"In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple."
People of means have always made a point of portraying their importance in one way or another. People of culture will never announce their importance, but you will certainly know it by any number of ways. They throw their weight around in subtle ways, and sometimes no-so-subtle ways.
The princess of Sweden was recently married, and her wedding was reported to have cost 2.6 million dollars. That certainly tells us she is an important, and wealthy person. Wealth and prestige seems to go hand in hand. Donald Trump is another. You hear the name "Trump" and you automatically see dollar signs. Howard Hughes; Billy Graham; Bill Clinton; Oral Roberts; T.D. Jakes; and the list can go on and on and on. All important and wealthy people and we recognize this by their lifestyles.
In ancient Biblical times, things were no different. The life of Solomon is a prime example, with one or two exceptions. Solomon knew he was important, and he showed off. Not exactly a godly trait. But there was another way that announced a person's station in life - his robe. Yes, his robe. Every culture in ancient times recognized important peoplei in every culture by their robes. Anyone, ANYONE, could instantly tell how important a dignitary was by the length of the train on his robe and how many slaves it took to carry it. So if somebody puffed themselves up and considered themselves self-important, but had NO train on his robe, he was virtually ignored! The train made the man!
When God called Isaiah to be His prophet, He gave Isaiah a vision of Himself in terms that he could understand. He wanted Isaiah to be able to imprint on Israel just who YWHW is! So He revealed Himself to Isaiah in three undeniable ways.
Isaiah saw the Lord ". . . seated on a throne . . . " First and foremost, he saw a King. Royalty. Ruler. A person whose word was law and demanded obedience. The throne represented protection and judgment, mercy and wrath. He is the decider of life and death. He is the one who holds your life in His hands. Then, He was ". . . high and exalted . . ." which declared Him King of Kings. There was no king higher then YWHW. He was way and above all the kings of the earth, kings bowed to Him. And if this wasn't enough to convince Isaiah, he saw that ". . . his train filled the temple . . . " This was the final point that declared the majesty of Almighty God. All the kings of the Middle East had trains on their robes and servants an slaves to carry them, but absolutely no one, NO ONE, had a train that filled the Temple of Solomon. This same temple that was so incredibly immense, so fabulous, that in the 6th Century A.D. it was declared one of the 7 Wonders of the ancient world.
Almighty God wanted Isaiah to know just exactly who was in charge of Israel then, and He wants us to know who is STILL in charge of the world today! Our God is the same God yesterday, today and tomorrow, and His train will still overflow the largest edifice on earth. To Him be the glory and power and majesty forever!
Have you recognized Jesus Christ as the Lord of Lords and King of Kings? Have you acknowledged Him as the supreme authority in your life? If an excuse immediately came to mind, then you haven't and you are now at a crossroads. Which way will you go?
"All Hail King Jesus!! Hail to the King of Kings !! Hail to the Lord of Lords !! Hail to the Majesty and Glory !! All Hail Emmanuel !! To you be all glory and honor and praise. Imprint on my heart the power of Your Majesty the way you imprinted Isaiah. I want to know you, Lord!! Amen."
Supporting Scriptures:
1 Kings 10
Exodus 15:1,21
1 Chronicles 29:24-26
Psalm 97:9
Philippians 2:9
Hebrews 7:26
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