Worksheet on Isaiah 6:1-13

This passage contains the call narrative of Isaiah. Thus, it serves at least two purposes: 1) It serves to legitimate Isaiah's prophecies by stating that they are true visions from Yahweh. Isaiah has seen Yahweh enthroned in the divine assembly, so the words that he reports are the decrees of the divine assembly for human affairs. 2) It serves as a type of explanation of all of Isaiah's prophecies. Isaiah is commanded during his call to speak the words of Yahweh, but he is also told that the people will not listen to him. We have to ask why he is told that the people will not listen, and we must ask the question if this is important for understanding all of his prophecies. Your professor argues that the fact that Yahweh tells him that the people will not listen, especially when read in light of the parallel text from 1 Kings 22, is very important for understanding all of Isaiah's prophecies (see the comments below under "applications for today").

Historical background:

Who was Isaiah? Where was he from? To whom did he present his prophecies?

What else do we know about the prophet Isaiah? Was he a professional prophet? Is his a hozeh ("visionary") or a ro'eh ("seer") or some other type of prophet? Did he want to be called a nabi' "prophet"? (hint: look at Isaiah 1:1 in addition to chapter 6).

In what general time period did Isaiah prophecy? What were the kingdoms of Judah and like at this time? How did this situation change in Judah once the northern kingdom of Israel was finally defeated for good in 722? Note: this is the same question asked about Micah, but the chronological information is also helpful for Isaiah. Also note that most of this information can be gleaned from lecture or from the Blenkinsopp textbook.

How is Isaiah's career as a prophet different from other prophets that we've studied so far since he prophesied for so long? Would you expect development in his prophecies? Would you expect the prophecies and Isaiah's theology to change over time? How does this affect the way in which we read Isaiah?

Limits and setting of the Passage:

Do you agree with the limits of the passage (vv. 1-13)? Why or why not?

What happens in the five chapters preceding Isaiah's call narrative (chapter 6)? Why do you think that the collector or redactor of Isaiah's prophecies chose to place the call narrative at chapter 6 instead of chapter 1?

What happens in chapters 7-9? How does the call narrative relate to these chapters?

A popular hymn ("Here I am Lord") ends with Isaiah's statement "Here I am Lord, send me!" in verse 8. Is this an acceptable division of the passage? What is left our by stopping the passage at verse 8? Is this OK (see below for a further development of this question)?

How does this passage function in the overall book of Isaiah? As you are thinking about question, go back over your notes from our class period on Isaiah 1-4 where we discussed that Isaiah prophesies that the City of God will be exalted above all other cities, but during this process of exultation the City of God (and the land and countries surrounding it) will also need to be purged of sin. In other words, God cannot dwell in a sinful, unclean place, so the City of God will have to be purged.

Comparison of the Isaiah 6 to 1 Kings 22:

Notice that the two passages both describe Yahweh as enthroned in the divine council. Yahweh is holding judgment on what will happen with the human realm, and the prophet overhears the discussion that takes place. The table below presents a summary of some of the comparisons. Not that you should read each passage and not rely solely on this summary as some of the points of comparison are more thematic and not "word-for-word."

1 Kings 22

Isaiah 6

v. 19: I saw the LORD v. 1: I saw the LORD

v. 19: sitting on his throne v. 1: sitting on a throne. . .

v. 19: with all the host of heaven v. 2: Seraphs

v. 19: standing beside Him to the right and to the left v. 2: were in attendance (Heb= were standing) above him

v. 20: And the LORD said: v. 8: Then I heard the voice of the LORD saying:

v. 20: Who will entice Ahab . . . v. 8: Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?

v. 21: I will entice Ahab v. 8: And I said, Here I am, send me.

The spirit then tells Yahweh: "I will go out and be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets."

