Isaiah's Difficult Task

8 Then I heard the Lord asking, “Whom should I send as a messenger to this people? Who will go for us?”

I said, “Here I am. Send me.”

9 And he said, “Yes, go, and say to this people,

‘Listen carefully, but do not understand.
Watch closely, but learn nothing.’
10 Harden the hearts of these people.
Plug their ears and shut their eyes.
That way, they will not see with their eyes,
nor hear with their ears,
nor understand with their hearts
and turn to me for healing.”

11 Then I said, “Lord, how long will this go on?”

And he replied,

“Until their towns are empty,
their houses are deserted,
and the whole country is a wasteland;
12 until the Lord has sent everyone away,
and the entire land of Israel lies deserted.
13 If even a tenth—a remnant—survive,
it will be invaded again and burned.
But as a terebinth or oak tree leaves a stump when it is cut down,
so Israel’s stump will be a holy seed.”

Isaiah’s lips have been cleansed by the purging fire of God’s grace. He has now become qualified to hear the Lord’s voice firsthand. He is also made fit to communicate an unappealing message to rebellious and unreceptive people.

The prophet knew that the task before him was unappealing. The message would not be soothing to his listeners. Yet, it was the same life-changing message he himself had heard and experienced. It was a message of judgment against sin as well as the promise of salvation.

God’s voice rang through the halls of heaven: “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” Did Isaiah have a moment when he held back, reconsidered, waited to see if some other volunteer might step forward? We don’t know. What we do know is that his voice broke the silence. Isaiah’s response was clear and unambiguous: “Here am I. Send me!”

In that response, Isaiah took up an “apostolic” calling. The word apostle literally means “sent one.” As the church of Christ, we now claim an “apostolic” identity. The voice of God still calls out for those who will be sent in his name with a message of good news in the face of helplessness and despair. Today, many who are reading these devotions will feel the inner prompting of God’s Spirit and also say, “Here am I. Send me!”

Lord, please give us humility, wisdom, and courage as well as the cleansing needed to bear faithful testimony about our Savior. In his name we pray. Amen.