Isaiah 6:8-13 - The Unwelcome Truth

8 And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here I am! Send me.” 9 And he said, “Go, and say to this people: “ ‘Keep on hearing, but do not understand; keep on seeing, but do not perceive.’ 10 Make the heart of this people dull, and their ears heavy, and blind their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed.” 11 Then I said, “How long, O Lord?” And he said: “Until cities lie waste without inhabitant, and houses without people, and the land is a desolate waste, 12 and the Lord removes people far away, and the forsaken places are many in the midst of the land. 13 And though a tenth remain in it, it will be burned again, like a terebinth or an oak, whose stump remains when it is felled.” The holy seed is its stump.

Target Date: Sunday, 21 January 2024

Word Study/ Translation Notes:

People – there are 2 different words in this passage that are translated thus:

9, 10 - עַם ˓am, am; from 6004; a people (as a congregated unit); spec. a tribe (as those of Israel); hence, (collect.) troops or attendants; fig. a flock:— folk, men, nation, people.

LXX - laós [people, crowd, nation]

Used in Isaiah 1:3.

11, 12 - אָדָם ˒âdâm, aw-dawm’; from 119; ruddy, i.e. a human being (an individual or the species, mankind, etc.):— × another, + hypocrite, + common sort, × low, man (mean, of low degree), person.

LXX - ἄνθρωπος anthrōpos

The LXX preserves the distinction between the two uses.

9, 10 speak of the people as a tribe or nation. The view is not to the individuals within the nation, but to the nation itself. 11,12 speak of the effect of judgment on the individual, drawing us to the detail of the judgment on persons.

9 – this – זֶֶה zeh, zeh; a prim. word; the masc. demonstr. pron., this or that:— he, × hence, × here, it (-self), × now, × of him, the one … the other, × than the other, (× out of) the (self) same, such (an one) that, these, this (hath, man), on this side … on that side, × thus, very, which. comp. 2063, 2090, 2097, 2098.

God’s command is not to say to MY people, but to THIS people.

While the use of this may express divine displeasure (so Duhm, noting 8:6, 12; 9:15 [Eng. 16]; 28:11, 14; 29:13, 14), it does not necessarily do so. Several of the references just noted are equivocal, and Kaiser points to such instances as Exod. 3:21; 5:22; 17:4; 18:18; and Num. 11:14 where the demonstrative has no particular pejorative connotation. Certainly the statement lacks any element of warmth that “my people” might suggest.

Thoughts on the Passage:

Almost all sermons on Isa. 6 conclude with v. 8, probably because of the frankly disturbing character of the remainder of the chapter. It is especially disturbing to Christians whose whole upbringing has conditioned them toward an emphasis upon God’s forgiving grace and will to deliver. Yet these verses depict God as preventing repentance so that total destruction may occur.

At no point in the passage does this intimate that God will abandon His faithful people.

And the word of the Lord came to Zechariah, saying, 9 “Thus says the Lord of hosts, Render true judgments, show kindness and mercy to one another, 10 do not oppress the widow, the fatherless, the sojourner, or the poor, and let none of you devise evil against another in your heart.” 11 But they refused to pay attention and turned a stubborn shoulder and stopped their ears that they might not hear. 12 They made their hearts diamond-hard lest they should hear the law and the words that the Lord of hosts had sent by his Spirit through the former prophets. Therefore great anger came from the Lord of hosts. 13 “As I called, and they would not hear, so they called, and I would not hear,” says the Lord of hosts, 14 “and I scattered them with a whirlwind among all the nations that they had not known. Thus the land they left was desolate, so that no one went to and fro, and the pleasant land was made desolate.” - Zechariah 7:8-14

8 – These are the first words Isaiah hears the Lord speak in this event.

We don’t know if God was waiting for Isaiah’s cleansing to proceed, or if Isaiah simply couldn’t hear God’s call until he was cleansed.

8 – It should be noted that Isaiah heard the voice of the angel, the seraph, before he heard the voice of God.

We also hear the voice of the message delivered by the angel (the Law) before we can comprehend the gracious call of God to faith and service in Jesus Christ. (But is that accurate?)

