Isa 29:9-12 | KingComments | STEP | In Isaiah again describes the condition of God’s people, the sad moral condition that makes God’s intervention by the Assyrians necessary two times. In the previous chapter he denounced the mocking spirit and unbelief ( ), here he points to the spirit of blindness. He tells them to continue in blindness on their foolish, self-chosen path. In spite of all the revelations of God’s will, and in spite of the constant messages of His prophets, they have turned away and followed the counsels and imaginations of their own hearts. As if drunk by wine, they are intoxicated by human traditions that invalidate the Word of God. Thus the Word has become unintelligible to them. This is not because the Word of God lacks clear statements or because teaching is too complicated, but because they have become blind because of their unbelief (cf. ). It is the path of hardening. In their spiritual intoxication they stagger toward judgment. The blindness and numbness are also a judgment of the LORD ( ). After the people have chosen to be blind and have hardened their hearts, the moment comes when the LORD respects their choice as it were and says to them: ‘If you choose to be blind, you will be blind. If you choose to harden your heart, I will harden your heart.’ This verse is quoted by Paul to show that the hardening of the people still exists in the present day ( ; ). They do not want to understand, therefore they shall not understand. Their spiritual state is like a deep sleep, through which voices do not penetrate them. Their prophets, those who are the eyes of the people to see what the LORD wants from His people, have closed their eyes. Their heads, the seers, cannot see anything either. Those who are to lead the blind people are blind themselves. And how can a blind man lead a blind man ( )? The revealed will of God has become for them like a sealed book. The one who can read does not understand its message ( ). The other cannot read and does not understand its message either ( ). Many Christians are in such a state when it comes, for example, to the prophetic book of the New Testament par excellence, the book of Revelation. It is considered a sealed book that one cannot read, or the reader sees himself as incapable of reading it, despite the name of the book, ‘Revelation’ or ‘unveiling’. People who believe they have found an excuse not to read in God’s Word show that the blindness does its work. The lip religion, in which the heart is estranged from God ( ), is the result of traditions, learned commandments of men. The heart is the birthplace of thoughts ( ). It “is more deceitful than all else” and only “I, the LORD, search the heart” to its deepest hiding places ( ). The Lord Jesus quotes these words of Isaiah when He reproaches the religious leaders for making the Word of God powerless by teaching doctrines that are commandments of men ( ; ). The result is the loss of wisdom and the concealment of the will of God ( ). This is the result of a marvelous act of God, marvelous because it is a judgment on His own people. He is against His people. Therefore the LORD continues to act in the same way as in the past two thousand years. The word of is also a word quoted by Paul in connection with the preaching of the word of the cross ( ). It shows that in its application it also has authority for professing Christianity today. This judgment of hardening announced by Isaiah also applies to professing Christianity, although fortunately not yet in full. However, it will happen fully after the rapture of the church ( ). In professing Christianity one also has the Bible in one’s hands, while one is not able to read or understand what God has to say, because the heart is alienated from God. He will exhibit the so-called wisdom of liberal theologians as foolishness. How deep the apostate can sink, is shown in . It is the greatest foolishness to suppose that one can hide from the LORD as long as one does so deep enough. This is where the third “woe” comes in. The prophet is deeply shocked by it. He expresses his great indignation at their folly to suppose that they are wiser than the LORD ( ). The LORD says to them: “You turn [things] around.” Everything is turned upside down. Instead of putting their trust in the LORD in heaven, they put their trust in people on earth. It is foolishness at the top. In their minds they have turned the relationship between the puny little creature and the sovereign Creator upside down (cf. ; ; ; ). They deny their relationship with Him or attribute inferior qualities to Him. They deny what the psalmist joyfully acknowledges, namely, that the LORD knows him through and through ( ). They are like the clay that claims to be on the same level as the potter and in its folly claims that the potter did not make a pot of him ( ). We also recognize it in the folly of the big bang and evolutionary theory which are invented to deny God as Creator. This is the error of all who want to act independent from God. They do not take into account that they were not created to live for themselves, but to serve Him. They deny that He created them or blame Him for having dealt without understanding. It’s the kind of people that blames God for all the misery, as if He worked it through His actions. Such foolishness shows that they are blind to the fact that they have brought all the misery upon themselves through their unbelief and obstinacy. The only way to blessing for man is to bow down to the absolutely wise Creator and submit to His holy will.

