This is an excerpt from Angels Bible Study by Melissa Spoelstra.
I love teaching teenagers how to drive. I know it can be scary at times, but I enjoy watching a student learn and eventually master a new skill. When my twins started driving, I was on double duty. Often, they were both in the vehicle while one of them was driving. We had to set a few important ground rules right from the start. For starters, only I could do the coaching and correcting. The driver also had to remain teachable. When one of them said, “I already know that,” or expressed frustration with feedback, it was an automatic, “Pull over and get out of the driver’s seat!” In order to learn to drive, a person first has to admit they don’t know how. Whenever we become prideful, nothing can be accomplished in the learning process.
My pastor recently said that when we struggle with prayerlessness, it reveals a deeper problem of self-sufficiency. Just as my twins had to recognize their need for help in order to learn to drive, I must recognize my need to depend on the Lord in prayer. This means humbling myself and admitting that I can’t steer the course of life on my own. Today we will learn from the prophet Isaiah’s encounter with God and His heavenly beings in a vision. Hold on to this truth as we study today: When we recognize God’s holiness, we respond with humility.
1 In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a high and lofty throne, and the hem of his robe filled the temple. 2 Seraphim were standing above him; they each had six wings: with two they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they flew. 3 And one called to another:
Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Armies;
his glory fills the whole earth.
4 The foundations of the doorways shook at the sound of their voices, and the temple was filled with smoke.
5 Then I said:
Woe is me for I am ruined
because I am a man of unclean lips
and live among a people of unclean lips,
and because my eyes have seen the King,
the Lord of Armies.
6 Then one of the seraphim flew to me, and in his hand was a glowing coal that he had taken from the altar with tongs. 7 He touched my mouth with it and said:
Now that this has touched your lips,
your iniquity is removed
and your sin is atoned for.
8 Then I heard the voice of the Lord asking:
Who will I send?
Who will go for us?
I said:
Here I am. Send me.Isaiah 6:1-8 CSB
This is the only biblical passage that refers to seraphs or seraphim. Seraphim are bright creatures whose name means “burning ones.”1 While their description stands out and we see them humbly worshiping and serving God, they are not the key figures in this passage.
In verses 3 and 5, the name Lord of Heaven’s Armies is used. In Hebrew, this name is Yahweh Sabaoth. It is translated “Lord of Hosts” or “Lord of Heaven’s Armies.” The seraphim worshiped the only One who is worthy of worship. They had wings that covered their faces and feet. Commentators point out that covering of feet suggests humility.2 The seraphim recognized God’s holiness and their role as His servants, which led them to a humble posture. Likewise, when Isaiah encountered God’s holiness, he recognized his own sin and unworthiness. When we see God for who He is, our response is humble worship.
Humble Work
Isaiah recognized his humble state before a holy God. One seraph provided a burning coal from the altar for Isaiah’s cleansing. In response to the grace he received, Isaiah responded to God’s call.
Humility doesn’t require that we beat ourselves up over our shortcomings. We don’t have to take a low view of ourselves, because God doesn’t. He saw us as so valuable that He sacrificed His only Son to pay the price for our sin and restore our relationship with Him. Instead, humility leads us to confess our sin and recognize God’s grace in redeeming us.
This good news is so good that we should share it with others. In fact, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies equips His people to do the humble work of sharing His message with others. The message matters more than the messenger, whether that messenger is an angel or a human.
God made us to worship Him and entrusts us with purposeful work in sharing His message of hope—the good news of the gospel—with others.
The throne room scene in Isaiah 6 describes when God asked Isaiah to share a specific message with a specific people. In Matthew 28, Jesus commissioned His followers, which includes you and me:
19 Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Matthew 28:19-20 CSB
We humbly worship, and we humbly depend on the Lord to engage in this holy work of sharing His message with others. Put yourself in Isaiah’s shoes for a moment. Imagine you heard, “Whom should I send as a messenger to this people? Who will go for us?” (Isa. 6:8).
I want to say with Isaiah in verse 8, “Here I am. Send me.” The good news is that we don’t have to manufacture the message or the method of sharing it. We can humbly depend on the Lord of Heaven’s Armies to guide us as we seek Him in prayer for our neighbors, coworkers, family, and friends.