洁净和授命
以赛亚书六章8至13节
8我又听见主的声音说：我可以差遣谁呢？谁肯为我们去呢？我说：我在这里，请差遣我！
9他说：你去告诉这百姓说：你们听是要听见，却不明白；看是要看见，却不晓得。
10要使这百姓心蒙脂油，耳朵发沉，眼睛昏迷；恐怕眼睛看见，耳朵听见，心里明白，回转过来，便得医治。
11我就说：主啊，这到几时为止呢？他说：直到城邑荒凉，无人居住，房屋空闲无人，地土极其荒凉。
12并且耶和华将人迁到远方，在这境内撇下的地土很多。
13境内剩下的人若还有十分之一，也必被吞灭，像栗树、橡树虽被砍伐，树墩子却仍存留。这圣洁的种类在国中也是如此。
信息分享
置身在圣殿中的以赛亚，当然会看见一个烧着红炭的祭坛。看到祭坛，就必然会想到献祭；而想到献祭，就必然会想到被宰的祭牲所流出来的血，是用以洁净人的罪。
神命天使拿起祭坛中的一块红炭沾以赛亚的口──神正是准备用以赛亚的口来服侍祂。当他的口得着洁净之后，他便可以将神的信息传给神的百姓。
接着，便是神的呼召。以赛亚仿佛听见三位一体神之间的互相对话。神正在寻找一位为祂传递信息的使者。以赛亚该怎样回应呢？他立即向神自荐，而神亦立即接受。这整件事的发生，乃始自以赛亚首先来到神的面前，愿意与神作亲密的相交。倘若我们也是这样来到神的面前，经历祂的洁净与呼召，然后才去事奉神，那么，我们的事奉必然会产生截然不同的果效。
神接纳了以赛亚的回应，并立即差派他「去」；然而，请留意神对他说的话。神是否应许他的事奉必然成功？不，神对他说：「我差你去告诉百姓，但他们听是要听见，却不明白。他们会厌弃你，甚至想杀掉你。」以赛亚问道：「主啊，我要继续这工作到几时呢？」神回答说：「直至再无人听见。」多么黯淡的前景啊！但以赛亚却接受了神所差派的工作。我们今天得以读到神借着他所写下的话语，便正是因着他愿意这样忠心地回应神。
反观我们自己，我们总是很执着自我，不太愿意走神的道路。当我们事奉的时候，总是很渴望得到别人的赞赏与感激。这岂是看自己的死的，和为主而活的标记？仆人怎能高过主人呢？基督昔日并没有获得别人的欣赏和接待，反倒受人排斥和拒绝；这正是祂走过的道路，我们作祂仆人的，又岂能绕道而行？
牢记：
十字架的道路最终总带来祝福。
ISAIAH'S CLEANING AND COMMISSION
Isaiah 6:8-13
8 Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying:
“Whom shall I send,
And who will go for Us?”
Then I said, “Here am I! Send me.”
9 And He said, “Go, and tell this people:
‘Keep on hearing, but do not understand;
Keep on seeing, but do not perceive.’
10 “Make the heart of this people dull,
And their ears heavy,
And shut their eyes;
Lest they see with their eyes,
And hear with their ears,
And understand with their heart,
And return and be healed.”
11 Then I said, “Lord, how long?”
And He answered:
“Until the cities are laid waste and without inhabitant,
The houses are without a man,
The land is utterly desolate,
12 The Lord has removed men far away,
And the forsaken places are many in the midst of the land.
13 But yet a tenth will be in it,
And will return and be for consuming,
As a terebinth tree or as an oak,
Whose stump remains when it is cut down.
So the holy seed shall be its stump.”
Message
On the altar which Isaiah saw there was a fire. An altar speaks of sacrifice and a sacrifice speaks of blood being shed. The shedding of blood is God's way for cleansing.
A live coal was brought to touch Isaiah's lips-that which God was going to use most of all. Cleansed lips meant he was ready to carry God's messages to God's people.
Then came the call. Isaiah overhears God speaking within the Trinity. God is seeking a messenger. What should Isaiah do? He offers himself and God immediately accepts. It all came about as the result of Isaiah being in the presence of God, of knowing deep fellowship with him. If our service came out of that same atmosphere there would be a tremendous difference in its effectiveness.
Isaiah's offer is accepted and God says 'GO'. But did you notice the words of the remaining verses? Did God promise Isaiah immediate success of even long-range success? No, God said 'I am sending you but the people will not listen. They will reject you and will even kill you.' Isaiah asked, 'Lord, how long shall I carryon this ministry?' And God replied, 'Until there is no-one left to listen'. What a discouraging prospect! Yet Isaiah undertook the task God gave him. We are still thanking God today for the words of the man who was commissioned in this way.
Are we willing for that kind of service? We are often so unwilling for God's ways. Self is so much alive. We want every bit of praise and thanks which we can get. Are those the marks of a life dead to self and alive in Christ? Is the servant any greater than his master? Was Christ well received? Was he really appreciated? It is the way the master went, should not the servant tread it still?
REMEMBER: The pathway of the cross is always the pathway of final blessing.