INTRODUCTION: Isaiah faced a crisis when his beloved sovereign, king Uzziah, died. But that same year God appeared to him in one of the most amazing visions in the Bible. Isaiah saw the Lord in His holiness and glory. But that made Isaiah realize his own weakness and wickedness. Then, through the cleansing of the Lord, Isaiah was made ready to accept the call to go tell the people of Israel the message of God.

1. A VISION OF THE LORD (Isaiah 6:1-4 [1] In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the LORD sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple. [2] Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly. [3] And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory. [4] And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke.
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1. His Majesty (Isaiah 6:1In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the LORD sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple.
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1. His timing
1. In the year that king Uzziah died [also called Azariah]
1. A reign of 52 years (2 Kings 15:1-2 [1] In the twenty and seventh year of Jeroboam king of Israel began Azariah son of Amaziah king of Judah to reign. [2] Sixteen years old was he when he began to reign, and he reigned two and fifty years in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Jecholiah of Jerusalem.
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2. Prospered early as he sought the Lord (2 Chronicles 26:5-11 [5] And he sought God in the days of Zechariah, who had understanding in the visions of God: and as long as he sought the LORD, God made him to prosper. [6] And he went forth and warred against the Philistines, and brake down the wall of Gath, and the wall of Jabneh, and the wall of Ashdod, and built cities about Ashdod, and among the Philistines. [7] And God helped him against the Philistines, and against the Arabians that dwelt in Gurbaal, and the Mehunims. [8] And the Ammonites gave gifts to Uzziah: and his name spread abroad even to the entering in of Egypt; for he strengthened himself exceedingly. [9] Moreover Uzziah built towers in Jerusalem at the corner gate, and at the valley gate, and at the turning of the wall, and fortified them. [10] Also he built towers in the desert, and digged many wells: for he had much cattle, both in the low country, and in the plains: husbandmen also, and vine dressers in the mountains, and in Carmel: for he loved husbandry. [11] Moreover Uzziah had an host of fighting men, that went out to war by bands, according to the number of their account by the hand of Jeiel the scribe and Maaseiah the ruler, under the hand of Hananiah, one of the king's captains.
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3. In his prosperity, his heart was lifted up with pride and he entered the temple to burn incense there (2 Chronicles 26:16But when he was strong, his heart was lifted up to his destruction: for he transgressed against the LORD his God, and went into the temple of the LORD to burn incense upon the altar of incense.
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4. As judgment for his sin, he spent the last 12 years of his reign in a several house as a leper (2 Chronicles 26:21And Uzziah the king was a leper unto the day of his death, and dwelt in a several house, being a leper; for he was cut off from the house of the LORD: and Jotham his son was over the king's house, judging the people of the land.
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5. Note: The leprosy of Uzziah was the backdrop for the vision in this lesson. Upon viewing the glorious holiness of God, Isaiah cried out because of his uncleanness. This matches the plight of the leper as taught in scripture (Leviticus 13:45And the leper in whom the plague is, his clothes shall be rent, and his head bare, and he shall put a covering upon his upper lip, and shall cry, Unclean, unclean.
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2. A time of crisis: God often reveals Himself to us at the time of our greatest trials (Psalm 27:10When my father and my mother forsake me, then the LORD will take me up.
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2. His throne
1. The Lord sitting upon a throne (Psalm 103:19The LORD hath prepared his throne in the heavens; and his kingdom ruleth over all.
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2. The throne high and lifted up (Psalm 11:4The LORD is in his holy temple, the LORD's throne is in heaven: his eyes behold, his eyelids try, the children of men.
   See All...; Isaiah 66:1Thus saith the LORD, The heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool: where is the house that ye build unto me? and where is the place of my rest?
   See All...; Matthew 5:34But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God's throne:
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3. His train
1. The train is the portion of the robe that drags behind the garment.
2. It symbolizes greatness and is a sign of royalty.
3. The Lord’s train filled the temple like His glory fills the temple (1 Kings 8:10-11 [10] And it came to pass, when the priests were come out of the holy place, that the cloud filled the house of the LORD, [11] So that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud: for the glory of the LORD had filled the house of the LORD.
   See All...; Revelation 15:8And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God, and from his power; and no man was able to enter into the temple, till the seven plagues of the seven angels were fulfilled.
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2. His Holiness and Glory (Isaiah 6:2-3 [2] Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly. [3] And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.
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1. The nature of the seraphims (Isaiah 6:2Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly.
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1. Two wings covering the face - as if not worthy to look upon God (Exodus 3:6Moreover he said, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God.
   See All...; Jeremiah 51:51We are confounded, because we have heard reproach: shame hath covered our faces: for strangers are come into the sanctuaries of the LORD's house.
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2. Two wings covering the feet – demonstrating their humility
3. Two wings with which to fly – demonstrating their willingness to serve
2. The declaration of the seraphims (Isaiah 6:3And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.
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1. Of God’s holiness (Revelation 4:8And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, LORD God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come.
