In the year that King Uzziah died, I [Isaiah] saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple. Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I. Send me!” He said, “Go and tell this people: Be ever hearing, but never understanding; be ever seeing, but never perceiving. Make the heart of this people calloused; make their ears dull and close their eyes. Otherwise, they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed.” (Isaiah 6:1, 8–10, NIV 1984).
My Musings – Uzziah was a king of the southern kingdom of Judah who died in 739 B.C. “[He] was sixteen years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem fifty-two years. He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, just as his father Amaziah had done. He sought God during the days of Zechariah, who instructed him in the fear of God. As long as he sought the Lord, God gave him success. But after Uzziah became powerful, his pride led to his downfall. He was unfaithful to the Lord his God. “ 2 Chronicles 26:3–5, 16, NIV 1984).
Shortly after Uzziah’s death in 722 B.C., the northern kingdom of Israel fell to the Assyrians. But the preceding prophecy was not directed to them. It was directed to Judah. “The vision concerning Judah and Jerusalem that Isaiah son of Amoz saw during the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, kings of Judah. “Isaiah 1:1, NIV 1984). The southern kingdom fell to the Babylonians over 100 years later, in 586 B.C.
God’s patience with Israel had by then reached its limit and it fell. But God being “rich in mercy” postponed the fall of Judah, giving them more time to repent. Isaiah would “go and tell this people.” They would hear but not understand, see but not perceive, so calloused and hardened their hearts had become from their habitual sin. So much so, that like Israel their fall was inevitable. As a result, God would ultimately seal their judgment by “[making] the heart of this people calloused; [making] their ears dull and [closing] their eyes...”
“Otherwise, they might…turn and be healed,” is likely not meant to mean that God is preventing them from turning, but rather that Isaiah’s message would never cause them to turn. Like in the days of Noah, God is saying, “My Spirit will not contend with man forever.” (Genesis 6:3, NIV 1984). God will extend His mercy so far, but His forbearance will not last forever.
My Advice – How disheartening it must have been for Isaiah to live out the rest of His days proclaiming a warning that He knew would never be heeded. Yet, He remained faithful to the call. And that is what God desires.
Our calling is not that much different than Isaiah’s – “go and tell [the] people.” “Be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:8, NIV 1984). We also know that for most, our message will not be heeded. “For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” (Matthew 7:13–14, NIV 1984). Do not be disheartened. Just be faithful until, like Isaiah, God calls us home, or like Noah God “will [no longer] contend with man.”
The Brew Is A Musing 