Meditation

I can think of no more exhilarating passage to begin this year's first passage than Isaiah 6:1-8. Surely, the Bible's most evocative and dramatic expression of God's Holiness, our condition, and compelled response.

His holiness is not just one attribute among many—it is the very essence of who He is, defining His nature, setting Him apart from creation, and radiating through all His other attributes.

This dense, descriptive passage doesn't tell us of God's holiness; it shows it to us in all its glory. Nothing I say can do it justice.

To quote R.C Sproul;

Isaiah's vision is drenched in awe—the trembling thresholds, the smoke, the ceaseless cry of 'Holy, holy, holy!'—all combine to create a scene that is almost unbearable in its weight.

By copying it out this morning, you will experience His holiness almost at first-hand.

Today's text is Isaiah 6:1-4 . Today's verses are in black, with tomorrow's verses in grey for context.

Isaiah’s Commission

6 In 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!”

Encouragement

R.C Sproul fully captures the drama, intensity and impact, of this passage in his classic book, "The Holiness of God":

"When we encounter the holiness of God, we are not merely faced with a slightly better version of ourselves. We are confronted with a reality so overwhelming, so majestic, and so transcendent that our instinct is not admiration but terror.

As a companion to this week's series I can't recommend Sproul's masterclass on the Holiness Of God, available free on YouTube.

Andy