Commentary on Isaiah 6:1-8 [9-13]

“Holy, Holy, Holy is the LORD of Hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory” (verse 3).

“Woe is me! I am lost, for I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips” (verse 5).

“Here am I; send me,” (verse 8).

These are some of the popular and frequently repeated phrases from Isaiah 6 in Christian liturgies. As much as these timeless phrases are relevant, they also embody messages of transformation and subversion for the Isaian community then and for us today. This passage that provides us a glimpse into the nature of the prophet’s vision invites us to witness God’s glory and its transforming power in the life of the prophet and his community, and for us.

Narrated in first-person, Isaiah 6:1–13 is a combination of Isaiah’s call to prophetic ministry and the challenges such ministry entails. Although the pericope for the lectionary reading ends with the prophet’s voluntary response to the Lord of Hosts’ call, read together with the succeeding verses in 6:9–13, it highlights the challenges Isaiah is to anticipate in his prophetic ministry. For this commentary, I will focus on Isaiah 6:1–8. Isaiah’s vision report introduces us to the subversive nature of this vision evident in two ways: polarization of mortality and eternity; and transformatory encounters of the divine and subversive response of the prophet.

The vision report in Isaiah—unlike the call narratives of other major prophets such as Jeremiah and Ezekiel, which are recorded at the beginning of their ministries—is placed in chapter 6. Its placement in this setting, rather than in chapter 1, closely coincides with the impending sociopolitical crisis in the form of the death of Uzziah, the Syro-Ephraimite war, and Assyria’s expanding hegemony. The death of Uzziah marks the immediate context in 6:1.

Isaiah 6 opens by reporting that he saw this vision in the year of King Uzziah’s death. Verse 1 highlights two important aspects: first, the death of Uzziah; second, the picturesque presentation of the Lord of Hosts. These two aspects are connected and, when taken together, communicate something that Isaiah is narrating to his initial audience and to us today. Introducing the vision report with the death of King Uzziah highlights the end of a “successful” reign. Instead of hearing of the new king who succeeds Uzziah, the reader is introduced to a heavenly and eternal King, “sitting on a throne, high and lofty, and the hem of his robe filled the temple” (verse 1). One cannot escape the contrast between a mortal earthly king and the Lord of Hosts, whose reign is characterized as eternal, with the divine creatures, the seraphs, attending and singing praises.

Uzziah’s death is also significant because he is one of the most successful kings of Judah in the eighth century. With a reign that spanned around 52 years, Uzziah died around 740 BCE. Second Chronicles 26 elaborates the economic and political stability Uzziah established for Judah. However, while Uzziah did what was right in the sight of God (26:4), later in his career when he became powerful, he was proud and was unfaithful to God (26:16).

If we compare the reign of the earthly king with the reign of the heavenly King, several contrasting images ¹  First, the limited reign of Uzziah and his death in 6:1 contrast with the eternal reign of the Lord of Hosts. Second, Uzziah’s unholiness in his acts of pride and his attempt to burn incense on the altar, and his subsequent punishment (2 Chronicles 26:16), contrasts with the holiness of God resounding in the temple so much that the foundations of the thresholds shake (Isaiah 6:4). Third, Uzziah’s presence in the temple interrupts the duties of the chief priest Azariah and others (2 Chronicles 26:17–18), while God’s presence in the temple and God’s holiness bring about transformation in Isaiah.

Isaiah’s encounter with the divine brings transformation in him. Isaiah 6 records a series of transformative acts. First, Isaiah “sees” the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lofty, and the hem of his robe fills the temple. Instead of “seeing” or prophesying about the succeeding monarch (note that verse 1a reports the death of a king), Isaiah sees the Lord sitting on a throne. Seeing God in the Hebrew Bible sometimes has dangerous consequences, to the point of experiencing death. As Exodus 33:20 notes: “‘But,’ [the LORD] said, ‘you cannot see my face, for no one shall see me and live.’” Moses was not allowed to see God’s face; however, Isaiah and Micaiah Ben Imlah see the Lord sitting on the throne (Isaiah 6:1; 1 Kings 22:19).

In addition to seeing God, Isaiah also sees the seraphs (fiery creatures) attending the Lord and singing praises. These divine creatures are terrifying in that they have six wings: “with two they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet [feet here is a euphemism for genitals: no nakedness is allowed in the presence of God], and with two they flew” (verse 2). The seraphs are in attendance singing praises to God but also communicating with God. Seeing God and hearing seraphs singing praises to God, and witnessing the “pivots of the thresholds” shaking (verse 4), and smelling the incense and smoke that filled the room, Isaiah is transformed. He is transformed by God’s very presence and by witnessing God’s glory.

This transformatory experience of God’s holiness leads Isaiah to a greater awareness of his inner self and the people among whom he lives. In a combination of awe, fear, and humility, Isaiah confesses, “Woe is me! I am lost, for I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, yet my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!” (verse 5). Isaiah’s acknowledgment of his uncleanness and his people’s uncleanness in the presence of God in the temple is intriguing. God, who doesn’t tolerate any uncleanness in close proximity, entertains Isaiah despite his uncleanness. Uncleanness doesn’t prevent him from entering the abode of God, imagery that flips the traditional understanding of God’s holiness.

Immediately, the seraphs who are in communication with God fly to Isaiah with live coals and touch his mouth. Just as the high priest would utter the words of absolution, the seraphs do so: “Your guilt has departed, and your sin is blotted out” (verse 7).

Having witnessed the Holy One, Isaiah is ready for any call. The dual transformation of the heart and lips leads Isaiah to respond to God’s call. In verse 8, God—who has been silent so far, allowing Isaiah to see, hear, smell, and taste—now speaks and makes a general call. As if there were others in attendance with Isaiah, God says, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” And Isaiah says, “Here am I; send me!” (verse 8). Witnessing the mighty presence of God, Isaiah volunteers to be the one who goes. Perhaps he does not entirely realize the challenging task and context he is called into, although he is aware of the rebellious nature of the people. But God not only reveals God’s own glory but empowers and prepares Isaiah for the task.

Amidst challenges, anxieties, failures, disappointments, discouragement, and loss, awareness of the sovereignty of God and trust in God’s transformatory power empower those who respond to God’s call.

Notes

1. The book of Isaiah employs masculine, feminine, and gender-neutral metaphors to refer to God. For example, in Deutero and Trito Isaiah, God is referred as a “mother,” a “father,” a “woman,” and the “Holy One.”