Part 2: Calling
Day 9: The calling of Isaiah
Isaiah 6
In the calling of Isaiah, we see one of the most important Old Testament themes, Holiness. In the Old Testament it is revealed that God is Holy and as His creation we began Holy, but our Holiness is diminished by sin. So, our status of unholiness would mean that we would be destroyed in God’s Holy presence. So often when Old Testament characters are near God, they are afraid as they realize the magnitude of God’s Holiness in light of their diminished state.
This passage in Isaiah gives us new eyes with which to see God’s holiness. When the seraphim (angel) takes the coals from the alter and touches Isaiah, something totally unexpected happens. The holy coals from God’s presence do not destroy Isaiah, they transfer their holiness into Isaiah, and his sin is atoned for. The book of Leviticus tells us that impure object makes pure objects dirty, but now God is turning the table using pure object to purify the dirty objects. Isaiah is made clean.
All this will find its fulfillment in Jesus Christ. In the Gospels when impure and sick people touch Jesus, they do not make Him dirty. His holiness makes them clean. On the cross we see the highest realization of this when the son of man, our savior in his agony and his holiness, is transferred onto his children. We should take a moment and reflect on this as there are times we feel our sin disqualifies us from God’s service. God is not looking for qualified people first, then chooses them for service. Like Isaiah, God qualifies his chosen by giving people what is necessary to serve. The equipping of the saints for ministry starts with the Cross of Christ.
Prayer for a teacher of the faith: Almighty God, you gave your servant special gifts of grace to understand and teach the truth revealed in Christ Jesus: Grant that by this teaching we may know you, the one true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. Preface of a Teacher of the Faith
This passage in Isaiah gives us new eyes with which to see God’s holiness. When the seraphim (angel) takes the coals from the alter and touches Isaiah, something totally unexpected happens. The holy coals from God’s presence do not destroy Isaiah, they transfer their holiness into Isaiah, and his sin is atoned for. The book of Leviticus tells us that impure object makes pure objects dirty, but now God is turning the table using pure object to purify the dirty objects. Isaiah is made clean.
All this will find its fulfillment in Jesus Christ. In the Gospels when impure and sick people touch Jesus, they do not make Him dirty. His holiness makes them clean. On the cross we see the highest realization of this when the son of man, our savior in his agony and his holiness, is transferred onto his children. We should take a moment and reflect on this as there are times we feel our sin disqualifies us from God’s service. God is not looking for qualified people first, then chooses them for service. Like Isaiah, God qualifies his chosen by giving people what is necessary to serve. The equipping of the saints for ministry starts with the Cross of Christ.
- If you drop food on the floor, do you have a rule for how long it can be there before it is no longer edible?
- Are there things about you that make you unqualified for the work of ministry?
- Have you ever stopped to consider the specific call on your life and how God has been equipping you to fulfill it?
- Do you take comfort in the work of Jesus on the cross to redeem you for your work?
Prayer for a teacher of the faith: Almighty God, you gave your servant special gifts of grace to understand and teach the truth revealed in Christ Jesus: Grant that by this teaching we may know you, the one true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. Preface of a Teacher of the Faith