Thursday
Evening Bible Study
September
12, 2019
Introduction
The book of Isaiah is the first book in the section of the Old Testament
that we call the “prophets”.
It is the Old Testament book that has the clearest picture of the coming
Messiah.
The New Testament quotes from Isaiah more than from any other prophet.
John, the forerunner of Christ, began his ministry with a quote from Isaiah
(Mat. 3:3).
Jesus preached His first sermon in Nazareth from Isaiah (Luke 4:17-21).
Old Bible critics will say that the book of Isaiah is actually
two books written by different authors, with chapters 1-39 as the first
book, and chapters 40-66 as the second.
The two sections are indeed distinct, but they serve different purposes. The
first half is a book of judgment, the second half is one of comfort.
Better, recent scholarship, including the contribution of the Dead Sea
Scrolls affirms that it is a single book written by a single author.
This is not a book that was written all at once, in a single sitting. There
are various sections of the book, and it is the compiling of the writings of a
man over sixty years.
There will be times that the
prophetic message is aimed close to Isaiah’s time.
There will be times when the
prophetic message is aimed far in the future.
There will be times when the
message has a double effect with both a near and far prophecy.
Isaiah has contemporaries.
His ministry overlaps the prophets Hosea and Micah.
His ministry lies roughly between
740-700 BC.
He prophesies during the reigns of
the Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah – all kings of the southern kingdom of
Judah.
Keep in mind that in Isaiah’s
lifetime, Israel has been split into two different nations.
The northern ten tribes were called
“Israel”, or “Ephraim”.
The southern two tribes were called
“Judah”
Isaiah lived in the southern
nation, and they are the main focus of his prophecies.
Isaiah 1 – Judgment on Judah
:1 Isaiah the son of Amoz
Isaiah = "Yahweh has saved"
That’s equivalent to several other Old Testament Jewish names: Joshua,
Hoshea (Jesus too!)
One Jewish tradition says that Amoz
was the brother to King Amaziah, the father of Uzziah, which would make Isaiah
the cousin to King Uzziah, and a member of the extended royal family.
:1 Uzziah…Hezekiah
This covers the period described in 2Kings 15-21; roughly from 740 to 680
BC, or, about 60 years.
Historically, the main event that took place during Isaiah’s life was the
rise of the Assyrian empire, which came and conquered and carried away the
entire northern kingdom of Israel in 722 BC.
Tradition has it that Isaiah was killed by the son of Hezekiah, King
Manasseh. Justin Martyr records that Isaiah was “sawn asunder” by orders of
Manasseh.
The prophets Hosea and Micah were
also at work during this time as well.
:3 The ox knows its owner
Animals act more honorably than men do. They know who their boss is, while
men don’t acknowledge God.
:8 the daughter of Zion
Zion is another name for Jerusalem.
:9 Unless the Lord of hosts Had left to us a very small remnant
Sodom and Gomorrah had been completely wiped out in God’s judgment (Gen.
19)
Paul quotes this verse (Rom. 9:29) to refer to the small number of Jews who
would come to believe in Jesus as their Messiah.
(Romans 9:29 NKJV) And as Isaiah said before: “Unless the Lord of Sabaoth
had left us a seed, We would have
become like Sodom, And we would have been made like Gomorrah.”
:10 You rulers of Sodom
God is connecting Jerusalem to Sodom, as if the rulers in Jerusalem were as
bad as those in Sodom.
:11 I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams
The entire Jewish sacrificial system was designed by God – but it was meant
as a way to make men right with God who wanted to be
right with God.
It presupposes that you are coming to God with a repentant heart.
When a person comes to church but has no intent on changing their ways, it
makes God sick.
(Psalm 51:16–17 NKJV) —16
For You do not desire sacrifice, or else I would
give it; You do not delight in
burnt offering. 17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, A broken and a contrite heart— These, O God, You will not despise.
:13-20 Incense … New Moons …
These were all a part of the Levitical worship system. When they are not
done with the right heart, God hates it.
:18 Though your sins are like scarlet…
God wants to forgive, but part of forgiveness is based on our hearts, how
we respond to God.
Lesson
Cleansing
There are several things important when it comes to cleansing.
