Undefeated by Spiritual Blindness

Joseph was a farmer near Hebron in the hill country of Judea. He heard the prophet Isaiah was traveling through the Judean countryside sharing God’s message of judgment and promise.

When Isaiah stopped in Hebron, Joseph invited Isaiah to have dinner with his family in his home. After their meal of roasted lamb, wheat bread, vegetables, and goat’s milk, they sat together in Joseph’s family room to talk.

As Isaiah looked around the room, he noticed the polished stone idol set prominently on the mantle. It had been cut and shaped and polished in the shape of a man. Earlier, Isaiah had noticed there was a wooden statue of a woman that had been carved and sanded and stained out of a wooden log

Joseph had seen Isaiah’s eyes drift toward his stone and wooden idols. Joseph had carefully done the work himself to create these icons for his household. He believed his stone male deity protected his home from disease and enemies. He believed his wooden female deity blessed his crops with productivity and his herds with fertility.

Though Joseph believed in the Lord, he kept his other deities around, too. He prayed to the Lord for salvation, but he prayed to his other gods for good weather and bountiful harvests.

He trusted his Creator for everything … mostly.

He reserved some trust for the idols he created out of one of the rocks he picked in his wheat field and out of one of the logs he cut to build his barn. … Just in case.

But Joseph’s prayers and priorities changed as soon as Isaiah began speaking.

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Isaiah had never been shy about sharing God’s message. He boldly told his host, “Thank you for inviting me into your home and offering me dinner with your family. I couldn’t help but notice your wooden and stone icons. You seem very proud of them. … But God humbles the proud.”

Isaiah continued, “You shared your generosity with me. I want to share God’s generosity with you. That generosity comes in a gentle, but stern warning. Please take it to heart:

“The Lord will not give his glory to another or share his praise with idols” (Isaiah 42:8).

Deaf and Blind

Then Isaiah gave a brief history lesson, “God blessed our ancestors by keeping them safe from the famine by bringing them out of Canaan into Egypt. Four hundred years later, he rescued them from slavery in Egypt and brought them back to the Promised Land of Canaan. The Lord expanded Israel’s kingdom through David and Solomon. Those blessings were visible to everyone. If that wasn’t enough, the Lord spoke clearly his message of judgment and grace through prophets like Elijah, Jeremiah, and myself.”

“But the people became deaf to the Lord’s words. They became blind to his blessings. They didn’t see. They didn’t listen. Because of this, this is what the Lord says to all Israel, ‘You see many things, but you do not observe. He opens his ears, but he does not hear’ (Isaiah 42:20). They fashioned their own gods.”

Isaiah pointed directly at Joseph and said, “You, Joseph, fashioned your own gods!”

“This is what the Lord says to you and all Israel, ‘They will be turned back and be completely disgraced— those who trust in an idol, those who say to molten images, ‘You are our gods.’

“You deaf ones, listen! You blind ones, watch carefully so you can see’ (Isaiah 42:17-18)! With your false gods, you have blinded yourself to the one true God.”

Then Isaiah’s voice softened, “Still the Lord is gracious. He is merciful. He continues to reveal his salvation in the coming Messiah. Because of his righteousness, the Lord is pleased to share his Word with you, which is always great and glorious” (Isaiah 42:21).

Isaiah paused to take a breath. Joseph used that time to get up and walk around the room. He sheepishly removed the stone statue off the mantle and the wooden carving from the kitchen counter.

See and Hear

After he returned, Isaiah continued speaking, “Blind, deaf Israel will not return to the Lord on his own. So the Lord sends his prophets to open your ears. He renews his promises to open your eyes.

“The Messiah is coming. He will be the Light of the world that shines salvation in the darkness. He is the Word of the Lord that called the world into existence. The coming Messiah will rescue you, Joseph, the nation of Israel, and all nations.

“He will rescue you from the dark and deafening dungeon you have created for yourselves.”

The Lord remains undefeated by spiritual blindness.