Thursday: Appalling Appeal
Isaiah 6:9-13
When God recommissioned Isaiah, why did He give the prophet such a strange message to take to His people ( Isaiah 6.9-10)?
Lest we should think that Isaiah heard wrong or that this message is unimportant, Jesus cited this passage to explain why He taught in parables (Matt: 13:13-15).
Image © Krieg Barrie at Goodsalt.com
God does not want any to perish (2 Pet: 3:9), which explains why He sent Isaiah to the people of Judah—and Jesus to the world. God’s desire is not to destroy but to save eternally. But while some people respond positively to His appeals, others become firmer in their resistance. Nevertheless, God keeps on appealing to them in order to give them more and more opportunities to repent. Yet, the more they resist, the harder they become. So, in that sense, what God does to them results in the hardening of their hearts, even though He would rather that these actions soften them. God’s love toward us is unchanging; our individual response to His love is the crucial variable.
The role of a minister, such as Moses, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, or even Christ, is to keep on appealing, even if people reject the message. God said to Ezekiel: “Whether they hear or refuse to hear (for they are a rebellious house), they shall know that there has been a prophet among them” (Ezek: 2:5, NRSV). God’s role and that of His servants is to give people a fair choice, so that they will have adequate warning (compare Ezek: 3:16-21), even if they end up choosing destruction and exile (Isa: 6:11-13).
With these ideas in mind, how do we understand God’s role in hardening Pharaoh’s heart?
In Exodus 4:21, God says, “but I will harden his heart” (NRSV). This is the first of nine times when God said He would harden Pharaoh’s heart. But there were also nine times when Pharaoh hardened his own heart (for example, see Exod: 8:15, Exodus 8:32; Exod: 9:34).
Clearly Pharaoh possessed some kind of free will, or he would not have been able to harden his own heart. But the fact that God also hardened Pharaoh’s heart indicates that God initiated the circumstances to which Pharaoh reacted when he made his choices, choices to reject the signs God had given him. Had Pharaoh been open to those signs, his heart would have been softened, not hardened, by them.
| In your own experience with the Lord, have you ever felt a hardening of your heart to the Holy Spirit? Think through what caused it. If you didn’t find that concept frightening then (after all, that’s part of what having a hard heart is all about), how do you view it now? What is the way of escape? See 1 Cor: 10:13. |
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In my teaching days I would often set my students a written assignment that required a literature search. About 10 days before the assignment was due, I would sit down with each student, review what they had found out and offer some suggestions about how to go forward and write it up. For most students it was a good interactive time. They had the opportunity to see how I evaluated their effort and could make the appropriate changes, so they satisfied the goal of the assignment.
Most students responded well, but there were always a couple of students who got the bit between the teeth, ignoring our discussion and ultimately presenting a paper that did not answer the requirements or make use of the material that was available. I remember one student taking aim at me, telling me that I was trying to dictate the outcome. He wrote a negative report based on assertions and not backed by any reliable information. I responded that I was trying to prepare him for the real world where he would be preparing reports for businesses and organisations and that they would want reports that were substantial rather than a load of waffle. I failed him and pointed out that I did not mind a negative report, but it had to be based on reality. Needless to say, I was not all that popular.
Is it possible that the people of Judah had the idea that they were religious enough and knew all the answers? They simply would not listen to the prophets as they explained to them what was really needed. Like my headstrong unteachable student, that had the attitude that their way was good enough.
Jesus quoted Isaiah very effectively:
Like my failed student, Christians who take the bit between the teeth and do not listen, ultimately rely on their own righteousness and miss out on the promises of God.
Thanks Bro Maurice. I like the way you share with your personal experiences. Maybe there is a book somewhere about your life?
That is a very accurate portrayal of how God works Maurice, thank you. I’m sure if one were to do an exegesis on the Hebrew language used to describe “God hardening Pharaoh’s heart”, it would not suggest that God forced His will on Pharaoh but rather, Pharaoh chose to respond to the circumstances with resistance/defiance. Pharaoh’s pride/arrogance got in the way even though he knew that the God of the Hebrews was in charge.
Someone once made a comment that a well known evangelist and author only had one point that he repeated over and over in various ways - is this a bad thing? Maybe so or maybe not. I believe that sometimes the LORD lays a particular part of the truth on a person's heart and it is their mission to stand on the walls and be the watchman proclaiming that aspect of the truth over and over so all can hear it so that the people don't have an excuse and you are not held responsible if they are lost as the LORD warned in Eze 3:16-21
May our responses to God's chances be always positive and towards a soft heart. May we accept God's ways as the best for us.
Bless the Lord, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name.....The Lord executeth righteousness and judgment for all that are oppressed. He made known his ways unto Moses, his acts unto the children of Israel........ Psm 103:1-22.
