Jesus is the eternal God (Isaiah 6)
Usually when we read this chapter we think that the God described in this vision is the God of Israel as he is generally revealed in the Old Testament. Yet the apostle John says in his Gospel (John 12:41) that the divine being he saw was Jesus, which means that the prophet saw him in his pre-incarnate state, observed his interactions with the seraphim, and heard his voice. We cannot be sure that Isaiah regarded the One he saw in this vision as the same person he described in such passages as Isaiah 53, although he did predict that the Messiah would be the mighty God (Isa. 9:6). Yet because of New Testament revelation we know that the prophet was in the special presence of the Son of God at a crucial time in the history of Israel. It was the year that King Uzziah died, and he needed a sight of the Lord.
James Boice comments on John 12:41: ‘The Gospel of John is a book filled with many extraordinary verses. But none is more extraordinary than (and few are equal to) the verse to which we come now. It is a verse in which John refers to one of the most glorious visions of God ever given to a human being—the vision received by Isaiah at the beginning of his ministry as a prophet, in which he saw Jehovah sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, with his train filling the temple—saying quite naturally, it would seem, that this applies to Jesus.’
It is often said that this vision of the Lord is the most profound display of his glory revealed in the Old Testament. There are several occasions recorded during which the Lord revealed himself as far superior, indeed infinitely superior, to the greatest of creatures. Moses was given a special revelation of God when he was hidden in a cleft in a rock and from there he saw some aspects of the divine glory. The Lord’s presence at Mount Sinai, when his law was given to Israel, was awesome and overpowering. Obviously, they were exceptional encounters with the living God. Yet there are details given in the vision of Isaiah 6 that point to it as being the most profound.
Before we think about some of them, we should remind ourselves of the context in which John mentioned that the vision in Isaiah 6 was of the Son of God. It followed on from the royal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem, which had been predicted by another Old Testament prophet, Zechariah (Zech. 9:9). Before then, Jesus had provided many signs that should have convinced the people that he was the Messiah. But they had rejected him. John also mentions the desire of some Greeks who wanted to see Jesus, and this caused the Saviour to speak about his coming death. At this point in his account, when Jesus was rejected by the Jews, and fully aware of his approaching death, John states who Jesus had been eternally – the King of heaven.
Before we think about some of them, we should remind ourselves of the context in which John mentioned that the vision in Isaiah 6 was of the Son of God. It followed on from the royal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem, which had been predicted by another Old Testament prophet, Zechariah (Zech. 9:9). Before then, Jesus had provided many signs that should have convinced the people that he was the Messiah. But they had rejected him. John also mentions the desire of some Greeks who wanted to see Jesus, and this caused the Saviour to speak about his coming death. At this point in his account, when Jesus was rejected by the Jews, and fully aware of his approaching death, John states who Jesus had been eternally – the King of heaven.
Revealed as the great king
Several details are given of the features that contributed in different ways to the splendour of the king’s presence. Isaiah mentions the exalted location of the divine throne, an indicator that it is far above all other thrones. In addition, the robe of the king, which was a way to exhibit wealth and power, was so large that there was not space for anyone else to be there.
Maybe Isaiah had been so lamenting the death of Uzziah that he had taken his eyes of God and had imagined that everything was about to collapse. If so, he was given a wonderful sight of his God. And we, with the New Testament verse in our minds, can remind ourselves that our king has the power and the resources to deal with any situation we may face, and that he has always had them as the eternal God.
Maybe Isaiah had been so lamenting the death of Uzziah that he had taken his eyes of God and had imagined that everything was about to collapse. If so, he was given a wonderful sight of his God. And we, with the New Testament verse in our minds, can remind ourselves that our king has the power and the resources to deal with any situation we may face, and that he has always had them as the eternal God.
In addition, Isaiah observed a special order of angels hovering in the presence of the king. In his presence, those privileged heavenly beings express deep humility as they interact with one another. They could have spoken about their own status and character, for they can live in this exalted place because they are sinless and holy. Yet they know that they are creatures, and the appropriate words to say in such a location must be connected to the king.
So what do they mention? They say two things – first, they stress the uniqueness of the king, and, second, they stress the activities of the king, and we can see how they stressed their words by repeating them. Moreover, they spoke with such energy and enthusiasm that the foundations of the temple, which normally would have been unaffected by the worship taking place there, were shaking. And we remind ourselves that they are speaking about Jesus.
