This is the fifth in a series of postings looking at the meaning of Isaiah 6 for today; it began (here).God-talk inevitably brings us to the boundaries of what we can do with language. That is certainly the case in the opening verses of Isaiah 6, which recount a vision of God. Some 2,800 years later and translated into English, the tale of that vision has a mystical, spiritual, and exalted quality to it that we cannot miss. Even clothed in the cultural symbols of the ancient world of the Hebrews, we still feel how Isaiah was transported to a higher realm. He saw the King of kings seated on a Throne beyond all thrones and attended by a Court like no other court. The robe of office of this King filled the temple, the Hebrew's most holy spot. In other words, that holiest of holies was filled with the Holiest of holies. God's powerful presence dominated the moment. The temple was also filled with the sounds of overpowering holiness as God's flaming attendants sang praise to God. It was filled with the smoke of holy incense that may have served to obscure the full vision of God so that it did not become entirely overwhelming.
Language is key element of human culture, and it is amazingly useful for daily life. It is a part of our humanity that we cannot do without. But it has its limits, and there are things that we know, feel, and experience that it is all but impossible to put into words. Still, we have to try just as the one who first had this vision, the scribe who first put it to paper, and the editors and translators who have since worked and re-worked the description of the vision—just as all of these individuals have tried to describe Isaiah's vision of God. Lots of people today consider the whole thing nonsense. Many others want to argue about whether it "really happened" or not. They all fail to see the integrity of the vision itself and the way in which it shoves us to the boundaries of language.
The words even now, even translated into English tell the story of an amazing, life-changing experience with the divine. It was a transcendental experience of overwhelming power. It was a moment at once awe-some, awe inspiring, and awe-full. It redefined reality for the visionary.
I'd like to explore the vision further, but again as in the previous posting it is important to stop for a moment and let the vision simply be. It is important to read imaginatively beyond the translation and the ancient cultural images—to peer through them to One beyond—and at least attempt to feel however dimly the power of the vision. Its Otherness. Its Beyond-ness. It takes us to the boundaries of our everyday reality and reminds us that Beyond that reality lies another boundless one—and boundless One. Amen.
