God wants to communicate a message to the world. A few moments ago Isaiah thought he was done for, now he is as keen as mustard to be God's messenger. Why the change? It is the forgiveness of his sins. Sin makes us unsure of ourselves. We might try and hide it, ignore our sin, or excuse our sin, but deep down we know it makes us unworthy. Forgiveness from God cleanses us from all guilt, so we are now free.
Next God gives Isaiah the message he has to take, and it does not sound promising! The message declares that the people will be never understanding, never perceiving. They can hear all they like, see all they like, but they will never understand. Before we consider why this was the case, we can see first of all that it definitely was the case. They had the law, they had the prophets, but they never truly understood or responded. They saw great miracles when they came out of Egypt, when they went through the desert, when they entered the Promised Land, and at various points thereafter. Yet they never really knew God, they did not understand His ways. Then God came in person as Jesus Christ. Again they heard many wonderful things and saw numerous miracles, but understood nothing.
So, whatever else we may say about these verse, they are definitely true.
When a people are rebellious hearing the word of God will only make their hearts harder. Isaiah spoke with clarity and simplicity, but the people rejected his message. The tragedy is that if would only turn to God they would be healed. Indeed this is the tragedy of all who refuse to believe. Often there can be deep emotional wounds that contribute to their rebellion, they become bitter and angry against God for things that have happened. Yet, if they would only turn to God they would receive healing for their wounds. This does not mean pretending we have not been hurt. The book of Job is an excellent example. He suffered great tragedy, he did not hold back in voicing his complaints, yet in the end he had to submit to God, then he was healed and restored.
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