Scripture Passage: Isaiah 6:1-13, 9:2-7
The prophets told repeatedly of the coming Redeemer. Isaiah is chock-full of passages pointing toward the birth/suffering of Jesus and the redemption of God's people. But as I read the first of today's passage, my biggest question was "How is it that a firey coal is symbolic of Jesus. Just what is the symbolism there?" I found the following explanation on Monergism.com (a web sit G-Love recommended). This comes from a sermon by Charles Biggs, pastor of Ketoctin Covenant Presbyterian Church in Virginia and a graduate of Westminster Theological Seminary.
When we hear “Holy, holy, holy” we are like Isaiah: We hear “guilt, guilt, guilt”! But God takes away our guilt in Christ Jesus. God gives us new hearts so that we might find him utterly lovely. The angel in Isaiah's vision takes tongs from the altar, takes a hot, burning coal and makes atonement for Isaiah's sins by touching his lips. This is symbolic to the Person and Work of Christ for us in atonement. Christ Jesus our Savior lays down his life and sheds his blood on the altar in heaven, taking God's wrath upon him so he can send the Holy Spirit to us. The coal from the altar symbolizes punishment and purification. The altar from which the coal was taken was the place where bulls and goats were placed to shed blood before God and to offer a substitute in place of the sinner. The fire that consumed the animal on the altar was God's purification. In Christ, Jesus lays down his life once and for all as a man, a once and for all sacrifice for sinners to be punished in their place. After his resurrection from the dead and ascension back to the throneroom of heaven, Jesus sends forth His Spirit to us so that we might then be purified. So, the coal from the altar symbolizes the punishment and purification that would come in time because of the Person and Work of Jesus Christ!
Key Verse: Isaiah 6:7 -- "Your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for."
Suggested Symbol -- tongs holding a burning-hot coal
1 comments:
Will you please e-mail me your address? I sent you an e-mail but I know you probably get on here more. Will you give me Danny, Buddy and Mimi's if you have them too please??? Thanks! How are things??? I miss you guys so much!!!
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