Entering the Holy of Holies – From Isaiah to Today

By Debra DuPree Williams @DDuPreeWilliams

When my husband and I sang in the choir at Independent Presbyterian Church in Birmingham, Alabama, one of our favorite anthems was In The Year That King Uzziah Died, by David McK. Williams. The text is from Isaiah 6:1-8. Our pastor preached from this text this week.

This passage speaks of a vision Isaiah had of the LORD sitting on a throne. The LORD wore robes and the long train filled the entire temple.

Because Isaiah was in the presence of God he realized he was a sinner and he believed he would surely die. He said Woe is me! For I am lost; for 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!  (ESV, vs. 5). The word lost here appears as undone in Hebrew. Isaiah was completely unglued as our pastor said today. Undone is the word used in the text of the anthem, too.

YOUR SIN IS PURGED

Isaiah described the seraphim, flaming angels, each with six wings, which stood above the LORD. One of the seraphim flew to Isaiah with a lump of burning coal held in tongs taken from the altar. The seraphim placed this coal on Isaiah’s lips and said to him, Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for (vs.7 ESV).

At this point, Isaiah hears the LORD speak. He says, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? (ESV vs. 8a). Isaiah responds with, Here I am! Send me! (ESV vs. 8b).

GO

God then told Isaiah to Go.

This marked the beginning of Isaiah’s call to prophesy the coming Messiah to the people of Israel. In spite of all the things Isaiah told them, when Christ did arrive and began His ministry, they didn’t believe He was who He said He was. But His coming into the world is what changed the course of our lives for all eternity when we believe.

When we accept Christ as our Savior, we are no longer our old sinful selves, because we’ve been cleansed by the blood of the Sacrificial Lamb, Jesus.

The coal which touched Isaiah’s lips had been taken from the altar where sacrifices were made to God to atone for the sins of the people. That coal had been covered in the blood of The Lamb. It was He who sat on the throne, He who atoned for Isaiah’s sin, and it was He who told Isaiah to go.

CALLED

What the LORD said to Isaiah all those centuries ago, He says to us today. Firstly, He calls us, Come, follow me. He said this in each of the Gospels and not just to his apostles, but to any who would follow Him and He’s still calling us today.

Once we make the decision to become Jesus Followers by confessing our sin, declaring our belief that He is the Son of God, that He died on the cross, that He rose from the dead, that He ascended into Heaven, we are new creatures in Christ. Therefore, if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come (2 Cor. 5: 17 NASB).

Then, we are all called to The Great Commission. Jesus told his remaining eleven disciples, Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age (Matthew 28:19-20 NASB).

In our small group at church, we’ve talked a lot lately about sharing the Gospel, the call to The Great Commission. We all said it’s scary, and it is. We never know how someone will react to our sharing Jesus with them. But, He reminded the apostles and He reminds us today, through His Word, that He didn’t leave us alone. Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age (Matthew 28:20 NASB).

Whatever you’ve been called to in this life, you’ve been given the charge to share the Good News with those around you.

Entering the Holy of Holies - From Isaiah to Today @DDuPreeWilliams #faith #calledtoserve Share on X

Not all of us can be missionaries and go into all the darkest corners of the world. I wasn’t called to that, but I have a dear friend who, along with her husband and family, was. She fulfilled her first calling and is now home and writing to advance the Kingdom.

SEND ME

Wherever you are, whatever you do in this life, you’ve been equipped with what you need to share the Gospel – your faith, the written Word of God, and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.

If you’ve read this and you don’t know if you’ve given your life to Christ, but you feel you’re being called to do that, contact me. It will be my honor to share the message of redemption and eternal life with you.

Blessings, y’all!

Below is a beautiful picture of what Isaiah’s vision may have looked like. I hope it blesses you as much as it blessed us. It actually took my breath away.