(1 John 1:9 NKJV) If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our
sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
To “confess” means simply to agree with someone. If I’m going to confess my
sins, then I must agree with God that my sins are sinful. I must agree with God
that I need to change. I must agree with God that Jesus Christ has paid for my
sins. I must agree with God that He has forgiven me.
(1 John 1:7 NKJV) But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have
fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us
from all sin.
When we walk in the light of God’s truth, we will see our sin revealed in
God’s light, and turn to Him for cleansing.
There is also an important aspect of “Fellowship” in this verse – we find
cleansing within our connections.
One of the ways this happens is by learning to be open with each other when
we are struggling.
(James 5:16 NKJV) Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one
another, that you may be healed.
Some folks think of catholic priests when they hear the word “confession” –
and though our confession needs to be aimed at God, we also will find cleansing
when we open up to others as well.
Accountability is a huge part of learning to overcome addictive sins – get
other people involved in your life.
Illustration
Carl G. Conner (Leadership, Vol.
16, no. 4.) writes, “A few winters ago, heavy snows hit North Carolina.
Following a wet, six-inch snowfall, it was interesting to see the effect along
Interstate 40. Next to the highway stood several large groves of tall, young
pine trees. The branches were bowed down with the heavy snow--so low that
branches from one tree were often leaning against the trunk or branches of
another.
Where trees stood alone, however, the effect of the heavy snow was
different. The branches had become heavier and heavier, and since there were no
other trees to lean against, the branches snapped. They lay on the ground, dark
and alone in the cold snow. When the storms of life hit, we need to be standing
close to other Christians. The closer we stand, the more we will be able to
hold up.”
:21-22 silver … dross … wine … water
Because of their sin, everything that is valuable has become watered down.
When we neglect sin and allow it to linger in our lives, we lose our effectiveness.
:25 thoroughly purge away your dross
Whether the difficulty we might be going through is a direct result of sin,
or not, difficult times can have a good effect on our lives – they help us turn
around and grow stronger.
Lesson
Purifying
Sometimes the difficulty is
directly connected to our rebellion, as it would be for Judah.
(Hebrews 12:11 NKJV) Now no chastening
seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it
yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by
it.
When God allows chastening into our
lives, it’s not a matter of “punishment”, its about getting us to a better
place – finding peace.
Illustration
A lady visiting the Holy Land came
upon a sheepfold located high on a hilltop. Her attention was drawn to one poor
sheep lying by the side of the road bleating in pain. Looking more closely, she
discovered that its leg was injured. She asked the shepherd how it happened. "I
had to break it myself," he answered sadly. "It was the only way I
could keep that wayward creature from straying into unsafe places. From past
experience I have found that a sheep will follow me once I have nursed it back
to health. Because of the loving relationship that will be established as I
care for her, in the future she will come instantly at my beck and call."
Lesson
Strengthening
Not every difficulty comes as a
result of our sin. Sometimes it’s about being “refined”, just as God talked
about removing the “dross”.
(1 Peter 1:6–7 NKJV) —6
In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little
while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, 7 that the
genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that
perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory
at the revelation of Jesus Christ,
God refines our faith like a
goldsmith refines gold. It’s my understanding that a goldsmith will heat the
gold ore until it’s in a molten state. As he keeps the heat on, the impurities
all come to the surface. The goldsmith will keep skimming off the impurities
until the gold is pure. He knows it’s pure when He can see His own reflection
in the gold.
Illustration
Some time ago an article appeared
in the Reader's Digest telling about
an unusual tree called the "Bristlecone Pine." Growing in the western
mountain regions, sometimes as high as two or more miles above sea level, these
evergreens may live for thousands of years. The older specimens often have only
one thin layer of bark on their trunks. Considering the habitat of these trees,
such as rocky areas where the soil is poor and precipitation is slight, it
seems almost incredible that they should live so long or even survive at all. The
environmental "adversities," however, actually contribute to their
longevity. Cells that are produced as a result of these perverse conditions are
densely arranged, and many resin canals are formed within the plant. Wood that
is so structured continues to live for an extremely long period of time. The
author Darwin Lambert says in his article, "Bristlecone Pines in richer
conditions grow faster, but die earlier and soon decay." The harshness of
their surroundings, then, is a vital factor in making them strong and sturdy.
