Fulton County tribune. (Wauseon, Ohio) 1883-1925, 1917-06-29
INTERNATIONAL
SUNDNYSQlOOL
LESSON
Ry E. o. SELLERS, Acting Director Of
the Sunday School Course in the Moody
Bible Institute of Chicago)
Copyright, 1917, Western Newspaper Union.)
LESSON FOR JULY |
ISAIAH'S CALL TO HEROIC
SERVICE.
,ESSON TEXT-Isaiah 6

Here am I; send me.-Isa. 6:8.
The lesson committee now turn for
a third quarters lesson to a series Of
studies in the Old Testament as found
in II Kings, Ezra and Nehemiah. AS
an Introduction, they have chosen this
chapter in the book Of Isaiah.
Isaiah prophesied in the latter half
of Uzziahs reign, B. G. 760 and down
to the early years of the reign Of |
Manasseh about B. G. 694 (ch. 1:D. |
This event took place probably B. G. |
755. The place was Jerusalem; the |
kingdom of Israel was still in exist
ence (for 33 years longer) being ut
terly destroyed in B. G. 721. The
name Isaiah means "the salvation of
jehovah" his wife is called 'the
prophetess;;' - two Of his sons are
named and his social position was high,
as shown by his intimacy with kings.
Isaiah lived in troublous times. He
was reformer seeking to rescue his
nation from the sins growing out Of
their disobedience to God. He was
the leading statesman of his time, the
greatest of the prophets, an author,
a heroic, single-minded, patriotic, fear
less, undaunted man of great personal
power and influence. He was proph-
ct of hope; he wrote out Of his long
life of faithfulness and fellowship with
God. The book of Isaiah falls into
two great divisions; chapters 1-39 be-
ing chiefly historical, interspersed with
songs and poems; chapters 40-66 are
a collection Of prophecies that have
to do chiefly with the return from
the Babylonian exile and the days of
future glory for the kingdom of God.
To assume that another prophet Of
greater brilliancy and genius than
Isaiah wrote a part of this book should
be forgotten; it is not worthy of
thought. That book was inspired Of
God and that its truth and its prophe-
cies, included those about Christ who
is mentioned by name, is also beyond
doubt or question.
I. Visions wv. 14). AS we have
said, Isaiah prophesied in time of
great need. The prophet was very
much discouraged. In this passage he
locates his vision at a special time
and place (ch. 1:D. Every mans
great need today is a real vision Of
God. We are not so much in need Of
theories about God, as a vision Of
God himself. Uzziah's long reign of
81 years, in which the kingdom pros
pered and the kings name was spread
abroad, stopped as suddenly as an
earthquake, and his glory was eclipsed
(see II Chron. 26 1919. The place in
which Isaiah saw his vision was the
house of God. Perhaps not in the tenn
pie. but seeing the vision from the
temple the prophet looks to house
not built with hands, Jehovah's own
heavenly palace. Therein he saw "the
Lord sitting on a throne and
his train filed the temple" Above it,
or around it, were arranged lowering
couriers and the seraphic choir. The
majesty of this vision is indicated in
verse two, its glory in verse three,
and it's power is indicated in verse
four. The whole earth was filed with
Gods wondrous wisdom, love and pow
er. Literally "the whole earth Is full
of his glory" The Hebrew word for
holiness comes from a word meaning
'to set apart-set a distance FROM u
The holy Lord is not only sinless but
he is sublime and absolute also. II
may seem difficult to harmonize
1saiah's vision with John 1:18, YET
these manifestations were one and the
same, for all that saw Jesus saw God
John Il ~. King Uzziah was dead
but the real king was living still, high
and lifted up. The attempt to reason
about him, what he must be and what
he must not be, as if he were one
of ourselves (Eph. 1 20, 21) is absurd
1t is such vision Of God as this thai
will change our modern pulpits an(
laymen and send them out to be fam
ing evangels. A vision of God as the
Holy One affected Isaiah's preaching
ever afterwards. Such a vision is {
cleansing vision, inspiring, enthuSing
enabling us to render effective serv
ice.
II. Divisions wv. 5-13). O Thu
vision of the prophet wv. 90. Thi
vision brought conviction because i
showed how far separated from Coz
the prophet was. 1t also brough
conversion in that he acknowledged
himself to be unclean, himself and hi
surroundings to be vile. 1t also led t.
cleansing, for the king heard the voic
of the prophet, removed his guilt ant
purged his sin. (2) The voice ant
proclamation from the king wv. S-13)
The king called for a messenger ". s
and at once the prophet is found
Someone has said that "a task withou
} a vision is drudgery; vision with
J out task is a DREAM while tasl
, linked to a vision will move tn
, world" Not only did the king ask fo
a messenger, but he gave the messag
: which the messenger was to ute
, wv. 9-12). The message was to b
to his own people; it was not to b
a pleasant one. Verse 13 shows u
this message in prophecy. Isaiah ough
to fully proclaim the truth but tn
people would not understand it, an,
the whole effect of his proclamation
would be to harden them.
What is your application of thi
, vision for Isaiah? We are a Chris
| tan nation, but there are many de
grees and kinds of Christians; thos
: who sincerely try to follow Jesus
those who live under a Christian gov
: ernment, and are unaffected by Chris
( tan influences. There is only on
} way to save this nation from going tn
way of Nineveh and Tyre; that is, tina
Justice and righteousness shall govern
. and that justice and righteousness shal
be the fruit of regenerated lives. TIL
cry is for a better social environment
and more just social position.