Whom Shall I Send?

[Isa. 6:8-13] 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.
Whom shall I send is spoken after the manner of men; otherwise the L-rd knew whom to send, and whom He would send; and could easily qualify anyone He pleased, and send with such a message.
G-d wants to reach the world, and He wants to reach it through willing people. It isn't that G-d doesn't know who these people are. It is that G-d is waiting for ready hearts to reveal themselves.
Those that would assist others in their correspondence with G-d must not themselves be strangers to it; for how can we expect that G-d should speak by us if we never heard Him speaking to us, or that we should be accepted as the mouth of others to G-d if we never spoke to Him heartily for ourselves?
Have you been waiting for G-d to force you to serve Him? He looks for volunteers!
Who, implying that few would be willing to bear the self-denial which the delivering of such an unwelcome message to the Jews would require on the part of the messenger (compare 1 Chron. 29:5).
The Targum says: ``whom shall I send to prophesy? And who will go to teach?''
For us shows the change of the number, I and us, is very remarkable; and both being meant of one and the same L-rd, do sufficiently intimate a plurality of the persons in the Godhead.
Isaiah emphatically answered G-d's call. He did not hesitate.
He didn't even say, "Here I am, I will go." Isaiah would not go at all unless he knew he was sent by the L-RD. Many are quick to say, "Here I am, I will go" but never wait for the L-RD to send them.
Send me, for he who before thought himself undone, and unworthy to be employed in the service of G-d, now having a discovery and application of pardoning grace, freely offers himself to G-d: this shows the true nature and effect of an application of pardon; it gives a man freedom and boldness in the presence of G-d, and stimulates to a ready and cheerful obedience to His will, and engages him with the utmost alacrity in His service; so far is the doctrine of free and full pardon by the blood of the Messiah from being a licentious doctrine.
What created this kind of heart in Isaiah? First, he had a heart that had been in the presence of G-d. He had a heart that knew its own sinfulness. He had a heart that knew the need among the people, the need for G-d's word. He had a heart that had been touched by G-d's cleansing fire. And he had a heart that heard G-d's heart to reach the nations.
G-d takes Isaiah at his word, and here sends him on a strange errand--to foretell the ruin of his people and even to ripen them for that ruin--to preach that which, by their abuse of it, would be to them a savor of death unto death. And this was to be a type and figure of the state of the Jewish Believers in the days of the Messiah. These verses are quoted in part, or referred to, six times, in the New Testament, which intimates that in gospel time these spiritual judgments would be most frequently inflicted; and though they make the least noise, and come not with observation, yet they are of all judgments the most dreadful.
What preacher could be satisfied with a ministry that made the heart of this people dull, and their ears heavy, and shut their eyes? Isaiah might not be satisfied with it. The people might not be satisfied with it. But G-d would be satisfied with it!
Tell by which is declared that for the malice of man G-d will not immediately take away His word, but He will cause it to be preached to their condemnation, when as they will not learn by it to obey His will, and be saved: by this He exhorts the ministers to do their duty, and answers to the wicked murmurers, that through their own malice their heart is hardened, (Acts 28:26; Romans 11:8).
The Hebrew idiom: "You certainly hear, but do not understand; you certainly see, but do not acknowledge." Seeing this is the case, make the heart of this people fat-declare it to be stupid and senseless; and remove from them the means of salvation, which they have so long abused.
Render them the more hardened by your warnings. The words are quoted in the indicative, "is waxed gross, not the imperative, "make fat"; G-d's word as to the future is as certain as if it were already fulfilled. To see with one's eyes will not convince a will that is opposed to the truth (compare John 11:45, 46; 12:10, 11). One must love divine things in order to understand them!
"Lo! I have given thee a charge this day over the nations, and over the kingdoms; to pluck up, and to pull down; to destroy, and to demolish; to build, and to plant." Jeremiah 1:10
The word of G-d can accomplish when it is received with open eyes, ears, and heart. It brings understanding to our heart, it makes us return, and it brings healing to our lives. If you are under the word of G-d and these things aren't happening to you, ask G-d to work with your eyes, ears, and heart!
Do you ever get tired and ask “how long? We are told only to preach the positive, but some people are assigned to tell the truth, which could be negative. So this is a logical question from anyone who is given such a difficult commission. "I have to preach to those who won't hear, and their rejection of my message will ultimately seal their doom? How long will I have to serve in that kind of ministry?"
G-d’s message is more important than the messenger’s comfort.
G-d always shows unchangeable severity towards sin, but covenant faithfulness in preserving a remnant.
Even the word of G-d oftentimes proves a means of hardening sinners. The prophet makes the heart of people fat, not only as he/she foretells it, passing this sentence upon them in G-d's name, and seals them under it, but as their preaching had a tendency to it, rocking some asleep in security (to whom it was a lovely song), and making others more outrageous, to whom it was such a reproach that they were not able to bear it. Some looked upon the word as a privilege, and their convictions were smothered by it (Jeremiah 7:4); others looked upon it as a aggravation, and their corruptions were exasperated by it.
When the word of G-d, especially the word of the gospel, had been thus abused by them, they shall be un-churched, and consequently undone. Spiritual judgments often bring temporal judgments along with them upon persons and places.
Are you willing to pay the price to say “Send me?” Willing to go where He says go? Do what He says do? Say what He says say?
We are to do as we are told and leave the results in His hands!