Undone
Isaiah thought that his life would end when he saw God. He was undone. He saw the LORD sitting upon His throne, high and lifted up, His train filling the temple. He saw the Seraphim round about the throne giving Him constant praise (Isa. 6:1-3). One would think that seeing God would cause a righteous man like Isaiah to jump for joy, but not exactly. Isaiah was more righteous than most any other man, but there was nothing like standing in the presence of the Holy of Holies to make one reflect on themselves. Vile, disgusting, filthy, sinful…if Isaiah thought these things about himself, what must God think of him?
It is easy to become too familiar with God. None of us have physically seen Him and many of us barely spend time with Him but most of us are surprisingly comfortable with Him. Indeed, we should be comfortable with God because He is our Father. God is loving, kind, and near to us but let us not forget that He is still the Ancient of Days. He is Kadosh, the Holy One. He is Tsaddiq, the Righteous One. He is El-Olam, the Everlasting God. He is Eli-Melekh, God our King. The Seraphim praise Him endlessly, they eagerly cry out to one another about His awesomeness. He is so awesome that they cannot take Him for granted. His glory is so overwhelming that they cannot even look at Him! So how do we manage to take our glorious Creator for granted? How do we find ways to bring ourselves up to His level? Isaiah saw his lowliness in the radiant light of Gods holiness and he was undone.
“If God is so good, why doesn’t He get rid of all the evil in the world?” This is a common question from those who take God’s goodness for granted. Here, is an uncommon answer: If God rid the world of evil, He would have to rid the world of you and me. There is none good but the Father (Lk. 18:19). If we would humble ourselves before God, we would see that we are just as guilty as the rapists, the murderers, the pedophiles, the adulterers, and the liars. When confronted with the glory of God, that is what Isaiah saw. He saw his true sinful nature as he stood before God. “Woe is me, for I am undone!” he cried, “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” (Isa. 6:5).
Isaiah was a prophet but he was also a high born, educated prince, yet there was such depth to his humility. Isaiah identified himself with the sinful nation of Israel; a nation that he had just pronounced Gods judgement upon. If they were guilty, he was guilty. Isaiah saw that he was not like the Seraphim and he was not like God. He came undone because he saw God clearly and in seeing God clearly, he saw himself clearly.
How do we reach Isaiah’s point of humility? How do we avoid taking God for granted? How do we remain in a constant state of worship like the Seraphim, not just praising God continually but eagerly engaging with one another about the goodness of God? Come undone. Get in the presence of God and come undone. Allow the magnificence of the LORD to shine a light on your inadequacies and humble yourself before Him.
The Seraphim touched Isaiah’s lips with a live coal from the altar, his iniquity was taken away, and his sin purged (Isa. 6:6-7). It was only after Isaiah had become undone that he was able to be cleansed. Isaiah’s woe enabled him to recognize his sin and receive forgiveness. Seeing ourselves in light of God’s Word should humble us and lead to confession, repentance, then forgiveness. This is salvation, the cleansing and making anew through Jesus Christ. But salvation is just the beginning; We are charged with being messengers of God to reach the entire world.
He heard the LORD say, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Of all the things God could have said to Isaiah, His only concern was sending forth His message. Cleansing was the preparation God was waiting for before He spoke to Isaiah. Many of us try to move ahead of God before we are sent but there is a process. There is a process and a purpose to the cleansing of our iniquity, to the forgiving of our sins. God is molding someone that He can use. Allow God to make you someone He can use. Get in His presence and get undone.
