He said, "Go and tell this people: " 'Be ever hearing, but never understanding; be ever seeing, but never perceiving.' – Isaiah 6:9

Today's Scripture Reading (March 11, 2023): Isaiah 6

I fear where the Christian Church finds itself in the twenty-first century. The investment of those who oppose us is paying off. And I am not talking about other religions or people who openly preach against Christianity. They aren't half as dangerous as those we have welcomed into our midst. We watch their YouTube channels. We are convinced they are the experts, so we purchase their holy water, drawn from the River Jordan or pieces of the Cross of Christ. We believe them and allow them to indoctrinate us into hate as we shower them with our hard-earned money. We give them our Christianity to pervert however they see fit, and we believe them.

The problem is that we have been seduced into a lie that says certain things are more important than love. We preach the message, but sometimes it seems that no one is listening. We are too concerned about the Muslim agenda or the homosexual threat that the message of love that we should be preaching becomes lost in the noise. It is much easier to sell people on the danger that abortion presents to our countries, so support my non-profit now, than to teach people to love the deranged neighbor next door who seems to complain about everything we do. I mean, where is the profit in that?

God's message to Isaiah was that he was about to bring judgment on the land. And part of that judgment was that the people would focus on the unimportant things in life. God charges Isaiah to preach but also tells him that the people will hear the words but not understand. They would see but not really perceive. Seventeenth-century theologian John Trapp (1601-1669) said that God was telling Isaiah to go and preach the people to hell.    

Isaiah would deliver the message that the people would hear but ignore. And in the process, they would be signing their own death warrants.

A friend recently asked me why God would harden people's hearts, which is essentially what is happening here. It is a good question, and not one that is easy to answer. But part of it is understanding the ancient theological framework. The people believed that since God was all-powerful, everything came from him. In other words, he allowed it to happen if he didn't do it. And maybe that is the best way to view this; the people hardened their own hearts, but God was willing to allow them to do it.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Isaiah 7

Personal Note: Happy Birthday, Dad.