What is the meaning of “here am I; send me” in Isaiah 6:8?

Response

Isaiah 6 recounts how the prophet Isaiah, in a vision from the Lord, commences his ministry for God. In the vision, the Lord inquires, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” «Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me. », (Isaiah 6:8a). Isaiah’s immediate response was to offer himself for service: “Here am I; send me” (verse 8b, KJV).

Following a 52-year reign of relative peace, King Uzziah of Judah succumbed to leprosy in 739 BC (2 Chronicles 26:16-23), coinciding with the commencement of Isaiah’s prophetic ministry. In a vision, Isaiah beheld the Lord, “high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple” «In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple. », (Isaiah 6:1). The Lord had a message to convey to the nation of Judah, expressing His need for a messenger in verse 8. Isaiah’s declaration “Here am I; send me” marked the inception of his ministry; the priest now transformed into a prophet, and the Lord’s message for Judah eventually materialized into the book of Isaiah.

Before Isaiah could respond, “Here am I; send me,” he confronted an issue that needed resolution. Isaiah 6:5 reveals how Isaiah recognized his own unworthiness: “Woe to me! . . . I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.” Standing in the presence of the Lord, Isaiah became acutely aware of his sinfulness, leading him to profound remorse similar to that of Job «Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent In dust and ashes. », (Job 42:6) and Peter “When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord.”, (Luke 5:8) when they were confronted with the presence of the Lord. God was preparing Isaiah for his cleansing and commission.

After Isaiah acknowledges his sin, a seraph takes a burning piece of coal from the altar, touches Isaiah’s lips with it, and says, “See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for” “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.”, (Isaiah 6:7). Some details are important here: Isaiah could not remove his own guilt, the atonement is made possible by the altar—the place of sacrifice—and the purification is specifically applied to the point of Isaiah’s sin—his lips—making Isaiah acceptable as a minister of God’s words.

It is only after Isaiah is cleansed of his sin that he says, “Here am I; send me.” Prior to that point, he saw himself as an unworthy messenger; once he was forgiven, he immediately desired to serve the Lord in whatever way possible. The Lord asks, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?”—He wants willing volunteers in His service—and a grateful and enthusiastic Isaiah doesn’t hesitate in taking the opportunity: “Here am I; send me.” And for the rest of his life, Isaiah serves the God who had forgiven and saved him.