Introduction
By Lynne Koby
‘Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?’ And I said, ‘Here am I. Send me!’ Isaiah 6:8 NIV
What a character, Isaiah, who was not in the game for his own glory but for the glory of God! Isaiah served during the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, all kings of Judah.
‘In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him were seraphim, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. And they were calling to one another: ‘Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.’ At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook, and the temple was filled with smoke. ‘Woe to me!’ I cried. ‘I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty.’ Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. With it he touched my mouth and said, ‘See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.’ Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?’ And I said, ‘Here am I. Send me!’ He said, ‘Go and tell this people: ‘Be ever hearing, but never understanding; be ever seeing, but never perceiving.’ Make the heart of this people calloused; make their ears dull and close their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed.’ Isaiah 6:1-10
1. Isaiah 6 relates how Isaiah was called to be a prophet of God.
a. What was the time and place of these events?
b. What did Isaiah see and hear? What did he say? What then happened to him?
c. What was God’s advice to Isaiah in verses 9-10?
2. Isaiah shared many prophesies about the Messiah (Isaiah 9 / Isaiah 11 / Isaiah 42 / Isaiah 53 are examples).
a. What are some of the characteristics of the Messiah as prophesied by Isaiah?
b. Why do you think the religious leaders missed these identifiers when they met Jesus?
3. Read Isaiah 55. Many of the prophesies of Isaiah are very poetic and give insight into the attitude God requires of his people.
a. What is more satisfying than food and drink?
b. What does God call people to do?
c. How does God describe Himself?
d. What is God’s word compared to?
e. Does God send His word out in vain? What does this mean for us?