8 - Why, however, does the Lord speak of Himself in the plural? Is He simply employing a plural of majesty or is He also including the heavenly seraphs in His question? In carrying out His sovereign purposes God consults only with Himself. He has no need of counseling with His creatures, even with angelic creatures. Hence, it would seem wise to adopt the time-honored interpretation of the church and to regard the Lord as using the plural form to indicate that in the Speaker Himself there is a plurality of persons.40 Let us not fear to acknowledge that here is an adumbration of the doctrine of the Trinity which in the New Testament receives its fuller revelation.

8 - It is the readiness of true faith. Indeed, even before the prophet knows what God’s bidding is, he is willing to do that bidding. Here in this matchless passage we find the reason why so few are willing to serve God. They need above all the conviction of sin. Only when a man has been convicted of sin and has understood that the Redeemer has borne the guilt of his sin is he willing and ready joyfully to serve God, to go wherever God may call him.

9 – this people – the commission and message of Isaiah is for the people who were represented by those gathered in the temple, where God’s train filled the space.

9 – say to this people of unclean lips:

The message you proclaim from lips that have been hallowed by the altar of God will carry a message the unhallowed ears cannot hear and unhallowed eyes cannot see and unhallowed hearts can never receive.

9 - But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. 2 For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, 4 treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people. 6 For among them are those who creep into households and capture weak women, burdened with sins and led astray by various passions, 7 always learning and never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth. – 2 Timothy 3:1-7

9-10 – This can be almost a taunt, like John’s challenge “Who warned you to flee the wrath to come?” Isaiah’s plain preaching should make God’s word apparent to all, but it won’t. No matter how plainly we proclaim the gospel, not everyone will be persuaded. But the challenge of the gospel is the same: the God who you refuse to believe or follow is coming in judgment to you.

10 – But why should God desire to harden people’s hearts? Why should he wish them not to be healed? The text itself gives no reason, but we may offer some general deductions. It is evident that something is more important than healing. What could that be? Surely it is a pure revelation of the character of God and of the human condition. As it happened, such a revelation could only harden Isaiah’s generation in its rebellion (3:8, 9; 5:18, 19). For Isaiah to declare faithfully what he knew to be so would not result in an admission of guilt and a turning to God. Rather, it would bring about a more adamant refusal to recognize need.

But if the truth could not save the present generation, if it would, in fact, destroy that generation, it could, faithfully recorded, save future generations. This, then, was Isaiah’s commission, as it is of all servants of God, not to be successful in a merely human sense but to be faithful.

God sometimes, in a way of righteous judgment, gives men up to blindness of mind and strong delusions, because they would not receive the truth in the love of it, 2 Th. 2:10–12. He that is filthy let him be filthy still.

with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. 11 Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false, 12 in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness. - 2 Thessalonians 2:10-12

Notice, however, our response to God’s sovereign judgment:

But we ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers beloved by the Lord, because God chose you as the firstfruits to be saved, through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth. 14 To this he called you through our gospel, so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. – 2 Thessalonians 2:13-14

We ought, indeed, to be deeply grieved when success does not attend our exertions; and we ought to pray to God to give efficacy to his word. A part of the blame we ought even to lay on ourselves, when the fruits are so scanty; and yet we must not abandon our office, or throw away our weapons. The truth must always be heard from our lips, even though there be no ears to receive it, and though the world have neither sight nor feeling; for it is enough for us that we labour faithfully for the glory of God, and that our services are acceptable to him; and the sound of our voice is not ineffectual, when it renders the world without excuse.

True, this prediction was not the cause of their unbelief, but the Lord foretold it, because he foresaw that they would be such as they are here described. The Evangelist applies to the Gospel what had already taken place under the law, and at the same time shows that the Jews were deprived of reason and understanding, because they were rebels against God. Yet if you inquire into the first cause, we must come to the predestination of God. But as that purpose is hidden from us, we must not too eagerly search into it; for the everlasting scheme of the divine purpose is beyond our reach, but we ought to consider the cause which lies plainly before our eyes, namely, the rebellion by which they rendered themselves unworthy of blessings so numerous and so great.

But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. 15 For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, 16 to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life. Who is sufficient for these things? 17 For we are not, like so many, peddlers of God’s word, but as men of sincerity, as commissioned by God, in the sight of God we speak in Christ. - 2 Corinthians 2:14-17

10 - In the sudden flash of some gift or opportunity, men reveal the stuff of which they are made, the disposition they have bred in themselves. Opportunity in human life is as often judgment as it is salvation.

