June 3, 1953, millions of people watched the inauguration of Queen Elizabeth II on television. Amidst much fanfare and majesty, she slowly and elegantly proceeded down the aisle of Westminster Abbey. Behind her trailed a robe of royal purple velvet, eighteen feet long. Six maids of honor supported the weight of the magnificent train. But even Queen Elizabeth’s grand, stately robe does not begin to compare to one mentioned in scripture:
“In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, High and exalted, And the train of his robe filled the temple.” (Isaiah 6:1)
The train of his robe: In ancient times, the flowing train on a monarch’s robe was a symbol of glory and splendor, triumph, and victory. To understand the importance of a train, we have to remember that in those days, all clothing had to be constructed “from scratch”—fibers of cotton, linen, or wool had to be spun into thread, threads had to be woven into cloth, the cloth had to be cut and sewn into garments by hand. It was a time-consuming process. Only the rich and powerful could afford to add extra length to their robes. The longer the train, the more glorious and splendid the king. We also know that in the times of the Old Testament when a king would send his men into battle after they defeated their enemy the King would walk through the battleground and take for his men the spoils. But the greatest recognition for the king that he had been victorious was signified when he would have a piece of the defeated king's robe cut off and then sewn onto the bottom of the end of his own. For a king in Old Testament times, the length of his robe would, therefore, be a sign or an indication of his greatness i.e. the longer his robe, the more victories he had won, and the more kings he had defeated.
Filled the temple: Isaiah’s statement conveys the magnitude of God’s glory compared to any earthly king or queen. God’s glorious robe that fills the temple signifies:
• His absolute authority. “There is no room for anyone else in this high-exalted place. God is all in all.”
• His divine perfections. There is no one else who is all-powerful, all-knowing, unhindered by the limitations of time and space, and perfectly just, merciful and righteous in all He does.
• His incomparable splendor. Isaiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, and John the Revelator gave us glimpses of their heavenly visions. They saw a high and exalted throne encircled by an ethereal rainbow, seraphs crying “Holy, holy, holy,” lamps blazing, lightning flashing, thunder rumbling, ground shaking, angels and saints worshiping.
As many have tried before, we could spend minutes, hours, days, and years a lifetime and still not completely comprehend the magnificence of the Lord. Much like 1 Cor 2:9 which says, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. Our attempts are futile; but I would like for us to look past the splendor, the majesty, and take a deeper look into the results of this Temple encounter.
Isaiah 6:1-8 “In 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. Above it stood the seraphim’s: each one had six wings; with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he did fly. And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory. And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke. Then 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. Then flew one of the seraphim’s unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar: And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and your iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged. Also, 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.”
The conviction - In the year that King Uzziah died: King Uzziah of Judah had a long and distinguished reign, described in 2 Chronicles 26 and in 2 Kings 15:1-7 (Uzziah is called Azariah in 2 Kings 15). Uzziah began his reign when he was only 16 years old, and he reigned 52 years. Overall, he was a good king, and 2 Kings 15:3 says, “he did what was right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his father Amaziah had done.” 2 Chronicles 26:5 says, “He sought God in the days of Zechariah, who had understanding in the visions of God; and if he sought the LORD, God made him prosper.” Uzziah also led Israel in military victories over the Philistines and other neighboring nations, and he was a strong king. Uzziah was an energetic builder, planner, and general. 2 Chronicles 26:8 says, His fame spread as far as the entrance of Egypt, for he strengthened himself exceedingly. But Uzziah’s life ended tragically. 2 Chronicles 26:16 says, “But when he was strong his heart was lifted up, to his destruction, for he transgressed against the LORD his God by entering the temple of the LORD to burn incense on the altar of incense.” In response, God struck Uzziah with leprosy, and he was an isolated leper until his death.
So, for Isaiah, the statement “in the year King Uzziah died” could have many meanings or implications: a marker of time for the transition in his life that was about to transpire. Also, it could be statement of great reverence, sadness, or remorse, a loss of a great King and friend. It could have been a time of question, doubt, even confusion? Could be a time of “Where is the Lord in all of this??” Let us not forget Isaiah easily could have had good reason to be discouraged, after all a great king had passed and his life had ended tragically.
What Isaiah heard. And one cried to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; The whole earth is full of His glory!” And the posts of the door were shaken by the voice of him who cried out, and the house was filled with smoke. One cried to another and said: The seraphim are not even directly addressing the LORD God here. They are proclaiming His glorious nature and character to one another, in the presence of the LORD. What does it mean that God is holy and holy in the highest possible sense? Holiness, at its root, has the idea of apartness. It describes someone, or something, which is set apart from other people or things. An object can be holy if it is set apart for sacred service. A person is holy if they are set apart for God’s will and purpose. Unfallen humanity is not deity, but it is compatible with it. God’s holiness is a part of everything He is and does. Holiness is not an aspect of God’s personality; it is the characteristic of His entire Being.
The house was filled with smoke: This smoke reminds us of the pillar of cloud that represented the presence of God Exodus 13:21-22, “Then the cloud covered the tabernacle of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. And Moses was not able to enter the tabernacle of meeting, because the cloud rested above it, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. Ex. 40:34-35 His presence also filled Solomon’s Temple at its dedication: Ex. 40:34-35 “And it came to pass, when the priests came out of the holy place, that the cloud filled the house of the LORD so that the priests could not continue ministering because of the cloud; for the glory of the LORD filled the house of the LORD.” 1 Kings 8:10-11 “A cloud of glory most often marks the presence of the LORD.”
