In the Year King Uzziah Died

Isaiah 6:1-3
“In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple. 2 Above him were seraphim, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. 3 And they were calling to one another: ‘Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.’”

King Uzziah was the prophet Isaiah’s friend. And friendly kings were rare for prophets in those days. Now his friend was dead. This brought instability into Isaiah’s life, and into the nation of Israel.

Dead kings meant vulnerability.

Dead kings meant instability.

What would the new king be like? Would he be benevolent? Would he be harsh? Would he be a tyrant? Would he be a fool?

What about the threat of Assyria to the north? And Babylon to the east?—the dominant military powers in the world at the time.

Uzziah’s death was heavy.

And Isaiah said that in the year he died “…I saw the Lord.”

And boy oh boy, do we need to see the Lord as well, in the year that our Uzziah dies. Or the coronavirus takes away everything we considered normal only a week ago. We have to be able to say, “In the year COVID-19 struck…I saw the Lord.”

Then Isaiah saw the angels, and they were singing one of heaven’s worship songs. Here it is:

“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.”

What? Full of His glory? I could see Isaiah saying, “Not from where I’m looking at it!”

But the angels give us a different perspective. They are on the mountain. We are in the valley. On the mountain, you can look down and see how everything is connected in the valley. In the valley, you’re lost in a labyrinth. You can’t see how things connect.

The angels saw the glory of God.

The angels saw God’s sovereignty. A heavenly kingdom at work in an earthly kingdom.

“The whole earth is full of his glory.”

Let faith rise in your heart, dear brothers and sisters. Let God’s Word and His Spirit lift you up to the mountain where your spiritual eyes see everything differently.

Coronavirus? Economic instability? Social isolation?

The whole earth is full of his glory.

God is at work. Trust Him. Rest in His sovereign reign. Our benevolent king, a greater than Uzziah, rules His people for His glory and our good.