IF GOD SENT YOU ON A NEGATIVE ERRAND, WOULD YOU GO?

"It is a rare thing to find one who is fit to go for God, and carry His message to the children of men."
"Such a degree of courage for God and concern for the souls of men as is necessary to make a man faithful, and withal such an insight into the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven as is necessary to make a man skillful are seldom to be met with."
"None are allowed to go for God but those who are sent by Him; He will own none but those whom He appoints...It is Christ's work to put men into the ministry..."

- all of the above quotes are from Matthew Henry

Unger's Commentary On The New Testament had this to say about the Prophet Isaiah - "No other prophet has ever been called to a more heartbreaking and frustrating ministry...a completely negative errand." It is referring to his call into the ministry - as mentioned in Isaiah 6:8-12 -

"Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us? Then said I, Here am I; send me. And he said, Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not. Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes, lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed. Then said I, Lord, how long? And He answered, Until the cities be wasted without inhabitant, and the houses without man, and the land be utterly desolate, And the LORD have removed men far away, and there be a great forsaking in the midst of the land."

God was looking for someone to preach the Truth to His people. This would be an extremely unpleasant experience for the Preacher. He would be required to deliver a very unwelcome message that would have the adverse effect of hardening the people's hearts - more so than they were already. It would require great self-denial and involve much danger for the Servant of the Lord.

Very few would be able to tackle such a task.

The Prophet Isaiah "...heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?"

In other words, who will go to this people and prophesy the words that I give him...who will teach them the truth...who will be willing to go on such a melancholy errand...who will have the courage to do it...or who will risk his life?

Isaiah had no idea what was implied in this call, yet he responded to "the voice of the Lord" most readily with these words - "Here am I; send me."

The Prophet just had a face-to-face encounter with God as "a refiner's fire" (Malachi 3:2-3). He received a pardoning and cleansing for any impurities caused by his lips. Every obstacle to speaking God's Holy Word to His people was automatically removed. Hence, this explains the readiness and zeal that he displayed to deliver any message that God would entrust to his hands and to engage in any service He called on him to perform.

Isaiah had no idea what would follow his consent to obey God and be His spokesman. Little did he realize but he was answering a call to a very discouraging ministry which would involve a hardening judgment to fall on a stubbornly, sinful people.

"...And he said, Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not. Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed."

He was being sent on a mission to ripen a people for ruin - a people who were dead-set on sinning against God. They would hear his warnings over and over and over again, yet they wouldn't understand them because of their perverse will. Though they would be made to see the dangers ahead of them, yet they would seek for no way of escape from the terrible devastation. The effect of truth on their stubborn and hardened hearts would be to irritate them and make them more wicked.

As unbelievable as it may seem - the warnings from God only made them harder and more senseless, unteachable, stupid, and dull - spiritually speaking. The truth irritated, provoked, and enraged them. They grew worse and worse through Isaiah's ministry.

The Prophet had one question to ask - "...Lord, how long?"

Can you blame him for asking such a question? Here he was given an enormously difficult task that would be attended with painful effects. He wanted to know just how long the people's hardness, spiritual blindness, and impenitence would remain?

Do you suppose he was ready for the answer that God gave him? What would your response have been to such an answer?

"...And He answered, Until the cities be wasted without inhabitant, and the houses without man, and the land be utterly desolate, And the LORD have removed men far away, and there be a great forsaking in the midst of the land."

God was saying that the people would remain perverse and obstinate until the land would be completely destroyed by divine judgment. Nonetheless, even though the truth preached would have no effect in reforming the nation, Isaiah must remain faithful to his call from God.

We would all have to agree that this Prophet was called to a very discouraging ministry. It certainly was not an easy task. Yet, he obeyed the Lord and spoke the word as it was given to him by God.

What about you, O Christian? In your zeal for God, have you expressed your desire to be used by Him? However, when the errand that He sent you on was an unpleasant or negative one, did you back down and disobey?

As we can see from the example of the Prophet Isaiah, all God's errands are not always positive or have a happy ending. On the contrary, He may send you to someone to deliver a message that He knows will never be received - due to the hardness of the recipient's heart.

God is calling out to His Church today -
"...Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?"

Before you answer that call, make sure you realize that delivering God's message oftentimes requires self-denial and the deliverance of an unwelcome message to a people.

After reading this message, what will your response be to the Lord?

Will it be - "Here am I; send me" - even if your assignment is unpleasant and very negative?

Just be sure that you don't consider yourself as a Minister of the Gospel unless you are willing to speak all that God gives you to speak.

May God Bless His Word,
Connie

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