Through the Bible with Les Feldick
LESSON 3 * PART 2 * BOOK 60
CHASTISEMENT BEFORE BLESSINGS – PART 2
ISAIAH 2:3 – 42:6
Now, again, for those of you joining us on television, if this is the first time you’ve seen our program, we’re just an informal – and I stress that – we’re an informal Bible study. We’re not associated with anyone; we are totally dependent on the Lord, and the Lord
alone, for everything that we teach and for everything that supplies our every need. We have never had to make an appeal for anything and I refuse to ever do so.
So, we’re glad to have you with us. We’re turning, now, to Isaiah chapter 6 and continue on where we were in our last program. I’m going to skip chapters 4 and 5. It’s just more of the same, you might say. But now we drop in at chapter 6, and we’ve got some things here that we can sink our teeth into. Verse 1 and here is where chronologists get their little basis for setting up time going back through history. Here this one is:
Isaiah 6:1
“In the year that King Uzziah died (and of course history records that.) I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple.” Now, I think I can take the time, a lot of times I don’t like to do this, but let’s go back and get a picture of this King Uzziah in II Kings 15:7 and in this particular portion he’s called Azariah, but it’s the same man, Uzziah. Here we come to his death as Isaiah is referring to it, verse 6.
II Kings 15:6-7
“The rest of the acts of Azariah, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? 7. So Azariah (or Uzziah) slept with his fathers; and they buried him with his fathers in the city of David: and Jotham his son reigned in his stead.” Now, I wanted to go back and see if I can find the verses. I may not be able to do this, yeah, I think we can go to I Kings chapter 22. I want you to see what was unique about King Uzziah. He was a leper. I’m not sure that I’m going to be able to find it. I should have had it, I Kings 22 verse 19. No, that’s not the one I want. Well, anyway, let’s come back to Isaiah, I’m sorry about that.
Isaiah chapter 6, but King Uzziah became a leper early in his reign and he reigned, if I’m not mistaken, forty-two years. He started when he was 16, and he died when he was about 68. But, early in his reign he was being so successful, the Lord was blessing him, because he was a godly king. He should have known better, but see, this is always the danger; even God’s best servants will sometimes lose their perspective and get the “big-head,” I guess you could say, and they kind of take things into their own hand.
Well, King Uzziah thought that as God had blessed him so abundantly he could go into the Temple and offer incense on the Altar of Incense. The priests did everything to stop him, but after all, he was the king, so he went ahead and tried it anyway and the moment he did, he was stricken with leprosy that showed up in his forehead and, of course, the priests saw it immediately. Then they took control and got him out of the Temple. He never again was able to go into the throne room of his palace, but he had to have a little separated, I guess we would say a widow’s house or something, where he lived the rest of his life. He was isolated from all of society because of his leprosy.
So, it’s kind of unique that even good people fail. But this is the Uzziah that Isaiah’s referring to, “In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw…” Now, you want to remember that there have been various times that human beings have seen God. Now, I know the Scripture says, “No man has seen God any time and lived.” But, on the other hand we have instances in Scripture where men did see a person of the Godhead, and here’s one of them. Isaiah saw God.
Isaiah 6:1b
“…I saw also the Lord (Now, that would be God the Son, of course, and he saw him.) upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple.” Now, this is back in the Old Testament economy, and here we have just a glimpse of the throne room.
Now, let’s go back and look at a couple of others who also saw God. Let’s go back to Joshua chapter 5. Now, the nation of Israel is about to attack the city of Jericho. Those of you who are acquainted with your Old Testament know that account. I just want you to see a few of the instances where men saw God in human form.
Joshua 5:13-15
“And it came to pass when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and looked, and, behold, there stood a man (that is, the likeness of a man) over against him with his sword drawn in his hand: and Joshua went to him and said unto him, Art thou for us or for our adversaries? 14. And he (the man) said, Nay, but as captain of the host of the LORD I am now come. And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and did worship, and said unto him, What saith my lord unto his servant? 15. And the captain of the Lord’s host said unto Joshua. (Now, this is God the Son speaking.) Loose thy shoe from off thy foot; for the place whereon thou standeth is holy. And Joshua did so.” He knew, of course, whom he was confronting. All right, let’s take another and go to Job chapter 42. Now, Job is just ahead of the Psalms. That’s one I always have a hard time finding myself.
Job 42:1-6
“Job answered the LORD, and said, 2. I know that thou canst do every thing, and that no thought can be withheld from thee. 3. Who is he that hideth counsel without knowledge? Therefore have I uttered that I understood not; things too wonderful for me, which I knew not. 4. Hear, I beseech thee, and I will speak; I will demand of thee, and declare thou unto me. 5. I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear: but now my eye seeth thee. (Job saw Him. Consequently,) 6. Wherefore (Job says) I abhor my self and repent in dust and ashes.” Much the same as we’re going to see Isaiah does after having seen the Lord.
