Isaiah 6:5-8 Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the middle of a people of unclean lips… Jerusalem was the London of the Holy Land, the capital of Palestine. Well, a very dreadful thing had just happened in Jerusalem. The king was dead, and he died in the saddest possible way. The people were very sorry, and talked a great deal about it; and Isaiah, too, was filled with grief and wonder. What could it all mean? But there was nobody in all Jerusalem who could tell him. But God, who had a great work for the youth to do, took him and told him what it all meant. He showed him a vision. Just as we see things with our minds when our eyes are closed, so God taught Isaiah the meaning of the king's death, by making him see and hear wonderful things with the eye and ear of his mind. I. WHAT ISAIAH SAW. He saw the Lord sitting on a throne. The King Uzziah was dead, but the eternal King never dies. He was on His throne, high and lifted up, and the glory of His garments filled the temple, so great and glorious was He. And then Isaiah heard angels singing, "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory." If you went into a great picture gallery you would probably come to one room which would be called the "Rubens room," where all the pictures would be by Rubens; then in another part of the gallery you would come to the "Turner room," and all the pictures in that would be Turner's, the great English painter; and so on through room after room. And if you went into a library, on one shelf you would find the works of Shakespeare, on another the works of Bacon, on another the works of Milton. But with regard to God, the angels say you may go up and down the world, and everywhere you go you will find every room, every shelf, filled with the glory of the same One. The whole earth is filled with the glory of One, and that One is God. Now, why does God say that to Isaiah? In order to teach Isaiah reverence; to teach him to fear God — not to be afraid, but to teach him to honour God. Uzziah had dared God, as it were. Uzziah had forgotten the greatness of God, and so the first thing God did with the boy was to stamp upon his mind that he must be reverent. And, dear children, it is one of the greatest lessons that we all need: have your play and fun and laughter in their right time and in the right way; but when you come to this place for worship, for prayer and praise, remember how great God is. II. WHAT ISAIAH FELT. He knew that Uzziah had done wrong; and God taught him that, young as he was, he too had sinned, and so he cried out, "Woe is me, I am unclean." He felt that he had sinned, and then lest his heart should be broken with sorrow, God made him feel that He — the God against whom he had sinned, could pardon and cleanse him. It is a grand moment when you find fault with yourselves. That is the finest thing a boy can do, to stand up and, as it were, pitch right into himself, find fault with himself, feeling that he has done wrong. Have you felt that, children — felt that you too have sinned? But if you have sinned it isn't hopeless, for God can take your sin away. Ask Him for pardon, ask Him for power not to sin. III. WHAT ISAIAH HEARD. He heard God asking for somebody to carry a message for Him and do work for Him. Well, but you say, "We never heard God say that." No, you never heard Him in so many words, but if you know how to listen for God's call, you can hear Him calling every day. How does God call? God calls by putting a need before you. When anything wants doing, that is God's call to somebody. IV. WHAT ISAIAH SAID. "Here am I." He didn't look about and say, "Who is there that will go?" No; he said, "Here am I; send me," and God did not refuse him. You know that in arranging their play, the bigger boys choose who shall be on their side, and they always choose the best boys; the poor little fellows who can't play well are left for the other side. They are always so anxious to be called; but are always passed by, or left to the very last. God doesn't do that; He doesn't say, "Oh no, no, I want somebody else." He says, "Come, whosoever will let him come." (J. M. Gibbon.) Parallel Verses KJV: Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts. |
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