They highlight his uniqueness when they repeat the word ‘holy’ three times. Holiness has the meaning of excellence, uniqueness, superiority and purity because of separation from what demeans or defiles. The seraphim are not sinners, and they possess a creaturely holiness, but their holiness is not as majestic as the holiness of God. Often, when something is emphasised in the Bible, it is repeated twice. So this threefold repetition, unique in the Old Testament, points to the greatness of Jesus.
Moreover, they say that the king is active throughout the earth, and always his actions reveal his holiness. He does this even although the whole world is in rebellion against him. This statement would have helped Isaiah because he would have known about the plottings of the Assyrian empire to have world dominion, a dominion that was beyond their reach because it is always held by God. And when we think of who Jesus is, we are reminded that he is the one seen here by Isaiah as possessing all power over the whole earth.
Revealed as the gracious king
The effect on Isaiah of discovering the greatness of his Lord was that he was overcome with his own unfitness. He could not speak as the seraphim did, nor did he know anyone who could from among his people. What could he expect to happen to him, not only because he had seen and heard the seraphim, but he had seen the sovereign Lord? He expected to die and to be banished forever from the presence of God.
Yet, instead of being banished, Isaiah was made fit to be there. Since the seraph would not have decided himself to apply the remedy to Isaiah, we should assume that the king had told him to do so. And we can also assume that he was told to do so quickly because he did so immediately.
It is not possible to say which altar is referred to. It could be the altar of incense or it could be the altar of burnt offering. The burning coal symbolised that Isaiah’s sins had been atoned for and his guilt removed. Now he was ready to speak on behalf of the king. Since we know that the king is Jesus, we have here an example of him forgiving a sinner whom he intended to use in his service. He knew that ultimately he would have to make real atonement for the sins of Isaiah. But at that moment he gave to his apprehensive servant the assurance of divine pardon.
Yet, instead of being banished, Isaiah was made fit to be there. Since the seraph would not have decided himself to apply the remedy to Isaiah, we should assume that the king had told him to do so. And we can also assume that he was told to do so quickly because he did so immediately.
It is not possible to say which altar is referred to. It could be the altar of incense or it could be the altar of burnt offering. The burning coal symbolised that Isaiah’s sins had been atoned for and his guilt removed. Now he was ready to speak on behalf of the king. Since we know that the king is Jesus, we have here an example of him forgiving a sinner whom he intended to use in his service. He knew that ultimately he would have to make real atonement for the sins of Isaiah. But at that moment he gave to his apprehensive servant the assurance of divine pardon.
Revealed as the sending king
Isaiah then heard the king ask a question: ‘Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?’ While it is possible to imagine that the ‘us’ are the king and the seraphim, that is unlikely because creatures, no matter how dignified, do not possess an equal status with the king in the arrangements of his kingdom. Rather we have here a pointer to the Trinity, and that Jesus here is speaking on behalf of the Trinity.
It may be the case that whenever a divine person speaks to humans in the Old Testament, the One speaking is the second person of the Trinity as representative of the three persons. If that is so, then it is the Son who spoke with Adam and Eve in Eden, with Moses at the burning bush, with Joshua before entering the Promised Land, with the parents of Samson, and with many others.
Isaiah was told about his commission and initially it does not seem a very encouraging one. First, he was told that the people who had refused to listen would be judged for their refusal. Then he is told what the judgement would be – destruction in the land and exile of the people to another country. We know that this was fulfilled in the Babylonian captivity as far as the kingdom of Judah was concerned. Since the king is speaking as the representative of the Trinity, and since John says that it was the Son of God who spoke here, we can deduce that Jesus was active in the activities connected to the providence of God, including those in which nations were judged by other nations for their sins.
We may be surprised that God would leave people to themselves and punish them in this way. We may be more surprised that he would send Isaiah with a mission that would harden his listeners. And we may be even more surprised that the One who sends Isaiah in this role is the Son of God. We may be very surprised when that same Son of God, after he became a man, quoted this verse from Isaiah 6 when explaining why he spoke in parables as a sign of judgement on the people. But he did (Matt. 13:13-15).
