The Book Of Isaiah. Day 22, The Lord Calls Isaiah To Be A Prophet, Part Three

Isaiah has been describing for us the day that the Lord called him to be a prophet. He told us that he went up to the temple when King Uzziah died and that while he was in the temple he saw a vision of the Lord seated on the throne over the whole creation. He saw seraphim surrounding the throne and he heard their voices calling, "Holy, holy, holy!" Upon beholding this glorious revelation of the Lord, Isaiah was stricken with the knowledge of his own frailty, inadequacy, and sinfulness. But the Lord imputed righteousness to him or, as we said yesterday, the Lord qualified him to do a work that no man (or woman) can do without the Lord's strength.

The Lord heard Isaiah's cry for forgiveness for all of his faults and granted him mercy. He sanctified him to do a great mission. Now He issues the invitation to this mission: "Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, 'Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?'" (Isaiah 6:8a) In order to do the work of the Lord, we must be sanctified by the Lord, which is what happened in yesterday's study. The Lord did for Isaiah what Isaiah could not do for himself. Now Isaiah is qualified by the Lord and not by human will to do the Lord's work. But the Lord does not force anyone to do anything. He created mankind with free will, so He gives Isaiah a choice. Isaiah can accept the invitation or he can reject the invitation.

Before we study Isaiah's reply, we need to pause and consider who the Lord means when He uses the word "us". He asks, "Who will go for us?" To whom is He referring? I believe this is a reference to the Holy Trinity, for He also used the word "us" when He created the human race, saying, "Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness." (Genesis 1:26a) It seems clear He wasn't speaking to the angels when He said this; nowhere in the Bible does it say that human beings were made in the image of angels or that angels were made in the image of God. Rather, the Bible says, "God created mankind in His own image, in the image of God He created them; male and female He created them." (Genesis 1:27) The angels were not created in man's image, nor was man created in the angels' image; man was created in God's image. Therefore, when the Lord said, "Let us make mankind in our image," He was speaking to the other members of the Holy Trinity: God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. So when the Lord issues His invitation to Isaiah by asking, "Who will go for us?", He is speaking to the other members of the Holy Trinity: God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.

This is Isaiah's response: "And I said, 'Here I am! Send me!'" (Isaiah 6:8b) Of course the Lord already knew that Isaiah would accept His invitation but in respect for the free will He instilled in mankind He gives Isaiah a choice. No one can ever say that the Lord does not respect human dignity. No one can ever say He forced Isaiah or any other prophet to proclaim His message and to endure the hardships that confronted the prophets. A wicked generation does not want to hear the Lord's message and a wicked generation heaps verbal abuse (and sometimes physical abuse) on the messenger. The Lord doesn't make anyone step into the role of His messenger but asks the person whether he or she wants to step into that role.

Did Isaiah ever have any ambition to be a prophet before the Lord appeared to him in the temple? I can't say for sure but I have a feeling that he did not seek such an office. I believe he loved the Lord. I believe the studied the Lord's word and meditated on it. I believe he spent time in prayer with the Lord. But I have a feeling that he didn't grow up saying to himself, "I want to chastise the people for their sins! I want to warn them that catastrophe is coming if they don't repent!" I think it's likely he wanted to do something for the Lord; his heart for the Lord would naturally have given him a desire serve the Lord. His heart for the Lord would naturally have given him a love for the people God created; he would have wanted to see them repent instead of seeing them destroyed. But did he have any idea he would become one of the most well known (if not the most well known) prophet of the Lord? I doubt it. But he doesn't hesitate to accept the invitation. He doesn't take time to think about whether to do what the Lord is asking him to do, no matter what the cost might be to himself. 

I didn't want to close today's study session without honoring Isaiah's bold faith. It takes bold faith to step out on such a mission. May we all have such a faith that, no matter what the Lord asks of us, we will say, "Here I am! Send me!"