Isaiah was a seer, we are not told of his mission prior to this
chapter. Perhaps like Elisha and many of the sons of the prophets we read about
in the other Old Testament books, he was raised through the prophetic school. His
ministry up to this point was ordinary, to say the least. But now with his lips
cleansed by a seraph, he could hear the voice of God more distinctively and
clearly. The compelling call of the Trinitarian was: “Whom shall I send, and
who will go for Us?” It is true that no one who has such a radical experience
can remain unmoved. So Isaiah’s response was, “Here am I. Send me!” Today God is
still beckoning for us whom He has touched to go and proclaim the Gospel. The
issue is, can we hear the same beckoning that Isaiah heard? Remember the call
of God is still for us to “go and tell the people.” Jesus’ Great Commission for
us is also to go to all the nations and make disciples. Conscious of it or not,
we are all messengers like Isaiah. We
are called to do God’s mission.
Judging from verses 9-10, Isaiah’s mission seemed to be a
difficult one. He would be speaking to a people who would keep on listening but
not able to perceive. Keep on looking but not understand. Why would God want to
send him to a hardened people? It seems like Isaiah’s message would not stir
them to repentance but would only make them callous and deaf. Instead of
opening their eyes to see the truth, his mission would shut their eyes. What
irony! Wouldn’t God want them to turn to Him? Reading these verses gives us a
sense that God had become fed-up with that generation. Yet we can be sure that
the heart of God is for all to turn to Him in repentance. How do we know? Second
Peter 3:9 assures us so. It says, “The
Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is
patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to
come to repentance.”
What is the point of this? Haven’t we come across a situation despite
the time spent to share the Gospel with
a person, the less receptive the person would become? A person would never
believe in God if he had made up his mind. The message of verses 9-10 is clear.
Just like the sun that can melt ice yet at the same time harden clay, so also can
God’s word makes one receptive or hardens towards Him. We can never depend
on our personal wherewithal to make sense of God’s message. There are people
who insist that if God would perform a miracle, then they would believe. But would
they? Thankfully, we have the Holy Spirit in our day to help bring about conviction
of the truth. It is His grace that will make the difference. God’s desire is to
transform us. But if we choose to be hardened, no amount of coaxing will change
us. Remember, God is the Potter, and we can either remain pliable or hardened clay
in His hand. Which do you choose to be? Choose wisely!
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