Second, Isaiah was told that even those who remained in the promised land when the majority were exiled would also suffer judgement. The king uses the illustration of a forester removing stumps of trees that has already been felled. Probably, he means that previous judgement does not bring repentance or change of life, so more judgement would occur.
Third, while still using the imagery of the stumps, he says that out of Judah there will come a holy seed. At some stage in the future, there would be a recovery. It might seem that the future was dark, but eventually there would be restoration. This could be a reference to the recovery after the exile, or it could indicate the people of God in the New Testament era.
Isaiah then heard the king ask a question: ‘Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?’ While it is possible to imagine that the ‘us’ are the king and the seraphim, that is unlikely because creatures, no matter how dignified, do not possess an equal status with the king in the arrangements of his kingdom. Rather we have here a pointer to the Trinity, and that Jesus here is speaking on behalf of the Trinity.
It may be the case that whenever a divine person speaks to humans in the Old Testament, the One speaking is the second person of the Trinity as representative of the three persons. If that is so, then it is the Son who spoke with Adam and Eve in Eden, with Moses at the burning bush, with Joshua before entering the Promised Land, with the parents of Samson, and with many others.
Isaiah was told about his commission and initially it does not seem a very encouraging one. First, he was told that the people who had refused to listen would be judged for their refusal. Then he is told what the judgement would be – destruction in the land and exile of the people to another country. We know that this was fulfilled in the Babylonian captivity as far as the kingdom of Judah was concerned. Since the king is speaking as the representative of the Trinity, and since John says that it was the Son of God who spoke here, we can deduce that Jesus was active in the activities connected to the providence of God, including those in which nations were judged by other nations for their sins.
We may be surprised that God would leave people to themselves and punish them in this way. We may be more surprised that he would send Isaiah with a mission that would harden his listeners. And we may be even more surprised that the One who sends Isaiah in this role is the Son of God. We may be very surprised when that same Son of God, after he became a man, quoted this verse from Isaiah 6 when explaining why he spoke in parables as a sign of judgement on the people. But he did (Matt. 13:13-15).
Second, Isaiah was told that even those who remained in the promised land when the majority were exiled would also suffer judgement. The king uses the illustration of a forester removing stumps of trees that has already been felled. Probably, he means that previous judgement does not bring repentance or change of life, so more judgement would occur.
Third, while still using the imagery of the stumps, he says that out of Judah there will come a holy seed. At some stage in the future, there would be a recovery. It might seem that the future was dark, but eventually there would be restoration. This could be a reference to the recovery after the exile, or it could indicate the people of God in the New Testament era.
Some applications
It is notable that the seed are described as holy, which means that they are like the king, although not to the same degree. Did Peter have this passage in mind when he urged believers to be holy because the one who called them is holy? Holiness is how distinction between the consecrated and the profane is described.
The second person of the Trinity was working on behalf of the divine kingdom before he became incarnate. Using the threefold offices of prophet, priest and king, we can see him fulfilling those roles in this incident. As prophet, he instructs, as priest he cleanses, and as king he governs and sends.
Sometimes, believers are called to serve in difficult days, as Isaiah was. When that happens, they should remind themselves that Jesus is on the throne, that he may be administered judgement, and that he has a plan to bless eventually. In his prayer in John 17, Jesus refers to a glory that he possessed before the world was. We get a glimpse into that glory in this vision that was given to Isaiah. The glimpse Isaiah saw made him willing to serve, even although his message would not be popular. It is seeing the king that enables his servants to serve him.
It is notable that the seed are described as holy, which means that they are like the king, although not to the same degree. Did Peter have this passage in mind when he urged believers to be holy because the one who called them is holy? Holiness is how distinction between the consecrated and the profane is described.
The second person of the Trinity was working on behalf of the divine kingdom before he became incarnate. Using the threefold offices of prophet, priest and king, we can see him fulfilling those roles in this incident. As prophet, he instructs, as priest he cleanses, and as king he governs and sends.
Sometimes, believers are called to serve in difficult days, as Isaiah was. When that happens, they should remind themselves that Jesus is on the throne, that he may be administered judgement, and that he has a plan to bless eventually. In his prayer in John 17, Jesus refers to a glory that he possessed before the world was. We get a glimpse into that glory in this vision that was given to Isaiah. The glimpse Isaiah saw made him willing to serve, even although his message would not be popular. It is seeing the king that enables his servants to serve him.