The Pulpit Commentary — Isaiah — Volume 1 — Section 120

and ls enppoeed: ~o; denote the burning· love earth is full of hill glog1 ]liven in h~ven of the blessed spuits epokon of. .They 11p- f1i' e a e ~ed fo C!i.fili;.. peu.rcd to the prophet u.s standing nb9ve the 1 r !l . ne lfr'eo.Tur is King as he s11* upoi:i his thro.ne-" atanding" m e~l , s. . eet of_ e,ngeuo_::JJI.Wraricea to show their r~ad,n!;SII to minister; but why co p. Co~. IV, ; e .'in:~. The lesson "n.bove him('., is not . so clear. . Perhaps, Wilil!h11'iey gather Wom€he1ieontemplation, aim ply, ae those that eland are "above" even under a\! the roiserab\e circumstances those . th,at sit; .perhaps 11s ready to fly of the time, is a cheering one: "The whole through mfinite spu.ce at the faddrng of hu:g. earth is full of God's glory.'' l'l'Ien1.-~ther who was t~lit!jy fu!~ as 1£ were ~:!!ill it or iot, are working out <rod's upon~i;i"groun . Tlie1r form, as seen by purpoees;'/tdvaucrng his ifoe1gl'ie, accomE the prophet,.appeo.rs to .have been human, ing'_t,_h§._im.D"'1liI, ltil _deai~see omi- an«;l only distinguished from ordinary hu- tefacs on eh. v. 25-~ · - manity by the wiogs. Thus, though in. Ver. 4~The poata of the door moved; name they resembled th,oee other " fiery rather, the baau of tl&e threslwld,, ,hool, ( com- pnea," •. which had punished the Jewd in pare Re\'ieed Version). The shout of the the wi,ldernese (N µmb. :Q:½ 6-9), there is, seraphs shook the . very foun,btions on notbµig to sllljW. thnt Isaiah in any, way which the thresholds:of. the gates of heaven connected the two. Eaohone·had sii wings. rested-a testimony to the energy with Geeeniµe .is mi_staken in sayi1ig._th&:t there which it was uttered. At the voice of him ii.re at'· Persepolis· any six-winged •figures that eried;. i.e. ".at the voice or' en.eh and (' ThesO:uru.s/ p, 1342). . The l'er11ians not all.". 'Ihe house was filled with smoke. unfreque'ntly, repree.ente4. the.ir genii :with. " Smoke" is sometimes the mere eign of the four. wings. (' Ancient ,Monarchies,' vo). iii. presence of God, as in eh. iv. 5; but more pp···· 3··.53.• .354·)··; hut' no. eix-wing.~d fi. gures often it indicates hie presence in anger or have ·been:fou_nd,; ~o far .as I know, amqng judgment (see Exod. xix. 18; xx. 18; Rev. th,el\,.rsian remau~s.,, '.With twaiD, he co~ered xv. 8). Here there had been no smoke at his face, etc... The geagral. id,l)a of the six first, and we must suppose it, therefore, e. wings W!MI prohalily rapid tl.ight, the carry- sign of the anger which finds vent in ing out of _God's. b~hests. "with speed ver. 9-12. swiftly." But, in tile Divine presence, the Vers. 5-7.-Tim SEQUEL 01!' THE V1s10N :wings were. app).ied to a different use. One -THE PaoPHET's SENsE ol!' UNWOBTH~ESs. pair reiled t)le sero.ph'a head from .\1\e in- tol~rahle. effulgence _of th11 Divine .glory; The vision· of God in this life, whether e,nother concealed, .the: feet, soiled in. their natural or ecstatic, cannot but produce in the various ministratioue, )and unmeet for the beholder a.dee.p feeli.ng of his unworthiness.1 all-pure presence; . the third pair aloDe God "is of puxer eyes than to behold ini- sustained. the seraph in_ mid~air, Bll he quity;~• even " the ·heavens a.re not clean hovered in r~ne~e. to. depart on , any errand 0l} ~hich JeJ1ova_h might ~end him. in his sight" (Job xv. 15)- Man, being .Ver. 3.-Qna, ori~!ti ,~ther,. kept crying never wholly purged from sin while on (comp. Rev. iv. 8; :" 1'hey rest not day and eartll, cannot but ·shrink from contact with 1;1igM, saying, lfoly, h9ly, holy'.'). But the the absolutely Holy. Hence Isaiah's cry prophet scarcely ,goes so far; he describes ( ver. 5) ; and hence, to comfort him, the only his vision-tjley.dld not rest while the vision was vouchsafed him. Holy, holy, symbolic action of the seraph (ver. 6) e.nd h9ly. •Thf\l Church, on eii.rt_h ho.s tu.ken his encouruging words (ver. 7). pattern by the Church .above; , and the Ver. 5.-1 am und0I1ej literally, cut off, •~ Tdeagio~ ", is ever b~fng .repeated in _one destroyed (comp. eh. xv. 1; Jer. xlvii. 5; po.rt of the ~o.rth or o.nqther without ceas- Hos. iv. 5, 6, etc.). G'od once so.id himself, ing: "Thou \:Olltiouest llqly1 0 thou Worship "There sllnll no mnn see me nnd live" of Israel." There is no attribute so eseentiu.l ( Exod. xxxiii. 20). l\Ien expected to die to God as this, It is for hie holiness, more even when they had seen ungels of God the.n. for anything else, tlie,t hie creatures (Gen. xxxii, 30; -J udg. vi. 22, 2::l; xiii. 22). wC1rehip h,im. . The triple repetit\9n has Bow we aro to reconcile Exod. ::i:xxiii. 20 been understood in u.11 ages of the Church with this pa.$sage, Job xiii. 5, u.nd Ezek. i. as connected with the doctrine of the Trinity. 26-2S, is uncertain. Perhaps the ecstatic Holy is be ·who has cren,ted us, and bidden sight was not iuclmled iu the "seeing" of us worship him in the J;,eauty of holiness I which God spoke to l\Ioses. I am a man of Holy is lie _wb.o b,o,~ redeemed us, and wae~ed unoleo.n lips. A man must be indeed "' per- away our sine, and 1r10.de us ._by profes~10n fect " never to offend in word ( J a.s. iii. 2), holy I Holy is he who do.y hydo.y sanctifies lsa.io.h fdt thn.t he ho.d often so offended. us, and mo.)l:1;1s UB in very deed o.nd truth, so His lips, were not "clean" in God's sight, far 11s w~ will permit him, holy I. .The wholt o.nd i! not his lips, thcu not his heart; for 108 THE BOOK OF THE PROPHET JSAIAH. (mt, VI. 1-13,