Isaiah 6:1-5
In the year of King Uzziah’s death, I saw the sovereign master seated on a high, elevated throne. The hem of his robe filled the temple. Seraphs stood over him; each one had six wings. With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and they used the remaining two to fly. They called out to one another, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord who commands armies! His majestic splendor fills the entire earth!” The sound of their voices shook the door frames, and the temple was filled with smoke. I said, “Too bad for me! I am destroyed, for my lips are contaminated by sin, and I live among people whose lips are contaminated by sin. My eyes have seen the king, the Lord who commands armies.”
When Isaiah sees the Lord, the “sovereign master” (NET), he immediately believes that he is going to be destroyed. His response is “Woe is me, for I am undone!” Isaiah knows that he is unable to stand before God without mercy. He is humbled and utterly desperate, and it is when we come to this point that we can begin to receive forgiveness. Isaiah is about to volunteer for a commission, and have an encounter with God that enables him to go on behalf of the Lord. The merciful Lord of hosts reveals Himself in power and might, but proves to be just as much merciful as He is mighty.