In Isaiah 6:5, Isaiah finds himself in the presence of the Lord and becomes aware of his earthly condition. He exclaims, “Woe to me!” When we stand before a holy God, the reality of our state becomes evident. Isaiah’s declaration reflects the overwhelming magnitude of God’s holiness, leaving him feeling undone.
This attitude is significant. Scriptures remind us of Jesus’ promise: “I am with you always,” and God’s proclamation in the Old Testament: “I will not leave you or forsake you” (Deut. 31:6; Matt. 28:20). Yet, we often become so self-focused that we forget God’s presence, substituting it with a desire to make a name for ourselves, much like the descendants of Noah who built the Tower of Babel only leading to confusion(Genesis 11:4). Our thoughts become dominated by “How can I get, I want, I deserve.”
As we achieve these “towers” of accomplishment, we may feel a sense of superiority. Conversely, if we perceive our towers as lacking, we may be overwhelmed by feelings of inferiority. These responses reveal a self-centered mindset—one that is unaware of God’s presence and instead fixates on self. The hard truth is that all our accomplishments and failures seek our attention but cannot compete with the reality of walking in God’s presence where everything is lived for the glory of God.
In Isaiah 6:1-5, we see that Isaiah enters God’s presence without having to prove his worthiness or mature in understanding. He simply encounters God’s holiness: “I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the temple.”
We must acknowledge that all the towers we try to build and all our perceived accomplishments fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). When we truly confront the reality of God’s presence, we cannot help but respond with, “Woe is me! I am undone.” The truth of who God is reveals a clear view of ourselves. Isaiah, a prophet of God, states, “Woe is me! I am a man of unclean lips, among a people of unclean lips.” There is no hierarchy here, Isaiah is saying I’m like them; everyone is rendered unclean in God’s presence and stands in need of a Savior’s touch, just as Jesus provides (Matt. 15:18-19; 1 John 1:8-9).
What happens to a person’s plans, dreams, and accomplishments in the presence of God? If they are not aligned with God’s will, they are ultimately in vain. God’s manifest presence is with us. He has given us His Spirit, who convicts us concerning sin, righteousness, and judgment (John 16:8). This is the same presence that Isaiah experienced, and it is worth noting that Isaiah encountered God during a time of need (Isaiah 6:1). Similarly, Jesus tells the story of the prodigal son, who experienced his father’s presence only when he was at his lowest (Luke 15:11-32).
Recognizing our needs should not lead us to attempt to fix the problem through penance but rather through sorrow that leads to repentance, ultimately resulting in salvation. If we attempt to “fix it” or “make it better,” in our own strength we may fall into a cycle of worldly sorrow that brings death because it cannot be done (2 Cor. 7:8-10). It is Christ alone who can mend and improve our condition.
Isaiah understood his condition and his need for divine intervention. With God’s intervention, Isaiah transitioned from feeling undone to being made whole, compelled by God’s love to obey and heed His call: “Here I am! Send me!” (2 Cor. 5:14-15; Isaiah 6:8-9).
Part of the process of dying to self involves recognizing our human condition and our continual need for Christ’s intervention. If we acknowledge this, we can trust that God’s Spirit will guide us to the specific areas where He calls us to deny ourselves—those towers. We must remain open, willing, and ready. We live in the presence of God (Psalm 139:7-12). Now, like Isaiah, let us rest in and encounter God’s holiness.
inspired by David Nasser a call to die
At times I feel like I left Jesus out of my career in the military. My priorities were on my troops, my job and my advancement. After retirement, I’ve wondered what my purpose was many times. While on active duty I felt very driven and as if the things I did mattered. For the first few years after I retired it seemed as if that was all a waste of time and effort because in an instant – at my retirement ceremony – that part of my life died. I literally felt as if I was at my own funeral. Hearing people talk about me in the past tense. It took me a while to see how all my past experiences were preparing me for the things God has for me now. Jesus was with me the whole time even when I didn’t think I needed Him.
on point!
I understand how Isaiah felt being in the presence of a holy God and being unworthy. I am so unworthy of his blessings, yet he continues to pour out incredible blessings on me. I try with all my might to be worthy, yet I fail over and over again. It is as if I am addicted to being a judgmental arrogant jerk, and no matter how hard I try, I cannot stop. I pray for his help regularly, but I continue to fail. I am comforted by knowing that even the apostle Paul struggled with this as well as he says in Romans 7:19, “For I do not do the good that I want, but the evil I do not want I keep on doing.” It is very frustrating. but if I look at myself only a few years ago, I can see that God is slowly changing me into a better man. I would be lost without His leadership and His grace.
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Isaiah 6:5
And I said, “Woe to me! For I am destroyed! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I am living among a people of unclean lips, for my eyes have seen the king, Yahweh of hosts!”
Isaiah 6 opens up with the statement of “in the year of the death of Uzziah the king”. 2 Chronicles 26 tells about king Uzziah, how he “feared God and sought the Lord, and God made him prosper”, how his fame went to the edges of Egypt, and how he was able to fortify Jerusalem. But Uzziah grew prideful and became unfaithful to the Lord even to the point of burning incense on the altar of incense – a task that was only for the priests. Upon the altercation of the priests, the Lord struck Uzziah with leprosy on his forehead. He rushed out and was exiled from the house of the Lord, a leper until he died.
This is happening in the backdrop as Isaiah shows up in the first chapter. In Isaiah 1:4 we see God call out Israel as a “sinful nation, a people heavy with iniquity”. In verse 11, God essentially refuses the sacrifices and calls them out as heartless offerings. Even in verse 13 He says “incense – it is an abomination to me”. Now, I do not know the time line exactly of when Isaiah 1 was written, but I imagine Uzziah was not the first to improperly position himself in the Lord’s house and that is made evident by Isaiah’s decree from God. And in verse 16, God says “Make yourselves clean!”
Isaiah writes 5 chapters before verse 6:5, but it is clear to me there is a large separation set up and being revealed between the holiness of God and the deplorable state of mankind. The purpose of sacrifice and offerings to God was lost in the years between Moses and Uzziah. God seemingly became common place, just another tradition of man where we do because we have always done.
In the moment where Isaiah saw the Lord sitting on a high and raised throne with seraphs standing above him singing (Isaiah 6:1-2), this model of the world and tradition fell apart for Isaiah. He realized just how unrighteous, unholy, and unclean he was. “Woe to me,” he cries. Then he thinks about the people he is surrounded by, the nation of Israel, and feels the same conviction for those people as well. “I am a man of unclean lips, living among a people of unclean lips.” He wasn’t even worthy of saying the name of the Lord much less speaking on His behalf.
Then a seraph touches Isaiah mouth with a hot coal from the altar and removed Isaiah’s guilt and even says “your sin is annulled.” God made Isaiah clean in that moment, so he was able to go out and proclaim the message from the Lord to the people. Just as He has done through the power of the Holy Spirit since Acts 2.