Chapter 6
Themes, discussion questions, Christ connections, and denomination lenses.
Just read this chapter →Scripture
KJV1In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the LORD sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple.
2Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly.
3And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.
4And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke.
5Then said I, Woe is me! 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 mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.
6Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar:
7And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged.
8Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.
9And he said, Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not.
10Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed.
11Then said I, Lord, how long? And he answered, Until the cities be wasted without inhabitant, and the houses without man, and the land be utterly desolate,
12And the LORD have removed men far away, and there be a great forsaking in the midst of the land.
13But yet in it shall be a tenth, and it shall return, and shall be eaten: as a teil tree, and as an oak, whose substance is in them, when they cast their leaves: so the holy seed shall be the substance thereof.
“Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.”
Overview
In the year that King Uzziah dies, Isaiah sees a vision of the Lord seated on His throne, high and lifted up, with seraphim crying 'Holy, holy, holy' and the temple shaking with glory. Overwhelmed by God's holiness, Isaiah confesses his own uncleanness, and a seraph touches his lips with a live coal from the altar, purging his sin. Then God asks, 'Whom shall I send?' and Isaiah responds with the immortal words, 'Here am I; send me.'
Key Themes
The Holiness and Sovereignty of God
Isaiah's throne-room vision reveals God in His overwhelming holiness — the thrice-holy Lord whose glory fills the whole earth and before whom even seraphim cover their faces.
Conviction, Confession, and Cleansing
In the presence of God's holiness, Isaiah immediately sees his own sinfulness and is undone, but God provides cleansing through the burning coal — sin must be purged before service begins.
The Call to Prophetic Service
God's question 'Whom shall I send?' is met by Isaiah's willing surrender — 'Here am I; send me' — establishing the pattern that encounter with God leads to commission.
Study Questions
Why is the death of King Uzziah mentioned as the setting for this vision (v. 1), and what might it signify?
What does the threefold 'Holy, holy, holy' (v. 3) reveal about the nature of God that no other attribute receives this emphasis?
Why does Isaiah cry 'Woe is me! for I am undone' (v. 5) — what happens when a sinful person truly encounters God's holiness?
What is the significance of the live coal taken from the altar touching Isaiah's lips (vv. 6-7)?
How does Isaiah's response 'Here am I; send me' (v. 8) serve as a model for our response to God's call?
Connection to Christ
The apostle John tells us that Isaiah saw the glory of Christ in this vision: 'These things said Esaias, when he saw his glory, and spake of him' (John 12:41). The holy God enthroned is the pre-incarnate Christ, and the coal that cleanses Isaiah's sin foreshadows the purification made possible only through Christ's atoning sacrifice.
Personal Reflection
Take time to journal or meditate on what God is teaching you through Isaiah 6. How can these truths transform your thinking and actions today?