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2. Of God’s glory (Numbers 14:21But as truly as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the LORD.
   See All...; Psalm 72:19And blessed be his glorious name for ever: and let the whole earth be filled with his glory; Amen, and Amen.
   See All...; Habakkuk 2:14For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.
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3. The Effect of His Presence (Isaiah 6:4And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke.
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1. The posts of the door moved by His voice (Psalm 29:3-9 [3] The voice of the LORD is upon the waters: the God of glory thundereth: the LORD is upon many waters. [4] The voice of the LORD is powerful; the voice of the LORD is full of majesty. [5] The voice of the LORD breaketh the cedars; yea, the LORD breaketh the cedars of Lebanon. [6] He maketh them also to skip like a calf; Lebanon and Sirion like a young unicorn. [7] The voice of the LORD divideth the flames of fire. [8] The voice of the LORD shaketh the wilderness; the LORD shaketh the wilderness of Kadesh. [9] The voice of the LORD maketh the hinds to calve, and discovereth the forests: and in his temple doth every one speak of his glory.
   See All...; Revelation 1:15And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters.
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2. The house filled with smoke (Exodus 40:34-35 [34] Then a cloud covered the tent of the congregation, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle. [35] And Moses was not able to enter into the tent of the congregation, because the cloud abode thereon, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle.
   See All...; 1 Kings 8:10-12 [10] And it came to pass, when the priests were come out of the holy place, that the cloud filled the house of the LORD, [11] So that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud: for the glory of the LORD had filled the house of the LORD. [12] Then spake Solomon, The LORD said that he would dwell in the thick darkness.
   See All...; Revelation 15:8And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God, and from his power; and no man was able to enter into the temple, till the seven plagues of the seven angels were fulfilled.
   See All...), hiding His glory (Exodus 33:20And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live.
   See All...; John 1:18No man hath seen God at any time, the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.
   See All...; 1 Timothy 6:16Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honour and power everlasting. Amen.
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2. A VISION OF HIMSELF (Isaiah 6:5-7 [5] Then said I, 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. [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.
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1. Isaiah’s Wickedness (Isaiah 6:5Then said I, 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.
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1. Wicked in his person
1. His woe
1. The phrase “woe is me” is used seven times in the Bible (Psalm 120:5Woe is me, that I sojourn in Mesech, that I dwell in the tents of Kedar!
   See All...; Isaiah 6:5Then said I, 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.
   See All...; Jeremiah 4:31For I have heard a voice as of a woman in travail, and the anguish as of her that bringeth forth her first child, the voice of the daughter of Zion, that bewaileth herself, that spreadeth her hands, saying, Woe is me now! for my soul is wearied because of murderers.
   See All...; Jeremiah 10:19Woe is me for my hurt! my wound is grievous; but I said, Truly this is a grief, and I must bear it.
   See All...; Jeremiah 15:10Woe is me, my mother, that thou hast borne me a man of strife and a man of contention to the whole earth! I have neither lent on usury, nor men have lent to me on usury; yet every one of them doth curse me.
   See All...; Jeremiah 45:3Thou didst say, Woe is me now! for the LORD hath added grief to my sorrow; I fainted in my sighing, and I find no rest.
   See All...; Micah 7:1Woe is me! for I am as when they have gathered the summer fruits, as the grapegleanings of the vintage: there is no cluster to eat: my soul desired the firstripe fruit.
   See All...). Although the statement is negative, seven usually indicates something good. Perhaps it is because this realization usually leads to repentance and later to blessing.
2. Isaiah saw how low he was because he had seen a vision of how holy God is. It is only in contrast to God that we can really see ourselves clearly. See also Job 42:5-6 [5] I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth thee. [6] Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes.
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2. He was undone.
1. This word is found five times in scripture (Numbers 21:29Woe to thee, Moab! thou art undone, O people of Chemosh: he hath given his sons that escaped, and his daughters, into captivity unto Sihon king of the Amorites.
   See All...; Joshua 11:15As the LORD commanded Moses his servant, so did Moses command Joshua, and so did Joshua; he left nothing undone of all that the LORD commanded Moses.
   See All...; Isaiah 6:5Then said I, 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.
   See All...; Matthew 23:23Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.
   See All...; Luke 11:42But woe unto you, Pharisees! for ye tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs, and pass over judgment and the love of God: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.
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2. To be undone in this passage (as also in Numbers 21:29Woe to thee, Moab! thou art undone, O people of Chemosh: he hath given his sons that escaped, and his daughters, into captivity unto Sihon king of the Amorites.
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2. Wicked in his practice – a man of unclean lips
1. A reference to leprosy (Leviticus 13:45And the leper in whom the plague is, his clothes shall be rent, and his head bare, and he shall put a covering upon his upper lip, and shall cry, Unclean, unclean.
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2. In contrast to the holiness of God
3. Wicked in his place
1. Others had the same unclean lips (Isaiah 29:13Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men:
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2. He dwelt in the midst of them.
