9 And he said, Go and tell this
people, hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive
not. 10 Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut
their eyes; let they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears and understand
with their heart, and convert, and he healed.
9-10 After volunteering to god God’s
will, Isaiah was given a surprising charge. As it is translated in the King
James Version, it would seem that he was told to prophesy in a way that the
people would not understand. While there is probably some accuracy to this,
there are other possible translations that hint at other meanings. Some
scholars have suggested that the verb form used in verse 10 could mean
something like “declare their hearts fat, declare their ears heavy . . .”
The Savior Himself either quotes
from a different version or translation, or assigns a different meaning when He
quotes and explains the scripture. In Matthew chapter 13, we read of the Savior
teaching in parables. When his disciples asked why He did so, He taught that
those who were not prepared were not supposed to understand. He said that such
people were a fulfillment of Isaiah 6:9-10, and quoted it (at least how it has
come down to us) to read “by hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand;
by seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive; for this people’s heart is
waxed gross . . . “
John said that many did not
recognize Christ despite all His miracles because they fit the description Isaiah
provides here (see John 12:39-41). All these ideas can be combined to help us
understand that God was telling Isaiah to prophesy to His people in such a way
that those who were not prepared would read, hear, and see his message, but
they would not understand it because of the condition of their hearts. Implicit
in this instruction is that those who are prepared will be able to understand.
Isaiah certainly wrote in such a way that those who are not ready to receive
his spiritual message will not do so. There are passages of warning that no
Israelite of his day could have missed. Their condemnation for their sins and
need to repent would have been quite clear often. Yet many passages about the
coming Messiah would only be understood at the time and place and by the
people who were ready for it.
A resolution to this issue is
described in chapter 32, when, under a righteous king, people will come to
truly heart, see, and understand the things of God.
All of this is really a call to
seekers of truth to be both worthy and willing to put the time and effort into
understanding Isaiah’s words. It seems that Isaiah’s words are given in a way
that those who are willing to prepare themselves will learn a tremendous account,
but those who do not will learn very little. (Kerry Muhlestein, Learning to
Love Isaiah: A Guide and Commentary [American Fork, Utah: Covenant
Communications, Inc., 2021], 55-56)