Appalling Appeal
Many times I asked myself the question- What was Noah message to the world for 120yrs and no one responded but he and his wife, sons and their wives? What were those who participated in the building of the ark thinking? Was this a sham, a joke or just another job? All heard, yet no other responded. Were those people hearts hardened like Pharaoh? Hearing the same thing, day after day after day just became a hearing? Seeing the same man day, after day, after day with the same message blinded their eyes to the truth? He was talking about a flood but they have never even seen rain, how on earth that could be possible? Were they relying on the mercy of the Lord that he was too good to destroy, too loving to become unloved, too gracious to show judgment?
The more they resisted, the harder it got.
'In your own experience with the Lord, have you ever felt a hardening of your heart to the Holy Spirit?'
The only one that comes to my mind now is about eating much sweet and my arthritis pain. (I spoke about this before). Being the person I am there must be several others that I cant remember.
There is a way which seems right to a man....Prov 14:12.
Has the Lord hardened some of us hearts who are leaders in the SDA church that is hearing we dont hear, looking but cant see?
Have we become just like the people in Isaiah time, leaders who challenged him?
How many time have we SDA heard the same pure message from the bible yet we are living the same way as the people in Pharaoh, Moses, Elijah, Isiah, etc days?
What was the controversy the Lord had/has against wicked leaders? The answers are found in the bible. eg. Exod 21:1-31.
He gave them his laws and statues and judgments and they agreed to follow through with them. Ex 24:3,7.
For us the message is found in Micah 6:8. Are we merciful to other.
Lyn, EG White tells us that Methuselah and his sons helped build the ark, they believed Noah but were laid to rest before the flood. Just like that I believe Rev 14:13 is telling us that many righteous people will be laid to rest before the time of trouble.
Shirley- You are right but what I was saying and referring to were those who were alive when the rain started and multitudes were outside of the ark. The ark had space for many more had they decided to believe Noah. What about the others who claimed the believed God. Did he laid to rest all the other righteous and faithful people? I don't know. Or was the land similar to Sodom and its sisters or heathenism was the thing of the day?
From childhood it’s not been easy to receive correction or redirection, especially when there’s a ‘good’ reason. It’s even more difficult when someone loved, respected or an authority figure suggests or makes a demand that opposes what God is instructing us to do.
When we reject correction, redirection or leading by the Spirit of God, no matter the reason we are hardening our hearts just as pharaoh, Judah, Israel or the priests and Pharisees did.
It’s interesting how sin leads us to believe at times that there’s an “acceptable” reason to ignore the Spirit of God. Somehow it leads us to believe God understands or excuses us because of time, surrounding or circumstance.
This is a fatal spiritual error, just like it was for those whose experiences are recorded as examples in the Bible and in history.
God loves us beyond what we could ever believe or understand. He requires only what is best and will recreate His image in us. He sustains us, giving us strength to succeed, even though difficult change and redirection.
This week's lesson is titled: "Crisis of Leadership", can someone please explain and link the lesson (Isaiah 6) with the title?
The vision of Isaiah 6 came at the end of the reign of Uzziah, who essentially had been a good king but at got a bit full of himself towards the end. This had put the Kindom of Judah into a leadership vacuum, leading to Isaiah's call to provide a bit of prophetic guidance.
Does that give you a bit of a starting point Riga Aninda?
God says shocking things. Jesus said shocking things. I'm so glad for this lesson today because I've been confused by it for a long time. Why would Jesus deliberately use a method of teaching to confound His students about His kingdom? Why not use a different teaching method if the parables are not reaching His audience? Even worse, it sounds in Mark 4:12, quoting Isaiah, like God is trying to prevent people from turning from their ways and being forgiven?! And back in Matthew 13:12-13, if some already have knowledge and others won't no matter what you say, why bother to speak at all?
Here are the answers God is giving me this morning from His Word (written as if in His voice). I'm sharing lots of text references .... thanking God they helped shed light for me.
(1) Before we begin, make up your mind to trust Me. No matter what. Trust Me. "Though He slay me yet will I trust in Him" (Job 13:15). Trust Me like that. Also, Proverbs 3:5-6 (KJV) - “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” Ask me questions with no doubt in your heart and I promise I will answer you (Matthew 21:22; Mark 11:24; John 14:13-14; John 15:7-8).
(2) Those who cannot understand Me it's not due to a failure of My teaching or teaching style. It's that they're dead in sin, inanimate, don't respond to sights or smells or sounds (Eph. 2:1-3). Shine a torch in a corpse's face and nothing happens. Blast a bullhorn in a corpse's ear and nothing happens. It's not just some lack of desire or will to know Me. It's that sin has completely metastasized into all parts of humans' very beings (Rom. 5:12; Rom. 7:18; see also Ezekiel 33:30-33).