3. By implication, when judgment comes, he will be in the midst of that as well (see Lot for an example - Genesis 19:12-13 [12] And the men said unto Lot, Hast thou here any besides? son in law, and thy sons, and thy daughters, and whatsoever thou hast in the city, bring them out of this place: [13] For we will destroy this place, because the cry of them is waxen great before the face of the LORD; and the LORD hath sent us to destroy it.
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4. Wicked in his perspective
1. He saw the Lord.
2. This brought Him into judgment (Judges 13:22And Manoah said unto his wife, We shall surely die, because we have seen God.
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2. Isaiah’s Cleansing (Isaiah 6:6-7 [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.
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1. The taking of the live coal (Isaiah 6:6Then 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:
   See All...; Ezekiel 10:2And he spake unto the man clothed with linen, and said, Go in between the wheels, even under the cherub, and fill thine hand with coals of fire from between the cherubims, and scatter them over the city. And he went in in my sight.
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1. In the hand of one of the seraphims
2. Taken with tongs from off the altar (Revelation 8:5And the angel took the censer, and filled it with fire of the altar, and cast it into the earth: and there were voices, and thunderings, and lightnings, and an earthquake.
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2. The application of the coal (Isaiah 6:7And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged.
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3. The cleansing of the coal (Isaiah 6:7And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged.
   See All...; Ephesians 1:7In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;
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1. Taking away iniquity (Hosea 14:2Take with you words, and turn to the LORD: say unto him, Take away all iniquity, and receive us graciously: so will we render the calves of our lips.
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2. Purging sin (Psalm 79:9Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of thy name: and deliver us, and purge away our sins, for thy name's sake.
   See All...; Hebrews 1:3Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high:
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3. A VISION OF OTHERS (Isaiah 6:8-13 [8] Also 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. [9] And he said, Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not. [10] Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed. [11] Then said I, Lord, how long? And he answered, Until the cities be wasted without inhabitant, and the houses without man, and the land be utterly desolate, [12] And the LORD have removed men far away, and there be a great forsaking in the midst of the land. [13] But yet in it shall be a tenth, and it shall return, and shall be eaten: as a teil tree, and as an oak, whose substance is in them, when they cast their leaves: so the holy seed shall be the substance thereof.
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1. Isaiah’s Call (Isaiah 6:8Also 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.
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1. The source of the call – the triune God – “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” (see Genesis 1:26And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
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2. The substance of the call – “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?”
3. The acceptance of the call – “Here am I; send me.”
2. Isaiah’s Commission (Isaiah 6:9-10 [9] And he said, Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not. [10] Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed.
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1. The work (Isaiah 6:9And he said, Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not.
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2. The message (Isaiah 6:9And he said, Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not.
   See All...; Matthew 13:14-15 [14] And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive: [15] For this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.
   See All...; Acts 28:26-27 [26] Saying, Go unto this people, and say, Hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and not perceive: [27] For the heart of this people is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes have they closed; lest they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.
   See All...; Romans 11:8(According as it is written, God hath given them the spirit of slumber, eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not hear;) unto this day.
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1. “Hear ye indeed, but understand not.”
2. “See ye indeed, but perceive not.”
3. The response (Isaiah 6:10Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed.
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1. Blind and cold to the message
2. Not able to understand and be converted
3. Isaiah’s Question (Isaiah 6:11-12 [11] Then said I, Lord, how long? And he answered, Until the cities be wasted without inhabitant, and the houses without man, and the land be utterly desolate, [12] And the LORD have removed men far away, and there be a great forsaking in the midst of the land.
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1. His question (Isaiah 6:11Then said I, Lord, how long? And he answered, Until the cities be wasted without inhabitant, and the houses without man, and the land be utterly desolate,
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2. God’s answer (Isaiah 6:11-12 [11] Then said I, Lord, how long? And he answered, Until the cities be wasted without inhabitant, and the houses without man, and the land be utterly desolate, [12] And the LORD have removed men far away, and there be a great forsaking in the midst of the land.
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1. Until the land was empty (Isaiah 6:11Then said I, Lord, how long? And he answered, Until the cities be wasted without inhabitant, and the houses without man, and the land be utterly desolate,
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2. Until the men had been removed (Isaiah 6:12And the LORD have removed men far away, and there be a great forsaking in the midst of the land.
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4. Isaiah’s Encouragement (Isaiah 6:13But yet in it shall be a tenth, and it shall return, and shall be eaten: as a teil tree, and as an oak, whose substance is in them, when they cast their leaves: so the holy seed shall be the substance thereof.
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1. A tenth shall return – as a tithe (Ezekiel 20:37And I will cause you to pass under the rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant:
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2. The holy seed shall survive (Isaiah 1:9Except the LORD of hosts had left unto us a very small remnant, we should have been as Sodom, and we should have been like unto Gomorrah.
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CONCLUSION: Isaiah saw a vision of the Lord in glory and holiness. This led him to see himself in all his weakness and wickedness. When God cleansed him, he was ready to see a vision of the needs of others and accept the call to tell them God’s message.