10 - “Such blinding,” says Calvin, “and hardening influence does not arise out of the nature of the word, but is accidental, and must be ascribed to the depravity of man.” The ungodly, Calvin goes on to say, have no right to object to the preaching of the Truth as though the proclamation of that Truth in itself brought evil effects. The evil effects come not from the Word, but from the heart of man, which stands in desperate need of regeneration. “The whole blame,” Calvin continues, “lies on themselves in altogether refusing it admission; and we need not wonder if that which ought to have led them to salvation becomes the cause of their destruction.”

10 - The Isaianic literature as it has come to us bears all the marks of a plain, systematic, reasoned approach. It is clear that Isaiah did not understand his commission as one to blind people by obscurity of expression or complexity of message.

It would be hard to find a more plainspoken prophet of God. Isaiah did not obscure his messages; he proclaimed them boldly and constantly. His children were named for oracles. His demonstrations showed God’s judgment that was upon them.

But such a man, in the midst of an unbelieving people, will almost always be dismissed as a fanatic or a lunatic.

11 - “Do not make yourselves unclean by any of these things, for by all these the nations I am driving out before you have become unclean, 25 and the land became unclean, so that I punished its iniquity, and the land vomited out its inhabitants. 26 But you shall keep my statutes and my rules and do none of these abominations, either the native or the stranger who sojourns among you 27 (for the people of the land, who were before you, did all of these abominations, so that the land became unclean), 28 lest the land vomit you out when you make it unclean, as it vomited out the nation that was before you. – Leviticus 18:24-28

13 – The promises of God will again hang by the narrowest of threads, yet firmly placed by the strength of His word.

Mankind was carried in Noah through the flood.

Salvation was carried by Abraham through the son of his old age.

When Jesus had said these things, he departed and hid himself from them. 37 Though he had done so many signs before them, they still did not believe in him, 38 so that the word spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled: “Lord, who has believed what he heard from us, and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?” 39 Therefore they could not believe. For again Isaiah said, 40 “He has blinded their eyes and hardened their heart, lest they see with their eyes, and understand with their heart, and turn, and I would heal them.” 41 Isaiah said these things because he saw his glory and spoke of him. 42 Nevertheless, many even of the authorities believed in him, but for fear of the Pharisees they did not confess it, so that they would not be put out of the synagogue; 43 for they loved the glory that comes from man more than the glory that comes from God.

44 And Jesus cried out and said, “Whoever believes in me, believes not in me but in him who sent me. 45 And whoever sees me sees him who sent me. 46 I have come into the world as light, so that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness. 47 If anyone hears my words and does not keep them, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world. 48 The one who rejects me and does not receive my words has a judge; the word that I have spoken will judge him on the last day. 49 For I have not spoken on my own authority, but the Father who sent me has himself given me a commandment—what to say and what to speak. 50 And I know that his commandment is eternal life. What I say, therefore, I say as the Father has told me.” - John 12:36-50

Then the disciples came and said to him, “Why do you speak to them in parables?” 11 And he answered them, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. 12 For to the one who has, more will be given, and he will have an abundance, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. 13 This is why I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. 14 Indeed, in their case the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled that says: “ ‘ “You will indeed hear but never understand, and you will indeed see but never perceive.” 15 For this people’s heart has grown dull, and with their ears they can barely hear, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and turn, and I would heal them.’ 16 But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. 17 For truly, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it. - Matthew 13:10-17

When they had appointed a day for him, they came to him at his lodging in greater numbers. From morning till evening he expounded to them, testifying to the kingdom of God and trying to convince them about Jesus both from the Law of Moses and from the Prophets. 24 And some were convinced by what he said, but others disbelieved. 25 And disagreeing among themselves, they departed after Paul had made one statement: “The Holy Spirit was right in saying to your fathers through Isaiah the prophet: 26 “ ‘Go to this people, and say, “You will indeed hear but never understand, and you will indeed see but never perceive.” 27 For this people’s heart has grown dull, and with their ears they can barely hear, and their eyes they have closed; lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and turn, and I would heal them.’ 28 Therefore let it be known to you that this salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles; they will listen.” - Acts 28:23-28

And when he was alone, those around him with the twelve asked him about the parables. 11 And he said to them, “To you has been given the secret of the kingdom of God, but for those outside everything is in parables, 12 so that “ ‘they may indeed see but not perceive, and may indeed hear but not understand, lest they should turn and be forgiven.’ ” - Mark 4:10-12

