Characteristics of Worship

“It was in the year King Uzziah died that I saw the Lord. He was sitting on a lofty throne and the train of His robe filled the Temple. Attending Him were mighty seraphim, each having six wings. With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet and with two they flew. They were calling out to each other, ‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Heaven’s Armies! The whole earth is filled with His glory!’ Their voices shook the Temple to its foundations and the entire building was filled with smoke. Then I said, ‘It’s all over! I am doomed, for I am a sinful man. I have filthy lips and I live among a people with filthy lips. Yet I have seen the King, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.’ Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a burning coal he had taken from the altar with a pair of tongs. He touched my lips with it and said, ‘See, this coal has touched your lips. Now your guilt is removed and your sins are forgiven.’ 

Then I heard the Lord asking, ‘Whom should I send as a messenger to this people? Who will go for Us?’ I said, ‘Here I am. Send me.’ And He said, ‘Yes go and say to this people, ‘Listen carefully, but do not understand. Watch closely, but learn nothing.’ Harden the hearts of these people. Plug their ears and shut their eyes. That way, they will not see with their eyes, nor hear with their ears, nor understand with their hearts and turn to me for healing.’ Then I said, ‘Lord, how long will this go on?’ And He replied, ‘until their towns are empty, their houses are deserted and the whole country is a wasteland; until the Lord has sent everyone away and the entire land of Israel lies deserted. If even a tenth; a remnant; survive, it will be invaded again and burned. But as a terebinth or oak tree leaves a stump when it is cut down, so Israel’s stump will be a holy seed.’” (Isaiah 6:1-13) (Also read Psalm 138; 1 Corinthians 15:1-11; Luke 5:1-11)

Here are some significant characteristics of worship. In the year that King Uzziah died, which was approximately 736 BC, Isaiah went to the temple to worship. This was a time of great sorrow for Isaiah, because Uzziah had been a very beloved king. Uzziah was only sixteen years old when he began his reign and was on the throne for about fifty years. He had been a good king and it was a prosperous time for Israel. His death ushered in a crisis for the nation. Isaiah’s reaction to Uzziah’s death may have been similar to the feelings many Americans experienced when President Franklin Delano Roosevelt died in 1945. He had served as president from 1933 until his death in 1945. He was the only president many had ever known and was greatly beloved by the Americans. For another generation of Americans, the death of President John F. Kennedy produced great trauma, as they wondered how fragile the American government might be. In his time of sorrow, Isaiah went to the temple to worship. In that worship experience, Isaiah had a vision that changed his life. His vision of YAHVEH contained three basic elements.

I.) The first was a vision of YAHVEH and the call to adoration. “I saw Adonai high and lifted up.” The whole foundation of the temple began to shake. Although the king was dead, Isaiah was assured that the Eternal Holy YAHVEH was not dead. We need that same assurance. Isaiah experienced the Majesty of YAHVEH, which was so overwhelming to him that the train of YAHVEH’s robe, His presence, filled the whole temple. The folds of YAHVEH’s royal robe filled the whole temple and six seraphim --- “the burning ones,” in Hebrew --- surrounded YAHVEH, whose majesty was indescribable and whose being was clothed in unapproachable mystery and wonder. These seraphim, creatures of “flame and light,” stood over or above Adonai, who was seated on His Throne, to render continuous worship and service. Isaiah experienced the Holiness of YAHVEH.In his vision, Isaiah heard the seraphim as they sang to YAHVEH: “Holy, Holy, Holy.” The seraphim had six wings. With two of the wings, they covered their eyes; with two, they covered their feet; and with two, they flew. They covered their eyes and face out of their sense of reverence for YAHVEH. They covered their feet or really better translated; their nakedness before YAHVEH because of their humility.

