Posted: 05/08/2008
Here I am send me?
(Isaiah 6: 1-8)
Christian Pastor, Author, Columnist.
When the great prophet Isaiah says the words “here I am send me”, he does not say them lightly. Why do so many say those words without understanding what they really mean. Do we really want God to send us? Do we really desire the will of God in our lives or is it simply a nice thing to say. It makes a believer feel good to say what we deem to be the right Christian talk. Christians often say things like “I only want the will of God for my life.” Often it is said frivolously without concern for the real meaning of what it is we ask. Often people feel they are called to ministry because they love God and think it would a fun job. Ministry is not a fun job. Ministry is a calling that desperately depends on God’s grace. True preachers walk around with a target on their backs. It can be at times is a very lonely position to be in. On the one hand a preacher’s heart burns to share the faith of Jesus with those who do not know him. On the other hand it is day in and day out spiritual warfare as we battle our own personal struggles while at the same time pouring our hearts out to help those in need. I am not saying this to gain sympathy. I am simply pointing out that ministry is not glamorous like many seem to think. It is not respected anymore in our society. Frankly you have to be crazy to go into ministry if not called by God and given his grace to do his full time work.
In Isaiah chapter six Isaiah comes to a crisis point in his life. He is a prophet, and a wordsmith. There is no indication of any serious situation in his life that would make him think he would have such a profound vision of the throne of God. It is very easy to come to a place of complacency in life. The crisis comes when he get a look at the real condition of his heart.
King Uzziah was 16 years old when he started to reign and was in power for 52 years. He started out doing what was right before God but ended up puffed with pride as was the spiritual state of Judah. “In the year King Uzziah dies” Isaiah is given the vision. We who know Christ realize how our nation started out with biblical principles (although we needed to change some ungodly things like slavery). As we have grown in strength and stature as a nation, we have become as Uzziah did, puffed up with pride and self trust. Those of us who are in ministry must remember that we are not above the possibility of being influenced by our culture. We all must remember to trust the grace of God and not simply our own debating abilities. The magnificent vision of the seraphim as they declared “Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord” was given to Isaiah. Even though he was a prophet of God he still needed the following vision to place his heart and mind in proper perspective:
Isaiah 6:1 “In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple.”
Isaiah gets a vision here that is so powerful that it arrests him. The idea of the majesty of God is shown in this passage, as we see a picture of that majesty in the “train filled the temple.”
Isaiah 6:2 “Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly.”
Further description is given here of the seraphim which is a picture of burning powerful beings under the authority of God. This speaks of the fiery power that God wields.
Isaiah 6:3 “And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.”
And they cried out “Holy, holy, holy,” the word used here in the Hebrew for “cried” is the idea of accosting a person with words, “cried” brings us an understanding that the seraphim spoke with intense authority concerning their declaration of God’s Holiness. It must have been a like a pounding drum. The further declaration of God as the creator and ultimate authority over all creation is shown in “the whole earth is filled with his glory.”
Isaiah 6:4 “And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke.”
The previous verse mentioned power in the words. Here we see they shook the posts in his vision. The smoke is referencing the leading of God and the power of his presence.
Isaiah 6:5 “Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.”
When the Prophet gets this powerful vision he is brought to the only place any man of God can be when he gets the revelation of the awesomeness of God. He is humbled, and profoundly moved as he realizes his own uncleanness in relation to the awe inspiring holiness of almighty God. He also understands that he is not alone is his desperation as he contemplates those who he dwells with in his culture that are also unclean. He shouts out the term “woe is me.” This is a deep lamentation of his own wickedness as it is magnified by the contrast between who he was as a man, and who God is. His response of humility brings him to the position of being able to receive what is next;
Isaiah 6:6-7 “Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar: And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged.”
Here we see that his condition of humility leaves him unable to heal his own disposition and ready to receive the grace of God as his lips are touched with the coal from off the alter. Without question this speaks of God’s grace since he did nothing to earn his iniquity being forgiven. He simply admitted his sin. Even ministers need to admit their own struggles with the power of sin and trust God’s grace.
Isaiah 6:8 “Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.”
Isaiah now is ready to receive the power of God’s commissioning and speak the Word of the Lord. Perhaps he has never been quite as ready as he is after this encounter with the true living God. It is inconceivable that he could possibly have said the words “here I am send me” as simple religious speak. His words were words of humility and are said with the greatest possible understanding of what those words mean; a sold out passion for the purpose of God that motivates a preacher to proclaim God’s Word. Isaiah does not simply speak religious words rather he speaks as one who has personally received God’s grace and then is sent by God’s divine enablement.
What happens to a person when they get a glimpse of the glory of God is hard to put into words. The power of that presence brings one to humility. Isaiah describes it as “woe is me.” This happens as he sees the contrast between the Holiness of God and his own human wretchedness. As the angel takes the coal and touches the lips of the great prophet Isaiah he is moved by the unmerited cleansing given to him as God cleans his sinfulness. It is then and only then as he hears the voice saying “whom shall I send” that he answers with the words “here I am send me”. Oh what a power there is when those words are uttered out of lips that have been cleansed by the power of God’s unmerited favor. Like lightning striking, the prophet is moved with the fiery passion of one who truly desires to be in the will of God. In the following verses Isaiah is commissioned to go forth and give the people word of the Lord. As it always is, some will heed the word of the Lord and some will not.
In our day it is easy to get to the point that we simply long for the days of old, the days when we lived in a country that had a general respect for God and His Word. Have we always had sin here? Yes we have and yet due to our general understanding of our need for God in the past we had less of it and more dependence upon the words “One Nation Under God.” We can become very negative in our thinking as we see such rapid deterioration of our founding principles. There is no doubt that we are no longer a Christian Nation and that makes those of us who understand that our liberty and blessings come from God very sad. Let us however never forget that we have the ability to boldly approach the throne of Grace (Heb 4:16). The throne of grace we have is different from that of Isaiah. We live in the new covenant. In the new covenant we have Christ in us. How much more should we realize our need for God and the fact that it is by His grace that we accomplish anything for His kingdom? We ought to understand even more than Isaiah that the words “here I am send me” are words of dependence and submission to the one who is Holy, Holy Holy. We will not win the lost simply by spewing out our anger. Everyone knows that I am very willing to speak out in rather non politically correct ways. I believe there is certainly times when we must rebuke and yet I also believe we ought to also rebuke ourselves. We can get so caught up in fighting for our past as to forget that we have the ability to preach the only true gospel of grace for now and the future. Perhaps we have lifted up the past so much that we have forgotten that we hold the treasure in earthen vessels (2 Cor 4:7). The church has much to repent of. Have we taught the Word of God or commercialized it? Have we by our actions shown our love for lost people? We may complain about the state of our nation but we must also take responsibility for our fortress mentality that separated Christian culture from the general culture. Isaiah realized that he lived in the midst of a people with unclean lips. We realize that and say so often. However Isaiah also said “I am a man of unclean lips.” In fact, he said that first. If we want our nation to turn back to God it will not come from anger. It will not come from politics. It will not come from laws. I am not saying we should not speak out or make our voices heard in the political arena. I am not saying we should not fight against bad laws. What I am saying is that the only answer is the gospel of grace. It will come from the Church walking in humility and then hearing “whom shall I send”. It will come when we answer the call with the well thought out response “here I am send me.” That response means nothing if it comes in the form of Christian feel good speak. It however is a very powerful response if it comes from the revelation that Isaiah had.
Do you hear the voice of the Lord saying “whom shall I send?” Is your answer going to be “send me (Christian speak), “send someone else Lord,” or Isaiah’s “here I am send me”? Although we are not all called into ministry in the sense of being ordained ministers, all Christians are called. The bible teaches us that we are all called to be a witness for Christ. Your work place, your social gatherings, your places of shopping etc. are all in need of you. Instead of simply longing for the past, I believe we should be about the work of the Lord now as to affect the future. We do not need a protect the past only mentality. We need to engage the culture with the gospel through showing our love for those who are lost now and declaring the absolute truth of the bible. God is calling. What is your answer?
Dr. David M. Berman
Senior Pastor, Author, Convention Speaker
211 Whitcomb Road
P.O. Box 10357
Swanzey, NH. 03446
Phone 603 352 9471
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