruined.” • A pinpointing of specific sin—“unclean lips.” • A solidarity with others’ guilt—“a people of unclean lips.” • An acknowledgment that the vision of God Himself makes such honesty unavoidable—“my eyes have seen the King.” This verse teaches that genuine encounter with God demolishes self-reliance, exposes sin, and prepares the heart for the cleansing and commissioning that follow. |
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