Dear Friends,

I hope you can attend our Bible study tonight as we resume and continue our study of Isaiah 6. Tonight's focus is on Isaiah 6:8b. Notes are attached.

LIVING THE CHRISTLIFE

WAYNE BARRETT

JULY 23, 2025

Isaiah 6

v. 8b

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. 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.”

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.”

______________________

Why did God do this?

He could have just called to Isaiah and given Isaiah his prophetic word or assignment (cf

Samuel, or even Paul)

If this was Isaiah’s initial call as a prophet, the question remains, or if Isaiah was already a

prophet, the question remains. Why did God do this?

Isaiah is given a vision of the Lord himself

He is given a vision of the worship of God around his throne (cf John’s visions in Revelation)

And he sees (and we see) that God is worshiped in holy fear and awe and in surroundings that

engender holy fear and awe (cf v 4)

Isaiah is brought to near despair as he then sees his true condition and the condition of his people

Isaiah is made clean by God—his guilt removed and his sin atoned for

Then, Isaiah hears from the Lord—not a command, but a question: “Whom shall I send, and who will go

for us?”

We don’t know if the question was a general one or if it was directed to Isaiah personally—in

either event, it was spoken for Isaiah to hear.

It seems to be an invitation (to Isaiah) in the form of a question, am opportunity given to him—

and to which he responded.

But perhaps this also reveals a divine deliberation when it comes to our call, the seriousness with

which God issues our calls, how vocational calls by God are not universal, and how we have

a role in responding.

“In these days he went out to the mountain to pray, and all night he continued in prayer to

God. And when day came, he called his disciples and chose from them twelve, whom

he named apostles.”—Luke 6:12-13

2

When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and

helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is

plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest

to send out laborers into his harvest.”—Matthew 9:36-38

The Scripture does not say why God did this, but we can see that this experience of Isaiah’s was

foundational for his entire ministry going forward:

his vision of God …

the language he was inspired and enabled to use (his lips were indeed touched by the fire

of God) …

and his being used by God to deliver both words of correction and judgment as well as of

compassion and promise.

A not uncommon spiritual-life pattern:

Encounter >> Confession >> Forgiveness >> Perception >> Engagement

Isaiah’s call was his hearing –from the Lord—that there was a need, to which he responded with a plea

to serve God by being sent on God’s behalf. Some people identify a “call” as the strong perception of a

need that one can seek, with God’s help, to meet. Perhaps that cannot be said universally for all calls of

God, but it appears to be true of some. Including Isaiah’s.

God calls us, but he does not force us to obey and to fulfill our ministries.

In this, we need to help and support one another, because it is a certainty that the devil seeks to

derail a person’s fulfilling of the call of God.

God is looking for eager hearts—people with a readiness to serve him.

“Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God

loves a cheerful giver.”—2 Corinthians 9:7

“And he said to him, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your

soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment.’”—Matthew 22:37-38

“Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord.”—Romans 12:11 –more lit. “the

eagerness, not lacking; the spirit, boiling; serving the Lord.”

“As for you, brothers, do not grow weary in doing good.”—2 Thessalonians 3:13

also

“Do all things without grumbling or disputing”—Philippians 2:14

“But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first.”—Revelation 2:4

“‘I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! So,

because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth.”—

Revelation 3:15-16

God does call even those who seem reluctant, e.g. Moses, Gideon, Jonah, Ananias (who was sent to

Paul) …. Many a pastor, past and present, initially resisted God’s call. So God does pursue, and compels

us to respond, but as mentioned earlier, no one is forced.

We are all called.

“For consider your calling, brothers [and sisters]: not many of you were wise according to

worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth.”—1 Corinthians

1:26

“Therefore, holy brothers [and sisters] you who share in a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the

apostle and high priest of our confession.”—Hebrews 3:1

There is no doubt that God would have all of us echo Isaiah’s response: “Here I am! Send me.