Isaiah 6: Holiness in Fresh Perspective

The placement of Isaiah 6 is a tough nut to crack. Why is the call of the prophet not in chapter 1 but in chapter 6? The question is whether this is chronological placement or thematic placement. That is, does the call of Isaiah come after the events and prophecies recorded in 1–5, or is the writer/editor making chronology secondary for the sake of a theological message?

I believe the latter.

I think that the placement of Isaiah 6 is not chronological but thematic. I believe that the very structure of the Bible can preach (more on this in other posts).

Isaiah 1–5 serves as the introduction to the book at large. There is a back-and-form motif between judgement and hope in this section. This reflects the macro structure of the book that is typically divided between chapters 1–39 and 40–66. Chapters 1–39 focus on judgment and 40–66 on hope.

Notice something? Thirty nine chapters on judgment, 27 chapters on hope; thirty nine books of the Old Testament (focused on judgment) and 27 books of the New Testament (focused on hope).

Isaiah is a miniature Bible.

Ah, but there’s more.

What about the placement of chapter 6? Chapter 6 is the hinge, the pivot. Chapter 6 connectes 1–5 with the 7–39. Chapter 6 (the call and commission of the prophet) answers the question of chapters 1–5: How will Israel pass from being in state of judgment to hope? The prophet personifies the nation. The prophet is Israel.

Who does that sound like? (Hint: His name begins with a “J” and ends with “esus”)

What the prophet experiences in chapter 6 is what the nation at large, who is in a state of sin, must experience: repentance and sanctification. 

First, the prophet sees the power and holiness of Yahweh. This drives him to repent. Consequently, rather than destroying Isaiah (which is what he’s expecting) Yahweh purifies him. This purification, however, comes with fire. The hot coals from the alter touch his lips (OUCH!). This is what Israel needs. This is what we all need.

We must witness BOTH the power and holiness of Yahweh. This will drive us to repent. Then, he will purify us with fire.

There’s more. God never purifies for purity sake; He purifies to make us eligible for commissioning.

Notice that God at this point doesn’t say, “Isaiah, now I will send you to be a prophet.”

Rather, he says, “Who will go for me?”

He allows the prophet to choose. This is heavy. This means that the purification of the prophet not only transforms his lips, but his heart (the seat of the human will. Don’t be fooled, the seat of the will is not the intellect, it’s the heart).

“Here I am! Send me!”

This is holiness in fresh perspective; holiness as mission.