So too at the present time there is a remnant, chosen by grace. 6 But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works; otherwise grace would no longer be grace. 7 What then? Israel failed to obtain what it was seeking. The elect obtained it, but the rest were hardened, 8 as it is written, “God gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes that would not see and ears that would not hear, down to this very day.” - Romans 11:5-8

And Paul uses this teaching for the Gentiles: For if God did not spare the natural branches, neither will he spare you. 22 Note then the kindness and the severity of God: severity toward those who have fallen, but God’s kindness to you, provided you continue in his kindness. Otherwise you too will be cut off. 23 And even they, if they do not continue in their unbelief, will be grafted in, for God has the power to graft them in again. – Romans 11:21-23

What is the Good News of this passage – Where is Jesus Christ? (if you can’t answer this question, are you finished?)

The gospel itself is in the message of Isaiah: repent and believe. It is empowered by the sovereignty of God.

Teachings:

The gospel of Jesus Christ preached accurately may not be intended to turn a nation, but to bring each person to the mirror of the gospel, sorting those who are being saved.

The failure and judgment of a nation, any nation, brings the same glory to God. Even more if their false religion and compulsory obedience is destroyed in that judgment.

Building Points:

He was preaching to the right people.

He was preaching the right message.

His preaching would have the right result.

Sermon Text:

When we last looked together at this chapter of Isaiah, we stopped at verse 7.

If it felt a little odd to you to stop there, it also felt a little odd to me.

I think every sermon I have ever heard on this chapter, at least the ones I recall, covered only verses 1-8.

But they all covered ALL those verses – 1-8 every time.

Because the point of every one of those sermons was to build our evangelistic zeal:

“That is what we should declare to God in our lives: ‘Here am I! Send me.’”

It is not a bad message at all.

But since that is the only application I can ever recall hearing from this passage, I felt like you all had heard it also.

So we have some opportunity to explore some other truths here.

The first seven verses, you may remember, we looked at the holiness of God in full display here.

And I hope you have devoted some of your private thoughts and meditations on God’s holiness in the last couple of weeks.

This week, I plan, with the help of the Holy Spirit, to mention verse 8, but then get into the more disturbing remainder of this chapter.

I say ‘disturbing’ because God’s command doesn’t sound like we might expect it to sound or we might want it to sound.

But just because preachers in my experience have skipped verses 9-13 doesn’t mean we should.

In fact, the New Testament quotes verses 9 and 10 SIX times.

Every gospel quotes these verses.

In Acts, Paul quotes it.

And in Romans, he quotes it.

The number of times any reference at all is made to verses 1-8?

One. And that is in John 12 AFTER he quotes verses 9 and 10.

John 12:40-41 - 40 “He has blinded their eyes and hardened their heart, lest they see with their eyes, and understand with their heart, and turn, and I would heal them.” 41 Isaiah said these things because he saw his glory and spoke of him.

The apostles and the early church didn’t shy away from the message God commissions Isaiah to preach; they were not ashamed of it.

And we shouldn’t be either.

In the gospels, Jesus used this very passage in Isaiah to explain why He spoke to the multitudes in parables.

And when he was alone, those around him with the twelve asked him about the parables. 11 And he said to them, “To you has been given the secret of the kingdom of God, but for those outside everything is in parables, 12 so that “‘they may indeed see but not perceive, and may indeed hear but not understand, lest they should turn and be forgiven.’” - Mark 4:10-12

So a passage as important as this should command our attention this morning.

Our text begins with the familiar call of God in this vision: “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?”

To which Isaiah replies “Here I am! Send me.”

I do think it is important here to ask who God is calling out to. I see four possibilities:

1. He is asking the heavenly hosts the question.

We can reject that immediately because God requires no counsel from anyone.

The seraphim do His will; they are not His advisers.

2. He is asking the Godhead the question.

I would reject that because that would imply indecision in God.

3. He is asking the question coyly to Isaiah.

When commentators or preachers deal with the question at all, this is the most common answer I have found.

Except, as I alluded to last time, it seems a bit coy for God. Perhaps too playful.

So that leaves us with one other possibility:

4. He is calling to the gathered assembly in the temple.

All the people there, Isaiah included, are included in God’s call to faithfulness.

