“Woe is me, for I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean lips,
And I live among a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, the
Lord of hosts.” (v.5)
Here in chapter 6, Isaiah was given a vision of the God in heaven that few others have ever experienced. The prophet’s
attention was immediately drawn to the throne where God rules in awe-inspiring
majesty and holiness. He saw the angels surrounding the throne who eternally
call out the reality of God’s holiness. In fact, over 600 years after Isaiah
lived, John heard the same testimony in heaven: “Holy, holy, holy is the Last ord
God Almighty” (Rev. 4:8)
Like Job, who was stunned by God’s awesome presence and
responded; “Now that my eyes have seen you, I despise myself and repent in dust
and ashes” (Job 42:5-6), Isaiah was just as overwhelmed by his own sin and
imperfections in the presence of a holy God. He felt unworthy both as an
individual and as an Israelite in the sight of God.
But God showed mercy to Isaiah. And instead of consuming him
with fire, He sent an angel to him with a live coal from the altar, which was
before the LORD. The angel then touched Isaiah’s mouth with the burning coal to
purify his unclean lips, that Isaiah might be cleansed of his sin and become a
mouthpiece (prophet) of God to His people.
Confronted with such a vision, Isaiah saw without delusion his
own sinfulness and unworthiness. All pride and pretense were stripped away.
“Woe is me!” he cried out. “I am ruined!” And we all would be too, were it not for
the blood of Jesus Christ, which cleanses a man from all sin. Hallelujah!
The Truth: “And the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us
from all sin.” (1 John 1:7)
