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. – [isaiah 6:1]
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first of all, who is king Uzziah and how does he relate to isaiah’s call to ministry? this line accomplishes a couple of things – it gives us a specific time for isaiah’s call of 740/739 bc, and it reminds us of God’s continual right in spite of our temporal nature.
king Uzziah had been a good king. As recorded in 2 chronicles 26:5, “ he set himself to seek God in the days of zechariah, who instructed him in the fear of God, and as long as he sought the LORD, God made him prosper”.
he had had a long reign of roughly 50 years. this passage is reminder that good leaders will not be here forever, but God himself reigns eternal. we do not place our trust solely in those who lead, good or bad, but in the God who is eternal.
isaiah writes that in the midst of the loss of a good king, Godin quite literally still on the throne, and his presence is not just ‘in’ the temple. His presence ‘fills’ the temple!
our God is still on the throne, still reigning, and still actively engaged in the affaris of this world and our individual lives. He knows us, loves us, and his glorious presence is visible when we seek him fully.
~ jason soroski