{"id":44014,"date":"2021-01-25T00:06:16","date_gmt":"2021-01-24T21:06:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wingulamashahidi.org\/?p=44014"},"modified":"2025-05-04T20:24:16","modified_gmt":"2025-05-04T17:24:16","slug":"who-said-send-me-in-isaiah-68","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wingulamashahidi.org\/en\/2021\/01\/25\/who-said-send-me-in-isaiah-68\/","title":{"rendered":"Who Said \u201cSend Me\u201d in Isaiah 6:8?\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"

QUESTION:<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Servant of God, praise the Lord! I seek clarification on Isaiah 6:1\u201310. In verse 8, who says \u201cSend me\u201d? Was it Isaiah? Also, why was he purified with a burning coal?<\/p>\n

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BIBLICAL TEXT: Isaiah 6:1\u201310 (NIV)<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Let\u2019s begin by reading a portion of the passage:<\/p>\n

Isaiah 6:5\u20138 (NIV):<\/strong>
\n\u201cWoe to me!\u201d I cried. \u201cI am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty.\u201d<\/em>
\nThen one of the seraphim flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. With it he touched my mouth and said, \u201cSee, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.\u201d<\/em>
\nThen I heard the voice of the Lord saying, \u201cWhom shall I send? And who will go for us?\u201d And I said, \u201cHere am I. Send me!\u201d<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

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1. Who Said \u201cSend Me\u201d?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The answer is clear from the passage: the prophet Isaiah<\/strong> is the one who said, \u201cHere am I. Send me!\u201d<\/em> (Isaiah 6:8). This was Isaiah\u2019s personal response<\/strong> to God’s call after his cleansing and encounter with divine holiness.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s important theologically to understand that this was not Jesus speaking, as some may mistakenly assume. While Christ is present throughout Scripture (see John 1:1; Luke 24:27), this particular response in Isaiah 6 is Isaiah’s own personal surrender to God’s call into prophetic ministry.<\/p>\n

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2. Why Was Isaiah Purified with a Burning Coal?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Theological Insight:<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Isaiah\u2019s confession\u2014\u201cI am a man of unclean lips\u201d\u2014shows his recognition of sin, not just in his actions but in his very nature and speech. This represents the holiness of God confronting the sinfulness of humanity.<\/strong><\/p>\n

In Scripture, the mouth<\/strong> often represents the heart (Luke 6:45), so Isaiah\u2019s confession implies total unworthiness in character and conduct. His encounter with God\u2019s holiness immediately made him aware of his need for cleansing. He couldn\u2019t serve or speak on behalf of a holy God without first being purified.<\/p>\n

The Role of the Coal:<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The live coal, taken from the altar, symbolizes both atonement and purification<\/strong>. In Old Testament theology, the altar was the place of sacrifice\u2014where sin was dealt with through blood (see Leviticus 16). The coal touching his lips symbolically transferred God’s atoning grace to Isaiah, signifying:<\/p>\n