(3) A miracle is needed no less than bringing a dead man back to life. Just as you can't teach a dog rocket science, you can't teach a hardened heart spiritual truths. As I told Nicodemus, one needs to be born of God to understand the things of God (Jn. 3:5-7). I, Jesus, am your only hope of new life (Rom 6:23). I am your only way to seeing and hearing and understanding truth.
(4) Romans 1:18-24 Take comfort in knowing that I have plainly revealed Myself to all of mankind through all My creation. There is no excuse. The truth of Me is pouring out every day, every moment I'm pounding on the doors of hearts. It's a choice to remain in wickedness and suppress reality. A soul becomes calloused only through repeated refusals to let Me in (Matt. 13:15). ( Still pondering...maybe the purpose of God's Word is not so much to "save" mankind but to bring glory to God? .... to lift the light and those who will, will come. All that proceeds from God exists just to bring Him glory, including us.)
(5) It is a mystery as great as predicting where the wind blows as to who receives God's gift of new life and who doesn't (Jn. 3:8-9). Just know that My Word never misses its mark (Is. 55:11). I say hard things like "eat My Body and drink My blood" because it is the very kernel of life for those who are hungry and thirsty for Me, and graciously and in justice releases those who don't. (John 6:66; 1 Cor. 2:11-12,14,16)
Greetings to everyone, I'm sorry that my question is not related to the lesson, can somebody please help me to understand this lesson of the mark of the beast, during this time of Corona virus we are being informed about the new found vaccine which will be used by most of the countries, in my country that is South Africa there's a vaccine that will be received by our government, it's been said that "the government will not force us to be vaccinated but we must know that if you don't vaccinate you won't be able to buy, trade travel anywhere". When I read the book of revelations it tells me that woe unto those who will receive the mark of the beast on their hands. Please I need to understand that if I take the vaccination that as we have been promised now will I be receiving the mark of the beast? is it that when you worship on Sunday and
not on Sabbath is that the way of receiving the mark of the beast?
S'bo Mshengu, when I was a kid in the 1950s, my cousins developed polio. Their mother looked after them and nursed them back to health, but in the process caught the disease herself and died. Polio was the disease to be feared, particularly because it affected small children. Even today I have friends and family members who survived polio but who bear the consequences of the disease. When the vaccine became available we were all lined up in school to take it. A couple of years later a more effective vaccine was developed and we took that too. Today some sixty years later many people have not heard of polio. It has largely been eradicated through the extensive vaccination program. We can live without the fear of our children dying from it or being maimed by it.
Today the disease is COVID 19, and while I am not making a judgement on the effectiveness of the vaccine - its too early to tell yet. The decision to be vaccinated or not vaccinated should be a medical one and has nothing to do with religious freedom. I do not recall anyone saying that polio vaccination was an infringement of our religious freedom. In hindsight, its implementation has indeed given us the freedom to live without fear of a very debilitating disease.
S'bo- there are different systems of the world and depending where you live, that country is govern by that system for vaccination, eg the British system, the American system, the French system, the Spanish system etc, etc. I grew up in the British system. The 1st vaccine we gave/received is the BCG vaccine because tuberculosis is the 1st problem that affects the people and children are more susceptible. But in the American system, hepatitis B vaccine is the 1st vaccine given/receive because hepatitis B is their problem early in life.
There are other vaccines given as one grows, eg M, M, R, or MMR as one, Polio, Prevnar 13, DPT, Rotavirus, and some more depending on the system where you live.
There are also the flu and pneumonia vaccines given to people who live in colder countries, many times people who live in warmer countries/areas are not given those vaccines. Some people who get the flu and the pneumonia vaccines still get the virus and become sick because a virus changes its form every year. But sometimes they aren't as sick as if they never took the vaccine.
On the other hand, the covid19 vaccine has nothing to do with the mark of the beast, it is Satan lies to divert the people of God away from believing the real facts about what is the mark of the beast. Vaccines come in different forms(live or attenuated) and work differently in our bodies. Eg, the act to conquer and kill any invading virus that tries to enter the body. But the covid19 vaccine is not the mark of the beast.
In my understanding, hardening one’s heart happens when we place self-will above God’s Will. I am sure that, even as we are redeemed, we still harden our hearts. How else would there remain so much iniquity in the ranks of the Christian Church? The only antidote to haughtiness/self-will is humbleness - submitting our will’s choice to the choice of God’s will!
