I. A VISION SEEN BY ISAIAH IN HIS DEPRESSION
The vision of Christ in glory was seen by Isaiah in his depression (Isa. 6:1, 5). Isaiah loved God and loved Israel, God’s elect. He realized by looking at Israel’s situation, that there was not the expression of God’s glory. Israel had also violated God’s holiness and had become corrupt in human virtues. Furthermore, King Uzziah had died. Among the kings of Israel, he was a very good king, yet he died. In that kind of environment, Isaiah was surely very depressed. The Lord appeared to him in his depression.
II. THE LORD, THE KING, JEHOVAH OF HOSTS,
APPEARING TO ISAIAH
The Lord, the King, Jehovah of hosts, appeared to Isaiah. He saw the Lord sitting on a high and lofty throne (Isa. 6:1a). Isaiah saw the glory of God and the train of the Lord’s robe filling the entire temple. He also saw the seraphim, and each seraphim had six wings. Two of the wings were for covering his face, two covered his feet, and with two he flew. These seraphim called to each other, saying, "Holy, holy, holy, Jehovah of hosts; the whole earth is filled with His glory" (v. 3). That was their fellowship with each other, indicating that they signify or represent the holiness of Christ. They were standing there for His holiness. Such a vision should have encouraged the depressed prophet, but he did not tell us he was encouraged. Instead, he said, "Woe is me, for I am finished! For I am a man of unclean lips, and in the midst of a people of unclean lips I dwell" (v. 5). Then one of the seraphim flew to Isaiah with an ember from the altar to touch his mouth for his cleansing (vv. 6-7). This is the picture presented in Isaiah 6.
In Isaiah 6 Christ, the God-man, is seen in His divine glory. This God-man is unveiled in chapter four as the Shoot of Jehovah, the Fruit of the earth, a canopy covering God’s interests in the entire universe, and the tabernacle overshadowing God’s elect to protect them from all kinds of troubles. Isaiah 6 shows us the same One in another aspect. In Isaiah 6 He is the God in glory sitting on the throne. Because He is wearing a long robe, He is also a man. This One is the God-man with divine glory and human virtues.
His human virtues are signified by the long train of His robe. This indicates that the vision here pays more attention to Christ’s human virtues. The four Gospels show us Christ as God and as man, but they show us more concerning Christ as a man. In the Gospels we see more of Christ in His manhood and in His humanity than in His divinity. Christ is expressed in His human virtues much more than in His divine glory. However, His human virtues need the divine glory as a source. Christ is a person with the divine glory expressed in His human virtues.
We all have to see the full vision of Christ in Isaiah 6. Christ is sitting on a high and lofty throne as the Lord, the King, Jehovah of hosts. He is the very God on the throne. John the apostle told us in John 12 that Isaiah saw Christ’s glory. This means that Jehovah of hosts, the King, the Lord, was Christ. Christ was wearing a long robe in this vision. This means that Christ’s humanity is "long." The train of Christ’s robe fills the temple. The Lord who appeared to Isaiah was on a high and lofty throne in His divine glory (John 12:39-41), signified by the smoke, and with His human virtues, signified by the train of His robe. His holiness is held by the seraphim (Isa. 6:2-3).
(Life-Study of Isaiah, Chapter 34, by Witness Lee)
