Hell keeps popping up in my reading these days. No, I’m not talking about my daily study of Scripture or continued reading in theological journals. I’m talking about the news-feeds on my tablet. Authors these days seem to think it shows great intelligence to throw prepositional phrases like “what in the h---” into otherwise innocuous articles about puny perch fishing or sugar-cookie recipes.
And more: even the headlines of articles may contain words that blushing editors used to mask from the reader with strange, code-like rendering: “*!_%#” Not any more. There’s the word, staring me in the face. Had I used such words as a child or youth, I would have suffered the same fate as Ralphie in “A Christmas Story.” A bar of Lifebuoy lodged firmly in my mouth during an extended time-out (a month or so).
But no more. We dwell among a people with unclean lips, throwing obscenities around as if hurling such verbal cow-pies is the only way to gain a reader’s attention, or perhaps even garner respect for how cutting-edge the writer has dared to be!
“A people with unclean lips:” you and I are not immune to such language. Just a quick check of Facebook can reveal cringe-worthy examples of believers who--perhaps to blend in with everyone else-- toss words around that would make a mother weep and break our Father’s heart. (Colossians 3:8, Ephesians 5:4)
Ah, but it’s easy to train the scope of my law-sights on the unclean lips of others. It’s quite another thing to admit, “I am a man with unclean lips.” Maybe my lips are not unclean because of profanity-laced tirades, but they are unclean, nevertheless. Unclean because of words left unspoken. Unclean because of a late-night phone call where someone just needed me to listen and care. Instead, wearied by a long day, I spoke too soon. I said too much. My speech wasn’t seasoned with the salt of Scripture. (Colossians 4:6) I ignored the divine advice given by James. “Let everyone be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry.” (James 1:19)
Or perhaps my lips are unclean because of unspoken words that cloud over my brain, when I smash my thumb with a hammer. Or drop a tiny screw off the workbench for the 37th time, as I struggle to reassemble the battery compartment on the Wi-Fi temperature monitor for my living room. (Who designs this stuff?) Or get cut off in traffic by the Illinois driver that feels Highway 51 and all of its lanes belong to him.
“I am a man of unclean lips.” Isaiah spoke those words in dread, as a confession when he was privileged to see the “the Lord sitting on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him stood the seraphim.” (Isaiah 6:1-2) The seraphim’s shout, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Armies! The whole earth is full of his glory!” shook the foundations of heaven itself, and caused Isaiah’s knees to knock and his heart to tremble! “I am doomed! I am ruined, because I am a man with unclean lips, and I dwell among a people with unclean lips, and because my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of armies!” (Isaiah 6:5)
No one with unclean lips—not me, not you, not the mighty Prophet himself--dare stand in the presence of the One who is “holy, holy, holy.” (Exodus 33:40)
But Isaiah’s dread was stilled by the seraphim who took a glowing coal from the altar, touched the Prophet’s mouth, and said, “Look, this has touched your lips, so your guilt is taken away, and your sin is forgiven.” (Isaiah 6:7)
The seraphim’s action in the vision is symbolic. It reminds us of how our dread over our unclean lips is taken away by Jesus on the cross. (Colossians 1:14, Hebrews 9:28, 1 John 2:2) Fully. Graciously. Unbelievable! The weight of God’s judgment—gone! The sulfurous stench of hell—gone for us believers!
Warmed by the love of our Lord that is poured out on us in Christ, how can we do anything but stand next to Isaiah and use our cleansed lips to shout with excitement, “Here I am. Send me!” (Isaiah 6:8)
Privileged to serve,
Rev. Glenn Schwanke
And more: even the headlines of articles may contain words that blushing editors used to mask from the reader with strange, code-like rendering: “*!_%#” Not any more. There’s the word, staring me in the face. Had I used such words as a child or youth, I would have suffered the same fate as Ralphie in “A Christmas Story.” A bar of Lifebuoy lodged firmly in my mouth during an extended time-out (a month or so).
But no more. We dwell among a people with unclean lips, throwing obscenities around as if hurling such verbal cow-pies is the only way to gain a reader’s attention, or perhaps even garner respect for how cutting-edge the writer has dared to be!
“A people with unclean lips:” you and I are not immune to such language. Just a quick check of Facebook can reveal cringe-worthy examples of believers who--perhaps to blend in with everyone else-- toss words around that would make a mother weep and break our Father’s heart. (Colossians 3:8, Ephesians 5:4)
Ah, but it’s easy to train the scope of my law-sights on the unclean lips of others. It’s quite another thing to admit, “I am a man with unclean lips.” Maybe my lips are not unclean because of profanity-laced tirades, but they are unclean, nevertheless. Unclean because of words left unspoken. Unclean because of a late-night phone call where someone just needed me to listen and care. Instead, wearied by a long day, I spoke too soon. I said too much. My speech wasn’t seasoned with the salt of Scripture. (Colossians 4:6) I ignored the divine advice given by James. “Let everyone be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry.” (James 1:19)
Or perhaps my lips are unclean because of unspoken words that cloud over my brain, when I smash my thumb with a hammer. Or drop a tiny screw off the workbench for the 37th time, as I struggle to reassemble the battery compartment on the Wi-Fi temperature monitor for my living room. (Who designs this stuff?) Or get cut off in traffic by the Illinois driver that feels Highway 51 and all of its lanes belong to him.
“I am a man of unclean lips.” Isaiah spoke those words in dread, as a confession when he was privileged to see the “the Lord sitting on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him stood the seraphim.” (Isaiah 6:1-2) The seraphim’s shout, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Armies! The whole earth is full of his glory!” shook the foundations of heaven itself, and caused Isaiah’s knees to knock and his heart to tremble! “I am doomed! I am ruined, because I am a man with unclean lips, and I dwell among a people with unclean lips, and because my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of armies!” (Isaiah 6:5)
No one with unclean lips—not me, not you, not the mighty Prophet himself--dare stand in the presence of the One who is “holy, holy, holy.” (Exodus 33:40)
But Isaiah’s dread was stilled by the seraphim who took a glowing coal from the altar, touched the Prophet’s mouth, and said, “Look, this has touched your lips, so your guilt is taken away, and your sin is forgiven.” (Isaiah 6:7)
The seraphim’s action in the vision is symbolic. It reminds us of how our dread over our unclean lips is taken away by Jesus on the cross. (Colossians 1:14, Hebrews 9:28, 1 John 2:2) Fully. Graciously. Unbelievable! The weight of God’s judgment—gone! The sulfurous stench of hell—gone for us believers!
Warmed by the love of our Lord that is poured out on us in Christ, how can we do anything but stand next to Isaiah and use our cleansed lips to shout with excitement, “Here I am. Send me!” (Isaiah 6:8)
Privileged to serve,
Rev. Glenn Schwanke
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