Facing Sin - Himalayan Heights – July 31 Readings: Isaiah 6:4-5 – Woe Is Me

Isaiah 6: A Vision of God

All Scripture is God-breathed and useful, but there are some Scriptures that we can consider the Himalayan mountaintops of the Bible. In the next few months, we will be looking at a series of great texts that inspire and move us - the "Himalayan Heights" of God's Word.

Today's Reading:  Isaiah 6:4-5

Isaiah had a magnificent vision of God in which God called him to a task. Over the next 4 days, we will examine his vision, his call, and some surprising aspects of what God did in Isaish and through him.

In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a high and lofty throne, and the hem of his robe filled the temple. 2 Seraphim[a] were standing above him; they each had six wings: with two they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they flew. 3 And one called to another:

Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Armies;
his glory fills the whole earth.

4 The foundations of the doorways shook at the sound of their voices, and the temple was filled with smoke.

5 Then I said:

Woe is me for I am ruined
because I am a man of unclean lips
and live among a people of unclean lips,
and because my eyes have seen the King,
the Lord of Armies.

6 Then one of the seraphim flew to me, and in his hand was a glowing coal that he had taken from the altar with tongs. 7 He touched my mouth with it and said:

Now that this has touched your lips,

your iniquity is removed
and your sin is atoned for.

8 Then I heard the voice of the Lord asking:

Who will I send?
Who will go for us?

I said:

Here I am. Send me.

9 And he replied:

Go! Say to these people:
Keep listening, but do not understand;
keep looking, but do not perceive.
10 Make the minds[c] of these people dull;
deafen their ears and blind their eyes;
otherwise they might see with their eyes
and hear with their ears,
understand with their minds,
turn back, and be healed.

11 Then I said, “Until when, Lord?” And he replied:

Until cities lie in ruins without inhabitants,
houses are without people,
the land is ruined and desolate,
12 and the Lord drives the people far away,
leaving great emptiness in the land.
13 Though a tenth will remain in the land,
it will be burned again.
Like the terebinth or the oak
that leaves a stump when felled,
the holy seed is the stump.

Through the Bible Readings: Job 11-12, Acts 23:12–35, Psalm 89:21–27, Proverbs 19:5–6

 

If you wish to read through the Bible in a year, follow these readings. 

Devotional:  Facing Sin  

I spent part of my junior year of high school working at a fancy steak restaurant in Orlando. The food was fantastic and so was the ambiance - low lights gave the feel of dining by candlelight. Unfortunately, ambiance alone wasn't the reason for keeping the lights low. The place was not always sparkling clean and the low lights kept the focus on the food instead of the filth.

What is the first thing that happens when we gain a vision of God, when we see God as he really is? As the light of God's glory shines on our lives, we begin to see the filth that is present. 

When I was a kid, we didn't have Nike or all the expensive footwear that kids have today. We have white canvas sneakers. You'd get a new pair of white shoes and wear them proudly for a few months. Then, one day, a shoelace would break and mom would buy a couple of new ones. That is when you realized the problem. Compared to the bright whiteness of new shoelaces, you suddenly realize how dingy and dirty your white canvas sneakers have become.

Isaiah's vision of God was the bright new shoelace that suddenly showed him how dirty and dingy his own soul had become. We can look at the world around us and think, "I'm not so bad compared to those guys," But God doesn't grade on a curve. Our standard is his perfect righteousness, the life of Christ, and we all fall short. When we see God as he is, when we gain this "true vision of God" we suddenly see ourselves as we are. The glory of God shines on the dark and secret places of our heart.

"Woe is me," cried Isaiah. This is a painful process. We would rather justify our sin or rationalize it than admit it for what it is. When we come into the glorious presence of God, we have only one option - to deal with the reality of our own unholiness and admit before God, "Woe is me."

Our flesh fights against the idea of repentance and it fights hard, but it is when we admit our sin and repent of it that we are cleansed and become useful to God.

Father, help me to see my sin as you see it and be done with rationalization and self-justification. 

Think and Pray:

How do you handle your sin - do you keep the lights low so you can't see it and can rationalize, deny, and justify it?
Or, do you deal with it in repentance and find God's power.