“And one called to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!”” Isaiah 6:1-3 ESV
Reflection: Have you ever wondered why some people seem to have a stronger, more profound experience of presence of God in their lives, than others?
In chapter 6, Isaiah gives an insight into not only when and how he was called as a prophet, but also why. He starts out by saying “In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!”” Isaiah 6:1-3 ESV. Before we look further at what Isaiah saw, let’s consider the context with King Uzziah here is very important to understand.
Bible commentator MacLaren wrote “Uzziah had reigned for fifty-two years, during the greater part of which he and his people had been brilliantly prosperous. Victorious in war, he was also successful in the arts of peaceful industry. The later years of his life were clouded, but on the whole the reign had been a time of great well-being.” It is hard for us to even image what half a century of prosperity and peace would be like, as we seem to be in continuous conflicts and wars. But the people clearly had an amazing king and leader in Uzziah, as earthly kings go. And now that he was gone, the people mourned, were worried and perhaps lost. What would happen next? Even Isaiah was wondering. But he goes to the temple, to seek the Lord.
And, it is there, at that time he has this amazing vision of and interaction with the Lord of hosts. Now, notice specifically what the seraphims declare over and about the Lord of hosts, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!” And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke.” Isaiah 6:3b-4 ESV. It is very hard to image this vision; it must have been so powerful, so amazing, as we also see from the reaction of Isaiah upon seeing and hearing this. So Isaiah writes about his own experience and reaction to this experience “And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for 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!”” Isaiah 6:5 ESV
How blessed Isaiah was to have this vision of the Lord of hosts, of Jesus Christ, the King of kings on the throne! But, notice that the seraphims declared that “the whole earth is filled with the glory of the Lord of hosts”. So my question is, if the earth is filled with His glory,
Why can’t we see it? Or can we?
We see next the “calling” of Isaiah, and we will study that next. We read “And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here I am! Send me.”” Isaiah 6:8 ESV. Now, what Isaiah was instructed to tell the people seems very strange, but it is so critical to understand as it has a direct connection to our reflection today. Isaiah’s instructions are “And he said, “Go, and say to this people: “‘Keep on hearing, but do not understand; keep on seeing, but do not perceive.’ Make the heart of this people dull, and their ears heavy, and blind their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed.”” Isaiah 6:9-10 ESV. The word “dull” hearts is actually not translated correctly.
A more accurate translation is “fat” hearts.
Now, if we circle back to the beginning, we remember that the people had just experienced a 52-year reign of Uzziah, of prosperity. So they had little need for God. They had become “fat”, physically and spiritually speaking. They had no room for God, which is why He tells them they ‘Keep on hearing, but do not understand; keep on seeing, but do not perceive.’ MacLaren wrote “And so the one God will become everything and anything that every man, and each man, requires. He shapes himself according to our need. The water of life does not disdain to take the form imposed upon it by the vessel into which it is poured. The Jews used to say that the manna in the wilderness tasted to each man as each man desired. And the God, who comes to us all, comes to us each in the shape that we need; just as He came to Isaiah in the manifestation of His kingly power, because the throne of Judah was vacated.”
Do we see and hear the glory of the Lord? The question we must ask ourselves is whether we have a true and desperate need for God? Do we have room for Him, or have our hearts become too “fat”?