Isaiah 44:18 — They have not known nor understood: for he hath shut their eyes, that they cannot see; and their hearts, that they cannot understand.
I’m rereading chapters 40-66 in the book of Isaiah. It’s such a wonderful section of the book. There is much in it that is Messianic, prophetic, and personal. It’s just plain fun to read.
While rereading chapter 44, verse 18 stuck out like it hadn’t the first time through. The very thought that God shuts the eyes and hearts of people intrigued me. What are we to make of this? How does God do it? Are the people aware of this happening to them? Can I play a part in this not happening? Am I able to undo any of it?
A couple of thoughts ran through my mind.
First —
My immediate thought was in relation to the family members and relatives that I grew up with. I don’t know of any that are/were born-again. My mind doesn't know how to deal with that. The very though that I may never see any of my closest family members in Heaven staggers me.
Second —
The 1611 King James Bible translators put in the center column the word “daubed” in reference to the word “shut.” That sent my mind off in a couple of directions.
The prominent thought that came to mind was the incident when Yeshua healed the blind man in John 9.
Here are the verses:
1 And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth. 2 And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind? 3 Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him. 4 I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work. 5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world. 6 When he had thus spoken, he spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and he anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay, 7 And said unto him, Go, wash in the pool of Siloam, (which is by interpretation, Sent.) He went his way therefore, and washed, and came seeing.
Haven’t you ever wondered why Yeshua chose to heal the blind man this way? Yeshua didn’t have to use any means other than just thinking or saying what He wanted done to this man. Instead, He spits on the ground, makes clay, anoints (may I suggest “daubs”) the man’s eyes, and makes him go to the Pool of Siloam to wash his eyes. Was all that really necessary?
Since coming into this Messianic/Torah mindset, I’ve learned to appreciate that the New Testament stands upon the foundational ground of the Old Testament. In other words, nothing happened randomly in the life of Yeshua when He walked upon this earth. He was the Torah made flesh.
Therefore, it only makes sense that His life should highlight aspects of the Torah that would spark the imagination and thinking of those He ministered among. So when He “daubs” the eyes of this blind man, I have to think that there were some among the populace that could connect the dots.
That being the case, what would those, who could connect the dots, conclude about the healing of this blind man? Surely, many were very familiar with the writings of Isaiah.
Let me offer a theory as to why Yeshua chose to heal this blind man in the manner that He did.
If God alone (when not among men) can shut eyes, then only God alone (when among men) can open them. And if God by some means “daubs” eyes to shut them, then God might just choose some means by which to help people make the connection that … He, God Himself, was in their midst in the Person of Yeshua.
And, in truth He was.
And therein lies the problem … then and now.
Who was Yeshua to claim that He was God? Who was He to say that He is the ONLY way to the Father? (John 14:6) And … who are we to proclaim that “neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12)
Yeshua isn’t walking among us any more daubing and healing. But none-the-less, there are still closed eyes and hearts. He could simply choose to remove the scales from the eyes and the hardness from the hearts, but that doesn’t appear to be what He does. Apparently, today, He has chosen to use means. And that means … the means He chooses to use are … you and me.
We are His witnesses to the reality of opened eyes and hearts. For those of us that are saved, Yeshua was the One who opened our eyes and hearts. But if you think back, there was somebody somewhere along the way that God used to tell you about forgiveness of sins through Yeshua’s shed blood on your behalf.
We must remember that we are a means God uses. God is the One who, ultimately, performs whatever transaction may or may not take place between Him and the people we try to reach. I find that encouraging and comforting.
Let me close with Isaiah’s plea for God to use him as a witness.
“Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.” Isaiah 6:8
“Lord … here we are, send us.”