The edifying vision of the prophet Isaiah

"And I said : Woe to me ! For I am lost ; For I am a man of unclean lips, and dwell in the midst of a people with unclean lips ; For my eyes have seen the king, the Lord of hosts." Isaiah 6: 5

The prophet has this vision "the year of the death of King Uzziah" (about 740 BC) (v. 1). This king had become a leper after having transgressed the divine law by adding to his office those of a priest (2 Chr 26, 16-19). God manifests his holiness and glory in a striking manner, recalling the death of the leprous king : "The foundations of the thresholds were shaken at the voice of him who cried out, and the house was Filled with smoke "(Sec 6: 4).

It is instructive to confront these uncommon divine manifestations in the N.T where Jesus discovers us rather humility and divine grace.

For all that, God remains what he is, and Isaiah's behavior recalls what a man must be before God: to feel lost. In Isaiah this feeling does not depend on a particular sin, but it is the consequence of his sinful nature related to the fall of man. Since then, the state of the fundamentally sinful man has not improved and the daily televised information prove it to the envy. However, God never compromises with sin. If he is patient in his grace, it is by virtue of the sacrifice of his Son on the cross waiting for men to repent and acknowledge their salvific value. This sacrifice is alluded to when the seraph touches with a burning coal that he had taken from the altar the mouth of the prophet. He then said : "Behold, this has touched your lips ; And your iniquity is taken away, and forgiveness is made for your sin "(Isa. 6: 6, 7).

In the world today, this vision reminds us with force who is God in his holiness ; Too often one has forgotten this dimension and one speaks lightly of the "Good God". Thus, prophet, presents us his experience. For us also a more acute awareness of the holiness of God makes us appreciate more the immensity of divine grace and makes us able to communicate it to others.

Source (Please the Lord)