Illustration
Charles Spurgeon said: I bear willing witness that I owe more to the fire,
and the hammer, and the file, than to anything else in my Lord's workshop. I
sometimes question whether I have ever learned anything except through the rod.
When my schoolroom is darkened, I see most.
:27 Zion shall be redeemed
A partial fulfillment of this came through Judah’s judgment during the
Babylonian captivity. Before the Babylonians came and wiped out the city of
Jerusalem in 586 BC, the Jews were followers of just about every god that was
ever thought of. But after the Babylonian captivity, they were very strongly
followers of God alone.
This will be nothing compared to what Israel will be like after the
tribulation period when Jesus comes back to rule and reign in Israel, on earth.
:29 terebinth trees
Part of their idolatry involved trees – the word is vague and can refer to
several types of large trees.
Isaiah 2 – Judgment and Restoration
:2 in the latter days
We see this chapter aiming at the end – when Jesus comes back.
:2 mountains … hills
The terms “mountains” and “hills” are often used to refer to countries or
governments. (Dan. 2:35; Rev. 17:9,10). This is a way of saying that Israel
will become the leader of all the nations of the world.
:3-4 … swords into plowshares…
Jerusalem will be the center of the world, the place where people will go
to learn about God.
There will be peace in the world and the nations will turn their weapons
into farm implements.
The United Nations has verse 4 on a statue that was given to them by the
USSR in 1959.
Yet this isn’t something the UN is going to bring about, it’s something
that Jesus is going to do (Rev. 20:1-4)
But before that can happen there will be a time of judgment on the earth
(the Great Tribulation)
:5 Come let us walk in the light…
Lesson
Why is there prophecy?
Fulfilled prophecy is a wonderful tool to show that the Bible is God’s
Word.
Some folks take the subject of prophecy and get all caught up in all the
details that they miss the bigger point.
Prophecy is about challenging us in how we live today.
Live for eternity.
:6 filled with eastern ways
Judah may have been tempted by some of the false ideas coming out of
Babylon.
We too like to look for all sorts of “new” things, and sometimes we too
look to the east – to mysticism, meditation, etc…
:7 full of silver and gold
One of the things that can easily lead people astray is the lure of
material things.
Lesson
The danger of wealth
Especially in the U.S., we live under the very deceptive idea that having
more money will solve all our problems.
What happens instead is that money becomes the thing that leads us astray.
(1 Timothy 6:9–10
NLT) —9 But people who long to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped
by many foolish and harmful desires that plunge them into ruin and destruction.
10 For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. And some
people, craving money, have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves
with many sorrows.
Illustration
The March 1988 Rotarian tells
about a bounty of $5,000 offered for each wolf captured alive. It turned Sam
and Jed into fortune hunters. Day and night they
scoured the mountains and forests looking for their valuable prey. Exhausted
one night, they fell asleep dreaming of their potential fortune. Suddenly, Sam
awoke to see that they were surrounded by about 50 wolves with flaming eyes and
bared teeth. He nudged his friend and said, "Jed, wake up! We're
rich!" -- Gary C. Payne,
Reidsville, North Carolina. Leadership,
Vol. 11, no. 1.
Some of us can get a little too excited about getting rich when we ought to
realize we’re about to be eaten by wolves!
:12 the day of the LORD …
This is a special term in the Bible that is used to describe different times
when God steps into human history. I found the specific phrase 17 times in the
Old Testament (Is. 2:12; 23:6; 13:9; Eze. 13:5; 30:3; Joel 1:15; 2:1; 2:11; 2:31; 3:14; Amos
5:18; 5:20; Oba. 1:15; Zeph 1:7; 1:14; Zech. 14:1;
Mal. 4:5).
The usual way it is used is to describe the Great Tribulation and Second
Coming.
There are at least three ways that
the term is used:
1) Historical – to describe
when God got involved in the affairs of Israel or the heathen nations (Zeph.
1:14-18; Joel 1:15; Isa. 13:6; Jer. 46:10; Ezek. 30:3).
2) Double Fulfillment – when
an incident in history doubles as a partial fulfillment of the final “Day of
the Lord”, such as the invasion described in Joel 2:1-11.
