Sunday: Here I Am, Send Me
Daily Lesson for Sunday 11th of May 2025
Years ago, a church decided to renovate an outdated basement to create a new fellowship hall. One of the first things they did was to install new lights, believing that they would make the space seem more beautiful. Once they were installed, however, the space looked even worse, because bright lights have a way of revealing flaws.
Isaiah’s stunning vision of God’s throne left him painfully aware of his shortcomings. “ ‘Woe is me,’ ” he lamented, “ ‘for I am undone! Because 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, NKJV). We would feel the same if we were suddenly escorted into the presence of the Lord. The light is bright enough to remove all of our excuses. In God’s presence, we sense that we are lost. Isaiah was in for the surprise of a lifetime.
Read Isaiah 6:6-8. Isaiah knew that sin means that we are “undone.” The wages of sin is death. But instead of leaving us to the consequences of sin, a God of love pulls us closer. What was the outcome of this meeting, and why is it important?
Image © Review & Herald Publishing at Goodsalt.com
Isaiah was purged of his sin when a seraph took a coal from the altar and touched his mouth with it. This was likely the altar of incense, where intercession was made by and for God’s people (see Revelation 8:3-4). His sins were forgiven, and he was now considered fit to stand in God’s presence—but, more than that, he was also commissioned to represent God to the world.
Interestingly enough, the word “seraph” means “the burning one.” Notice Jesus’ description of John the Baptist’s ministry in John 5:35—“ ‘He was the burning and shining lamp, and you were willing for a time to rejoice in his light’ ” (NKJV). Though, of course, John himself was a sinner in need of grace and salvation, his ministry pointed to the only One who could bring grace and salvation.
Jesus came as the perfect representation of the Father’s glory—and God sent a prophet, a sinner, who performed a similar task as one of heaven’s seraphim.
|
Only after Isaiah knew that his sin was purged, did he say, “ ‘Here am I! Send me’ ” (Isaiah 6:8, NKJV). How can each one of us, our sins purged by the blood of Jesus, respond as Isaiah did here? |
(10)
It is no coincidence that God is often represented a bright light in his interactions with people. The lesson centres on Isaiah's experience, but if we go back to the beginning of the Hebrew nation we find them at Mount Sinai witnessing God speak to them to the accompaniment of thunder and lightning. Moses recorded their reaction:
It is perhaps useful to remember, in the context of this lesson, that about six weeks later, those same people were worshipping a golden calf.
Isaiah responded to his encounter with God's power and glory by being humble and accepting the challenge. And from our reading, it would appear that it was not a six-week wonder. He wrote some of the most meaningful and challenging scriptures in the Old Testament.
Paul, likewise, encountered God as a "bright light" experience. But interestingly in Paul's case, even though he was a well-educated person, he had to go back to school and prepare for his new career as an evangelist. His reaction was not a six-week wonder either. It required time and persistence before he was ready for public evangelism.
Not everyone has a "bright light" experience. For some of us it is the slow illumination of a new pathway and the invitation to walk with the Holy Spirit as out guide.
God reached out to Isaiah to become a prophet through a powerful vision. Isaiah received a supernatural revelation in which he saw God seated on His heavenly throne surrounded by angelic beings. The Bible does not say who Isaiah was before this encounter with God through a vision. God revealed Himself to Isaiah. The calling of Isaiah to become a prophet is a revelation of God's supreme power and authority. This was an act of divine choice. Whereas Judah had lost their earthly king (Uzziah), Isaiah saw the true King, God, still reigning from His eternal throne (Isaiah 6:1). This teaches us that God is above all creation and actively governs history, calling individuals through whom to accomplish His purpose.
All biblical prophecies have their foundation in God, who controls all the affairs of the universe. God chooses how, when, and through whom to communicate His divine will. God intends to give us a new perspective when He calls us. The vision had a profound impact on Isaiah, “It’s all over! I am doomed, for I am a sinful man. I have filthy lips, and I live among a people with filthy lips. Yet I have seen the King, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies” (Isaiah 6:5, NLT). God is not only sovereign in judgment, but in mercy and compassion. It is only God who has the power to cleanse us and prepare us for service. Once God has cleansed us, we must say like Isaiah, “Here I am. Send me” (Isaiah 6:8).
