1 In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the temple. 2 Above it stood seraphim; each one had six wings: with two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. 3 And one cried to another and said:
“Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts;
The whole earth is full of His glory!”
4 And the posts of the door were shaken by the voice of him who cried out, and the house was filled with smoke.
5 So I said:
“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 my eyes have seen the King,
The LORD of hosts.”
One commentary (Gill) has this to say about the fifth verse:
Isa 6:5 – Then said I, woe is me,…. There’s no woe to a good man, all woes are to the wicked; but a good man may think himself wretched and miserable, partly on account of his own corruptions, the body of sin and death he carries about with him; and partly on account of wicked men, among whom he dwells,
because I am a man of unclean lips; he says nothing of the uncleanness of his heart, nor of his actions; not that he was free from such impurity; but only of his lips, because it was the sin of his office that lay upon his mind, and gave him present uneasiness; there is no man but offends in words, and of all men persons in public office should be careful of what they say; godly ministers are conscious of many failings in their ministry.
The particular significance to this old guy at 04:15 AM, April 11, 2008 is this:
To see the Lord is to be abruptly confronted with the sin that still remains within us. I cannot imagine it otherwise.
There is also a question that comes to mind: “When Dan steps into the sanctuary of the church he attends, or even other churches, is the presence of the Lord so noticeable that there is a consciousness of personal sinfulness? Even a little bit?” There should be something about a church sanctuary that reflects his unique holiness, separate from this world and all it’s sin and sensual appetites.
That’s Sunday morning. No matter what the day of the week, I should live with a humble, ever-present consciousness of who I am in the flesh in comparison to the High and Holy One who dwells within me by His Holy Spirit. That’s not something I can somehow ‘drum up’ on my own. It is however present when the Holy Spirit within has sufficient sway over the still remaining lusts of my flesh. It comes ‘NEW naturally’ when His Word is hidden in my heart. (Psalm 199:11).
The Battle Cry 
B4B,
What a great post. Many people don’t like posts about mans sinfulness reflected against God’s holiness, but I think this is one of the great passages in the bible. The words are so reverent, so grand!
I know how you feel, I only get glimpses of how sinful I am, I’m sure if I knew it would turn me into a pillar of salt.
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While I was goggling to retrieve the scripture I knew I wanted I visited another bolg that used a portion of it, but not the verses about sin consciousness. He spoke encouragingly only, about being filled with a sense of God’s glory. But that’s the way it is these days – all positive and nothing that might cause someone to feel uncomfortable. If the Holy Spirit is here to show us our sin and keep us mindful of Christ’s rightwousness and judgment, if we only allow that which is upbeat and positive, are we kicking the Holy Spirit out the door?
According to the current movements, whatever the label, we are not supposed to feel that way. The way I see it, when we are ever conscious of the sin that remains within, we are making progress. After all, The Apostle Paul seemed to be more aware of ever present sin the longer he served his Lord.
I am also reminded of Abraham barbaining for Sodom and saying “I who am but DUST and ASHES, have dared to speak with GOD!
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If you guys have not heard it, check out Todd Agnew’s song Isaiah 6 (do a youtube search). It is quite good. God bless,
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And here’s the link.
Thanks, Phillip!
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