3) The Final Day of the Lord
– not limited to a single “day”, it covers the period in the future that occurs
after the Rapture, the times we refer to as the Great Tribulation, the Second
Coming of Christ, and the Millennial reign of Christ on the earth (Isa.
2:12-19; 4:1; Joel 2:30-32; Isa. 4:2; 12; 19:23-25; Jer. 30:7-9).
This is the usual way we look at
this phrase.
:16 the ships of Tarshish
By the way, Jonah lived just prior to the time of Isaiah.
:19 They shall go into the holes of the rocks
This will be fulfilled during the Great Tribulation when the kings of the
earth hid in the caves (Rev. 6:15-17)
(Revelation 6:15–17 NKJV) —15
And the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich
men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man, hid
themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains, 16 and said
to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who
sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! 17 For the great day of His wrath has come,
and who is able to stand?”
Isaiah 3 – Judgment on Judah/Jerusalem
This chapter may be seen as being partially
fulfilled when Jerusalem would be destroyed by the Babylonians in 586BC and the
Romans in AD70.
Yet there is a bigger picture here, a continuing of the “Day of the Lord”
(chapter 2)
Some prophecies have more than one fulfillment.
:4 children to be their princes
Could speak of literal children ruling (like King Joash or Josiah), or that
the rulers are inexperienced and immature.
:6 you have clothing
that’s all that’s required to be in charge – no qualified rulers
:15 What do you mean by crushing My people
The rulers were abusing the people and taking things for their own
enrichment.
:16-26 …take away the finery…
God will strip the proud of their wealth
Be careful making your sense of self-worth dependent upon your appearance.
(1 Peter 3:3–4
NKJV) —3 Do not let your adornment be merely outward—arranging the
hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel—4 rather let
it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty
of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God.
Isaiah 4 – Zion renewed
:1 seven women shall take hold of one man
Guys, this might sound cool, but it’s only happening because all the men
have died off.
:2 the Branch of the Lord
This is a term for the Messiah. (Jer. 23:5; Zech. 6:12)
(Jeremiah 23:5 NKJV) “Behold, the
days are coming,” says the Lord, “That I will raise to David a Branch of righteousness; A King shall reign and prosper, And execute judgment and righteousness in the earth.
(Zechariah 6:12 NKJV) Then speak to him,
saying, ‘Thus says the Lord of
hosts, saying: “Behold, the Man whose
name is the BRANCH! From His
place He shall branch out, And He
shall build the temple of the Lord;
This is going to be talking about Jesus’ return and how it will affect the
earth.
:5-6 cloud … tabernacle
These images take us back to the time of the Exodus when God’s presence was
with Israel in the wilderness. (Ex. 13:21-22; 40:34-38; Num.9:15-23).
:3 recorded among the living in Jerusalem
This could simply referring to those left alive in
Jerusalem when Jesus comes back.
I wonder if it might also refer to something else, those who have been
written in the “book of life”.
Lesson
Book of Life
This is a theme connected to the end times.
Look at what these people are known for.
(Revelation
13:8 NKJV) All who dwell on the earth will worship him,
whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from
the foundation of the world.
They don’t worship the antichrist.
(Revelation
20:15 NKJV) And anyone not found written in the Book of Life
was cast into the lake of fire.
They aren’t thrown into the lake of fire.
(Revelation
3:5 NKJV) He who overcomes shall be clothed in white
garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will
confess his name before My Father and before His angels.
They are the “overcomers”.
(1 John 5:4–5 NKJV)
—4 For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the
victory that has overcome the world—our faith. 5 Who is he
who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?
They believe in Jesus.
Is your name in the book of life?
Isaiah 5 – The Vineyard Judgment
This too seems to continue the “day of the Lord” that started in chapter 2.
:1 let me sing to my Well-beloved
Isaiah is singing to the Lord, his “well-beloved”
The Vineyard is the people of Judah, given all the best resources, all the
opportunities to be good.
:2 it brought forth wild grapes
wild grapes – b@'ushiym– stinking or worthless things, wild grapes, stinkberries
We’re going to see in verses 8-23 six “woes”, describing what the “wild
grapes” were.