What Isaiah felt. He said: “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 my eyes have seen the King, The LORD of hosts.” When Isaiah saw the angels, in all their holy humility, obedience, and praise to God, he realized not only that he was unlike the Lord GOD, he was also unlike the angels. They could cry out Holy, holy, holy, and praise God so beautifully, but he could not because he was a man of unclean lips. “I am a man of unclean lips; I cannot say, Holy, holy, holy! which the seraphs exclaim. They are holy; I am not so: they see God and live; I have seen him and must die because I am unholy. When Isaiah saw the LORD, he knew what kind of man he was. As poorly as he compared to the seraphim, that was nothing in relation to how he compared to the LORD. This vision (or actual experience) of the throne of God did not immediately make Isaiah feel good. The more clearly he saw the LORD, the more clearly he saw what spiritual state he was in. Awareness of your condition is the beginning of a real transformation.
I am undone is not a bad place to be. “God will never do anything with us till he has first of all undone us.” (Spurgeon)
The cleansing: A seraphim brings a lump of coal from the altar. Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a live coal which he had taken with the tongs from the altar. These angelic beings, surrounding the throne of God, ministered to Isaiah. One flew to Isaiah with a lump of live coal – The throne is for God; that is where He rules and reigns. The altar is for us; that is where we find cleansing and purging from sin. We should never confuse the two! Coal from the altar cleansed Isaiah’s lips. And he touched my mouth with it, and said: “Behold, this has touched your lips; Your iniquity is taken away, and your sin purged.” The same principle works on our behalf regarding Jesus’ finished work on Calvary. Our sin was placed upon Him, and He was burned with the fire of God's judgment. Yet because He was holy and righteous Himself, the fire of God’s judgment did not harm Him; it only burns away our sin.
Once Isaiah had met with the LORD, been convicted of his sin, and cleansed from its guilt, then he was ready to serve God. (Spurgeon wrote) “The effect of that live coal will be to fire his lips with heavenly flame. 'Oh,' says one man, 'a lump of flaming coal will burn the lip so that the man cannot speak at all.’ That is just how God works with us; it is by consuming the fleshly power that he inspires the heavenly might. Oh let the lip be burnt, let the fleshly power of eloquence be destroyed, but oh for that live coal to make the tongue eloquent and bold with heaven’s flame; the true divine power which urged the Apostles forward, and made them conquerors of the whole world.”
There is a throne in heaven, and the LORD God sits upon it as the sovereign ruler of the universe! This is a central fact of heaven; that there is an occupied throne in heaven. Sovereign kings sit on thrones, judges sit on thrones, and those with proper authority and sovereignty sit on thrones. Isaiah was not alone in seeing God’s throne and His majesty. Almost everyone in the Bible who had a vision of heaven was taken to heaven or wrote about heaven spoke of God’s throne. Isaiah may have been depressed or discouraged because a great leader of Judah was no longer on the throne. God in heaven now shows Isaiah, “Don’t worry about it, Isaiah. Uzziah may not be on his throne, but I am on My throne.”
When this topic began to rattle around in my heart and mind, my first thought was why now?? This story has always been one of my favorite passages in the Bible. It had all the elements of a great movie: power, reverence, physical manifestations that used to make my mind wander, full of what if’s. Then the events of Corona began to manifest, along with fears, deaths, power struggles, truths, and lies, upset routines. The preachers, religious leaders, as if on cue, started preaching end times, God’s wrath and judgement, and the need for repentance. While all those topics have a time and a place, let us not forget Romans 2:4 “Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, forbearance and patience, not realizing that God's kindness is intended to lead you to repentance?”
This verse does not negate God’s judgement, but what if our current dilemma is neither God’s wrath, or God’s judgement, what if it is Him setting up another teaching moment, setting the stage for yet another time of revelation, a time of revealing the deeper characteristics of His nature?? I was struck with a thought that became crystal clear. God was saying “return to my Temple”, allow my majesty to recalibrate your mind, heart, and soul. The timing of this article could not have been more perfect for me, maybe it will be the same for you!! When will you see the Lord, High and lifted up??
John 16:33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world, you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
I SEE THE LORD AND HIS TRAIN FILLS THE TEMPLE
I SEE THE LORD HE IS HIGH AND LIFTED UP
ANGELS CRY HOLY, HOLY IS THE LORD
ANGELS CRY HOLY, HOLY IS THE LORD
I SEE THE LORD AND HIS EYES ARE FLAMING WITH FIRE
I SEE THE LORD AND HIS HAIR IS WHITE AS SNOW
THE ANGELS CAME AND TOUCHED THE COAL TO MY LIPS
MY GUILT IS GONE AND MY SIN HAS BEEN FORGIVEN
AND I CRY HOLY, HOLY IS THE LORD
AND THE TEMPLE IS FILLED WITH THE GLORY OF THE LORD
AND THE WHOLE EARTH IS FILLED WITH THE GLORY OF THE LORD
HE CALLED TO ME AND SAID WHOM SHALL I SEND
I ANSWERED AND SAID I WILL GO FOR YOU
AND I CRY HOLY, HOLY IS THE LORD
AND I CRY HOLY, HOLY IS THE LORD
LINDELL COOLEY (I See the Lord)