Isaiah Chapter 29

In the previous chapter, the prophet Isaiah spoke about the spiritual blindness of the people. Unfortunately, this spiritual blindness was a choice that the people made because they refused to accept and acknowledge God’s will and commands in their lives.

Despite all the warnings served by the prophets, they continue to ignore them.

And in today’s chapter, we read how Judah was likened to the blind, drunkard, illiterate, ignorant etc. Again, the warnings of the prophets of God to turn away from sin were ignored and challenged.

¹¹ The whole vision has become to you like the words of a book that is sealed, which men deliver to one who is literate, saying, “Read this, please.”

And he says, “I cannot, for it is sealed.”

¹² Then the book is delivered to one who ^[d]is illiterate, saying, “Read this, please.”

And he says, “I am not literate.”

~ verses 11-12

So because they refused to believe, God makes the pages of the book sealed – so that it remains a mystery or enigma to them. They would never be able to understand or interpret the mysteries in the scriptures.

After last week’s Spiritual Meeting, in TK, we had 2 very good sermons about “Kibroth Hattaavah” and about the Holy Spirit. My mind went back to these 2 sermons as read today’s chapter as both sermons reminded us to continue striving to know the Word of God and to heed it.

It’s easy to get caught up by the people around us and follow something different. It’s also easy to be led astray – simply because we choose to ignore God’s words and listen to men.

Prophet Hosea echoed the thoughts of Isaiah in Hosea 4:6-10:

My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.
Because you have rejected knowledge,
I also will reject you from being priest for Me;
Because you have forgotten the law of your God,
I also will forget your children.

⁷ “The more they increased,
The more they sinned against Me;
I will change their glory into shame.
⁸ They eat up the sin of My people;
They set their heart on their iniquity.
⁹ And it shall be: like people, like priest.
So I will punish them for their ways,
And reward them for their deeds.
¹⁰ For they shall eat, but not have enough;
They shall commit harlotry, but not increase;
Because they have ceased obeying the Lord.

Paul spoke out to the church at Ephesus that they should not ignore this ignorance to the spiritual truth:

¹⁷ This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind, ¹⁸ having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart; ¹⁹ who, being past feeling, have given themselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.

²⁰ But you have not so learned Christ, ²¹ if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: ²² that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, ²³ and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, ²⁴ and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.

~ Ephesians 4:17-24

Paul reminded the members in Corinth that it is only God who can remove this veil of ignorance and help us to gain spiritual knowledge and wisdom:

¹² Therefore, since we have such hope, we use great boldness of speech— ¹³ unlike Moses, who put a veil over his face so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the end of what was passing away. ¹⁴ But their minds were blinded. For until this day the same veil remains unlifted in the reading of the Old Testament, because the veil is taken away in Christ. ¹⁵ But even to this day, when Moses is read, a veil lies on their heart. ¹⁶ Nevertheless when one turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. ¹⁷ Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. ¹⁸ But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.

~ 2 Corinthians 3:12-18 ~

We must strive to ensure we are not living in a state of ignorance – where we worship God but our hearts are far from Him (verse 13).

God has given us His Word and Holy Spirit to guide us, teach us and admonish us when needed.

We need to accept them, learn from them and do it.

If we don’t, we will have no excuses – just like the people in the time of Isaiah. Because God has already time and time again reminded us in His Scriptures, sermons in church and now, Bible Studies, Fellowships or Morning Bible Reading.

May God guide us.

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