With the other two wings they flew, which indicated their way of serving YAHVEH. Through his vision of the angels of YAHVEH, Isaiah depicted concepts of reverence, humility and service. As he saw YAHVEH high and lifted up, Isaiah heard the angels sing “Holy, Holy, Holy.” The word “holy” means that YAHVEH is separate. Our sins separate us from YAHVEH.We seek to restore our broken relationship. The effect of the presence of YAHVEH in the temple caused the threshold or foundation of the whole building to shake. When YAHVEH’s Spirit permeates our being; our whole life should feel the shaking effect of His presence. A vision of YAHVEH will not leave our life the same again. For Isaiah, this experience of the Holiness of YAHVEH was so intense that it forever shaped his ministry. He constantly denounced the pride of the people. He called them to fall down before the Holiness of YAHVEH and not cling to their sinful pride (Isaiah 2:12--22, for example). One of our biggest problems with worship today however, is that many want only to be spectators in their worship.People are content to be an audience instead of worshippers. It is very difficult really to worship when we are merely an audience.

II.) Second, Isaiah had a vision about himself. He came to worship in a time of great national sorrow. He may have had doubts and suffered from depression. We don’t know. How many times do we say, “I can’t worship if I am not in the mood?” We may be depressed, lonely or sad, be low or be affected by our moods, but remember that worship is not controlled by our mood. YAHVEH broke through Isaiah’s grieving mood and gave him a vision of his presence. In his experience of worship, Isaiah discovered his own sinfulness. “Woe is me. I am unclean,” he cried. The Holiness of YAHVEH helped him see that he was sinful. Today many people do not want to hear about their sins. They want to come to church and be happy and feel good. They do not want somebody to make them aware that they are sinners. But this Scripture above reminds us that when we meet the Holy King YAHVEH, we are confronted as sinners and in need of redemption. One of the beautiful symbols in this passage is the purging of Isaiah’s sinfulness with a coal taken from the altar of YAHVEH. His lips are purged by the touch of that coal upon them. This symbol reminds us that forgiveness is not easy or painless.The forgiveness of sins is not without pain. To confess to others that you have hurt them, wronged them, betrayed them or let them down, is painful. YAHVEH’s Spirit will bring us forgiveness and purges us of our sins and makes us whole, but this experience may be painful. It is also interesting to me that Isaiah cried out “I have unclean lips” rather than an unclean heart. But isn’t it often true that our lips reveal what is in our heart? And because Isaiah was to be a spokesman for YAHVEH, he had to have his lips purged so that he could declare the authentic truth of YAHVEH. When our lips are purged, it symbolizes that our inner life has also been purged and changed.

III.) Finally, worship gives us as it did Isaiah, a vision of responsibility and service. After Isaiah had experienced the Holiness of YAHVEH and then experienced the forgiveness of YAHVEH’s grace when he realized his own sense of inadequacy, he heard YAHVEH ask, “Whom shall I send? Who will go for Us?” Isaiah responded, “Here am I, send me.” When we gather to worship, our central affirmation is that it is not so much we who are seeking YAHVEH as YAHVEH who is always seeking us. YAHVEN is the Eternal Pursuerwho continues to trail us down through the ages of time to come into your life and my life and bring us His love and grace. YAHVEH comes to us and draws us to Himself. Having experienced YAHVEH in our lives, we then should be different because of that encounter. Worship should make a difference in our lives. When YAHVEH, King of the universe came into Isaiah’s life, Isaiah heard YAHVEH’s voice: “Who will go?” And he responded: “Here am I, send me.” Out of our meeting with YAHVEH in worship, we exclaim: “I will go Adonai and I will live for You in all of my life.” We should not be the same. When YAHVEH has come into our life, we should be radically different. From the hilltop with YAHVEH, we should go back down into the valleys of life and be strengthened to face the problems and difficulties more effectively. Our relationship with YAHVEH the Eternal King of the universe fortifies us to refocus our whole purpose of living. Our perspective changes from getting to giving, serving instead of getting. Worship is essentialto real living as food is essential to survival, water to quenching our thirst, air for breathing, light for seeing and sounds for hearing. Worship is the most important act we do to nourish our spiritual life. Isaiah encountered YAHVEH in a special way that forever changed his life. It is hoped that each of us will have a similar experience. Our faithfulness in worship will reflect our commitment. Let us gather to reverence YAHVEH, make our confession of sin, experience YAHVEH’s forgiving grace and accept our commission to serve YAHVEH in our daily lives.