Dear Friends,

I hope you can attend our Bible tonight as we continue our study of Isaiah 6. Tonight's focus is on Isaiah 6:2.

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LIVING THE CHRISTLIFE

WAYNE BARRETT

MAY 21, 2025

Isaiah 6

v. 2

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.

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Seraphim – pl. of saraph, fiery serpent

Another word for serpent or snake is nachash

These words seem to be used somewhat interchangeably, although nachash is more common

Numbers 21:6-9 has both:

6 Then the LORD sent fiery [saraph] serpents [nachash] among the people, and they bit the

people, so that many people of Israel died. 7 And the people came to Moses and said, “We

have sinned, for we have spoken against the LORD and against you. Pray to the LORD,

that he take away the serpents [nachash] from us.” So Moses prayed for the people. 8 And

the LORD said to Moses, “Make a fiery serpent [saraph] and set it on a pole, and

everyone who is bitten, when he sees it, shall live.” 9 So Moses made a bronze serpent

[nachash] and set it on a pole. And if a serpent [nachash] bit anyone, he would look at

the bronze serpent [nachash] and live.

Saraph also appears in Deuteronomy 8:6 [nachash saraph]; Isaiah 6:2; 14:29; and 30:6.

Saraph seems to emphasize the fiery nature and (fiery) appearance of the creature, while

nachash emphasizes its snake-like appearance and character.

The fiery nature is also consistent with other heavenly beings and encounters.

Moses and the burning bush.

“And again, when he brings the firstborn into the world, he says, ‘Let all God's angels

worship him.’ Of the angels he says, ‘He makes his angels winds, and his ministers a

flame of fire.’”—Hebrews 1:6-7

“Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me, and on turning I saw seven

golden lampstands, and in the midst of the lampstands one like a son of man, clothed

with a long robe and with a golden sash around his chest. The hairs of his head were

white, like white wool, like snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire, his feet were

like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace, and his voice was like the roar of many

waters.”—Revelation 1:12-15

“For our God is a consuming fire.”—Hebrews 12:29

Some interpretations are (understandably) that the seraphim had a serpent-like appearance.

It seems for certain that they had a fiery appearance—since that is consistent with the name and

with other heavenly beings.

I am less convinced about the serpent-like appearance (as we understand serpent-like). The

description goes against it. They were standing. They had feet and wings. They flew. And, as

we see later, they were praising God.

Perhaps these seraphim were in the form of seraphim before the Fall and the resulting curse

placed on the serpent by God. The serpent (Satan) who tempted Eve apparently did not

become snake-like until he was cursed. We don’t really know what he looked like before he

was cursed, but it was a part of the curse that the Lord said to the serpent “on your belly you

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shall go, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life” (Genesis 3:14). At this point,

whatever he was like before, he had no feet or wings—and he could not stand.

“Above him stood the seraphim…”

The Lord is sitting upon the throne—the seraphim are stationed, more lit. “standing,” above him

This is consistent with other Scripture that shows us God on his throne being attended

unceasingly by heavenly beings. (See Ezekiel 1:4-14 and Revelation 5:6-8)

We will find no Scripture anywhere that describes any persons or creatures acting casually—let

alone irreverently—in the presence of God upon his throne.

“each had six wings…”

We could also say they had 3 pairs of wings: 2 + 2 + 2

Sets of three occur often in heavenly descriptions and occurrences

“with two he covered his face …”

No one is worthy to look upon God

“‘But,’ he said, ‘you cannot see my face, for man shall not see me and live.’”—Exodus 33:20

“So Jacob called the name of the place Peniel, saying, ‘For I have seen God face to face, and yet

my life has been delivered.’”—Genesis 32:30

They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads.—Revelation 22:4

When Abram was ninety-nine years old the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am God

Almighty; walk before me, and be blameless, that I may make my covenant between me and

you, and may multiply you greatly.” Then Abram fell on his face.”—Genesis 17:1-3

There is also a holy fear involved, one that recognizes a danger in looking directly upon God

Even though God has shown us his love for us, we should still walk in awe of him and in the

“fear of the Lord”

26 “So have no fear of them, for nothing is covered that will not be revealed, or hidden that will

not be known. 27 What I tell you in the dark, say in the light, and what you hear whispered,

proclaim on the housetops. 28 And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul.

Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. 29 Are not two sparrows sold for

a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. 30 But even the

hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many

sparrows.”—Matthew 10:26-31

“with two he covered his feet…”

Another indicator of humility and reverence

In Ezekiel’s vision, each living creature “covered their bodies” with two of their wings.

The covering of the feet, or the body, indicates that we are unworthy to present ourselves to God;

to uncover ourselves in his presence would be grossly assertive and irreverent

This is a partial description of worship—to cover our face and even our very selves in the

presence of God.

Access to God has been given in Christ. But we still are to present ourselves to God in the right

attitude. This also has implications for posture and even dress, depending on the occasion of

worship.

28 Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer

to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, 29 for our God is a consuming fire.—

Hebrews 12:28-29 (v 29 quoted above)

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“and with two he flew.”

This may be a neutral description of the practical use of those wings—in other words, that two

are used for flying is not making a theological statement but is a descriptive fact.

We don’t know if they were “standing” and “flying” at the same time.

Note: these (and other) heavenly beings are described as having wings, and using them in

different ways. There are no Biblical passages that say angels have wings.

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Ezekiel 1:4-14

4 As I looked, behold, a stormy wind came out of the north, and a great cloud, with brightness around it,

and fire flashing forth continually, and in the midst of the fire, as it were gleaming metal. 5 And from the

midst of it came the likeness of four living creatures. And this was their appearance: they had a human

likeness, 6 but each had four faces, and each of them had four wings. 7 Their legs were straight, and the

soles of their feet were like the sole of a calf's foot. And they sparkled like burnished bronze. 8 Under

their wings on their four sides they had human hands. And the four had their faces and their wings thus:

9 their wings touched one another. Each one of them went straight forward, without turning as they went.

10 As for the likeness of their faces, each had a human face. The four had the face of a lion on the right

side, the four had the face of an ox on the left side, and the four had the face of an eagle. 11 Such were

their faces. And their wings were spread out above. Each creature had two wings, each of which touched

the wing of another, while two covered their bodies. 12 And each went straight forward. Wherever the

spirit[c] would go, they went, without turning as they went. 13 As for the likeness of the living creatures,

their appearance was like burning coals of fire, like the appearance of torches moving to and fro among

the living creatures. And the fire was bright, and out of the fire went forth lightning. 14 And the living

creatures darted to and fro, like the appearance of a flash of lightning.

Revelation 5:6-8

And around the throne, on each side of the throne, are four living creatures, full of eyes in front and

behind: 7 the first living creature like a lion, the second living creature like an ox, the third living

creature with the face of a man, and the fourth living creature like an eagle in flight. 8 And the four living

creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and within, and day and night they

never cease to say, “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!”—

Revelation 5:6-8