Religion & Spirituality
In this passage of Isaiah, Isaiah opens with a vision of God in His temple. The image he paints contains typical elements in an Eastern monarch: a figure of authority in robes on a throne and attendants by his side showing proper respect for his position. However, the figures Isaiah describe are anything but typical. The “attendants,” angels, at His side are seraphim (the word seraph means “to burn”), heavenly beings who are eternal and terrifying in their own right, cover their faces and feet. The action is a traditional way to show deference in the face of royalty. The ethereal, flaming, winged, humanoid creatures at God’s side can do nothing but wait on the Lord. With great humility and reverence, they cry out with praise for God’s name and authority. While Isaiah describes the seraphim in great detail, he is incapable of describing God other than by the way his robes overwhelm the throne. If such creatures as seraphim are helpless to God’s great holiness, how incapable are we to comprehend God’s power and majesty?