Wednesday, June 20, 2012

Bible Truth #386 - Isaiah 6:1-10

1  In the year of King Uzziah’s death I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted, with the train of His robe filling the temple.
2  Seraphim stood above Him, each having six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew.
3  And one called out to another and said, “Holy, Holy, Holy, is the LORD of hosts, The whole earth is full of His glory.”
4  And the foundations of the thresholds trembled at the voice of him who called out, while the temple was filling with smoke.
5  Then I said, “Woe is me, for I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean lips, And I live among a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.”
6  Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a burning coal in his hand, which he had taken from the altar with tongs.
7  He touched my mouth with it and said, “Behold, this has touched your lips; and your iniquity is taken away and your sin is forgiven.”
8  Then I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?” Then I said, “Here am I. Send me!”
9  He said, “Go, and tell this people: ‘Keep on listening, but do not perceive; Keep on looking, but do not understand.’
10  “Render the hearts 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.”

This is the passage to which Christ was referring when He spoke as recorded in Matthew 13:15 and Mark 4:12.

Those who believe in decisional salvation will claim the people listening to the very words of the Son of God were making their own hearts insensitive, their ears dull, and their eyes dim but Isaiah recorded the prophesy of what the Lord said, the people would have their senses rendered useless by God Himself. Why? Because if He would not do it they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and then return and be healed - AND THAT WAS NOT GOD’S PLAN! Obviously God did not want them to return and be healed.

Irrefutably God was working in the lives of these people to keep them lost. Jesus’ answer to the disciples’ question makes that indisputable. When they asked Him why He spoke in parables He said the ability to understand the parables was given to the disciples but it was NOT given to those whom God did not want to understand (Matthew 13:11). God was working in that situation to conform it to His Will (Ephesians 1:11) as He does in EVERY situation.

Do not forget it is this same prophet whose writings tell us God’s Word will NOT return void but WILL accomplish what He desires and achieve the purpose for which It was sent (Isaiah 55:11). If God wanted the people in general to be saved He would also have given them the same ability He had given the disciples, and that being the quickening of their spirits so they could hear and understand spiritual truths. It is impossible for a lost man who is spiritually dead to understand any spiritual truth (1 Corinthians 2:14).

- Isaiah also tells us no one can thwart God’s plan (Isaiah 14:27).
- Paul quoted Isaiah when writing to the Romans about the Potter doing what he wants with the clay (Isaiah 29:16, Isaiah 45:9).
- Isaiah recorded God said once He acts, no one can reverse it (Isaiah 43:13) and since God has already created the entire timeline, the beginning and the end (Isaiah 46:10), and everything that will happen between the two, i.e. He HAS acted, He has already done all that pleasures Him, including who is saved and who is not.
- Isaiah quoted God as saying He forms the light, creates darkness, makes peace, and creates evil (Isaiah 45:7).
- Isaiah prophesied about Jesus that He would bear the iniquities (through His death) of many (Isaiah 53:11), not all.
- Isaiah is the one who recorded that God said His thoughts are not our thoughts, His ways are not our ways (Isaiah 55:8-9) and if that doesn’t explain God’s sovereignty in Election, nothing will.
- Isaiah wrote that God MADE them wander from his ways and that God hardened their hearts (Isaiah 63:17).

Salvation does NOT depend on man’s desire or effort (Romans 9:16), God has mercy upon, and saves whomever He wants (Romans 9:18). We become children of God NOT by the will of the flesh (John 1:13).

No comments:

Post a Comment

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.