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When King Uzziah Died
When King Uzziah Died
In the year of King Uzziah's death, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted, with the train of His robe filling the temple. Is. 6:1
Isaiah seems to have been called during the reign of Uzziah, and since Uzziah reigned for 52 years, it is likely that he was the only king Isaiah had known up until this time. Uzziah was a good king virtually all of his days, and Judah prospered under his hand. I don’t know exactly what kind of relationship Isaiah had with him, but likely it was one of respect and reverence. Uzziah’s death must have been a great discouragement to Isaiah, especially given the circumstances surrounding it. You see, in his success and strength and his great reputation, Uzziah’s heart became proud, and in order to celebrate himself, he made his way to the temple to offer incense on the altar. Though the priests tried to stop him, he defied them and there before the altar he was struck with leprosy. He lost his crown, and lived his last days in shame in a leper’s house. What a tragic end to a great ruler in Judah. I am sure that Isaiah and other righteous men/women felt let down, and were downcast and afraid for the future.
Now in that same year that Uzziah died, Isaiah had a vision of Jehovah sitting on a throne, and it seems to be aimed at impressing on Isaiah the holiness and majesty of God. Isaiah is struck with his own unworthiness – his “unclean lips” and those of his people. The seraphim touches his lips with hot coals from the altar, and assures him that his sins are forgiven. Then the Lord asks, “Whom shall I send?” and Isaiah responds, “Here am I; send me.” Isaiah’s commission is to make the hearts of his people fat, to make the ears heavy, and to shut their eyes. In other words, he is to speak the word of God to people who will reject it, and harden their hearts even more. God’s plan is, with Isaiah’s help, to preserve a remnant of his people, and to use the disobedience and rejection of the majority to accomplish his will, and bring about his glorious plan.
At first glance, this may seem far removed from us. But think about how often this happens to us. There may be someone who has walked with us in service to God, someone who has influenced us – and others - in the right way, someone we looked up to and drew strength from, maybe even the one person in this world to who we feel a spiritual kinship, or the one person who represents to us all that God stands for. Suppose now this person dies. What would we say? “In the year that he died, I gave up.” “In the year that she died, I lost hope.” In the year that he died, I got sick and stayed home.”
In times like these, we need to see more clearly Jehovah on his throne. We need to see more clearly his holiness on his throne and his glory filling all the earth. We need to realize how he works his power in our lives and the lives of others, so that we take courage, and stand up on our two feet, and answer his call and go and speak his word. If it seems impossible, we need to trust his word anyway, and submit to his will, and walk according to what we know.
He will carry us until we are able to walk; he will carry us when we are weary of walking; he will not carry us if we will not walk. (George MacDonald).
"Holy, Holy, Holy, is the LORD of hosts, The whole earth is full of His glory."
Larry Walker July 2011
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