QT 17/02/2025 Mon. Isaiah 6. End of Man's ability—unmasks The LORD's capability. 人的尽头，神的开始.

QT 17/02/2025 Mon. Isaiah 6. End of Man's ability—unmasks The LORD's capability.
READ http://www.esvbible.org/isaiah6

人的尽头，神的开始
The juxtaposition of the death of King Uzziah (6:1) with Isaiah seeing the LORD sitting on the throne suggests to readers that, frequently, mankind can only see God when they have expended all human efforts to solve what they are trying to solve without avail.

Isaiah 6:1 In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. (ESV)

Isaiah 6 contained the call of Isaiah, set out here rather than in chapter 1. The text portrayed the need of the hour (chapters 1–5) before the narration of God's call for a servant of His to minister to that need.

REFLECTION: We work as God enabled and equipped us. We have to check whether we rely solely on human effort and wisdom in the important things and decisions of life. What is the result of your self-diagnosis? Consulting brothers and sisters in the church might help you see more clearly!

Isaiah 6:2–5
[2] Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. [3] And one called to another and said:
“Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts;
the whole earth is full of his glory!”
[4] And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. [5] And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!” (ESV)

Reconciling with the holy LORD
The text gave a rare vision of the heavenly throne rarely accessible to mankind. The whole earth should be filled with His glory just like in this heavenly temple (6:3), and not with the filth described in chapters 1–5. The shaking foundations (6:4) reminded readers of Moses on Mount Sinai and The LORD's power and lordship over the temple, which extends to all the earth.

The LORD's holiness confronted Isaiah, who recognised that he was "a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips" (6:5). Isaiah was fearful to have seen the LORD and suffer death due to the incompatability of mankind's uncleanness with the LORD's holiness. Therefore, Isaiah exclaimed "Woe is me!" (6:5).

REFLECTION: Thankfully, the solution originated from the LORD's altar, when a seraphim took a burning coal from there to touch Isaiah's mouth (6:7). The text explained that this cleansing provided by the LORD would have taken Isaiah's guilt away and atoned for sin (6:7). Have you made peace with the LORD?

Faithful to the commission
Isaiah accepted the call of the LORD (6:8). Nevertheless, the LORD explained that the results of Isaiah's ministry would be far from positive.

Isaiah 6:9–10
[9] And he said, “Go, and say to this people:
“‘Keep on hearing, but do not understand;
keep on seeing, but do not perceive.’
[10] Make the heart of this people dull,
and their ears heavy,
and blind their eyes;
lest they see with their eyes,
and hear with their ears,
and understand with their hearts,
and turn and be healed.” (ESV)

The people have hardened their hearts in the past so much that they now remained numb to the LORD's message. What's left was for judgment of the LORD to fall upon them. The people would be left on their own with their hardened hearts. Isaiah's preaching would only now be a witness to the people that they had the opportunity to turn back to the LORD but have now squandered it.

The above verses have been quoted or alluded to in Matthew 13:14–15; Acts 28:26–27; Mark 4:12; Luke 8:10; Romans 11:8. APPLICATION: Accepting Jesus would bring forth ultimate blessings of eternal life while rejecting Him has serious consequences. Live cheerfully and serve the LORD and His Son faithfully regardless of the receptivity of recipients. Avoid numbness.

QT 17/02/2025 星期一. 以赛亚书 6. 人的尽头，神的开始
阅读 http://m.bbintl.org/bible/ncv/isa/6

人的尽头，神的开始
乌西雅王之死（6:1）与以赛亚看见耶和华坐在宝座上并列，这向读者暗示，人类往往只有在用尽一切办法解决自己想要解决的问题却毫无结果时，才能看见神。

以赛亚书 6:1 乌西雅王去世那年，我看见主坐在高高的宝座上，他的衣裳垂下，充满圣殿。

《以赛亚书》第 6 章包含了以赛亚的呼召，而不是在第 1 章中。这段经文描绘了当时的需要（第 1-5 章），然后才叙述上帝呼召他的仆人来满足这一需要。

反思：我们工作时带着神给我们的能力和装备。我们必须检查一下，在人生的重要事情和决定上，我们是否完全依赖于人的努力和智慧。你自我诊断的结果是什么？请咨询教会中的弟兄姊妹，也许会帮助你看得更清楚！

以赛亚书 6：2-5 在他上面有撒拉弗侍立，各有六个翅膀；用两个翅膀遮脸，两个翅膀遮脚，两个翅膀飞翔。3 他们彼此高呼着说：“圣哉！圣哉！圣哉！万军之耶和华！他的荣光充满全地。” 4 因呼叫者的声音，门槛的根基震撼，殿也充满了烟云。5 那时我说：“我有祸了，我灭亡了！因为我是个嘴唇不洁的人，又住在嘴唇不洁的人民中间，又因为我亲眼看见了大君王万军之耶和华。”

与圣洁的耶和华和好
这段经文展现了人类很少能看到的天上宝座的罕见异象。整个地球都应该被祂的荣耀充满，就像这天上的圣殿一样（6:3），而不是第 1-5 章所描述的污秽。摇动的根基（6：4）让读者想起了西奈山上的摩西，以及耶和华在圣殿中的权柄和主宰，这权柄和主宰延伸到了全地。

耶和华的圣洁使以赛亚感到恐惧，他认识到自己是 “嘴唇不洁的人，又住在嘴唇不洁的人民中间”（6：5）。以赛亚害怕见到耶和华，害怕因人类的不洁与耶和华的圣洁不相容而遭受死亡。因此，以赛亚感叹道：“我有祸了，我灭亡了！”（6：5）。

反思：值得庆幸的是，解决的办法来自耶和华的祭坛，一个撒拉弗从那里取来燃烧的煤炭，触碰以赛亚的嘴（6：7）。经文中解释说，耶和华提供的这种洁净会消除以赛亚的罪恶感，使他的罪得到补偿（6：7）。你与耶和华和好了吗？

忠于使命
以赛亚接受了耶和华的呼召（6：8）。然而，耶和华解释说以赛亚事奉的结果将远非正面。

以赛亚书 6：9-10 他说：“你去告诉这子民，说：‘你们听了又听，却不明白；看了又看，却不晓得。’ 10 你要使这子民的心思迟钝，耳朵不灵，眼睛昏暗，免得他们眼睛看见，耳朵听见，心里明白，回转过来，得到医治。”

过去，人们的心如此刚硬，以至于现在对耶和华的信息麻木不仁。剩下的就是耶和华对他们的审判了。人们只能靠自己坚硬的心。以赛亚的传道现在只是向人们见证，他们本有机会回转向耶和华，但现在却浪费了这个机会。

以上经文在《马太福音》13:14-15；《使徒行传》28:26-27；《马可福音》4:12；《路加福音》8:10；《罗马书》11:8 中被引用或暗指。应用：接受耶稣会带来永生的终极祝福，而拒绝耶稣则会带来严重的后果。愉快地生活，忠心地侍奉耶和华和祂的爱子耶稣基督，无论人的接受能力如何。避免麻木。