THE VISION OF ISAIAH AND HIS CALL The prophet records to us his well-famed vision; in which he saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of His robe filling the temple. He saw Him in His exalted glory praised by the Seraphim. He was then called for the holy ministry of prophecy. Some may ask: Did the prophet enjoy that vision prior to his prophecies mentioned in the previous chapters, or it came afterwards? And why did he not start his book with it? 1. Vision of the prophet in the temple 1-4. 2. Consecrating Isaiah’s mouth 5-7. 3. Mission of the prophet Isaiah 8-13. 1. VISION OF THE PROPHET ISAIAH IN THE TEMPLE “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.” (Is. 6: 1) The prophet enjoyed that vision, in the year that King Uzziah died; probably after he proclaimed his previous prophecies that carried a warning to the people, who received them lightly and scornfully. Because of that he was granted that vision, to proclaim and confirm to the people that he is carrying a divine message, the word of God. He might have seen it prior to those prophecies, and proclaimed it later to confirm to the people, that he is not uttering on his own; the same way the apostle Paul did, when, in order to confirm his apostleship, he talked about the vision he saw at the beginning of his mission (2 Corinthians 12). The vision was revealed in the year that King Uzziah died, who reigned on Judah when he was 16 years of age, for 52 years, during which he did what was good in the eyes of the Lord. He succeeded in every thing he did: in wars, as well as in building and establishing cities etc. Yet, as his name was raised high, he fell in the transgression of pride; and took on himself burning incense on the altar of incense. The Lord struck him with leprosy in the temple, to be thrust out by the priests, and to remain a leper until the day of his death, in an isolated house far from the king’s palace. Isaiah might have watched with joy Uzziah’s achievements, together with his straight heart and growth in Spirit; but to get sad afterwards for his fall in his last days, and his tragic death, isolated from the people of God, thrust out of His holy temple; as an example of the vanity of worldly glory. The prophet looked at his people, in the year that king Uzziah died, to see them scattered as sheep with no shepherd; especially that the king has been isolated for sometime before his death, because of his leprosy. Isaiah comprehended how the people were in great need of heavenly intervention, as the human arm was incapable of saving them. And as said by the Psalmist: Do not put your trust in princes, nor in a son of man, in whom there is no help; his spirit departs; he returns to his earth.” (Psalm 146: 3, 4) In the midst of this bitterness, the Lord granted Isaiah that vision to comfort him. It most probably took place in the temple, to which he retreated for a private worship. While he was pleading to God to take over the care for His people the Lord appeared to him, sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, to confirm that He is the heavenly Shepherd; Whose thoughts and ways are higher than human thoughts and His ways than theirs. He was sitting high and lifted up, to carry with Him His Church to partake of His exalted glories. He saw the train of His robe filling the temple, as He is there, in His Church, waiting for every soul to come to enjoy union with Him. He saw the Lord Christ in His glory (see John 12: 41), filling the heaven and earth with His deity and His care. St. John Chrysostom believes that Isaiah and other prophets did not actually see the essence of deity as it is, but God, out of love for His creation, reveals through putting Himself down as much as they can bear of a vision. Even as far as the heavenly hosts, and the carriers of His throne, each of them also sees of Him as much as he can bear; but, the divine essence itself, namely in its absolute perfection, is incomprehensible1. The Seraphim cry out saying, “Holy, Holy, Holy, the Lord of hosts;” the heavenly hosts in continuous apprehension, turn their faces, and stretch their wings like a wall, to protect themselves from the unbearable radiation that emerge from the Almighty. Nevertheless what they are seeing is not more than a miniature version of reality. Despite the fact that even the Seraphim are unable to behold God, who appears to them but as a sort of lowering Himself according to their weakness, we see people who dare to imagine that particular nature, incomprehensible by the Seraphim. They arrogantly claim their ability to behold it clearly and with no limits! The heavens should tremble, and the earth should be shocked!2 God, even to the heavenly hosts is incomprehensible and unapproachable. That is why, He lowers Himself to appear, and the way He did in the vision of Isaiah. God, who is unlimited and do not sit on a throne... out of love, appears, sitting on a throne, surrounded by the heavenly hosts3. These visions (the visions of the prophets) are announcements and are all examples of His condescending, and are not revelations of His essence uncovering Him. If they were to behold His essence, they