All right, let’s look at one more in Ezekiel chapter 1. That’s the chapter with the “wheels” and I get a lot of questions on that one and those are a lot of questions that I can’t always answer. But, nevertheless, he gets a glimpse, too, of the very throne room and all the beauty and the glory of it. But come down to and let’s stop at verse 27 because the Scripture is trying to give us the awesomeness (that’s a favorite word lately) of the throne room, the presence of God. All right, verse 27.
Ezekiel 1:27-2:1
“And I saw as the color of amber, as the appearance of fire round about and within it, from the appearance of his (so we’re looking at the person now) loins even upward, and from the appearance of his loins downward, I saw as it were the appearance of fire, and it had brightness round about. 28. As the appearance of the bow (that is the rainbow) that is in the cloud in the day of rain, (in other words, all the colors of the rainbow, now, are showing their magnificence) so was the appearance of the brightness round about. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD and when I saw it, I fell upon my face (just like Joshua did) and I heard a voice of one that spake. 2:1 And he said unto me, ‘Son of man, stand upon thy feet, and I will speak unto thee.” Now, that was Ezekiel’s experience.
All right, now let’s jump all the way up to Revelation, and we’ll see what John experiences; John the Revelator. Revelation chapter 1; drop in at verse 12. This is all just to give us a little glimpse, just a tip of the iceberg of an understanding, of the presence and the person of God.
Revelation 1:12-16a
“I turned to see the voice that spoke with me, And being turned I saw seven golden candlesticks; 13. And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like to the Son of man clothed with a garment down to the foot, gird about the paps with a golden girdle. 14. His head and his hairs were white like wool, white as snow; His eyes were as a flame of fire; 15. And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice was like the sound of many waters. 16. And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp two-edged sword:…” Now, not a metal sword like a Roman soldier, but it’s a reference to His Word. His Word was as sharp as a two-edged sword, Scripture tells us.
Revelation 1:16b-17
“his countenance was as the sun shineth in its strength. 17. And when I saw him, (John also like Joshua before him, like Isaiah and like Ezekiel, and John also says) I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not. I am the first and the last:” Now, those were all experiences of mortal men when they saw the Almighty Eternal Creator God.
All right, now, if you’ll come back with me to Isaiah chapter 6, we’ll move on. So, he sees the Lord, and it’s a transforming vision as we’ll see in just a little bit. Now, he has a description of His presence, a little different from the others, he saw these angelic beings:
Isaiah 6:2
“Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, with twain he covered his feet, with twain he did fly.” I think what that implies here is that four of the wings were to cover their person and two were to make them function.
Isaiah 6:3-4
“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 (in other words, the magnificence of His presence) moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke. (because of that presence of the Almighty Creator God. Now, this is Isaiah’s response) 5. Then I said, Woe is me! For I am undone; for 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 (what?) the King, the LORD of hosts.” Now, you want to remember that in Israel’s thinking, this is what they’re looking for. They’re looking for the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords, and His glorious Kingdom. But I always have to come back and show the comparison that we, in this Age of Grace, as members of the Body of Christ, we’re not looking for Christ the King, we’re looking for Christ the “Head of the Body.”
All right, come back with me, now, so that I can make my point, all the way up to Ephesians. I’ve made this statement on the program many times. Paul never refers to Christ as our “King.” He only uses the term one time and that is a reference to His total Sovereignty as God. Paul never refers to Jesus as our King. But, rather, He’s the Head of the Body, which puts us in an intricate, intimate relationship with Christ like Israel never understood. That’s the vast difference. All right, Ephesians chapter 1 and drop in at verse 19, so we pick up the flow of these verses of what Paul is talking about concerning the Lord Jesus Christ.
Ephesians 1:19-20a
“And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe (you and me as believers) according to the working of his mighty power.20. Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead,…” Now, I’m constantly emphasizing, everywhere I go, wherever I teach, that for you and I, as believers today, Christ and our relationship with Him begins at the cross.
That earthly ministry becomes moot. That was God dealing with Israel, under the Law. The Temple is still operating. He was trying to convince them that He was who He said He was.But for us it’s the cross! When He went to the cross and suffered and died and shed His blood, was buried, and rose from the dead, that’s where everything becomes a reality for us, and what we must believe for salvation. That’s all Paul knows.
Paul says, “We preach Christ (what?) crucified!” Not walking on water. Not performing miracles, but rather crucified. “To those that perish, foolishness, but to us who are saved it’s the (what?) the power of God.” All right, now, this is what Paul is referring to again, how that through His resurrection power we are empowered for all eternity. All right, verse 20 again:
Ephesians 1:20
“Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from dead, (That’s where the power of God was exemplified.) and he set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places.” He’s not on the throne tonight. He’s not ruling and reigning as a King. God the Father is. But, now, He’s at the Father’s right hand in the heavenlies.
