And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here I am! Send me.” And he said, “Go, and say to this people:
“‘Keep on hearing, but do not understand; keep on seeing, but do not perceive.’
Make the heart of this people dull, and their ears heavy, and blind their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed.”
Then I said, “How long, O Lord?” And he said: “Until cities lie waste without inhabitant,
and houses without people, and the land is a desolate waste,
and the LORD removes people far away, and the forsaken places are many in the midst of the land.
And though a tenth remain in it, it will be burned again, like a terebinth or an oak,
whose stump remains when it is felled.” The holy seed is its stump.
Comment: The last half of this portion of Isaiah 6 is pretty obvious! God is going to punish His wayward people to be taken to another land leaving their land in waste with empty houses, although probably being lived in by foreign conquerors! The few, presumably people, remaining, here called the stump, will be tested by fire (again it says) but in it will be found the holy ‘seed’. Although the word ‘seed’ is singular it can be also pleural – there can be a wheat seed (one) or just the wheat seed (kilograms of seeds) which is planted in a paddock! Here does the ‘holy seed’ mean the Messiah or the remnant from which the nation will grow again? Or both?
The first half is not so easy to understand. In Mat 13: 13-15 Jesus says, quoting the Isaiah passage, ‘This is why I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. Indeed, in their case the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled that says:
‘You will indeed hear but never understand, and you will indeed see but never perceive.” For this people’s heart has grown dull, and with their ears they can barely hear, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and turn, and I would heal them.’ Is God being spiteful to them and exposing His will, so that the people can’t accuse Him of not telling them what was to happen, but then, almost in nastiness, preventing them from understanding what was going on? By the character of God as revealed in the Bible I reject that concept. It is much more like this – we as human beings have been given the ability to choose. Our choices have effects. The people have been unwise in their choices but they are too determined (pig-headed) to say ‘Sorry, You are right, we, God, are wrong’! They won’t listen to God’s gracious call to them!
Proverbs 1: 32-33 For the simple are killed by their turning away, and the complacency of fools destroys them; but whoever listens to me (God, as it is Wisdom speaking not Solomon!) will dwell secure and will be at ease, without dread of disaster.”
Prayer: Help me to be honest with myself when You tell me what needs to alter in my life. Thank You that You have sent the Holy Spirit to walk Life with Your people!
As I read it! 