Lesson
Sometimes it’s not the parents’
fault.
This vineyard was in a “very fruitful hill”. There was no problem with it
being in the wrong “environment”. Everything was done for it to make it
succeed.
Parents – it’s not always your fault. Sure, there are going to be times
when a child’s disobedience is directly related to a sin or mistake of the
parent. But there are also going to be times when you’ve given them everything
they need to succeed, and they’re still going to choose the way of sin.
Look at God’s record as a parent with Adam and Eve. Could there have been a
better Father?
:7 looked for justice, but behold, oppression
In the Hebrew, Isaiah is using a couple of plays on words:
justice – mishpat
/ oppression – mispach
righteousness – ts@daqah / cry – tsa`aqah
Lesson
Good Fruit
Nothing has really changed. God is still looking for good fruit.
Jesus said,
(John 15:5 NKJV) “I am the vine, you are the
branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me
you can do nothing.
God is looking for the proof of His work in you, and it is
things like “justice”and “righteousness”.
It’s also things like:
(Galatians
5:22–23 NKJV) —22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love,
joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control.
Illustration
A preacher visits an elderly woman from his congregation. As
he sits on the couch he notices a large bowl of peanuts on the coffee
table. “Mind if I have a few” he asks. “No, not at all” the woman replied. They
chat for an hour and as the preacher stands to leave, he realizes that instead
of eating just a few peanuts, he emptied most of the bowl. “I’m terribly sorry
for eating all your peanuts, I really just meant to eat a few.” “Oh that’s all right” the woman says. “Ever since I lost my
teeth all I can do is suck the chocolate off them.”
Things aren’t always what
they seem. What might seem good
according to our way of thinking is just a “stinkberry”
in God’s way of thinking.
vs. 8-23 are the “stinkberries”
that the people were producing. They are
marked with seven words of “woe”.
:8-10 join house to house
Greed: They gobble up other people’s
property, but in the end they don’t really make much
money off of it.
:11-17 intoxicating drink
Drunkenness that ends up affecting everybody.
They had lots of parties but missed out on God in the process.
:18-19 draw iniquity with cords of vanity…
People are caught in sin and mock God in the process – daring God to show
up.
:20 who call evil good
They redefine morality.
Sounds a little like today.
:21 wise in their own eyes
Intellectual pride – they think they know everything.
:22-23 who justify the wicked for a bribe
They are great at drinking, and at perverting justice.
:24-30 the fire devours the stubble
Lesson
Judgment will come
We see all these things happening today as well.
We can get discouraged and wonder how people can get away with such evil.
The truth is, one day they will face God.
It may be soon when Jesus comes back.
It may be when they die and face judgment.
But judgement will come.
Don’t forget God’s heart:
(John 3:17–18 NKJV)
—17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world,
but that the world through Him might be saved. 18 “He who believes in Him is not
condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not
believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
God wants people saved, not judged.
Salvation, freedom from condemnation comes through
trusting in Jesus.
Isaiah 6 – Isaiah’s Call
A new section of Isaiah – his call to the ministry.
:1 In the year that king Uzziah died
Uzziah, also known as Azariah, was king over Judah from 792-740 BC.
Even though he had a moment of pride and stumbled, overall
he had a long and very prosperous reign.
This was a guy people counted on.
While he was king, he had great
victory over his enemies, increased the nation’s agricultural output, built a
huge army, designed great war weapons and simply brought the nation to a new,
higher level.
:1 I saw the Lord sitting on a throne
There is only one true King sitting
on a throne. There has always only been
one true King. And it wasn’t Uzziah, it
was God.
This appears to be a “vision”.
It may be taking place in the actual
temple in Jerusalem, or Isaiah may be transported into the temple of God’s
throne room in heaven.
In both the Temple and Tabernacle, there is a “throne” – it’s the Ark of
the Covenant which has a lid called “the mercy seat” – intended to be a picture
of God’s throne.
Though the word for “Lord” here is Adonai (Lord), we will see this
person later identified as “Yahweh” (Isa. 6:3,5).
John will take this one step further and identify this as Jesus:
(John 12:41 NKJV) These things
Isaiah said when he saw His glory and spoke of Him.
