The Office of God

Isaiah 6:5-7, 13

We often speak about how King Uzziah's death preceded seeing the Lord; sometimes when someone is so close to you, God must move them so you can see him. Notice the fuller revelation here. There is a Heavenly perspective on what you cannot see. The seraphim above the throne are a form of an exalted angelic being. The six wings show what they are designed to do. They see, they are sent, and they preach the gospel. These areas are covered so you cannot see what they see. Another pair of wings hide what they do and lastly to cover where they go. 'Holy is the Lord Almighty,' they cry in verse three. It is not about the king who offered incense in place of the priests on the altar of God in 2 Chronicles 26:16. Not to comment on what he did, but the place of the Lord is high and exalted; no one will tell him what are you doing as in Job 9:12.

"Woe to me!" I cried. "I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty."

Isaiah's response is one of utter humility. He has unclean lips. What had he and the people been saying all this time about something in which God had the final say? When God spoke and acted that should have shut everyone's mouth. The king had been struck with leprosy and confined if you remember in 2 Chronicles 26:20. Isaiah had so much other stuff to be concerned about as a prophet of God. Uzziah in 2 Chronicles 26:4-5 had ordered the people to be cleansed and to worship God. Only their mouth revealed their true spiritual state now. The action of the Seraphim in response to Isaiah's prayer is telling. God did not cleanse him yet even though he is asked.

Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. With it he touched my mouth and said, "See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for."

This exalted angel brought the coal from the altar, touched his mouth, and atoned for his sin. Hold up. I thought only God could forgive sins according to Mark 2:10. These angels are acting at God's command in his place. I am not saying that these angels are God, but they function at his invitation. When what had happened was made right in the place of God, restoration follows. Hearing the voice of the Lord followed a right relationship with him. Isaiah must have thought himself exceedingly deaf to hear the angels yelling but he only sees God. If you are in a right relationship with God, everything else will be right. "When a man's ways please the Lord" even the enemies will be at peace with him according to Proverbs 16:7. This is not to say there might not still be a condition. Isaiah lived in a land where no one understood what he saw. They did not know what he knew. More importantly, even if they were told they would not believe. For this reason, God chose to close their eyes, harden their hearts, and dull their hearing as seen in verses nine and ten.

God puts the supernatural on the natural abilities. This is why you need the Spirit of God to make plain what you are experiencing. If "rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft" in 1 Samuel 15:23, God will make you go to the devil to get what you should have already had from him. Those results will not be pretty. This is how God will do the people by leaving them with broken homes, ruined cities, and empty livelihoods. Verse twelve says, "until the Lord has sent everyone far away and the land be utterly forsaken." They say, 'it is not fair, God; what have you done?' But that was between Uzziah and God not between Isaiah, God, and the people anyway.

And though a tenth remains in the land, it will again be laid waste. But as the terebinth and oak leave stumps when they are cut down, so the holy seed will be the stump in the land."

Look back to where we have seen the tree cut down, but the stump left in the ground in Daniel 4:14-15. Remember, this was found in the dream of the strange king of Daniel's visions. Even so, in this text, Jesus was the stump left in the ground until raised up by the Lord. He is the Holy Seed. He still remained to them a portion. They did not want it and did not ask for it, but they got it. You do not understand the power of this until he is the only one left to you. The people of Israel will be looking for other help. Other things will be sought, like the trees or sources of power, to grow. The Holy Seed is all that will be left to them. He is the only one. When there is nothing left, he is still there. This is why he is worthy of all we can say of him because of everything he is. He is "King of Kings and Lord of Lords" because of what he does and for who he is in Revelation 19:16. These are not just empty words. He is the man, he is the hour, and he is the only source of Holy Ghost power. Anyone want to tell what God has done for you? Imagine their testimony. He did it all so he could be the one. It is like that show on tv about the angels when God went on vacation. While he was away, they broke into the boss's office and found the hamster on the wheel running their workplace. Remember the joke that is sometimes told about how God could run this universe with a hamster on a wheel for all of eternity. I am not trying to be irreverent. How can you not look at history and see his glory? How can you not look at what he had done for you time and time again and not know his power? Believe me, he is far greater than the hamster. Again, I am not trying to be funny, but I wonder if the hamster is one of coals on his altar.