“In the year of King Uzziah’s death, I saw Adonai sitting upon a high and lofty throne…” (Isaiah 6:1)
The opening words of this chapter in the Book of Isaiah fix in the history of the Jewish people the event it recounts: “In the year of King Uzziah’s death.” The reign of King Uzziah over Judah which had lasted for 52 years was over, and his son Jotham was about to succeed him to the throne. The Northern Kingdom was suffering under the fearful tyranny of military despotism. Shallum came to the throne by the murder of his predecessor. Menahem came to the throne by the murder of Shallum. Pekahial succeeded his father but was murdered by Pekah. And now Pekah was on the throne, reigning over a people who were soon to be scattered (this was the backdrop against which Isaiah was called).
The reign of King Uzziah was remarkable. He was 16 when he ascended the throne, he had set himself to seek God, and his reign had been a time of remarkable prosperity. Then his heart became lifted up, and the man who was victorious over the perils of adversity was overcome by the perils of prosperity. He rebelled against God and was smitten with leprosy. At last, he died. It was at this point that the vision came to Isaiah.
The earthly throne to which Isaiah and the rest of Judah had looked to for support was presently and momentarily empty. As it says in Psalm 11:3: “When the foundations are destroyed, what has the righteous man accomplished?” And that must have been the first feeling that came to the heart of the prophet amid the empty throne of Judah. Who would now succeed? As we read on, we find out that King Uzziah’s son Jotham would be the next king to sit on the throne of Judah. Nevertheless, at that precise moment (as we read in Isaiah 6), there was an empty earthly throne.
We then read on in Isaiah 6:8: “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.’”
First, there was the vision (“I saw the LORD”) with all that it meant of revelation to the soul of the prophet Isaiah concerning God, followed by the voice (“I heard the voice of the LORD”) asking if a worthy emissary was available for Divine service. So here, amid the earthly transition of Jewish royalty, God’s focus was on a seemingly unrelated mission – that of finding a worthy emissary to represent Him.
What are we to take away from all of this?
First, behind the empty earthly throne there was and is the eternal Throne of God that was never and will never be empty. Over the chaos that appalls the heart of man, there is the supreme God of order and government ruling over the heavens and the earth according to His Divine plan and purpose for all of Creation.
And second, at this particular juncture in the lineage of Jewish kings, this had more to do with God finding the very right and willing messenger to deliver His words to the nation of Judah at such a time as this, rather than who the next king of Judah would be. And what did Isaiah do? He responded: “Here am I! Send me.” Isaiah volunteered enthusiastically and was selected as that worthy emissary.
Today, how eager are we to serve the will of our Creator? We may not tangibly see the vision and hear the voice of God as the prophet Isaiah experienced, but we do have the Word of God filled with His vision and His voice to guide us each and every day. It is the Word of God that teaches us about our Creator and how to live our lives in accordance to what He desires, rather than what we want or think we need.
If I am to do anything for my Creator today, tomorrow or the next day, I must unlock His vision – not only for my life, but also for all of Creation – for God’s plan is so much greater and important than any seemingly small detail in our individual lives. And I must also hear the voice of God that resonates through every single word found in Scriptures, calling me to serve Him with all of my being, and respond emphatically: “Here am I! Send me.”
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