When Isaiah encountered the Holy One of Israel, he made two discoveries: who God is, and, in that light, who he is. Let me say that from another angle. We shall never know the truth about God in his holiness without coming to a reckoning about ourselves.

Isaiah saw himself in the mirror of the radiant transcendence, the glory of the living God, and he was undone. The change lasted a lifetime. We hear echoes of that reordered reality later in his life: We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment [filthy rags, KJV]. We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away (Isaiah 64:6). He is speaking truth in the light of God’s holiness.

Consider this: Isaiah, Habakkuk, Job, and even Simon were relatively righteous compared to other men. Isaiah had the résumé of ministering in the Temple and to multiple kings in Israel over the years. Yet still, with this revelation of God’s holiness, he repents, and the LORD offers him forgiveness.

Now, again, I need you to track with my argument that holiness begins in the category of ontology—God’s being, his very nature—before discussing morality.

It is not so much Isaiah saying, “You are right, and I am wrong,” though, of course, that is there. But first and foremost, it is Isaiah saying, “You are completely other than. You are glorious beyond comprehension, I am unworthy.” Do you see? It is the understanding of who God is — Holy! Holy! Holy! — that leads to the confession: 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. Recognition precedes conviction: For my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts! This leads to remission of sin and commission for service.

Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. And he touched my mouth and said: “Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.” And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here I am! Send me.” (Isaiah 6:6-8)

It is noteworthy how much of this involves the mouth: for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. (Luke 6:45). And it is fitting that with a coal from the altar a seraph touched Isaiah’s mouth because he is a prophet, one who’s supposed to speak forth for God.

To come into the presence of the Holy God is to give up any preconceived or false notions of who He is. There is no cheap grace or selfish salvation here. You do not stroll in and roll out your diplomas, your credentials, your accomplishments. It is straightforward and honest: “You are God, I am not.” More than that, “You are the Holy One of Israel.” It is simply: “Here I am.”

Our good Shepherd is Holy.

And he knows that all we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way. It is that tendency to go astray he desires to deal with: and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all (Isaiah 53:6). In Hebrew, iniquity is ävōn. Sin is missing the mark. Iniquity is the force that moves the arrow off target. The same word in Isaiah 53, avon, is most commonly translated “guilt” in Isaiah 6. It should read: your iniquity is taken away, and your sin atoned for. It is a purification of the heart that the LORD is after.

Also, when you come into the presence of the Holy God, you do not come with many words, with sophisticated sophistry, or prepared rhetoric: your Father knows what you need before you ask him (Matthew 6:7). Isaiah is a gifted wordsmith, one of the most brilliant writers and poets of the entire Bible. Yet when he encounters the presence of God, he says just four words in Hebrew: Hineni shelacheni, translated into five words in English: Here I am. Send me.

• Hineni: This is a very prominent phrase in the Hebrew Bible. It is Abraham’s response when God initiates the test concerning Isaac; Moses’ when beckoned to draw near to the burning bush; and young Samuel’s answer to God’s voice in the night.
• Shelacheni: Shalach means “emissary” or “sent one.” It is the Hebrew word for “apostle” in the New Testament.

God wants us in order to accomplish a purpose in and through us.

Revelation results in recognition and conviction leading to remission of sin and commission for service. The LORD does not simply want us to acknowledge Him as Holy. He desires us to be in a right relationship with Him so His holiness can set us apart for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. Our lives as sent ones will then bear witness that we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus! (Ephesians 2:10).