High and lifted up

In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the temple. Above it stood seraphim; each one had six wings: with two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one cried to another and said: "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; The whole earth is full of His glory!" – Isaiah 6v1-3

Isaiah spent five chapters decrying the state of the nation of Israel. When chapter 6 opens we find that the king is dead. Uzziah had started out okay as a king, but things went downhill from there. He became unfaithful and disloyal to the Lord. In many ways his life typified the state of the nation. His death was something of a wake-up call.

When Uzziah died the prophet Isaiah looked up and saw the Lord on a throne, ‘high and lifted up.’ Here was surrounded by seraphim who were calling out ‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts. The entire earth is full of His glory.’

In the midst of trial and trouble the Lord sat unmoved and unchanged on His throne. He was still there. He had not abdicated the throne in the midst of trouble. He was still high and lifted up. He was still holy, holy, holy.

What follows is a discussion between God and Isaiah, but for the moment I want to pause and look at this amazing image. Israel in her day was not that different from parts of the world today. People had riches and good aplenty. Instead of thanking and acknowledging the Lord for these things they turned further and further from Him. Their stuff became their gods.

But there was the Lord. Their denigration of Him did not affect Him. He was still high and lifted up. He was still holy, holy, holy. Their sin had not affected Him.

Habakkuk wrote of the same truth. In all of the nation’s sin and woe he wrote ‘The Lord is in His holy temple, let all the earth keep silence before Him.’

While we face the awesomeness of serving a high and lifted up tri-holy God we can take confidence that He is on the throne. In the midst of all that we face today He is still high and lifted up. He is today holy-holy-holy.