‏ Isaiah 29:9-12

The Judgment of Blinding

In Isa 29:9 Isaiah again describes the condition of God’s people, the sad moral condition that makes God’s intervention by the Assyrians necessary two times. In the previous chapter he denounced the mocking spirit and unbelief (Isa 28:14), here he points to the spirit of blindness. He tells them to continue in blindness on their foolish, self-chosen path. In spite of all the revelations of God’s will, and in spite of the constant messages of His prophets, they have turned away and followed the counsels and imaginations of their own hearts.

As if drunk by wine, they are intoxicated by human traditions that invalidate the Word of God. Thus the Word has become unintelligible to them. This is not because the Word of God lacks clear statements or because teaching is too complicated, but because they have become blind because of their unbelief (cf. Mt 13:14-15). It is the path of hardening. In their spiritual intoxication they stagger toward judgment.

The blindness and numbness are also a judgment of the LORD (Isa 29:10). After the people have chosen to be blind and have hardened their hearts, the moment comes when the LORD respects their choice as it were and says to them: ‘If you choose to be blind, you will be blind. If you choose to harden your heart, I will harden your heart.’

This verse is quoted by Paul to show that the hardening of the people still exists in the present day (Rom 11:7-8; 2Cor 3:14). They do not want to understand, therefore they shall not understand. Their spiritual state is like a deep sleep, through which voices do not penetrate them. Their prophets, those who are the eyes of the people to see what the LORD wants from His people, have closed their eyes. Their heads, the seers, cannot see anything either. Those who are to lead the blind people are blind themselves. And how can a blind man lead a blind man (Mt 15:14-15)?

The revealed will of God has become for them like a sealed book. The one who can read does not understand its message (Isa 29:11). The other cannot read and does not understand its message either (Isa 29:12).

Many Christians are in such a state when it comes, for example, to the prophetic book of the New Testament par excellence, the book of Revelation. It is considered a sealed book that one cannot read, or the reader sees himself as incapable of reading it, despite the name of the book, ‘Revelation’ or ‘unveiling’. People who believe they have found an excuse not to read in God’s Word show that the blindness does its work.

The lip religion, in which the heart is estranged from God (Isa 29:13), is the result of traditions, learned commandments of men. The heart is the birthplace of thoughts (Mt 15:19). It “is more deceitful than all else” and only “I, the LORD, search the heart” to its deepest hiding places (Jer 17:9-10). The Lord Jesus quotes these words of Isaiah when He reproaches the religious leaders for making the Word of God powerless by teaching doctrines that are commandments of men (Mt 15:3-9; Mk 7:6-9).

The result is the loss of wisdom and the concealment of the will of God (Isa 29:14). This is the result of a marvelous act of God, marvelous because it is a judgment on His own people. He is against His people. Therefore the LORD continues to act in the same way as in the past two thousand years.

The word of Isa 29:14 is also a word quoted by Paul in connection with the preaching of the word of the cross (1Cor 1:18-19). It shows that in its application it also has authority for professing Christianity today. This judgment of hardening announced by Isaiah also applies to professing Christianity, although fortunately not yet in full. However, it will happen fully after the rapture of the church (2Thes 2:11-12). In professing Christianity one also has the Bible in one’s hands, while one is not able to read or understand what God has to say, because the heart is alienated from God. He will exhibit the so-called wisdom of liberal theologians as foolishness.

How deep the apostate can sink, is shown in Isa 29:15. It is the greatest foolishness to suppose that one can hide from the LORD as long as one does so deep enough. This is where the third “woe” comes in. The prophet is deeply shocked by it. He expresses his great indignation at their folly to suppose that they are wiser than the LORD (Isa 29:16). The LORD says to them: “You turn [things] around.” Everything is turned upside down. Instead of putting their trust in the LORD in heaven, they put their trust in people on earth. It is foolishness at the top.

In their minds they have turned the relationship between the puny little creature and the sovereign Creator upside down (cf. Isa 45:9 ; Isa 64:8; Jer 18:1-6; Rom 9:19-21; Job 33:13). They deny their relationship with Him or attribute inferior qualities to Him. They deny what the psalmist joyfully acknowledges, namely, that the LORD knows him through and through (Psa 139:1-4).

They are like the clay that claims to be on the same level as the potter and in its folly claims that the potter did not make a pot of him (Rom 9:21). We also recognize it in the folly of the big bang and evolutionary theory which are invented to deny God as Creator.

This is the error of all who want to act independent from God. They do not take into account that they were not created to live for themselves, but to serve Him. They deny that He created them or blame Him for having dealt without understanding. It’s the kind of people that blames God for all the misery, as if He worked it through His actions. Such foolishness shows that they are blind to the fact that they have brought all the misery upon themselves through their unbelief and obstinacy. The only way to blessing for man is to bow down to the absolutely wise Creator and submit to His holy will.