Ephesians 1:21
“Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world but also in that which is to come:” There are those who try to usurp that power and put Him secondary to someone else. It’s ridiculous. He is the All Powerful One.
Ephesians 1:22
“And he hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the (What? Not the King over the Church. The) head (my, what a difference) over all things to the church, 23. Which is his body, the fullness of him that filleth all in all.” The head without the body is not functional. The body without the head is non-functional. But you put the two together and you’ve got a living vibrant organism, and that’s what we’re a part of in this Body of Christ!
All right, turn over to Colossians, and we have much the same thing. I think we used these verses in our last taping. Again, bringing up the point “who was Jesus of Nazareth?” Well, He was God the Son! Colossians chapter 1 verse 14:
Colossians 1:14
“In whom (in the Son in verse 13) we have redemption through his blood, (that’s the price of redemption – His shed blood) even the forgiveness of sins:” When we’re redeemed, we’re forgiven. We’re justified. We’re everything! All right, now, here’s a description of who He is; the Son:
Colossians 1:15-16
“Who is the image of the invisible God, He’s the firstborn of every creature: (He’s before anything ever was of every creature) 16. For by him (by God the Son) were all things created, that are in heaven, that are in earth, visible, invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers, all things (everything) was created by him and for him.” Now, verse 17:
Colossians 1:17-19
“He is before all things and by him all things consist (or are held together. Now, here it comes.) 18. And he is the (what?) head of the body, which is the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence 19. For it pleased the Father that in him should all fullness dwell.” All right, I want to have you come back with me to I Corinthians and play this a little further. I Corinthians chapter 12 emphasizes that Christ is the Head and we’re the Body and consequently we are in union with Him. We function because He is the Head. All right, I Corinthians chapter 12 drop in at verse 12, and this is what we have to understand. Israel had the promises of a King and a Kingdom. You and I have the promise that we can be joint-heirs with Christ because we are one with Christ. We are a part of Him. Although He is the Head and we are the functioning in the Body.
I Corinthians 12:12a
“For as the body is one, and has many members,…” Now, he’s using our physical body as an illustration. We’ve got ten fingers, ten toes, two eyes, and two ears. These are all parts of the body. They’re separate parts and yet they function as one. So, is every believer a member of the Body of Christ.
I Corinthians 12:12b
“…and all the members of that one body, being many are one body: so also is Christ,” (or the Body of Christ)
Now, I’ll never forget what a gentleman in Indiana told me some time ago, he said, “Les, a lot of people like to talk about the Body of Christ, but they don’t tell us how to get there.” Well, maybe that’s a point well taken. How do we get into the Body of Christ? By believing with all your heart the Gospel of salvation as presented by the Apostle Paul (I Corinthians 15:1-4) – That “Christ died for our sins, was buried, and rose again.” All we do is believe with all our heart, and then the Spirit places us into the Body. All right, here it is verse 13:
I Corinthians 12:13a
“For by one Spirit, (that’s the Holy Spirit) we are all (every believer of whatever station in life) baptized (or placed) into one body, whether we be Jew or Gentile, whether we be bond or free:…” And I always make the point without violating Scripture, “whether we’re black or white, red or yellow” makes no difference. A believer is immediately placed into this Body of Christ, which is composed of believers and Christ is the Head. Then he goes on to say:
I Corinthians 12:13b-14
“…and have been all made to drink (or partake) into one Spirit. 14. For the body is not one member but many.” All right, now, there’s the comparison; where-as Isaiah sees God the Son, the King and He is indeed the coming King of Israel’s prophecy; but for us, we look for the Head of the Body, the Savior.
All right, back to verse 5, he gets a glimpse of God the Son and it just devastates Isaiah.
Isaiah 6:5
“Then I said, Woe is me! for I am undone; I am a man of unclean lips. I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.” The God of glory. What an experience! It transformed the man, Isaiah.
Isaiah 6:6-7
“Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, (one of these angelic creatures) 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 thy iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged.” Now, that word should trigger your thinking right up again to Hebrews chapter 1. I think we’ve got time to start at verse 1 so we get the whole impact of this statement.
Hebrews 1:1-2a
“God, (the Triune God) who at sundry times and in diverse manners spoke in times past to the fathers by the prophets. (That’s what we’re reading Isaiah for.) 2. Hath in these last days spoken….” That’s past tense and that means it’s done. When anybody sends me a book and says they have gotten special revelations that God has spoken unto them that are beyond Scripture, it goes in the fireplace. That’s where it belongs. Nobody has gotten any more revelations once this Book is finished. God has spoken. It’s done.
Hebrews 1:2-3a
“(God) Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, and by whom also he made (or created) the worlds; (Now, here’s the verse that triggered my thinking.) 3. Who (God the Son and remember Paul only knows one Christ; Crucified, Buried, and risen. All right, this God the Son that Paul talks about) is the brightness of his glory, the express image of his person, upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself (what?) purged us from our sin,…”