Between the Lines Theology 2

In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple. (Isaiah 6:1)

I thought to give this message a very harsh title but realised there are some believers with very delicate sensibilities for serious stuff and changed.

But I have not changed the message.

Have you heard a message on Isaiah 6?

What was its focus?

I for one have heard it innumerable times in all sorts of settings.

Interestingly, the focus of all of them was on the death of the king and nothing else.

I for one have preached it a couple of times, but I focused on what the prophet saw since that is the purpose of that chapter.

Sadly, all the preaching I have heard about those first six words are purely speculative with no scriptural backing.

How stupid can a preacher get when he leaves the plainly written to concentrate on speculation?

Allow me to use another popular verse for preachers

And he said unto me, Son of man, stand upon thy feet, and I will speak unto thee. (Ezekiel 2:1)

Again the whole focus of the messages is the order to stand on one’s feet leaving the rest of the chapter untouched. As if someone can stand on anything else!

Isn’t this akin to refusing to turn on the light to admire the chandelier?

Isn’t it akin to spending your day admiring a sign post instead of following the direction it is showing?

And why are there no messages on several other times Isaiah and other prophets gave the death of a king at the beginning of a revelation?

Do you realise that focusing on the wrong message is distractive and can end up being spiritually destructive?

Do you realise the devil is using those distractions to lead God’s people away from the momentous message following that corrupted focus?

Uzziah’s death was a reference point, a timeline of sorts just like we see Luke writing about happenings in heathen nations in his books.

It gave a historical context to his message, something all the other prophets did time and again.

Concentrating on the calendar instead of the message is like looking for a needle in a haystack when you are a cow.

Not only is it futile, it is absolutely pointless and useless since even finding that needle has no benefit to the cow.

The message of Isaiah 6 is the revelation of God and His glory.

The focus of Ezekiel 2 is the prophet’s ministry preparedness. And he also first sees God and His glory before getting to that point (chapter 1).

Everything else should serve to give greater clarity to the message and assignment at hand.

Incidentally, there are very many such messages focusing on speculation instead of the plainly revealed.

No wonder many in the church are experts on speculation on everything from current affairs to the end times.

I hope I have communicated