Woe Is Me!
1. Why did Isaiah say, “woe is me”?
Is.6:5 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.
NOTE: Read the previous verses
Is. 6:1 In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple. Is. 6:2 Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly. Is. 6:3 And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is
the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory. Is. 6:4 And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke.
ANSWER: Isaiah saw the holiness of the Lord, and he felt so unholy in the
presence of God.
2. Observe the “woe” messages before Isaiah 6:
Is. 3:9 The shew of their countenance doth witness against them; and they declare their sin as Sodom, they hide it not. Woe unto their soul! for they have rewarded evil unto themselves.
Is. 3:11 Woe unto the wicked! it shall be ill with him: for the reward of his hands shall be given him.
Is. 5:8 Woe unto them that join house to house, that lay field to field, till there be no place, that they may be placed alone in the midst of the earth! Is. 5:11 Woe unto them that rise up early in the morning, that they may follow strong drink; that continue until night, till wine inflame them!
Is. 5:18 Woe unto them that draw iniquity with cords of vanity, and sin as it were with a cart rope:
Is. 5:20 Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! Is. 5:21 Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight! Is. 5:22 Woe unto them that are mighty to drink wine, and men of strength to mingle strong drink:
OBSERVATION: It was possible for Isaiah to fall into the sin of self-righteousness, because he was giving the message of “woe unto” you. This type of message can cause messengers to think that they are better then their audience, because they are comparing themselves with the wicked audience. For this reason, before Isaiah continue to give “woe” messages, God wanted Isaiah to compare himself with His holiness so that Isaiah can feel his helplessness and feel his total dependency on God.
MONDAY-THURSDAY
Thy Sin Is Purged
1. What does it mean when the Bible say “thy sin is purged”?
Is. 6:7 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.
ANSWER: Purging of sin means to take away iniquity.
2. Who can take away our sin?
John 1:29 The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith,
Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.1John 3:5 And ye know that he was manifested to take away our
sins; and in him is no sin.Heb. 9:25 Nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood of others Heb. 9:26 For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.
ANSWER: Jesus can take away our sin, because He is the Lamb of God and our High Priest.
3. What did the seraphim use to take away Isaiah’s iniquity? And where did the seraphim get it?
Is. 6:6 Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar
ANSWER: A live coal from the altar
4. Which altar?
Is. 6:1 In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple.
OBSERVATION: This altar is connected to the temple. Most likely, it was the altar
of incense.
5. What filled the temple?
ANSWER: His train
6. What is His train?
Train = 7757. shool; from an unused root meaning to hang down; a skirt; by implication, a bottom edge:—hem, skirt, train.
OBSERVATION: The same Hebrew word was used to describe the robe of the High
Priest.
Ex. 28:33 And beneath upon the hem of it thou shalt make pomegranates of blue, and of purple, and of scarlet, round about the hem thereof; and bells of gold between them round about:
Ex. 28:34 A golden bell and a pomegranate, a golden bell and a pomegranate, upon the hem of the robe round about.
Ex. 39:24 And they made upon the hems of the robe pomegranates of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and twined linen.
Ex. 39:25 And they made bells of pure gold, and put the bells between the pomegranates upon the hem of the robe, round about between the pomegranates;
Ex. 39:26 A bell and a pomegranate, a bell and a pomegranate, round about the hem of the robe to minister in; as the LORD commanded Moses.
OBSERVATION: Based upon the following facts, such as “His train”,
“temple”, “altar”, I conclude that Isaiah saw God in the heavenly sanctuary in his vision.
7. Where else in the Bible do we have angels with six wings crying “holy, holy,
holy” before the throne of God?
Rev. 4:5 And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices: and there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God. Rev. 4:8 And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come.
OBSERVATION: Rev. 4 is also talking about God in the heavenly sanctuary.
8. Observational Questions
Why did God (most likely Jesus) reveal Himself as High Priest to Isaiah?
Why did God lead Isaiah to feel his uncleanness so that Isaiah would cry
out “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”? Really, Isaiah was asking for cleansing.Why didn’t Isaiah use the expression “forgive me”?
Why was a coal from the altar used to cleanse Isaiah?
What is God trying to tell us through this story?
9. Observational Conclusions
Isaiah was having a “day of atonement” experience.
He was looking at the High Priest in His temple
He was afflicting his soul: “woe is me!”
He was asking for cleansing
God wanted Isaiah to give cleansing message to his people
Is. 1:16 Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil
Is. 52:11 Depart ye, depart ye, go ye out from thence, touch no unclean thing; go ye out of the midst of her; be ye clean, that bear the vessels of the LORD.
Is. 66:20 And they shall bring all your brethren for an offering unto the LORD out of all nations upon horses, and in chariots, and in litters, and upon mules, and upon swift beasts, to my holy mountain Jerusalem, saith the LORD, as the children of Israel bring an offering in a clean vessel into the house of the LORD.
God wants us to give this message in the last days. Dan. 8:14 and Rev. 14:6, 7
God’s great missionaries are like Isaiah, who can say with great humility, “Here am I send me”. These types of missionaries can give the message of hope to the hopeless world. And the message of hope is cleansing of our sins in the heavenly sanctuary by our High Priest, Jesus Christ. Only then we can have the hope of His second coming!! This is the reason why we are Seventh-day Adventists.
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