Isaiah 6

One of the lectionary readings this week is from Isaiah 6:1-13. The Discipline devotion book broke the reading into a few days worth -- a little bit each day with a devotion.

These particular verses bothered me (verses 8-10):

Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?’ And I said, ‘Here am I; send me!’ And he said, ‘Go and say to this people:

“Keep listening, but do not comprehend;
keep looking, but do not understand.”
Make the mind of this people dull,
and stop their ears,
and shut their eyes,
so that they may not look with their eyes,
and listen with their ears,
and comprehend with their minds,
and turn and be healed.’

The first time I read it through, I didn't like it. The image of God purposefully stopping their eyes and covering their eyes doesn't mesh with God as I think I understand him.

I thought of something that a former associate pastor of our church told me. Prophecy is not necessarily telling the future; it is telling the truth. We do it all the time with our children -- we tell them the consequences of their present actions; we point out to them their actions.

Perhaps that is what God is doing here. Perhaps he is pointing out to the people what their actions are, and what the consequences will be.

Yesterday's devotion focused on the end of the passage: "The holy seed is its stump. " The passage is explaining the devastation that will be found, and it is complete. Then there is is the little line -- hope, I think, in the midst of nothingness. When we think all is lost, the life of God is still present - The holy seed is its stump.

God does not leave. God's presence and support is forever, even when we don't hear him; don't see him, and are surrounded by emptiness.

Image: I received this in an email. It was originally a National Geographic photo