"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” (Isa. 6:5).
There is something about being in
the presence of God that should make us aware of our own unworthiness. Do you
remember when Jesus called his first disciples by the Sea of Galilee? Peter sees
the great catch of fish so great that their nets begin to break and two boats
begin to sink. He falls down at Jesus’ feet and says, “Depart from me, for I am
a sinful man, O Lord” (Luke 5:6-8). And of course we remember the words of the
tax collector in Jesus’ parable—“God, be merciful to me, a sinner!” (Luke
18:13).
Isaiah comes to this same
realization when he sees the vision of a holy God sitting on his throne. “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” (Isa. 6:5). The prophet
recognizes that his guilt is genuine and so is that of the people.
Worship ought to be an occasion
for introspection, and a time of self-examination. In fact, when we remember
that we are in the presence of a holy God, when we really see God as he is by
faith, how can we help but see more clearly our own unworthiness to be in his
presence?
Such self-examination is part
of the value of meeting with God. Worshiping God reminds us of our dependence
upon him. It helps us more keenly to feel our need for his strength. It brings
us to him who alone can lift us up to higher ground.
The broken spirit and contrite
heart are marks of the believing soul. “Woe is me, for I am lost” says the
prophet.
Isaiah's confession and
contrition were met with God's gracious provision of mercy. As God promised the
prophet in another place, “I dwell in the
high and holy place, and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit,
to revive the spirit of the lowly, and to revive the heart of the contrite”
(Isa. 57:15). So, in the great throne scene of Isaiah 6, an angelic being touches
the prophet’s mouth with a burning coal and says, “your guilt is taken away,
and your sin is atoned for” (Isa. 6:7).
Surely, this reminds us of what
God has done for us through Christ, and that “God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ
died for us” (Rom. 5:8).
Worshiping God should remind us of
our need for his mercy. But we also are reminded that he is a God of amazing
grace. And knowing that God is a God of grace, we can approach him with a thankful
heart. We are thankful for his mercy. We are thankful for every manifestation
of his goodness. We are thankful that he has loved us even while we are
sinners.
"Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within
me, bless his holy name! Bless the Lord,
O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your iniquity, who
heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you
with steadfast love and mercy, who satisfies you with good so that your youth
is renewed like the eagle's…Bless the Lord,
O my soul!" (Ps. 103:1-6, 22).
Dan Petty
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