“Then I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?” Then I said, “Here am I. Send me!””
Isaiah 6:8 NASB1995
After Isaiah is cleansed by the burning coal on his lips, He hears God speak a question! Does the God of the Universe, who knows all that will come to pass, really need to ask a question or should He just direct Isaiah to be the one that is sent? Also, the question starts in the first person and ends with “who will go for us?”
There are some interesting elements in that voice and question of the Lord.
God actually speaks words that can be heard to His prophets directly.
He wants volunteers. He knows that Isaiah is there in the vision, but yet He gives Isaiah the opportunity to volunteer to do this task as His prophet by asking the question and not just directing him. He wants righteous people to speak for Him, not angels. Isaiah enthusiastically volunteers! He doesn’t hesitate but accepts the commission the Lord is giving him.
God knows that Isaiah will be His voice to the people, so in my humble opinion the question is entirely rhetorical and is a way of the Lord communicating with the trembling prophet (wouldn’t you be trembling?).
There are many Biblical scholars who believe the use of the plural reference is a reference to the Trinity. God would likely not consult with seraphim and other heavenly beings, but the perfect Trinity itself would be represented by Isaiah. This makes sense as we start seeing some prophecies about the Messiah coming soon.
Enduring Word commentary has this to say about this verse:
a. Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us? God looked for someone to send. He wanted someone to go.
i. How strange it is for God to ask a question at all! What does God wonder about? What questions would He have? What does God not know? But God was asking for a person because God wants to reach the world, and He wants to reach it through willing people. It isn’t that God doesn’t know who these people are. It is that God is waiting for ready hearts to reveal themselves.
ii. How strange it is that this God of majesty, sovereignty, and power asks for volunteers! He could easily create robots to do His work or command angels to carry out His will. But God wants willing, surrendered servants. Have you been waiting for God to force you to serve Him? He looks for volunteers.
b. Whom shall I send: This means that the missionary, the Christian worker, the witness of Jesus Christ, is sent. This is a divine commission. Who will go for Us means that the missionary, the Christian worker, the witness of Jesus Christ, has decided to go. God’s divine will to send and the human will to go are in perfect cooperation.
i. Here we see another subtle reference to the Trinity. Who is sending? I or Us? It seems to be the same Person speaking in both the singular and the plural. It is the same Person! “The change of the number, I and us, is very remarkable; and both being meant of one and the same Lord, do sufficiently intimate a plurality of the persons in the Godhead.” (Poole)
c. Here am I! Send me: Isaiah emphatically answered God’s call. He did not hesitate. Isaiah wanted to be the answer to God’s question.
i. What created this kind of heart in Isaiah? First, he had a heart that had been in the presence of God. He had a heart that knew its own sinfulness. He had a heart that knew the need among the people, the need for God’s word. He had a heart that had been touched by God’s cleansing fire. And he had a heart that heard God’s heart to reach the nations.
d. Send me: This meant Isaiah was submitted to the LORD in all his service. He didn’t even say, “Here I am, I will go.” Isaiah would not go at all unless he knew he was sent by the LORD. Many are quick to say, “Here I am, I will go” but never wait for the LORD to send them.
An interesting point is made in this commentary that we sometimes think we know what God wants us to do and we jump ahead of the game instead of waiting for Him to send us. Isaiah did not say he would go, but that he wanted to be sent and understood that obedience is part of that mission.
It’s important to review the chronology of events: first, Isaiah saw the heavenly throne and seraphim, then he confessed his miserable sinfulness, then he was cleansed by the burning coal and forgiven, then he was able to hear the voice of the Lord calling him to service. J. Vernon McGee touches on this in commentary quoted in Precept Austin:
It is interesting that up to this time Isaiah had never heard the call of God. I think many Christians have never felt like they were called to do anything for God because they have never been cleansed. They have not seen this great need as Christians. God is not going to use a dirty vessel, I can assure you of that. It is true that God does bless His Word even when it is given out by those who are playing around with sin, but in time God judges them severely. I don't dare mention any names, but I have known certain ministers who for awhile enjoyed the blessing of God. Then they got into sin, and it wasn't long until the judgment of God fell upon them.
My next devotional examines Isaiah 6:9-10 - A difficult mission for Isaiah.
Heaven on Wheels Daily Prayer:
Dear Lord - Here I am! Send me! Amen.
Citations and Credits:
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. www.Lockman.org.
Precept Austin was accessed on 09/13/2026 to review commentary for Isaiah 6:8.
Commentary from Enduring Word is used with written permission and without any alteration. ©1996-present The Enduring Word Bible Commentary by David Guzik – enduringword.com. At the link referenced, the bibliography used by David Guzik can be accessed.