Purifying Unclean Lips

Isaiah 6:5-7 Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts. (6) Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar: (7) And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged.

I love this passage because it contains the Gospel. Isaiah exclaimed, "Woe is me!," after he saw "the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up." He recognized that, although he was one of Israel's great prophets called by God, he was "a man of unclean lips" dwelling "in the midst of a people of unclean lips." Notice how he made no distinction between himself and the people to which God was sending him to prophesy.

Then one of the seraphim touched Isaiah's unclean lips with a coal from the altar. Why? The altar was a type of the cross. The sins of man were transferred to the sacrifice (typified in the Old Testament by the sinner placing his hand on the head of the sin offering), and its blood was shed and put on the altar.

Leviticus 4:27-30 And if any one of the common people sin through ignorance...or if his sin, which he hath sinned, come to his knowledge: then he shall bring his offering...for his sin which he hath sinned. And he shall lay his hand upon the head of the sin offering, and slay the sin offering in the place of the burnt offering. And the priest shall take of the blood thereof with his finger, and put it upon the horns of the altar of burnt offering, and shall pour out all the blood thereof at the bottom of the altar.

The sacrifice was placed upon the altar after its blood had been shed.

John 1:29 The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.

Matthew 26:27-28 And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.

The sacrifice was then completely consumed by fire on the altar signifying God's judgment of sin. One could argue that since this altar was in heaven before the throne of God, it came from the Lamb who was foreordained before the foundation of the world (1 Peter 1:18-20). Therefor when Isaiah's lips were touched with a coal from the altar, they were touched by Christ and Him crucified (1 Cor. 2:2).

Isaiah 53:3-12 He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth. He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken. And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth. Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities. Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.