Micaiah then summarizes: "See the LORD has decreed disaster for you."
Isaiah is then told to prophecy to the people so they will "keep listening, but do not comprehend; keep looking but do not understand. Make the mind of this people dull and stop their ears, and shut their eyes, so that they may not look with their eyes, and listen with their ears, and comprehend with their minds, and turn and be healed." (v. 9-10)

The use of the divine council in the Hebrew Bible

As mentioned above several times, our passage is an example of Yahweh being portrayed as the head of the divine council. The "divine council" is a designation of the tradition in the ancient Near East for assembly of the gods. This assembly of the gods was where decisions were made by the gods concerning the human realm. Although Israelite religion held that Yahweh was so superior that the other gods were as nothing in comparison (a precursor to monotheism), the motif of the divine council is used in several places in the Hebrew Scriptures to describe the way in which Yahweh rules the earth. The salient difference between the use of the divine council in the Hebrew Scriptures and other sacred texts from the ancient Near East is that the other beings surrounding Yahweh are merely "spirits" and not gods of equal status. The following passages are helpful in understanding how this motif of the divine council is used in the Hebrew Scriptures:

Genesis 1:26: God states: "Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness. . ."

Genesis 11:7: Yahweh states: "Come, let us go down, and confuse their language . . ."

1 King 22:19ff: the passage with Micaiah that is described above

Isaiah 6:1-13: the passage that we are discussing

Job 1:6ff: "One day the heavenly beings (Heb = "sons of God") came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came among them."

Psalm 82: "God has taken his place in the divine council; in the midst of the gods he holds judgment. . . "

Applications for today:

As mentioned above, the popular hymn "Here I am LORD" is often used on occasions of commissioning for lay leaders and for pastors. The intent of the hymn is to convey the idea that if people respond to God with the faith of Isaiah that they will be successful in changing the world for God. However, the hymn fails to quote verses 9-10 where Isaiah is told that he will present so the people's heart can be hardened. This is an extremely hard message, but it is also similar with the message presented in 1 Kings 22. The difference is that we all have negative feelings about Ahab because of his sins, whereas it is hard to have the same negative feelings for the entire nation of Judah. However, I would like to suggest that the passages are similar in that God's exultation cannot take place until the corruption is wiped out. In this light, the statement that Isaiah will harden the hearts of the people can be seen as speeding up the process of God bring salvation-- God must first judge and wipe out sin before salvation can be given to the people. Several questions in this regard:

What do you think about a hymn deliberately leaving the negative parts out? Can we modify a biblical passage in order to leave the parts that we disagree out? Is the hymn doing something different? Should he hymn continue to be used?

Must God always judge and punish before salvation can be presented to the people?

Does the role of the prophet seem like an enviable one? Would you want to be a prophet like Isaiah or Micaiah? Why or why not?

How should we read and interpret sections in the Hebrew Bible that allude to a divine council? Do these mean that Yahweh is just like any of the other gods? Why or why not? If the Israelites used these types of motifs in order to present their ideological messages, is is legitimate for us to utilize similar comparisons?

1 Kings 22	Isaiah 6
v. 19: I saw the LORD	v. 1: I saw the LORD
v. 19: sitting on his throne	v. 1: sitting on a throne. . .
v. 19: with all the host of heaven	v. 2: Seraphs
v. 19: standing beside Him to the right and to the left	v. 2: were in attendance (Heb= were standing) above him
v. 20: And the LORD said:	v. 8: Then I heard the voice of the LORD saying:
v. 20: Who will entice Ahab . . .	v. 8: Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?
v. 21: I will entice Ahab	v. 8: And I said, Here I am, send me.
The spirit then tells Yahweh: "I will go out and be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets." Micaiah then summarizes: "See the LORD has decreed disaster for you."	Isaiah is then told to prophecy to the people so they will "keep listening, but do not comprehend; keep looking but do not understand. Make the mind of this people dull and stop their ears, and shut their eyes, so that they may not look with their eyes, and listen with their ears, and comprehend with their minds, and turn and be healed." (v. 9-10)