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If the judicial fattening of the heart is connected with the same word
that gives us 'ointment', and the anointing of the Messiah, 'the making
heavy' of Israel's ears seems to be associated with their failure to
recognize and further the Lord's glory, for the word that gives us 'glory' in
Isaiah 6:3 (kabod) also gives us 'heavy' (kabed). The underlying link
between the words is the conception of 'weight'. Riches were conceived of in
the terms of weight as in Genesis 13:2, and Paul, who had been a 'Hebrew of
the Hebrews', uses the same idea when he speaks of the 'weight of glory'.
The expression 'shut their eyes' in Isaiah 6 is rendered, in Young's
literal translation, 'And its eyes declare dazzled'. In its various forms,
the verb shaa is translated 'delight' (Psa. 119:16,47,70; 94:19), and 'cry ye
out, and cry' (margin: take your pleasure, and riot: Isa. 29:9). Once again
it seems that, as Israel did not 'delight' or 'take their pleasure' in the
glorious purposes of the Lord, the very glory dazzled their eyes, just as the
glory of the risen Lord on the road to Damascus resulted in the apostle's
three days' blindness.
The word 'convert' (Isa. 6:10), is the translation of the Hebrew shub,
which appears again in Isaiah 6:13 with special emphasis. The same word
(shub) occurs several times in Isaiah 1:
'And I will turn My hand upon thee, and purely purge away thy dross ...
and I will restore thy judges as at the first ... Zion shall be
redeemed with judgment, and her converts with righteousness' (Isa.
1:25,26,27).
The word 'heal' in Isaiah 6 is the Hebrew rapha, which occurs in Isaiah
seven times, as follows:
The word 'heal' in Isaiah
No hope in
A 6:10.
The Judgment upon the
themselves.
people ... healed.
A a 19:22. Egypt. Smite and heal.
The
Intreated and heal.
blessing of
b 30:26. Heal the stroke of their wound.
only hope
b 53:5. With His stripes we are healed.
in Messiah.
a
57:18,19. Israel. I will heal, restore.
The reader will see from the brief notes we have given above that these
verses in Isaiah 6 contain, in a condensed form, much that illustrates the
progress of the Lord's purposes in relation to Israel. Peter evidently
refers to this usage of 'healing' when he explains the typical character of
the healing of the lame man:
'Neither is there The Healing (A.V. salvation) in any other' (Acts
4:12).
We must now pass on to the prophet's answer to this great commission:
'Then said I, Lord, how long?' (Isa. 6:11).
The prophet does not draw back or refuse to utter the solemn words of
judgment committed to him, but he manifests the true spirit of service when