The submission of our will's choices is the end-product of the submission of the heart and mind; these are focused on first and so prepare the mind to choose that which is right in God’s eyes. ”For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD – Isaiah 55:8KJV. I think that the lesson writer put his finger on the spot – people do not *understand* the Word of God because it is *spiritually* discerned – 1Cor.2:14KJV. The ‘natural’ man cannot understand it, not necessarily does not want to understand it; but the “heart is made fat, the ears become heavy, and the eyes close” with each rejected ‘hearing’– Isaiah 6:9KJV.
Christ Jesus speaks to this in Matt.13:13-15KJV. He breaks down spiritually understood Truth into the setting of familiar, easily grasped parables because: (v.13) spiritually “seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.” Isaiah 6:9KJV mentions the same predicament – the unregenerate ear, eye and mind receives the message, but it cannot perceive the spiritual meaning embedded in or conveyed by the message.
God the Father is longsuffering and kind toward us, teaching us the same lessons over and over again. This Truth is brought to light in our Scriptures chapter after chapter – ‘you are a fallen creature, you think that you are alive but you are dead; because I love you, I offer you the Way to come back to true Life’!
I was blessed to always feel comfort, not trepidation in the presence of my heavenly Father; never the less, I still wanted to be sure He was the true God, wanting to find out if He is truly the God of all Creation, unchanging, just, loving, forgiving and kind – the One I envisioned, hoped and desired Him to be. And yes, throughout my wilderness journey taken up to proof Him, He lovingly continued to tell me – “just as I had told you, but now you see” !
If I should point out the most beneficial effects resulting from the submission of my will’s choice to His, it would be humbleness, gratefulness, compassion. Now I can understand why some people harden their heart, and why some are willing to surrender their heart to God – I experienced it! This ever increasing awareness and appreciation of the long-suffering Love of my heavenly Father is what I endeavor to portray to those around me – to become lovingly non-judgmental.
Long after yesterday's turmoil at the Capitol of America had settled down, I finally found comfort and solace in the thought “Father forgive them because they do not know what they are doing” – Luke 23:34KJV. The issues societies all over the world are grabbling with will become more and more complex, more and more control will be applied in efforts to ‘unite’ the people, and everyone will think that their thoughts and ways are right; some will even think that they are doing “God service” – John16:2KJV.
I encourage the believer to diligently guard heart, mind and will and faithfully align it with the Father’s Will. “For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect – Matt.24:24.”
Crisis in leadership.
Good leadership is very important. All through Biblical history we see when the leadership was not good, the people quickly drifted into the evil ways of the world around them. Good, righteous leadership, pushed back the evil and brought back into view the goodness of God. Yet strangely, when leadership was good, it didn't guarantee that the people returned to a real relationship with God.
Jotham (Uzziah's son) is noted in scripture as a good king.
2 Chron. 27:1-2,6 "Jotham ...did that which was right in the sight of the LORD..and became mighty, because he prepared his ways before the LORD his God."
He took over as the active king when Uzziah became a leper, and co-reigned about 11 years with his father, and then as single king for 4-5 years after his father's death. (Total 16 years)
BUT, "the people did yet corruptly" they continued in idol worship (see 2 Kings 15:35)
Then Ahaz, (Jotham's son) in spite of having a father and grandfather who did what was right, turned out to be a very rebellious king practicing all the abominations of idolatry. (2 Chron. 28:2-4) Even closing the temple in his later years.
Several nations sent armies against him.
God was the protector of His people, but when they rebelled the protection was being removed.
The prophet Isaiah urged the king to return to God and trust in Him, God would deliver.
Did Ahaz turn back to God?
In his time of trouble King Ahaz trespassed even more against the LORD . He offered sacrifices to the gods of Damascus, who had defeated him; for he thought, ' Since the gods of the kings of Syria helped them, I will sacrifice to them so they will help me .' But they were his ruin and the downfall of all Israel. (2 Chron. 28:22,23)
The Bible warns us not to put our trust in people. Put your trust in the Lord.
Just a few years later, Syria, Israel and most of Judah were conquered by the Assyrians and lay in ruins. It was only because King Hezekiah, (son of Ahaz)put his full trust in the LORD, that by a miracle against enormous odds, Jerusalem was spared and the enemy subdued.
Yet, Manasseh, (son of Hezekiah) instead of now realizing the folly of evil, and the reality of the saving power of God, and fully depending upon God, instead fully threw his influence on the side of evil and became an even worse king than Ahaz.
What is it that allures to evil, when obviously evil, (though it can give moments of excitement and fame) always leads to disaster and ruin.
Why do the majority allow the very temporal candy outweigh the eternal wonderful benefits of righteousness?
Leaders in righteousness are very important, a great advantage in keeping the light of truth alive -- but even in scripture we see that leaders have a high record of misleading, and everyone must take responsibility of making sure their own connection and commitment to God is secure.
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