Isaiah 6:8
“I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send? and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.”
In former ages, God was well pleased to reveal his will to men, sometimes in dreams, and sometimes in visions, and sometimes by an audible voice, like that of a man conversing with his friend; and these methods were more especially given when he was about to devolve on them any particular office, or to employ them on any extraordinary service.
It was God’s intention to send the Prophet Isaiah on a painful errand; such as, if he consulted his own feelings only, he would be very averse to execute. But to prepare him for it, God gave to him a vision of the glory and felicity of the heavenly world. The scene of the vision was, the temple, in which Jehovah, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, was worshiped. An assurance, at the same time, was given him of qualification for his work, and of acceptance in it; and by this he was brought to such a state, that, at the very first proposal from God to send a messenger to his people, he offered himself for the service, willing and desirous to undertake anything whereby his God might be honored, and his Savior glorified.
Respecting the vision itself, I forbear to speak. The points to which I shall call your attention are:
I. The proposal made
In the first instance, the proposal referred solely to a mission which God intended to send to his people. And, in this view, it may justly be applied to any call which may be given to undertake the ministry of the Gospel, either in our own country or in foreign parts.
But we may consider the call as given to every one of us, not to undertake the office of the ministry, but to serve God in a way of general obedience, “Who is willing to fulfill my will, and to consecrate himself to me?” This honor God is ready to confer on all who are willing to accept it; and, if we are really desirous to engage in His service, he will make us lights in the world, and monitors to all around us.
Such offers as these are common in the Holy Scriptures; and we may suppose it as now made to us, in the name, and by the command, of God himself.
To the proposal so made, let us consider,
II. The answer given.
This also we may regard, in the first instance, as an acceptance of the prophetic office. And we cannot but admire the conduct of Isaiah in relation to it, when he offered himself to God without hesitation and without reserve. Here were no inquiries made of what the particular office was, or what would be the difficulties attending the execution of it. It was sufficient for this holy man that he should be employed in doing the will of God; and he was willing to devote to that service all his faculties and all his powers.
But, taking the proposal as made to us in general to serve our God, we may here see what a spirit we should cultivate.
1. We should offer ourselves to God to serve him instantly!
There should be no delay; no looking for a more convenient season. We should not be questioning, whether we shall be able to do all that is required of us; but should expect assuredly, that God will enable us to perform whatever we undertake for him, and will give a successful outcome to our endeavors.
2. We should offer ourselves to God to serve him without reserve!
We should not draw back from any labor, nor hesitate to make any sacrifice. The loss of life itself should be regarded as no loss, yes, rather as a gain, in such a cause. To live for God, or die for God, should be deemed equally desirable, if only God’s will may be done in us, and the Lord Jesus Christ be magnified! Acts 20:24. Philippians 1:20-21.
But the point to which I would more particularly draw your attention, is,
III. The peculiar obligation which lies on us to follow the prophet’s example.
You will find in the vision that the prophet was favored with a bright manifestation of the glory of Christ; for John, referring to it, says, “These things said Isaiah, when he saw his glory, and spoke of him, John 12:41,” that is, of Christ. You will see, also, that assistance in his work was promised him; for the putting of the live coal upon his mouth seems to have been designed to assure him of it. Compare Jeremiah 1:9 and Acts 2:3. In addition to all this, a sense of God’s pardoning love, through the Redeemer’s sacrifice, was applied to his soul; for the live coal, being taken from the altar of burnt-offering, marked clearly the connection between the atonement offered for him, and the pardon given unto him. But in no respect do we fall short of the favors conferred on him; yes, rather, we may be considered as having:
1. More glorious discoveries of Christ.
Bright as that vision was, it was far inferior to that which is given to us in the Gospel. There we behold Christ as “the brightness of his Father’s glory, and the express image of his person, Hebrews 1:3.” Yes, we see all “the glory of God shining in the face of Jesus Christ! 2 Corinthians 4:6.”
2. More abundant communications of the Spirit.
Whatever measures of grace were imparted to some highly-favored individuals under the Law, as to David, Isaiah, Daniel, and others, the effusions of the Holy Spirit were very small and partial in comparison with those which are given to the Christian Church; so that none of us need to draw back from the greatest work; since the weakest of true believers may say, “I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me! Philip. 4:13.”
3. More certain assurances of the forgiveness of our sins.
Doubtless the vision, and that one promise given him in it, were sufficient to satisfy his mind. But in the New Testament we have promises without number, “exceedingly great and precious promises;” so “great,” that they comprehend every possible state that can be imagined; and so “precious,” that they bring us into a participation of the divine nature, 2 Peter 1:4, and “fill us with all the fullness of God, Ephesians 3:19.”
I can have no hesitation in saying, that were an alternative offered to any true Christian, to receive for his comfort the personal, and particular promise that was given to the prophet, or to have given him for his dependence the broad and general promises of the New Testament, he would do well to rest on those broad promises, which engage that “all manner of sin shall he forgiven unto men,” and that “all who believe shall be justified from all things!”
Say, then, whether we be not bound to imitate the prophet, in his surrender of himself to God?
Doubtless, if mercies given are motives to obedience, we, who have received such transcendent mercies, ought to “present our whole selves as living sacrifices unto God; which, as it is a holy and an acceptable, is also a most reasonable, service! Romans 12:1.”
It may be proper, in conclusion, to reply to a question which will probably be asked:
How shall I know whether any particular call to any special service is really from the Lord?
I readily grant, that that is a point very difficult to be determined. There is no difficulty et all in determining that we are every one of us called to devote ourselves to God. The difficulty lies in reference to those particular acts which are required only of few. And here I must say, that no rules can be given which shall apply to all cases; nor perhaps any rules that shall be perfectly satisfactory to every mind. And probably, instead of giving a direct answer to the question, the best answer will be to suggest a caution against those workings of mind which render the full solution of the case so difficult.
Moses, we know, was called to go to Pharaoh, and to bring the Lord’s people out of Egypt. Now, in opposition to this call, he urged his own unworthiness of such an office, Exodus 3:11; the improbability of succeeding in his attempt, Exodus 4:1; his own utter unfitness for the work assigned him, Exodus 4:10;” and his desire that it should be transferred to someone else, Exodus 4:13.” Nay, he further adduced his own experience of disappointment in less arduous labors, as a certain ground for apprehending that he must of necessity fail in a matter of so much greater difficulty, Exodus 6:12. False humility will invariably suggest all of these excuses. But what were all these objections? They were, in truth, only so many excuses, urged to cover his own backwardness to undertake the work. Had he been in the frame of mind which the prophet manifested in my text, all these difficulties would have vanished; and he would have engaged in his work as Paul did, who was “not disobedient to the heavenly vision,” but “preached at once the faith, which, until that moment, he had labored to destroy.”
To anyone, therefore, who desires an answer to the question that has been proposed, I say: Get your soul filled with love to Christ; and that will answer ten thousand difficulties, and constrain you to engage in anything whereby the kingdom of the Redeemer may be advanced in the world. You will depend on your Lord and Savior for “grace sufficient for you, 2 Corinthians 12:9,” and expect that “strength shall be given you according to your day, Deuteronomy 33:25.”
As to excuses for withholding or delaying a general surrender of ourselves to God, they are lighter than vanity itself! Do not think that they can stand one moment, when you come before God. To serve God instantly, and with our whole hearts, is the duty of every Christian; and therefore, to the proposal which God at this moment makes by my voice, let every individual among you reply, “Here I am. Send me!”
Charles Simeon