would not behold it in so different forms. He is simple, with no form, body members, nor definite patterns. His nature does not sit, stand, or walk4. St. John Chrysostom “Above it stood the Seraphim; each one had six wings; with two he covered his face; with two he covered his feet; and with two he flew. And one cried to another and said: ‘Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts. The whole earth is full of His glory!’” (Is. 6: 2, 3) What comforts the soul of a minister is to have his heart elevated to behold the angelic ministry; then he would realize that all troubles and weaknesses of the Church will one day come to an end, to share with the angels their praise eternally. The Church here - as an icon of heaven - is enjoying the pledge of the heavenly ministry. However in one of the Coptic homilies, the church is identified as a place of comfort, and the angels assemble where of the Cherubim and Seraphim stay5. It is 1 In John hom., 15:1. 2 In Isai. Hom. 2:2. للمؤلف:للقدیس یوحنا الذهبي الفم ، 1988 ، ص 3 .299 للمؤلف:للقدیس یوحنا الذهبي الفم ، 1988 ، ص 4 .302 5 The author: Church, House of God, 1982, p. 333. said that St. Pachomius used to see the Church full of angels. The Seraphim are the ministers of the divine throne; they carry the Lord with joy, and praise God incessantly. It is as though, the work of every minister or prophet in the Church, is to draw every soul towards the Lord, and to turn it into a throne of Him, to dwell and establish His kingdom in it; to resemble a fiery heavenly Seraph, each with six wings: With two he covers his face, a sign of his apprehension and inability to behold all divine glory; with two he covers his feet, a sign of shyness; and with two he rises up to heaven. It is fitting for us to liken the Seraphim: to enjoy apprehension of divinity, with shyness, together with continuous growth and continuous elevation towards the heavenlies. As to the heavenly song of the Seraphim “the Trisagion,” it came in the writings of the Origen, and probably it was used earlier than that in Alexandria6. According to tradition of the Church, as Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus were preparing the body of the Lord Christ for burial, they heard that song said. The Seraphim say, “The whole earth is full of His glory.” (Is. 6: 3) It does not only fill the heavens, but also the whole earth. It is dwelling on the earth, to turn it into heaven. And as said by St. Clement of Alexandria, the earth becomes a heaven for the true believer. If our body is originally of dust, then the Word of God received our human nature to sanctify it, thus our body is glorified in Him. We should not underestimate it, as it shares with the soul its worship, strife, and crown. In this song, the following are to be noticed: a. The word “Lord,” came in pleural (Adonai), and not in singular (Adon). Probably for this, and because of the repetition of the word “Holy” three times, St. Gregory of Nyssa7 believes that the angels are proclaiming the glory of the Trinity; while the apostle Paul, refers it to the Holy Spirit (Acts 28: 25, 26); St. John refers it to the Son (John 12: 41) while the old Jewish tradition, refers it to the Father. Through the Seraphim, the mystery of the Trinity was clearly proclaimed, as they uttered that amazing cry “Holy,” bearing beauty and splendor to each Person of the Trinity8. St. Gregory of Nyssa b. God was named, “The Lord of hosts;” which is His title in His battle against evil and the forces of darkness that has an instructive significance9. It did not come in the books of Moses, Joshua, Judges, Job, proverbs, and Ecclesiastes; but came sporadically in Samuel, Kings, Chronicles and Psalms; and profusely in the Prophets 80 times in Jeremiah, 14 in Haggai, 50 in Zechariah, and more than 24 times in Malachi. The first to use that title was Hannah, the mother of Samuel, in her prayer of victory she uttered, as she felt that God was the source of her victory, in her inner battle. c. This song is used in the holy Liturgy of the Eucharist as a sign of fellowship between believers and heavenly hosts in worship, on a heavenly level, with the spirit of union and joint harmony. I wish we gather together with our conscience and in union, and cry out to Him, zealously, and as though with one mouth, in order to partake of His great glorious 6 Gregory Dix: The Shape of the Liturgy, p. 237. 7 Greg. Nyssa: Adv. Eunomius 2:14. 8 Ibid 1:23. 9 Bultema, p. 93. promises10. St. Clement of Rome You should comprehend, the extent of fear, by which the Seraphim are uttering and praising that name; while you, in your prayers and appeals, utter it with great lack of due respect; although you should be filled with apprehension, and be in a state of vigil and dignity11. St. John Chrysostom The new things go in harmony with the old. Here, the Seraphim are crying out, one to the other, “Holy, holy, holy. The Lord of host;” the two Testaments are walking in harmony, and with one voice12. St. Augustine “And the posts of the door were shaken by the voice of Him who cried out, and the house was filled with smoke.” (Is. 6: 4) The posts of God’s house were shaken before the cries of the Seraphim glorifying the Holy God, and the house was filled with dense smoke, a sign that the glory of God came to it. When the Lord Christ entered Jerusalem, “all the city was moved.” (Matthew 21:10) We are in need of God, to proclaim His dwelling in us, to establish His kingdom, so as to share with the Seraphim their eternal praise, and to have the depths of our souls shaken, together with the prophet Isaiah. Also the glory of Lord may be declared within us, and our depth sanctified thus we are counted as witnesses of the truth to His Gospel. 