Then the eyes of those who see will no longer be closed, and the ears of those who hear will listen. The fearful heart will know and understand, and the stammering tongue will be fluent and clear.
Isaiah 32:3-4 (NIV)
Read: Isaiah 32:1-8
Consider: Isaiah’s prophecy mentions things that point very clearly to the Messiah. You have probably taken notice of the references to the Messiah in the better-known chapters; for example, Isaiah 52, 53 and 55. Today’s reading from Isaiah 32 opens with: See, a king will reign in righteousness and rulers will rule with justice (32:1). While this could refer to an earthly king, it should bring Jesus to mind, as the true king who reigns righteously and justly.
Even if we were to restrict Isaiah 32:1 to an earthly king, it would be difficult not to see Jesus being clearly indicated in Isaiah 32:3-4, where it says: Then the eyes of those who see will no longer be closed, and the ears of those who hear will listen. The fearful heart will know and understand, and the stammering tongue will be fluent and clear. Think of Jesus’ ministry and the miracles he performed and you can see parallels to what Isaiah said some hundreds of years earlier. In Matthew’s gospel we are told of Jesus that: The blind received sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor (Matthew 11:5). Jesus, however, didn’t just heal people physically, he also dealt with a more serious problem: that of people’s spiritual condition. Jesus himself said of his ministry: The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free (Luke 4:18).
Jesus was concerned with the proclamation of the good news, something that he passed on to his disciples when he sent them out (Matthew 10; Luke 9). Paul picks up on this in his letter to the believers in Rome. He says: How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent? (Romans 10:14-15a).
Pray earnestly that God will bring across your path those who need to hear the good news. Also, when you share your faith with other people, pray that he would open their eyes to see, their ears to hear and their minds to understand the truth of the gospel message.
Pray: Father, may we be bold in sharing the good news with others and may your Holy Spirit work in their hearts to help them to understand how serious and precarious their spiritual condition really is. May they come to you in repentance, seeking your forgiveness. Amen
Every blessing
No Condemnation 