But only Isaiah responds.

In fact, only Isaiah hears.

Everyone else there, everyone gathered for the purpose of worshipping the Sovereign God, is blind to His glory and deaf to His call.

And not just those who were at the temple on that day.

Virtually all the people of Judah had abandoned their devotion to God in the pursuit of their lives.

Where even their worship, where they prayed to and praised God was an exercise in hollow tradition, not faithful devotion.

They are the object lesson the Lord uses in verses 9 and 10: And he said, “Go, and say to this people: “ ‘Keep on hearing, but do not understand; keep on seeing, but do not perceive.’ 10 Make the heart of this people dull, and their ears heavy, and blind their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed.”

Go and say to THIS people.

If you remember, back in chapter 1 verse 3, God called them “my people”.

The ox knows its owner, and the donkey its master’s crib, but Israel does not know, my people do not understand.”

But now, it is like He is waving His mighty hand to indicate these other worshippers and the ones who don’t even care enough to come to worship: Say to THIS people.

Parents, most of the time you would call your child ‘my son’ or ‘my daughter’.

But there are those times when the child is troublesome when you might tell your spouse ‘Go get YOUR son’ or ‘Please control YOUR daughter’.

How much more if you say ‘Go fetch that girl!’

And the message Isaiah was to proclaim, perhaps not always literally: ‘Keep on hearing, but do not understand; keep on seeing, but do not perceive.’

Keep praying to hear from God, but stop up your ears when His word is preached.

Keep looking for His blessing, but continue your ways, and you will never see it.

It is almost a challenge to the people of Judah: Look all you want, and you will never see.

And in that form, it becomes a challenge for the people.

Some might even say, “OK, prophet. Let’s hear what God has to say.”

People might say that today, right?

They might say “OK, Christian. What does God want me to do?”

Do you have the answer to that?

There may even be someone listening to me right now thinking “OK, preacher. What does God want me to do?”

I know how I will answer that.

Isaiah did too.

John said he knew how to answer because he saw [God’s] glory and spoke of Him.

But God told Isaiah how most people would respond:

Make the heart of this people dull, and their ears heavy, and blind their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed.”

Most of the people would reject Isaiah’s message.

Most of them would hear his urgent call and laugh it off or shrug it off or ignore it altogether.

The more he preached, the more they would ignore him.

The more clearly he spoke, the more they would reject him.

Because the sovereign God of the universe had decreed that it was time for His judgment.

And nothing would stop it.

Nothing would delay it.

But if they repented, that would stop His judgment, wouldn’t it?

When Jonah preached to Nineveh, that city repented and God withheld His judgment, right?

He did indeed.

But what does it take for a person to repent?

Not just to feel bad for a particular sin. That is relatively easy.

Drunkards and addicts do it all the time.

Men and women surf through porn sites and they feel bad about that sin, and perhaps they repent.

Repenting is not just about leaving a single sin; it is about turning to God away from all sin.

It is about restructuring your life, changing your habits, retooling your emotions and reactions toward God and away from ALL your sin.

That takes a lot more than just finding a more socially acceptable alternative to a single sin.

To repent toward God is something we simply don’t have the strength or the inclination to do, at least not for very long.

Sure, I have been on retreats, maybe youth retreats, where I really felt my emotions touched and I KNEW I was going to be a better person as a result.

But the truth is the only times that stuck were the times where God made me see my sin against His holiness.

They could preach consequences of sin to me all day long, but until I realized, even in some small part, the holiness of God and my woeful unrighteousness, I wouldn’t, I couldn’t really repent.

Isaiah himself could stand up and preach a sermon straight from his book of prophecy, straight from the mouth of God, and it couldn’t make me repent.

Every single week, preachers stand in pulpits around the world and preach the word of God, and most who hear that word walk away largely unchanged.

It is God Himself who makes His word effectual.

It is God’s Holy Spirit who takes God’s word from the Scripture and implants it in our hearts, changing us and bringing us to repentance.

It doesn’t mean we just sit back and wait for Him to change us, far from it.

We are told to seek Him, His kingdom, His righteousness.

We are told to search the Scriptures diligently, and be doers of the word, and not hearers only, who deceive ourselves.

We are exhorted over and over again to love and good works.

If you belong to Christ, you will hear these things and be enabled through the Holy Spirit to do them.