The Bible cautions us only to listen to prophetic messages that originate from God.
“Do not listen to these prophets when they prophesy to you, filling you with futile hopes. They are making up everything they say. They do not speak for the Lord!” (Jeremiah 23:16, NLT).
We live in times where psychological therapy and discussions of mental health have taken centerstage. And the common practice and focus is seeking to understand what is wrong with our mental wellbeing and self-esteem- unfortunately, the Scriptures tell us this is all a dead end since it is like trying to put more gauze on a wound that is improperly stitched up. You can’t relabel what is wrong, you can’t get rid of it by not thinking about it, and you can’t forgive yourself when you are not the offended party; God is!
Isaiah witnessed and narrates those moments in life that you don’t need to work to remember — they are ingrained in your mind in a way that remains even after other things fade from our memory. maybe most people would remember a momentous time like a graduation or a wedding or the birth of a child, perhaps something sad like a demise of a loved one, but some these memories remain not because they are a momentous life events, but because of a realization that comes at this point in time, some new awareness that previously one had been blind to.
For the first time, God speaks and there is something quite unique to the call of Isaiah as a prophet — God asks who will go — rather than tells him to go. With Jeremiah, or Ezekiel or Hosea or Jonah — God just tells them to go or calls them to go. Some suggest Isaiah is different because of how difficult his ministry will be.
The “us” there in the phrase “who will go for us”" in Isaiah 6:8 may be a hint at the Trinity. God as Father, Son and Holy Spirit, one God in 3 distinct persons is largely a New Testament revelation, but we get hints of it in the Old Testament like in Genesis 1 where God says “let us make man in our image” (Gen 1:26)-At that time, God was seeking an ambassador, who will go as a spokesperson for Him. And Isaiah didn’t need any time to consider, since this was more than a momentous life event. He didn't need convincing or coercion, it was time to volunteer for whatever God wanted- friends, we need to experience this!
At such a time, the question rests on us — and the answer is Here I Am, Send Me. If you struggle with the idea of serving God, if it feels like a great burden or duty to you, consider going back to study the character of God and the nature of the atonement. God is asking who will be His ambassador, who will go as a spokesperson for Him. And Isaiah doesn’t need any time to consider. The person who has seen God’s holiness and his sinfulness and experienced redemption by grace needs NO convincing, NO coercion; such a person is ready to volunteer for whatever God wants.
This week, let us let the question rest on us — who will go for us? Let us consider going back to study the character of God and the nature of the atonement, and what it means- there is a point of no return and this where Isaiah was-Here I Am, Send Me!
My prayer for us for this week is that we will ask God to turn the spotlight on our lives and reveal to us the imperfections so that we can be cleansed and then be used as an instrument in His cause!!!!!
Was Isaiah the Christ who came to die for our sins
No, He was a messenger who was/is directing our attention to Christ.
As sinners, we'll always be short on self-righteousness. But the cross, with its vertical component pointing to our relationship with God and its horizontal component meaning our relationship with those around us (from yesterday's sermon by Ofelia W Moroz), justifies us. Let us trust in His sacrifice and respond, "Here I am, send me!"
Isaiah had a humble and teachable spirit after encountering Christ in the heavenly temple.
My family and I are starting to memorize Isaiah 53 so that we can get a boost of humility as well.
God loves us so much that His actions are the opposite of any creature-related reaction to injustice. Injustice was what Adam and Eve did to their Creator. They were the ones who deserved to die, and they did, but God Himself paid their ultimate price. We all have a vague idea about how much God loves us because our concept of love is tied to self.
these songs enhanced my study:
I am not ashamed (of the gospel) and Worthy is the Lamb- Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir