The Holiness of God - chapter 2: ”Holy, Holy, Holy”

The Holiness of God by R. C. Sproul

Holy, Holy, Holy: Chapter Two

          1In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple.  2 Above him were seraphim, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying.  3 And they were calling to one another: "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory."  4 At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke.  5 "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." 
          6 Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar.  7 With it he touched my mouth and said, "See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for."  8 Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?" And I said, "Here am I. Send me!" (Isaiah 6:1-8, NIV)

The Lone Prophet

• The OT prophet was a God-called emissary, sent to represent God to the people and call them to personal and corporate holiness.
• For most of Israel’s history, the prophet was despised, rejected, persecuted, and often killed.

Isaiah the Man

• Isaiah, unlike most prophets, was of the nobility. He had access to the royal courts.
• Isaiah’s ministry spanned the reigns of four kings: Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah.

Isaiah’s Call

• Isaiah was called to be a prophet in the year of King Uzziah’s death.
• Uzziah had been a good king, but his success and wealth led him to pride and presumption in his later years.
• Isaiah went to the temple to grieve the death of the king, but instead encountered the King of Kings.

A Vision of the Lord

• Isaiah was granted a vision, in which he saw the glory of the Lord in the temple.
• The Lord is envisioned as a great, exalted King-Priest, with the edges of his priestly robe filling the whole temple.

Seraphim

• The Seraphim, a type of angelic being, were attending the high exalted Lord.
• Their mission is to worship and serve the King and Creator of the universe.
• They cover their faces and feet in honor of their holy Creator.

Holy, Holy, Holy

• The Seraphim cry in unison: “Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.”
• The three-fold repetition is for superlative emphasis.
• The only time that an attribute of God is given this emphasis.

Trembling before a Holy God

• The inanimate materials of the temple respond in awe and fear before the presence of their Maker.
• God’s presence in theophany often results in similar accompanying signs and wonders in Scripture.

“Woe to Me!”

• A “woe” is a pronouncement of doom, a curse on the enemies of God.
• Here, Isaiah the prophet pronounces a curse of judgment on himself.
• God’s holiness revealed to him the full measure of his sinfulness.

Cleansed with Fire

• God is holy and gracious.
• In grace, he cleanses his soon-to-be prophet with a “burnt offering,” an atonement for his sin.
• God cleanses his lips, which represents Isaiah’s whole self, and thus purifies him.

“Here am I. Send me!”

• God brings Isaiah to ruins by the awesome presence of his holiness.
• His grace atones for Isaiah’s sins and cleanses him.
• God makes him fit for service and mission and calls him as his prophet to his people.

Questions:

• What do Uzziah’s final years in leprosy teach us about the holiness of God?
• What do the actions of the Seraphim reveal about God’s holiness?
• How is God’s holiness revealed to us?
• How does God’s holiness cause us to better see our own sinfulness?