Dear Friends,

Tonight we will resume our Bible study together at the Chapel—and with the new meeting time of 5:30 PM. Also tonight, we conclude our study of Isaiah 6, focusing on Isaiah 6:11-12. Notes are attached.

LIVING THE CHRISTLIFE

WAYNE BARRETT

AUGUST 6, 2025

Isaiah 6

vv. 11-12

8 And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said,

“Here I am! Send me.”

9 And he said, “Go, and say to this people:

“‘Keep on hearing, but do not understand;

keep on seeing, but do not perceive.’

10 Make the heart of this people dull,

and their ears heavy,

and blind their eyes;

lest they see with their eyes,

and hear with their ears,

and understand with their hearts,

and turn and be healed.”

11 Then I said, “How long, O Lord?”

And he said:

“Until cities lie waste

without inhabitant,

and houses without people,

and the land is a desolate waste,

12 and the LORD removes people far away,

and the forsaken places are many in the midst of the land.

13 And though a tenth remain in it,

it will be burneda again,

like a terebinth or an oak,

whose stump remains

when it is felled.”

The holy seedb is its stump.

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Background and Context

The prophetic words in vv 11-12 had partial fulfillments in Isaiah’s day. They also speak to times far

beyond Isaiah. This is the nature of much OT (and NT) prophesy. For example …

10 Again the LORD spoke to Ahaz: 11 “Ask a sign of the LORD yourc God; let it be deep as Sheol or

high as heaven.” 12 But Ahaz said, “I will not ask, and I will not put the LORD to the test.” 13 And

he said, “Hear then, O house of David! Is it too little for you to weary men, that you weary my

God also? 14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive

and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. 15 He shall eat curds and honey when he knows

how to refuse the evil and choose the good. 16 For before the boy knows how to refuse the evil

a Or purged (ESV)

b Or offspring (ESV)

c The Hebrew for you and your is singular in verses 11, 16, 17 (ESV)

2

and choose the good, the land whose two kings you dread will be deserted. 17 The LORD will

bring upon you and upon your people and upon your father's house such days as have not come

since the day that Ephraim departed from Judah—the king of Assyria!”—Isaiah 7:10-17

These prophetic words had clear relevance for the time of Isaiah and the reign of Ahaz (cf. Is. 8:1-4).

But v. 14 was most fully realized with the birth of Christ.

21 She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their

sins.” 22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:

23 “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,

and they shall call his name Immanuel”

(which means, God with us).—Matt. 1:21-23

Isaiah 10:20-23 could be related to 6:13—the remnant, and the prophetic return of the remnant of Israel

to Jerusalem (which happened long afterward). Leading to ch. 11:

There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse,

and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit.

2 And the Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him,

the Spirit of wisdom and understanding,

the Spirit of counsel and might,

the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD.

OT prophesies, a part of God’s word, are living and active, and can (and do) have fulfillments that were

unknown to the prophets who were given the words.

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v 11 – Then I said, “How long, O Lord?”

There is much included in Isaiah’s question “How long?” It was a question of compassion, not

one of some mere clarification about time.

How long will they continue in a state of rebellion?

How long will God’s judgment upon them last?

It was a dreadful word for Isaiah to bring against Israel, and he was burdened on their behalf.

“And he said: ‘Until the cities lie waste…’ ”

The Hebrew says “Lo [im]! Until the cities are laid waste…”

The word im is a participle that can serve many purposes and is translated in many

ways—but however it is translated, the word is included, and it sets what follows up

for close attention. We use many such preliminary phrases, in this case, for example:

“Well, until the cities are laid waste…”

“Well, I’ll tell you, until the cities are laid waste…”

“Of a truth, until the cities are laid waste…” [older language]

“Behold, until the cities are laid waste…” [even older language]

But the point is that the answer is something to hear carefully, to ponder, an answer that might not be

expected, and one that is very consequential.

These words were as dramatic to Isaiah’s hearers as they would be to us.

It was a devastating word from God regarding how bad things would get. But the people were

smug, they had a false sense of self-security (apparently) and did not depend upon God or

live faithfully unto him.

3

And there are always the scoffers, those who sneer at the prophets, call them cranks and

crackpots, or even persecute them.

v 12—"and the LORD removes people far away…”

This was a judgment of the Lord, not just the “natural course” of events

v 13 – “And though a tenth remain in it …”

The judgment will be continuing, multi-layered

“like a terebinth or an oak…”

Even though God severely punished Israel down through the centuries, he always preserved a

remnant—like a living stump of a great tree (cf. Isaiah 11)

The remnant was preserved according to God’s promises—which were fulfilled in Christ

Here: “the holy seed is its stump”

“For all the promises of God find their Yes in him.”—2 Corinthians 1:20

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The prophetic words of Isaiah were not what the people wanted to hear (and not what he himself chose

to deliver)—but they were the words the people needed to hear.

Some of Paul’s last words to Timothy:

“I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead,

and by his appearing and his kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of

season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. For the time is

coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will

accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from

listening to the truth and wander off into myths.”—2 Timothy 4:1-4

Con artists are aware of and exploit the strong and determined tendency of people to believe what they

want to hear—no matter how unlikely it is. The devil knows this as well.

God’s word is an anchor—but even with God’s word, it must be read and received by those surrendered

to God, whose hearts are sincere. Ultimately, it is Christ who saves.