:2 Above it stood seraphim
Literally, “burning ones”, these are identified in other places as the
“cherubim” (Ex. 25:18; 1Ki. 6:23) or the “living creatures” seen by Ezekiel and
John (Eze. 1; Rev. 4).
:3 Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts
We hear this refrain often in heaven, in God’s presence.
God is holy.
holy – qadowsh – sacred, holy, set apart.
He is not like us. He is totally pure, totally clean, totally
apart from sin. We see God’s holiness
often described as “light”.
(1 John 1:5 NKJV) This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to
you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all.
Why do the angels repeat “holy” three
times?
It might just be because God is
really, really holy. It might also be because there
are three persons in one God.
:4 the house was filled with smoke
This is a physical manifestation of God’s glory.
In Moses’ day, when the Tabernacle was first set up, it was filled with a
cloud (Ex. 40:34-35)
(Exodus 40:34–35 NKJV) —34
Then the cloud covered the tabernacle of meeting,
and the glory of the Lord filled
the tabernacle. 35 And Moses was not able to enter the tabernacle of meeting,
because the cloud rested above it, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.
When Solomon first set up the Temple, it too was filled with smoke (2Chr.
5:13-14)
(2 Chronicles 5:13–14 NKJV) —13 indeed it came to pass, when the
trumpeters and singers were as one, to make one sound to be heard in
praising and thanking the Lord,
and when they lifted up their voice with the trumpets and cymbals and
instruments of music, and praised the Lord,
saying: “For He is
good, For His mercy endures forever,” that the house, the house of the Lord, was filled with a cloud, 14 so that the priests could not continue
ministering because of the cloud; for the glory of the Lord filled the house of God.
:5 Woe is me, for I am undone!
I believe this is exactly what happens when a person truly finds themselves
in God’s presence.
They are under the intense light of God, and they are so aware of their own
failures. He is holy, I am not.
When Jesus told the fishermen to let down their nets and they caught a HUGE
catch…
(Luke 5:8 NKJV) When Simon
Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees,
saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!”
This is part of real worship.
:6 live coal … from the altar
This coal is from the “golden altar”, the altar of incense.
This was the place of prayer.
It was located just outside the Holy of Holies.
:7 Your iniquity is taken away
This too is something that should happen in worship – we don’t just find
conviction of sin, but we find cleansing as well.
:8 who will go for Us?
Even though this is Isaiah’s call to the ministry, there does seem to be a
healthy pattern to follow when it comes to worship.
1.
God’s presence
2.
Awareness of our own sin
3.
Cleansing
4.
Mission - God sends us out with things to do
Illustration
There is a story told about a
faithful old deacon whose oft repeated prayer expression was, “O Lord, touch
the unsaved with Thy finger.” One prayer meeting night he was leading in prayer
when as he intoned this petition, as he so often did, he abruptly stopped
praying. Supposing he had been taken
suddenly ill, someone went to him and asked if there was anything wrong, if he
were ill. “No,” he replied, “I’m not ill.
But something seemed to say to me, ‘Thou art the finger’.”
:9-10 Make the heart of this people dull
Verses 9 & 10 are quoted six
times in the New Testament. (Matthew
13:14-15; Mark 4:12; Luke 8:10; John 12:39-41; Acts 28:26-27; Rom. 11:8)
It can sound as if God doesn’t want these people to change so He can wipe
them out, but we know that God’s heart is for people to repent and be saved.
This is about people who don’t want the truth.
So God will help them. He will send them the truth and they will
reject it so many times that they will become hardened against it.
“God’s law is that those who ‘will’ not see, ‘shall’ not see”
:11-13 Lord, how long?
How long would these people be blind?
How long should Isaiah keep preaching?
It could refer to the distant Babylonian captivity.
The people would stay rebellious against God until the time came that they
would be removed from the land.
It could even be until the end times
(Romans
11:25 NKJV) For I do not desire, brethren, that you should
be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own opinion, that
blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has
come in.
Isaiah’s ministry was to preach, even if the people didn’t listen.
Yet even here there is a hint of hope – in terms of the Babylonian
captivity, the mention of a “remnant”, a tenth that would come back.