If you do not belong to Christ, you will hear these things and find better ways to spend your life, time, and effort.

If you don’t belong to Christ, all this talk of holiness and repentance and salvation are nothing but foolishness.

Until the day when God declares He has waited long enough, and He comes to judge all people.

Then it will be important even to you who would not follow Jesus Christ.

But it will be too late.

Here, to Judah through Isaiah, God declares He has had enough.

His longsuffering has reached His self-imposed end.

And these people who have persisted in their blindness will remain blind now.

These people who have remained deaf to His call will be unable to hear it any longer.

And yet, God is sending a prophet.

And not just A prophet – Isaiah, the prophet of the Gospel. The evangelist prophet, the preacher of the good news.

I know we aren’t far into the book, but during our Advent messages, we got a glimpse of the prophecies where He had identified Jesus Christ, the Messiah.

Even here, in v. 13, we see the reference to the “holy seed” – Jesus Christ.

The sprout from the stumps that God will leave after His judgment.

If God was determined to judge His people here, why send a prophet at all? He could have rightly executed His judgment with no warning at all.

Why is He sending a prophet to THIS people?

Is Isaiah’s only purpose in preaching to cause the people of Judah to be MORE guilty than they were, rejecting God’s message afresh?

Certainly, for most that is the way it will work out.

But for others, they will hear, see, repent, and obey.

God still has hearts He intends to save.

God still has faithful people who will heed Isaiah’s words from God.

When God talks in verses 9 and 10 about THIS people, he is talking about the tribe, the nation.

He is talking about the culture, and the vast majority of the people who form that culture that has become godless and faithless.

But in vv.11 and 12, He is talking about individuals, persons.

Most will be destroyed, many will be carried away out of the land, but some few, fewer than 10 percent, will be kept faithful through the ordeal.

It is similar to Elijah when he fled after defeating the priests of Baal on the top of Mt Carmel.

He fled in fear from Jezebel, who would ruthlessly kill him if she got him.

Remember what God told him after he stopped running for a bit, had a meal, and some rest?

Yet I will leave seven thousand in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him. – 1 Kings 19:18

We call these small faithful groups ‘the remnant’.

God tells Isaiah about them here in v. 13:

And though a tenth remain in it, it will be burned again, like a terebinth or an oak, whose stump remains when it is felled.” The holy seed is its stump.

Over and over, God preserves His promises, sometimes by the thinnest thread.

All mankind is preserved through Noah and his family.

The promise to Abraham comes through a child born when he was 100.

The deliverance of Israel from Egypt comes from an expatriate murderer-turned-shepherd who was 80 years old.

And here, we see the remnant again, preserved by God’s hand through the judgment He would pour out on this nation.

It was never Isaiah’s job to save the nation – only God’s remnant in it.

The good news of the gospel will only harden those who are perishing.

It is the power of God only for those who will be saved.

For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. – 1 Corinthians 1:18

The gospel of Jesus Christ is not mean to save nations or tribes or kingdoms of this world.

It saves people, individual people.

Precious sheep of our Father.

That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t pray for our nation or our community. Of course we should.

We should weep for the sin,

Storm the throne of grace in prayer for the perishing.

We should speak the gospel boldly and live even more boldly as representatives of Jesus Christ.

We should even do every good thing in our power to give the unborn people a voice in our land.

But it may be that God has already declared judgment for this tribe we call the United States.

But even if the judgment of God falls on our nation in the terrible way it deserves, it does not change our responsibility to seek out His sheep by carrying His gospel to everyone.

It doesn’t change our covenant to each other before God to love each other and support one another as God’s church.

It doesn’t change our responsibility to be subject to the government God has placed over us, even if it’s of the other party.

Even though we pray He preserves and protects our nation, He is under no obligation to do so. He is the king of all kings.

And we are His people.

In his great commentary on this passage, John Calvin said this:

We ought, indeed, to be deeply grieved when success does not attend our exertions; and we ought to pray to God to give efficacy to his word. A part of the blame we ought even to lay on ourselves, when the fruits are so scanty; and yet we must not abandon our office, or throw away our weapons. The truth must always be heard from our lips, even though there be no ears to receive it, and though the world have neither sight nor feeling; for it is enough for us that we labour faithfully for the glory of God, and that our services are acceptable to him; and the sound of our voice is not ineffectual, when it renders the world without excuse.