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Royalty and Ruin
lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts.”
Verse 5
.
He realized that if left to his own inefficiency, he would be utterly
unable to accomplish the mission to which God had called him. But
an angel placed a glowing coal from the altar on his lips with the
words, “Behold, this has touched your lips; your iniquity is taken
away, and your sin purged.” Then the voice of God was heard saying,
“Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?” and Isaiah responded,
“Here am I! Send me.”
Verse 7, 8
.
Final Success Assured
The prophet’s duty was plain—he was to lift his voice against
the prevailing evils. But he dreaded to undertake the work without
some assurance of hope. “Lord, how long?” he inquired.
Verse 11
.
Are none of Your chosen people ever to repent and be healed?
[114]
His mission was not to be completely fruitless, yet the evils that
had been multiplying for generations could not be removed in his
day. He must be a patient, courageous teacher—a prophet of hope
as well as of doom. A remnant would be saved. To bring this about,
he was to deliver messages of pleading to the rebellious nation.
The ten tribes of the northern kingdom were soon to be scattered
among the nations. The destroying armies of hostile nations were to
sweep over the land again and again. Even Jerusalem was finally to
fall and Judah to be carried away captive. Yet the Promised Land
was not to remain forsaken forever. The assurance of the heavenly
messenger to Isaiah was:
“A tenth will be in it,
And will return and be for consuming,
As a terebinth tree or as an oak,
Whose stump remains when it is cut down,
So the holy seed shall be its stump.”
Verse 13
This assurance brought courage to Isaiah. He had seen the King,
the Lord of hosts. He had heard the song of the seraphim, “The
whole earth is full of His glory!”
Verse 3
. He had the promise
that the convicting power of the Holy Spirit would accompany the