The Lord chose Isaiah to deliver to His church a message of the deepest importance; for it was a time when great danger threatened. The nature of the message that he bore is intimated in chap. 5:BEcho September 9, 1895, par. 1

“Now will I sing to my well-beloved a song of my beloved touching his vineyard. My well-beloved hath a vineyard in a very fruitful hill; and he fenced it, and gathered out the stones thereof, and planted it with the choicest vine, and built a tower in the midst of it, and also made a winepress therein; and he looked that it should bring forth grapes, and it brought forth wild grapes. And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem, and men of Judah, judge, I pray you, betwixt me and my vineyard. What could have been done more to my vineyard, that I have not done in it? Wherefore, when I looked that it should bring forth grapes, brought it forth wild grapes? And now go to; I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard: I will take away the hedge thereof, and it shall be eaten up; and break down the wall thereof, and it shall be trodden down. And I will lay it waste; it shall not be pruned nor digged, but there shall come up briers and thorns; I will also command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it. For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah His pleasant plant; and He looked for judgment, but behold oppression; for righteousness, but behold a cry.”BEcho September 9, 1895, par. 2

Israel had not appreciated the great blessings conferred upon them, but had apostatized from the principles of truth.BEcho September 9, 1895, par. 3

“Therefore as the fire devoureth the stubble, and the flame consumeth the chaff, so their root shall be as rottenness, and their blossom shall go up as dust; because they have cast away the law of the Lord of hosts, and despised the word of the Holy One of Israel. Therefore is the anger of the Lord kindled against His people, and He hath stretched forth His hand against them, and hath smitten them.”BEcho September 9, 1895, par. 4

This was the testimony of reproof that was given to Isaiah. The view he had of the errors and defections of Israel nearly overcame him, and their obstinacy and unbelief made his work seem impossible. What wonder that he was discouraged, and looked upon his mission as a failure?BEcho September 9, 1895, par. 5

A Vision of Divine Power

As the prophet was entering upon his work, he was given a vision of the glory and power of the God, whose messenger he was. He tells us that he stood under the portico of the heavenly temple, when all at once the gates and inner vail were withdrawn, and he was permitted to look on the sacred, awful mysteries of the holy of holies. It is impossible for the human mind, unaided by divine power, to catch even an outline of the scene opened to his vision. He says:BEcho September 9, 1895, par. 6

“I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and His train filled the temple. Above it stood the seraphim; each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly. And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory. And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke. Then said I, 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 mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts.” Isaiah 6:1-5.BEcho September 9, 1895, par. 7

The revelation given to Isaiah was of the King, the Lord of hosts, a being greater than any earthly potentate. He was seated on a throne, high and lifted up, with bright-winged seraphim on either side as a royal guard. “Each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet [in token of reverence and humility], and with twain he did fly,” representing an instant execution of the Lord's bidding. Heavenly beings stood around the throne of Omnipotence, waiting His commands, and swift in the performance of their service to the inhabitants of earth.BEcho September 9, 1895, par. 8

“And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory.” Over against the throne stood the seraphim, glowing with the holy flame of divine love, and the prophet's ears were made to hear their glorious heavenly melodies, loud and triumphant. And at their songs of praise the posts of the door shook to their foundation, and “the house was filled with smoke.”BEcho September 9, 1895, par. 9

The Prophet Encouraged in God

O, this vision is enough to reassure Isaiah! The resources of heaven have been opened before him. He has had a view of the divine power and majesty with which Christ, the Son of God, is associated. The scene will ever remain in his memory as a living reality. At the very time that the prophet was shown that the cities would be wasted without inhabitant, and the land utterly desolated, the Lord was in His holy place, watching over the destinies of His people. Now, if need be, Isaiah can meet years of toil, hardship, and perplexity, and not be discouraged. The Lord slumbers not, neither is His power limited. “The Lord reigneth; let the people tremble. He sitteth between the cherubim; let the earth be moved. The Lord is great in Zion; and He is high above all the people. Let them praise Thy great and terrible name; for it is holy.”BEcho September 9, 1895, par. 10

The Littleness of the Human Agent

What impression did this vision make on the prophet? Thus he describes it: “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 mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts.” Isaiah had denounced woes upon others for their apostasy and separation from God. He had been almost ready to yield to discouragement, so keenly did he realize that he dwelt among “a people of unclean lips;” but now he sees himself in danger. He is himself “a man of unclean lips.” He had no disposition to exalt himself. O how little he was in his own wisdom, how unworthy, how unfitted for sacred service. He was overwhelmed with a sense of his own weakness and sinfulness.BEcho September 9, 1895, par. 11

But Isaiah is not left in despair. He says, “Then flew one of the seraphim unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar. And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged.”BEcho September 9, 1895, par. 12

A Present-Day Lesson

The vision of Isaiah represents the position of God's people in the last days, when they are privileged to see by faith the work going on in the sanctuary above. Jesus is seated with His Father on the throne, high and lifted up, and all who come to God through Him will find access into the inner sanctuary. The view of the glory of God in His excellent majesty prepares the heart to humility; and the very work done for Isaiah will be done for all who humble themselves and acknowledge their sins; for the bow of promise is above the throne.BEcho September 9, 1895, par. 13

September 2, 1895

September 23, 1895