Context for Isaiah 6
Isaiah 6 is often called ‘Isaiah’s Calling’ because it describes a vision in which Isaiah responds to God’s call for a worker. Some scholars suggest that the event in Isaiah 6 precedes the events discussed in Isaiah 1-5. An alternative explanation is that Isaiah’s ministry as a prophet in Isaiah 1-5 changed by his calling in Isaiah 6.
Whatever the historical truth may be, what we can see clearly in Isaiah 6 is that God called Isaiah directly as His messenger, giving us an insight into the nature of the divine calling and inspiration. With that insight in mind, we can more effectively appreciate Isaiah’s messages of judgment and hope, understanding that he acted as a conduit for those messages from God.
Isaiah’s vision of God on His throne is among the most famous word pictures in the Bible, and it gives us a clear glimpse of our God in Heaven, a terrifying glimpse of the all-powerful creator of the universe.
In Isaiah’s vision, that Creator sits in judgment, and His words are harsh. Yet, even within this judgment is the seed of hope, for while God promises to destroy those who have rejected Him, He promises that a stump will be left.
What is there to hope for in a stump? Well, it is from that stump that our Hope came. From the remnants of Israel came the line of David from which Mary came, and from Mary, by the Holy Spirit came Christ.
So in Isaiah’s vision, we have a message of the Law and the Gospel, a promise of destruction for those who reject God and a promise of Hope for those who remain faithful to Him. Certainly, that message was fulfilled in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, but it remains relevant to us as well as we wait for our Lord’s return, for as we wait, we must remain faithful, or risk the same fate as those upon whom God’s judgment was proclaimed.
DLH
