Isaiah 6

KJV · Chapter 6/66

1In 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.

2Above 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.

3And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.

4And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke.

5Then 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.

6Then 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:

7And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged.

8Also 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.

9And he said, Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not.

10Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed.

11Then said I, Lord, how long? And he answered, Until the cities be wasted without inhabitant, and the houses without man, and the land be utterly desolate,

12And the Lord have removed men far away, and there be a great forsaking in the midst of the land.

13But yet in it shall be a tenth, and it shall return, and shall be eaten: as a teil tree, and as an oak, whose substance is in them, when they cast their leaves: so the holy seed shall be the substance thereof.

📖 Chapter study

Summary

In the year King Uzziah died, Isaiah has a stunning vision of God seated on a throne, surrounded by seraphim crying out 'Holy, Holy, Holy.' He feels unworthy, but is purified with a coal from the altar and accepts the call: 'Here am I; send me.'

Explanation

This is the most famous call narrative in the book and one of the most quoted in the entire Bible. Uzziah's death (around 740 BC) marked a time of political uncertainty in Judah, and it is precisely at that moment that Isaiah sees the true King — God — still seated on the throne, unaffected by earthly circumstances. Isaiah's response, 'Here am I; send me,' has become a model of willingness to serve God even knowing the mission will be hard (the people will not listen). The application for today is that God's call often comes paired with an awareness of our own insufficiency, followed by the grace that equips us.

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