In Isaiah 6 today…
Isaiah was gifted a vision by God and shown the thrown room, the Lord wearing his royal robe, and heavenly beings. Isaiah felt the trembling of the foundations of the thresholds, and he saw the smoke of God’s Glory.
HOW DID ISAIAH RESPOND TO THE LORD? He was immediately convicted of his unclean lips, his sinfulness, and the sinfulness of his friends and neighbors.
HOW DID THE LORD RESPOND TO ISAIAH? He sent a seraphim to touch his lips with a burning coal, instantly removing his wickedness, atoning for his sins, and forgiving him of all that he had spoken which had gone against God’s ways. In those same moments, he anointed his lips with the power to speak the message of God.
The Lord was looking for a prophet to speak his words to the people, someone who would be willing to be sent as a mouthpiece of the Lord, regardless of the message God gave, and regardless of how the people would take it or treat the prophetic messenger.
Isaiah chose to step into God’s calling for a prophet. I believe that if it hadn’t been Isaiah, there would have been another. But Isaiah, filled with overwhelming gratitude that his sins were forgiven, enthusiastically responded to God’s call to speak for him.
WHAT DID GOD TELL HIM TO SAY? Isaiah 6:9-10 AMP – And He said, “Go, and tell this people: ‘Keep on listening, but do not understand; Keep on looking, but do not comprehend.’ Make the heart of this people insensitive, Their ears dull, And their eyes dim, Otherwise they might see with their eyes, Hear with their ears, Understand with their hearts, And return and be healed.”
As I have been speaking to God about why he would request this of a prophet, including Isaiah, Holy Spirit revealed that God knew that the people in Jerusalem gave weight to the words of prophet, gave value to the voice of men (humans), and that the peoople cared more about what others thought than what God thought.
God knew that if a prophet told them to listen but not understand, and look but not comprehend, they would likely do one of two things. The people, upon hearing Isaac speak the message of God, would either harden their hearts to go against the words spoken by the prophet who had lived among them as their friend, classmate, or rival with competition, jealousy and pride building within them, OR they would let their hearts be overcome by fear and doubt as they would believe that they would not ever be given the ability to see and hear God.
God knew that the words spoken aloud by the prophet Isaiah would sift any true believers from those who didn’t fully trust, fear and know God. By putting their focus on the world around them… fitting in, competing with others, and finding their place as citizens of their community… the people were not focused on God’s Kingdom, and God was about to destroy all who would not repent for their sinful choices and turn to him to ask for forgiveness.
Now look at Isaiah 10 again. “Otherwise they might see with their eyes, Hear with their ears, Understand with their hearts, And return and be healed.”
HEALED.
God wants us all to be healed from our sins… from a potty mouth, from pride, from unforgiveness, from all commandment breaking sins, and from everything that keeps us away from a relationship with our Lord. Just as Isaiah knew, he was likely to be struck dead for seeing the Lord on his Throne in his sinful state, and only God could choose his eternal path at that point. We will all come face to face with the Lord one day, and our judgement will be served.
We get to choose, though. Will we approach the Lord humbly and with repentant hearts to allow him to establish us in the Heavenly Kingdom? Or will we value humans more as we hold onto our place in the Earthly Kingdom? Will we keep vying for power or will we shrink in fear and doubt?
WHAT WILL YOU DO? Will you approach the Throne of the Lord, repent, let him heal you, and then eagerly volunteer to speak God’s words to your friends, neighbors, people with similar struggles to yours, or whomever is in your sphere of influence?