A prophet’s call
Day 314, Saturday, June 21
Isaiah Chapter 6 – 8:18
The call of Isaiah is, along with the call of Samuel, one of the most famous prophet call stories in the Bible.
While we might think of prophets as mystical and other-worldly, it’s important to recall that they are firmly grounded in history and interact with what is going on around them. The historical grounding of Isaiah is clear from the beginning as his call takes place “in the year that King Uzziah died.” This doesn’t imply a specific connection between Isaiah and King Uzziah, but just a placement in time like we might remember that an event took place during a specific presidential administration.
As usual when God reveals himself, Isaiah’s first response is fear: “Woe to me! I 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.”
A seraph—a heavenly being—then touches Isaiah’s lips with a hot coal, taking away his guilt and letting him know his sin is atoned for.
He then hears the voice of God and responds, “Here am I. Send me!”
Isaiah then shares the prophecy given by God, attaching meaning to the history we have read about: how both Israel and Judah fell to other nations because of their unfaithfulness and disobedience.
As he speaks of the fall of Israel (referred to here as Ephraim), he speaks a truth that has a broader application: “If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all.”

Saturday meditation

Proverbs 31:4-7
It is not for kings, Lemuel—it is not for kings to drink wine, not for rulers to crave beer, lest they drink and forget what has been decreed, and deprive all the oppressed of their rights.
Let beer be for those who are perishing, wine for those who are in anguish! Let them drink and forget their poverty and remember their misery no more.

Prayer focus
Let us hear your call, and respond.

-Rev. Mark Fleming