Isaiah 6:8-10 Then I heard the Lord asking, “Whom should I send as a messenger to this people? Who will go for us?” I said, “Here I am. Send me.” 9And he said, “Yes, go, and say to this people, ‘Listen carefully, but do not understand. Watch closely, but learn nothing.’”
One of my favorite poems was introduced by a very special teacher, Mrs. Lovey Guffey, at Liberty High School. Chronicling a personal struggle of physical disability, John Milton entitled the short verse, On His Blindness.
Sadly, I think blindness is a handicap we all must address. However, the question we should ask, “Have we purposely and willfully blinded ourselves?”
According to St. Peter, “In the last days scoffers will come, mocking the truth and following their own desires. They will say, ‘Where is Christ? Since the very beginning, nothing has changed! It has always been this way. Everything has remained the same!’ But they deliberately forget that God created the world before destroying it the first time! And by that same word, He will use fire to destroy the world again, along with all the ungodly people in it.” 2 Peter 3:3-7
The group to which St. Peter refers includes individuals who militantly deny Christ, thereby willfully blinding themselves to the ultimate outcome of their ungodliness. They will pay the price for their own obstinate rebellion.
But what about Christ’s Church? Do we ever allow ourselves to be blinded? Relax, I am NOT talking about your doctrinal beliefs. I have no intention to nitpick the differences between denominational dogmas. Honestly, I don’t care. Nevertheless, let us return to the issue of blindness, “Do we allow ourselves to become blind to the situations and circumstances of our community, nation or the world?”
Yes, I believe so!
Consider the belligerent religious group that confronted Jesus, constantly demanding proof of His ministry after witnessing so many miracles. Repeatedly, these blind leaders demanded a “sign.” Christ replied, “You can predict the weather, but you are unable to recognize the sign of the times.” Matthew 16:3
So, why do Believers become blind to profound events around them? I think it has something to do with self-denial since clarity demands action! Recognizing a problem requires that we invest ourselves to resolve that same problem. Since we tend to be creatures of habit (with a touch of laziness mixed in), the greater the crisis the greater our avoidance. Much like the priest and Levite who found the dying man on the Jericho road, it is simply more convenient to deny stark reality than to facilitate a remedy! Luke 10:30-32
Ironically, one of the fastest ways to make enemies is to recognize a problem and then declare, “This needs to be fixed!” After Isaiah was ordained to warn God’s people of profound spiritual and moral issues (Isaiah 6:1-8), the prophet was eventually brutally attacked and killed. Paul’s letter to the Hebrews tells us that Isaiah was literally crammed in a hollow log and sawed in two. (Hebrews 11:37) But why? Well, no one likes a whistle blower! The reaction of God’s people is often driven by blindness and fear of rejection or criticism. We just naturally want to fit in, but God does not always let us, especially when problems need to be identified and fixed.
Returning to the prophet’s commission, we learn that Israel thought they saw God’s will, but really they did not. The people thought they heard God’s voice, but really they did not. (Isaiah 6:9) Using their own human rationale as a spiritual and moral filter, God’s truth had been distorted. The people denied divine truth to create God in their image rather than being created in His. (Romans 1:21-28) By ignoring the challenge of God’s high standard, spiritual blindness is simply an easy way to “go along to get along.” However, God will not “dumb down” His Holy Word to accommodate our darkened lives. One day, when we stand before the Almighty, we will be judged according to the Light we received but conveniently ignored!
Edwin Woolsey’s family has lived in Shannon, Texas, and Howell counties since 1860. He taught 31 years at Missouri public schools and is currently the pastor of a small country congregation at Pilgrim Rest Community Church. Follow him on Twitter at @edwinwoolsey.
