Isaiah 6

All believers have been called by God wishes, Isaiah now learns what those (Ephesians 4:1). All believers have been sent by God—sent into the world³⁷ (see John 17:18; 20:21). We have been sent to do many kinds of good works (Ephesians 2:10); we have been sent to bear fruit—fruit that will last³⁸ (John 15:16).

Too many believers today say to God, “Here am I—bless me,” when they should be saying, “Here am I—send me.” Too many Christians come to church to be blessed, but not to be sent. They remain spiritual infants, still drinking milk (Hebrews 5:1113). Christ gave His life for us; how can we suppose that we’re not called to give our lives for Him? O how we need more Isaiahs in our churches today—men and women who will say to God: “Here am I. Send me!”³⁹

One final point: Isaiah was not coerced into service; God never forces people to do His will. Rather, Isaiah chose to obey, chose to be sent. God had first forgiven him and taken away his guilt (verse 7), and now Isaiah was ready and willing to do anything God asked.

Are we willing to do anything that God might ask of us? Christians often say they’re not sure what God is asking them to do; but that’s because they’re not willing to do whatever He might ask. They are holding back; they are setting conditions on their service. Let them tell God they are ready to obey—no matter what; then they will know His will. The question remains for each of us: Am I willing to do anything that God might ask?

9–10 Having agreed to carry out God’s wishes are: he is to go and make the people’s hearts calloused, their ears dull, and their eyes closed! (verse 10). How are we to understand these surprising instructions?

First, we must remember that since Solomon’s time, the Israelites had steadily become more and more disobedient and idolatrous—especially in the northern kingdom, but in Judah as well. Already Isaiah had been prophesying that God was going to bring judgment on His people (Isaiah Chapters 1–5). But they were not heeding the warnings. They heard but didn’t understand, they saw but didn’t perceive (verse 9); they heard and saw physically but not spiritually. They were able to hear and see well enough; the problem was that they were unwilling to listen to God and look to Him. Because of willful and persistent disobedience, their hearts had become “calloused,” hardened.⁴⁰

Once people’s hearts have become hardened by sin, God “gives them over” to their sins (see Romans 1:24,26,28). He lets them go their way—to judgment. But He does this only after warning them, pleading with them. His patience is great; He is willing to forgive—if people come to their senses and repent and turn back to Him (see Exodus 34:4–7 and comment). But there comes a time when it is too late to turn back, and for the people of Judah that time had come. Therefore, God tells Isaiah to seal the people’s judgment. Isaiah was told not to try and soften people’s hearts and make them see and hear; it was too late for that. The people had brought judgment upon themselves, and Isaiah was not to give them an “easy way out”; there was to be no chance of “easy repentance” or “superficial healing.”⁴¹

11–12 What an unpopular message Isaiah had to give! No wonder the people finally killed him during the reign of Manasseh! No wonder Isaiah asked: “For how long, O LORD?” (verse 11). “For how long will I have to preach this message?”⁴²

The Lord answered, in effect: “Until my judgment falls, until Judah is destroyed and its people are sent into exile.” God’s judgment fell a century later when the Babylonians destroyed Judah and took its people into exile.

13 Even if some of the people—a tenth—survived the initial judgment, they would still not escape; God would bring judgment upon them too.

Verses 11–13 seem to indicate that no one in Judah would survive God’s judgment; Judah would be utterly forsaken (verse 12). But that is not so: a holy seed—a tiny remnant of faithful Israelites—would survive and be restored to the land. And like a shoot that springs up from a dead stump, so would God’s “holy seed” be preserved to spring up once more. In this way, God’s ancient promise to Abraham would be fulfilled (see Genesis 17:3–7; 22:17–18).

For God’s true “seed” to grow and flourish, the old plants of wickedness had to be destroyed; the ground had to be cleared for new growth.⁴³ The purpose of God’s judgment was not to annihilate but to purify, to make holy (see Isaiah 1:25–26). And out of that holy seed—the remnant of Israel—would eventually come the Messiah, Jesus Christ, who would one day establish a new Israel under a new COVENANT.