John Calvin Commentary Isaiah 6:8

"And 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 (ASV)

Afterwards I heard the voice of the Lord. The Prophet now begins to speak about the purpose of this vision: why God appeared to him with such glorious majesty, to commission him anew as a prophet. It was because he was called to deliver an incredible message about blinding the Jews. On this shocking occasion, therefore, he is more fully assured of his calling, so that he may lay aside fear and obey God's command; for nothing gives greater confidence to pious minds than to know that they obey God. He also had another proof, namely, that the Lord had cleansed him; and this was sufficient to lead him to undertake any task, however difficult.

Whom shall I send? The Prophet represents the Lord as speaking, as if He could not find a man qualified for such a message. Some think that this is intended to rebuke the ignorance of the priests and prophets; because, though they are very numerous, still not one of them was qualified to teach.

This reason has some plausibility, but I would rather view it as referring to the certainty of Isaiah’s calling, implying that the Lord appointed him by choice, not at random. Therefore, there is a serious deliberation here about whom the Lord will be pleased to send. This is not because He hesitates; rather, such expressions are used for our sake, just like these words: I will go down and see (Genesis 18:21). For God, to whom all things are known, has no need to make any inquiry. However, so that people might not think He acts with rashness, He thus adapts Himself to common human ways of speaking. Similarly, when He asks whom He shall send, the meaning is that He does not need an ordinary person, but a teacher of uncommon excellence for a matter of the greatest importance. From this, we infer that Isaiah’s authority was confirmed, so that he was regarded not only as a prophet but as eminent among the prophets.

Who will go for us? I tend to favor the opinion that this passage points to Three Persons in the Godhead, just as we read elsewhere:

Let us create man in our likeness. (Genesis 1:26)

For God speaks with Himself, and in the plural; and unquestionably He now consults with His eternal Wisdom and His eternal Power—that is, with the Son and the Holy Spirit.

Here am I. Such a ready reply shows how great is the cheerfulness that springs from faith; for he who only recently lay like a dead man fears no difficulty. Hence we see that the amazement of which we have previously spoken did not spring from rebellion, in wishing to flee from God, or to refuse the responsibility given to him; but because he needed new grace, so that he might know he would be able to bear the burden. Therefore, it should be noted that we cannot properly undertake anything without the evidence of our calling; otherwise, we shall pause and hesitate at every step.

Besides, it is a powerful aid to our confidence when we know that we are not lacking the necessary gifts, but that God has given them to us, so that we may be better equipped to fulfill our office. Now, this remarkable example of obedience should so affect our minds that we readily and cheerfully undertake any task He may be pleased to assign, and shall never refuse any task, however difficult we may imagine it to be. When the Prophet says, Here am I, the meaning is that he is ready to obey God's commands; for this type of expression is often used in Scripture to denote obedience.