It is at this point in the discussion of Seraphim that the descriptions start getting bizarre and a little unsettling about the messengers of God.
"Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a
burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. And he touched my
mouth and said: “Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away,
and your sin atoned for.” Isaiah 6:6-7
Seraphim (Hebrew, "burning ones") is a title given
to angels by Isaiah 6:2-6. This plural word is from seraph, which signifies
fiery, or "burning ones". This is also the word used to describe the fiery serpents,
by which the children of Israel were bitten in the wilderness of Arabia in Numbers 21:6. Some suppose that this name was given to a class of the angels
on account of their missions to execute on the wicked and evil people the fiery wrath of
God. But others think that they are so called from their ardent zeal for the honor
and glory of their Creator, as represented in the vision of the prophet Isaiah.
Indicative of purity and zeal, the seraphim are thought to be the highest order
of angelic beings because they are inflamed by love for God because of their intense nearness to Him.
The seraphim are to be distinguished from the cherubim in
that the former are represented as having six wings, and the latter four wings.
While there are seventy-three references to the cherubim, the seraphim are only
mentioned twice in Scripture as above... "...I saw the Lord seated on a throne.... above
him were seraphs, each with six wings, then one of the seraphs flew to me with
a live coal in his hand. With it he touched my mouth and said, 'Your guilt is
taken away and your sins atoned for." ~Isaiah 6:1, 2, 6-7. How
significant is the description given of the Seraphim...each seraph has six wings
used in a threefold way in Isaiah 6:2.
Purpose 1: With two he covered his face. The veiled face indicates
unworthiness and also inability to steadfastly behold or fully comprehend the
glory of the Lord. It also suggests profound reverence and adoring awe, as well
as care not to pry into God's secrets and counsels (Exodus 3:6; Job 4:18;
15:15; 1 Kings 19:13).
Purpose 2: With two he covered his feet. Service consists in
reverent waiting on, more than in active service for, God. Covered feet denote
deep humility.
Purpose 3: With two he did fly. Two wings alone of the six were
kept ready for instant flight. Here we have prompt and briskness in
executing the will of God. Four wings were for worship, two wings for work. We
are guilty of reversing the order and serve more than wait.
Then the prophet Isaiah describes the offices of the Seraphim he saw in his vision: First of all, they praise God for His holiness: "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Hosts ..." ~Isaiah 6:3. The most glowing of the angelic orders, glowing with the holy flame of Divine love, they are depicted as standing as they celebrated God's holiness and waited to execute His mandates.
The threefold repetition of "Holy, holy, holy" has justly been thought to refer to the three divine persons in the Trinity and to the holiness displayed in the great work of redemption. It is also suggested that the epithet repeated three times may refer to the three worlds:
1. Holy is God in the world of angels and spirits.
2. Holy is God in the world of stars and heavenly bodies.
3. Holy is God upon the earth.
The seraphim are God's agents for the purification of His
people. Isaiah, after pronouncing woes on others, perceived himself liable to
the same condemnation. The uncleanness of his lips was in contrast to the
seraphim chanting in alternate responses, with pure lips. But God encouraged
the prophet, made conscious of his own sinfulness by a symbolical action of a
seraph. The live coal from the altar represents the sacrifice of Christ and its
effects; and, applied to the prophet's lips, denotes the assurance of pardon
and acceptance in his work, through the atonement of the promised Messiah.
Isaiah's unfit- ness for the office, as well as his personal sin, were removed
only by being brought into contact with the sacrificial altar in Isaiah 6:7.
Note that Satan, before he became Satan, was the highest of the seraphim. The
seraphim are among the great "mysteries" we will not fully un-
derstand until we get to heaven.
Bible References to the Seraphim / Seraph:
Above him were seraphs, each with six wings: With two wings
they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they
were flying. Isaiah 6:2
Then one of the seraphs flew to me with a live coal in his
hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. Isaiah 6:6
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