Chapter Summary
Core Passages from Isaiah 6
Isaiah 6:3And one called to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!”
The seraphim's repeated cry of 'Holy, holy, holy' establishes the central theme of the chapter: God's perfect, overwhelming, and utterly separate nature.Isaiah 6:5And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!”
This is Isaiah's raw and honest reaction to God's holiness, recognizing that his own sin, and that of his people, makes him unworthy to be in God's presence.Isaiah 6:8And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?" Then I said, "Here I am! Send me."
After being cleansed and forgiven, Isaiah's fear turns to courage, and he volunteers for God's mission without hesitation, providing a powerful example of a transformed heart.
Historical & Cultural Context
A Throne Room Vision in a Time of Crisis
The chapter opens at a moment of national instability. King Uzziah, who had reigned for over 50 years, has died, leaving a power vacuum and an uncertain future for the nation of Judah. In this climate of earthly anxiety, Isaiah is given a vision that redirects his focus from a vacant human throne to the eternally occupied throne of heaven. This vision establishes that despite the turmoil on earth, God remains sovereign and in complete control.
A Willing Volunteer for a Difficult Mission
After being overwhelmed by God's holiness and then miraculously cleansed, Isaiah hears God ask who will carry His message. Isaiah volunteers immediately, only to be assigned a heartbreaking task. He is to preach a message that, because of the people's stubbornness, will actually harden their hearts and lead to judgment. This difficult commission underscores that obedience to God sometimes means delivering an unpopular truth, trusting Him with the results.
Isaiah's Vision, Cleansing, and Commission
Set in the year of King Uzziah's death, Isaiah 6 transports us from a place of earthly uncertainty into the very throne room of God. In this dramatic scene, Isaiah witnesses the breathtaking majesty of the Lord, which leads to a personal crisis of faith, a powerful moment of forgiveness, and a life-altering call to serve as God's prophet to a resistant nation.
The Vision of God's Overwhelming Holiness (Isaiah 6:1-4)
1 In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple.
2 Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew.
3 And one called to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!”
4 And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke.
Commentary:
Isaiah has a stunning vision of God on His throne, surrounded by angelic beings worshiping His absolute holiness.
Isaiah's Cry of Unworthiness and God's Act of Grace (Isaiah 6:5-7)
5 And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!”
6 Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar.
7 And he touched my mouth and said: “Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.”
Commentary:
Overwhelmed by his sin in God's presence, Isaiah is miraculously cleansed and forgiven by a burning coal from the altar.
The Call and the Response (Isaiah 6:8)
8 And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?" Then I said, "Here I am! Send me."
Commentary:
After being forgiven, Isaiah hears God's call for a messenger and immediately volunteers for service.
A Heartbreaking Mission and a Glimmer of Hope (Isaiah 6:9-13)
9 And he said, "Go, and say to this people: "'Keep on hearing, but do not understand; keep on seeing, but do not perceive.'
10 Make the heart of this people dull, and their ears heavy, and blind their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed.
11 Then I said, “How long, O Lord?” And he said: “Until cities lie waste without inhabitant, and houses without people, and the land is a desolate waste,
12 And the Lord removes people far away, and the forsaken places are many in the midst of the land.
13 And though a tenth remain in it, it will be burned again, like a terebinth or an oak, whose stump remains when it is felled." The holy seed is its stump.
Commentary:
Isaiah is given the difficult task of preaching a message of judgment that will harden hearts, but God promises a small remnant will survive.
Related Verse Analysis
God's Majesty, Human Frailty, and Divine Hope
The Holiness of God
This chapter puts God's holiness on full display. It is about His 'otherness' - His supreme, majestic, and transcendent nature that inspires both awe and fear. It is not about moral perfection. The entire throne room scene is designed to show that God is infinitely greater than we can imagine.
The Reality of Human Sin
When Isaiah, a righteous man and a prophet, sees God's holiness, his immediate reaction is a deep awareness of his own sin. This teaches us that in the light of God's perfection, our own flaws become impossible to ignore. A true understanding of God leads to an honest understanding of ourselves.
Grace and Atonement
Isaiah's cry of “Woe is me!” is met not with punishment, but with purification. The burning coal from the altar signifies that God Himself provides the way for sin to be forgiven - a concept known as atonement. This act of grace is what makes a relationship with a holy God possible for sinful people.
The Hope of the Remnant
Even within a message of severe judgment, God includes a promise of hope. The image of the 'holy seed' in the stump of a felled tree shows that God's plan of redemption will not be thwarted. He always preserves a faithful few through whom He will fulfill His ultimate purposes.
Responding to God's Holiness Today
Isaiah's vision in verses 1-4 reminds you that God is a majestic and holy King who deserves reverence, not merely a friend or a helper. It challenges you to move beyond a casual view of God and to cultivate a sense of awe for His power and purity in your worship and daily life.
Isaiah's despair in verse 5 is met by God's immediate grace in verse 7. This shows that God doesn't expect you to be perfect before you come to Him. He meets you in your brokenness, offers forgiveness, and provides the cleansing you need to be in a right relationship with Him.
Isaiah's response in verse 8 was immediate and unconditional, offered before he knew the difficult details of his mission. It challenges you to cultivate a heart that is open and available to God's leading, trusting that the One who calls you is also the One who will equip and sustain you.
Encountering Holiness, Answering the Call
Isaiah 6 shows that a true encounter with the living God is a life-altering event. It begins by revealing His awesome holiness, which in turn exposes our own deep need for grace. But God does not leave us in our brokenness. He reaches out to cleanse and restore us, not only for our own sake, but to prepare us for His mission. The ultimate message is that experiencing God's forgiveness naturally leads to a heart that says, 'Here I am! Send me.'
What This Means for Us Today
The pattern in Isaiah 6 is timeless: seeing God clearly leads to seeing ourselves honestly, which opens the door to receiving His grace and hearing His call. God is still asking, 'Whom shall I send?' and He invites us, once cleansed by His grace, to be His voice of truth and hope in our world.
- In what areas of my life have I lost a sense of awe for God's holiness?
- How can I be more open to God's cleansing, admitting my need for His grace daily?
- If God asked, 'Who will go for us?' today, what would my honest answer be, and what might be holding me back?
Further Reading
Immediate Context
This chapter details the sins of Judah through the 'Song of the Vineyard,' explaining why the judgment Isaiah is called to announce is so necessary.
The story continues as Isaiah puts his prophetic commission into action, delivering a message from God directly to King Ahaz during a national crisis.
Connections Across Scripture
The Apostle John quotes Isaiah 6 and explicitly states that Isaiah's vision was of Jesus's glory, connecting this Old Testament event directly to Christ.
John's vision of the heavenly throne room strongly echoes Isaiah's, featuring celestial beings worshiping God and declaring His holiness.
This chapter contains another prophet's overwhelming vision of God's glory, showing a similar pattern of a divine encounter that leads to a prophetic calling.
Discussion Questions
- The vision happened 'in the year that King Uzziah died.' How does a moment of earthly instability or loss sometimes open our eyes to God's heavenly stability and sovereignty?
- Isaiah felt completely undone by his sin in God's presence. Why is it important to have moments where we feel our need for grace, rather than always focusing on our strengths?
- God commissioned Isaiah to deliver a message that would harden people's hearts. How can we trust God's purpose even when His methods seem difficult or counterintuitive to us?