Hearing Without Understanding; Seeing Without Perception

Isaiah 6.9-10, "And he said, "Go, and say to this people, keep on hearing, but do not understand, keep on seeing but do not perceive.  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."

A strange message the prophet Isaiah was instructed to deliver to the nation of Israel.  Note that the Isaiah has just seen the glory of the Lord (Isa. 6.1-7).  Isaiah's vision of God resulted in him declaring, "Woe is me..."

We know that the people of Israel had repeatedly ignored God's warnings.  We see that it is possible to hear and not understand and to see and not perceive.  We are so quick to look to a lost world and apply these words.  While they may ring to true to a world that has rejected God, one must wonder if they ring true about those who name the name of Christ.  We hear that most every method of evangelizing and worship is accepted throughout christendom. One can't help but wonder if the world system has been embraced, I John 2.15-17.  We think we do well, but we hear and do not understand and see and do not perceive.  Where is the evidence??  We just need to observe the state of the church and society around us.  Is it better or worse?  I would submit that it is worse.  If it is worse, then apparently all the worldy methods adopted in the name Christ have not worked.

Isaiah is told to make the heart of the people dull, the ears of the people heavy and to blind their eyes.  Why?  Lest they see...  Do we really see God at work??  When is the last time there has been testimony of someone saying, "Woe is me..." when in the presence of God.  On the contrary, we see all kinds of outward demonstrations of emotion without any evidence of an inward change of the heart.  Lest they hear...  Do we we really hear God?  Do we really believe that God speaks to us through His Word.  Do we believe that the Holy Spirit will guide the christian in "all truth?"  (John 16)  Or do we use God's Word to justfiy things that we desire rather than take it for what it says?

Seeing and hearing God as He intended will result in two things: 1) True understanding.  Understanding that takes place in the heart and not the head.  The principles of God's word will actually become part of who we are.  Not that we will be perfect, but they are now truly the desires of our heart. 2) Turn and be healed.  We will turn towards Him and all those things which are reaking havoc in our lives will be healed.  Remember that wounds leave scars and the healing process itself can be painful, but evntually those wounds will heal.  The biggest healing we need is that for our sinful heart which can only be healed by accepting Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.

He must increase, I must decrease!