2. CONSECRATING ISAIAH’S MOUTH As we stand in the presence of the Holy God; proclaiming to us His glory; while we discover our uncleanness, as happened with the prophet Isaiah, thus we say, “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.” (Is. 6: 5) The apostle Paul confesses that he is the “chief sinner” (1 Timothy 1: 15); not because he was thinking of his sins, trying to count them; but that came as a fruit of his being enlightened by the Holy Spirit of God, that exposes our depths, to discover that we are nothing before the glory of God, and that we are totally sinners before His holiness. That’s why Abraham, the Patriarch, as he began to talk to God, said: “Indeed now, I who am but dust and ashes, have taken it upon myself to speak to the Lord” (Genesis 18: 27) Isaiah might have wished to share with the Seraphim their praising of the Lord; thus he realized that he was a man of unclean lips; and as he looked at the hosts of Seraphim in their joy, he also realized that he was living in the midst of people of unclean lips. With daily moans, the saints feel sad for the weakness of their nature; and while they try to change their thoughts, will, and inner conscience, they cry out pleading to God, “Do not to enter with your slave into trial, as no one alive would be justified before you.” Thus, they realize the weakness of the righteousness of man, and its lack of perfection together with his continuous need of the mercies of God. That is why, that man, whose iniquity is taken away by means of the firebrand of 10 Ep. 1:34. 11 Conc. The Statues, hom. 7:9. 12 On Ps. 50. His “Living Word” on the altar, after his amazing vision of God and the exalted Seraphim, and his enjoyment of the proclamation of divine mysteries; that man says, “Woe is me... because I am a man of unclean lips, living in the midst of people of unclean lips.” 13 As you can see, how all saints truly confess, not on behalf of the people, but on their own behalf, that they are sinners. Yet, they never despair for their salvation. They are always looking forward to complete justification, with the grace and mercy of God14. Abbot Theonas His awareness of the uncleanness of his lips and those of his people did not destroy his soul, but, on the contrary, filled him with hope in God, whom he saw, as “the Lord of hosts,” who is capable of setting from humanity spiritual hosts for Himself. That has been realized for him, as he said: “Then one of the Seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a firebrand which he had taken with the tongs from the altar. And he touched my mouth with it, and said: ‘Behold, this has touched your lips; your iniquity has been taken away, and your sin purged” (Is. 6: 6, 7) In the fraction of the Liturgy of St. Cyril, it is said: [As You sanctified the lips of your minister and prophet Isaiah; when one of the Seraphim took a firebrand from the altar, with a tong, and touched his lips,” This has touched your lips; your iniquity is taken away;” so also, we, the weak and sinful slaves, who request your mercy; we beseech You to sanctify our souls, bodies, and hearts. Grant us that true Firebrand, the Life-giving one to the soul, body and spirit - that is the Holy body and sacred blood, of Your Christ.] And in another prayer of fraction, the priest says, [Because I dared to touch Your body and blood, out of my yearning for your love, do not burn me with them, O my Creator; but burn rather all the thorns that is strangling my soul.] The holy Virgin Mary carried in her womb the Word of God, incarnated in her - the Firebrand that sanctifies humanity with His honored blood. 3. MISSION OF THE PROPHET ISAIAH As the prophet Isaiah saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, the train of His robe filling the temple, surrounded by the Seraphim, and his lips were sanctified by the divine firebrand, he yearned for the heavenly life and the angelic praise. But, at the same time, he also longed to see his people, enjoying that exalted life; as though he is saying with the apostle Paul: “I have a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better. Nevertheless to remain in the flesh is more needful for you.” (Philippians 1: 23, 24) That is what the prophet Isaiah also proclaims saying, “Also I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?’ Then I said, ‘Here am I! Send me.’” (Is. 6: 8) This is the fifth scene of that same vision, in which he was called for prophetical work, for the sake of the Kingdom of God. These scenes are: 1. The Lord God in His glory (Is. 6: 1). 2. The Seraphim praising Him (Is. 6: 2, 3). 