After seeing the vision of the throne of God and the glory of God and seeing the Lord high and lifted up upon a throne, Isaiah said, “… 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 6:4) Isaiah did not try to make any excuses, he did not try to look better than he was, he did not try to reason out what he was seeing. Isaiah admitted that he was a man of unclean lips and that his people were as well and that he had no right to be standing and looking upon the glory and righteousness, holiness, and majesty of the Lord of hosts. Isaiah humbled himself and confessed before God that he was a sinner and undone and unclean.
There were other times in the Bible that people had an encounter with God and felt themselves unworthy and unable to speak. After one encounter with God, Moses declared that he was a man “of uncircumcised lips?” (See Exodus 6:12) When Jeremiah had an encounter with God, he said, “Ah, Lord GOD! behold, I cannot speak: for I am a child.” (See Jeremiah 1:6) When the Israelites had an encounter with God at Mt. Sinai, “they said unto Moses, Speak thou with us, and we will hear: but let not God speak with us, lest we die.” (See Exodus 20:19)
For each of these people mentioned above, God had a solution. For the Israelites, God allowed Moses to be their go-between and speak to God and carry God’s message to them. When God appeared to Moses at the burning bush, He said, “…I will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt say.” (Exodus 4:12) Later, when Moses and Aaron stood before Pharaoh, God said to Moses, “Thou shalt speak all that I command thee: and Aaron thy brother shall speak unto Pharaoh…” (Exodus 7:2) The Lord said to Jeremiah, “…Say not, I am a child: for thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak.” (Jeremiah 1:7) Moses, Aaron, and Jeremiah were all of unclean lips and felt inadequate to do God’s work. However, God put His words in their mouths so that they could speak with confidence because the message was from Him.
What did God do for Isaiah? In response to Isaiah humbling himself before Him, God sent an angel to Isaiah with a remedy for his iniquity and sin, “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: 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.” (Isaiah 3:6,7) Fire was a symbol of purification. The hot coals were used on the altar to roast meat, specifically the meat of the sacrifices. The altar was one for burnt offerings. It was kindled the first time by God Himself and was to be kept continually burning. When Isaiah’s lips were touched with the coal from the altar, this was a picture that he was fully submitted to God and available to Him for any service. He was now a living sacrifice, ever burning in the service of God (See Romans 12:1,2)
The reason the coal was laid upon Isaiah’s lips is that it was Isaiah’s mouth that was the tool to be used of God. The coal was used to cleanse Isaiah, to take away his iniquity and purge him of sin. This had to be forgiven, purged away, and cut off before Isaiah was able to do work for a holy God. When he was made clean by God and fully submitted to Him and available for service as a living sacrifice, God was ready to use Isaiah in His work. Isaiah was prepared for the ministry God called Him to do.
Are we prepared for the ministry God calls us to do? Am I? Do I have a heart and lips that are made clean before God and a body that has been presented to Him as a living sacrifice? This is the only way to be a fit vessel for the service of God. Perhaps, in America, to see a revival among God’s people, we need more Christians to have a right view of God, to see His holiness and purity and righteousness; and to have a right view of self – unworthy, undone, unclean, in need of God’s cleansing and purifying, a submitting of self as a sacrifice to God’s service, and a need to be made fit by God Himself as a useful worker for Him.