Theophany: Isaiah in the Temple
Theophany: Isaiah in the Temple.
Theophany: From the Greek words “Theo” (God) and “phaino” (to appear). So a theophany is when God makes a temporary appearance on earth for reasons of His own. A theophany is God’s temporary visible manifestation to remind us of His permanent presence in the world. A theophany is when God stoops to us in gracious self-revelation in a form that we can experience through our senses. Theophanies, though, are preliminary, because they anticipate the ultimate theophany in the incarnation of the Son of God, Jesus Christ. Theophanies in the Hebrew Bible were God’s temporary appearances, but in Jesus we see the fulfillment of theophany, a permanent appearance of God on earth.
Glory: the weighty splendor of God’s personal presence. God dwells in glory, He is comprised of glory, and so when God makes an appearance on earth, glory is revealed. The sheer weight of God’s presence, His spiritual girth, outweighs the world; His splendorous presence is more substantive and heavier than the universe.
God’s Drama. So it’s inevitable that an appearance of God, a theophany, would be accompanied by various natural phenomenon. When God makes an appearance, He seems to enjoy announcing it dramatically with natural effects that capture our attention. God loves variety, so a theophany involved everything from a whirlwind and hurricane to a soft whisper; from heavenly trumpet sounds to earthquakes; from lightning and gale-force winds to thunder and voices; from fire and smoke to blinding lights and a burning bush. One particular time, a theophany of the Holy Spirit included many things all at once… a violent rushing wind, tongues of fire on people’s heads, and foreign languages.
“In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the Temple. Above it stood seraphim, each one had six wings, with two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one cried to another and said, ‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory!’ The voices of the angels shook the Temple to its foundations, and the entire building was filled with smoke.” (Isaiah 6:1-4).
Theophany in the Temple. The heavenly powers are included in this song of Paradise chanted around the throne, glorifying almighty God. Only the Lord is worthy to be praised endlessly, eternally, around the clock where there is no clock. And what are all the powers of heaven singing, pausing only to catch a breath? A prayer that has been repeated by Christian churches and individual believers ever since, Isaiah 6:3. Isaiah’s mind-boggling vision of heaven’s throne room, the Lord on His throne, “high and exalted,” surrounded by choirs of angels adoring the King of creation, acknowledging His holiness and purity, set apart for special worship. The Lord’s glory, the light of His presence, permeates everything on earth. All of nature is full of His glory. This vision shaped Isaiah’s view of God and effected his prophetic ministry his whole life. It’s no wonder that Isaiah’s favorite term for God was the Holy One. Isaiah saw that God’s throne is surrounded by angels in full song, and by singing it here on earth, we are able to participate in that heavenly praise. The fact is we never pray alone. We are always accompanied by a cloud of witnesses that includes rank upon rank of heavenly angels. Whenever we glorify God in humble adoration, we are welcomed into the choirs of heaven gathered around the throne. When we adore the Lord, we are placing ourselves in the heavenlies and we place our hearts in the throne room. “Strictly speaking, there is no such thing as ‘private prayer’ in the Christian life. Our prayer to God is always sustained by the angelic presence.” (Reardon, Christ in the Psalms).
Holy = Hebrew, Kadosh; to be set apart; to be separated from the profane; to be distinctive in life purpose from the ordinary; to be sacred and dedicated for a special purpose; to be different in purity and character from the common.
Franz Schubert – Sanctus from German Mass
The Holy = When we read “the Holy One” in Isaiah, the literal translation is “The Holy,” and the “One” is assumed. Yahweh God, the Lord of the universe, is The Holy. It’s not that God is merely in another category by Himself, it’s that God can’t be categorized. There is no comparison to God in this world, there are no parallels. The Lord is utterly distinctive, set apart in every imaginable way, and then some. Because God is Wholly Other, He is worthy to receive one-of-a-kind honor, respect, reverence, and adoration. He is completely separate from any taint of sin, any meager hint of evil, and He has perfect freedom from anything that would compromise His character. God is Truth dwelling in his sacred Spirit. He is comprised of uncreated light. God is high and lifted up, above and beyond comprehension and imagination. Yahweh God has no personal shape or form, and yet remains a Person, Someone in whose image we are all made. God is the source of whatever holiness exists in the world, so God is the only Being for whom the word holy truly applies. When Isaiah 6:3 is recited in the Jewish daily liturgy, “Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of power and might! Heaven and earth are full of your glory!“, it is customary for the worshippers to stand on their tiptoes and stretch upwards three times. This is a wonderful picture of our rising up to grasp at the unreachable holiness of God. (Arthur Green). In the universe, on the one hand there is The Holy, and then on the other hand there is everything else. To describe the indescribable Holy One is like a slug attempting to explain how a human brain functions.
Here I am. Send me. Isaiah began his ministry as a young man who witnessed a spectacular Theophany of the Lord God in the Temple. He saw the LORD Yahweh sitting high on His throne, with mighty angels attending Him. The angels were flying as they shouted “Holy, holy, holy, Yahweh-Sabaoth, LORD of the Angel Armies! The whole earth is filled with His glory!” The voices of the angels shook the Temple to its foundations, and the smoke from the LORD’s presence completely filled the building. This dramatic theophany of God’s presence, an appearance of God’s perfection and power, left Isaiah shaken to his core. All he could do was acknowledge that he was impure in His presence, and not worthy of this vision. Isaiah thought he was doomed because he saw the Lord in all His glory. Yahweh then announced that He wanted a messenger to approach the people, and He wondered who would go for Him to bring His message. Isaiah immediately responded with his historical line, “Here am I. Send me.” And this was just the beginning for Isaiah. What would come next to top this?