3. The posts of the door shaken and the house filled with smoke (Is. 6: 4). 4. Sanctification of the lips of the prophet (Is. 6: 5 - 7). 5. Calling Isaiah by the voice of God Himself (Is. 6: 8). The call came from God the Almighty Himself; and as Isaiah believed in the 13 St. Cassian: Conf. 23:17. 14 Ibid. salvation ability and the sanctifying work of God, he came forward to take over himself that task, having faith that, although he was weak, yet he was strong by God. When we realize that we are nothing, we should believe in God the Almighty, who is capable, by His Holy Spirit, of working through us. Here, we should remark, that although the Speaker is singular: “Whom shall I send?” we find Him using the plural pronoun: “Who will go for us?” That is a confirmation that He is the One God in a Trinity; namely, of three Persons. God, the Holy Trinity accepted Isaiah’s offer, and said to him: “Go.” (Is. 6: 9) God sent Isaiah, not for the sake of gaining dignity or glory, but to get him into bitterness with a people who reject the Truth. Ministry is not Church positions or dignities, but spiritual strife, for washing the feet of others, and for provoking them to receive the truth; through the holy altar, that sanctifies the inner lips, and grants the active Word of God in the life of both ministers and the ministered. God put His words in the prophet’s mouth: “Keep on hearing, but do not understand. Keep on seeing, but do not perceive.” (Is. 6: 9) God put in Isaiah’s mouth numerous prophecies concerning the Lord Christ and His redemptive work, that were realized when the Lord Christ came. They heard and saw, yet they did not believe in Him, because their inner insight was blinded, in contradiction to the apostles, to whom the Lord said: “Blessed are your eyes, for they see; and your ears, for they hear.” (Matthew 13: 16) St. John Chrysostom says about these people: [They saw how He cast out demons, only to say, ‘He has Satan’; and saw those risen from the dead; yet, instead of prostrating to Him, they plotted to kill Him.] I have already presented a study of that prophecy, in our interpretation of the gospel according to St. Matthew, chapter 13. So here, I shall mention a comment by St. Augustine on the question: Why would we blame the Jews for their disbelief, when God has blinded their eyes? [They could not believe, because Isaiah so prophesied, as God told him what their situation would be. But, if you ask: what was the reason of their disbelief, I will instantly answer: They did not want to. As God foresaw their corrupted will, He so foretold His prophet, as the future is not hidden from Him... God blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts, as He forsook them, and denied them His care15.] St. Irenaeus answers the same question, saying, [They become blinded because of their disbelief in God. They look at Him, yet do not see Him; as to them, He is, as though, not there; as the case is with the sun - His creation - which blinds those with weak vision; to be unable to see its light. As to those who believe in Him and follow Him, He grants greater enlightenment to their minds16.] That is the interpretation of the words of the prophet: “Make the heart of this people dull and their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart and return and be healed.”(Is. 6: 10) It is to be noticed here, that God does not attribute the people to Him, but call them in His anger: “this people.” He counts them unworthy of being attributed to Him, because of the dullness of their hearts, the heaviness of their ears, and the blindness of their eyes; that is to say, because of their violence, rebellion, and spiritual ignorance. This prophecy refers to the denial of the Jews of the Lord Christ when He came, as well as to the denial of the prophesies in the days of Isaiah, to fall in 15 . In John tr. 53:6. 16 Adv. Haer. 3:19:1. captivity, and to be destroyed by Sennacherib the Assyrian. Isaiah got grieved, as he realized the heavy burden of responsibility to fall on his shoulders, and the troubles and pains waiting for him; as he as he realized the extent of destruction anticipated for the people, when, “Cities are laid waste and without inhabitants; the houses are without a man; the land is utterly desolate,” (Is. 6: 11) so he cried out saying, “Lord how long?” (Is. 6: 11) Was he asking: How long will the people remain in that misery? Or how long shall I be proclaiming such bitter and harsh prophesies?! The Lord revealed to him how the situation of the people would be, after their defeat before the Assyrians, proclaiming that “yet a tenth will be in it, and will return...” (Is. 6: 13); from which He will set a “holy seed;” thus prophesying about the captivity and what would follow it. At the same time, that is to be looked at, as a prophecy of the captivity of the Jews, in their denial of faith in the Lord Christ the Savior of the world, and that, by the end of time, a remnant would remain to return to faith in Him. The apostle Paul says, “Hardening in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in; and so all Israel will be saved.” (Romans 11: 25, 26)
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