(Verse 37) - The comments that follow are addressed to the nation as unit and not to each and every individual person who heard Christ preach or saw a miracle. There were Some who believed the testimony and submitted themselves to the Gospel Jesus preached. The point here is that was characteristically true of the audience in general. This is a summary statement and not intended to be applied in each and every Jew's case.

(Verse 38) - The passage cited is Isaiah 53:1 - Isaiah spoke those words concerning the people of his day, but Christ uses them in a way that tells us that the Holy Spirit intended them to have a far fulfillment as well. This is not unusual. The Prophets frequently spoke in such a fashion as to speak to the far future from their point of view. At times this was knowing, and at other times it was unknowing.

Heard is referring to more than merely hearing with the ears. It certainly refers to the perception of the message's truth and the understanding of its import. The question, in Isaiah's day, as well as in Jesus' day, was rhetorical. In a rhetorical question the answer is so obvious as to be considered implicit in the question itself and thus be unnecessary. The answer implied here is that no one had believed the report in Isaiah's day, or in Jesus day.

To whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed is connected to the prior section by the word or. This indicates that the two sections are speaking of the same general thing. Isaiah was using the the medium of Hebrew poetry. One type of Hebrew poetry was called parallelism. In this type of poetry, the sections of a line are paralell to one another. There were several kinds that were used. The type that Isaiah uses here is completive parallelism. The second part of the verse or couplet, completes or adds to the thought Of the first.

No one believing the report and God not revealing His arm to anyone in question are completive thoughts. The reason why no one believed the report is because God did not reveal His power to them.

Report refers to the message Isaiah and Christ were commissioned to deliver for God. The Arm of the Lord speaks to the power of God revealed in the Gospel of Christ. This presents us with an interesting thought. Believing the Gospel is not simply something that comes as a result of hearing the message clearly communicated. Nor is it something that results from hearing it preached and seeing or witnessing it demonstrated (by lifestyle or by miracle). Believing the Gospel is chiefly a matter of revelation by God to the individual. Preaching and demonstrating do not, of themselves, result in believing the report. Except God reveal the truth and the import of the message to the individual, enabling them to believe, belief does not, indeed, cannot, occur

How do those facts apply to my life?:

 This is why we must seek God in prayer and entreat Him to move in the lives of those with whom we share the Gospel. Salvation is of the Lord, not of the creature or of the message!