” And the Lord said: ‘Because this people draw near with their mouth and honor Me with their lips, while their hearts are far from Me, and their fear of Me is a commandment taught by men, therefore, behold, I will again do wonderful things with this people, with wonder upon wonder; and the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the discernment of their discerning men shall be hidden.’ Ah, you who hide deep from the LORD your counsel, whose deeds are in the dark, and who say, ‘Who sees us? Who knows us?’ You turn things upside down! Shall the potter be regarded as the clay, that the thing made should say of its maker, ‘He did not make me’; or the thing formed say of him who formed it, ‘He has no understanding’?” Isaiah 29:13-16
Devotional Thought For The Day
Here we have remarkable words of wisdom from the prophet Isaiah, condemnations from the LORD upon the ways in which the vast majority of humanity thinks about God, religion, and themselves. Jesus reiterated the condemnation regarding hypocrisy and substituting human thoughts for the Word of God; the apostle Paul reiterated condemnation upon the preponderant arrogance of human clay over against God Almighty, the Creator of all things, including every single human being. The spiritual ignorance thus identified and described is astronomical, and yet to this day it parades in modern minds and culture as great wisdom and learning.
First, the whole existential business of who determines what, the dynamic by which human beings “turn things upside down” People consider it their prerogative and duty to regard “the potter as the clay,” that is, to make God in their image, to decide for themselves Who and what God is. The cynicism of such unbelief is hard to fathom. It is fundamentally a denial that God exists as He is. However, if God actually doesn’t exist, if He isn’t Who He actually is, then why bother to form a “god” at all. Of what use and value is a “god” that is under your control, one who is malleable to whatever you prefer? But human beings cannot help themselves; they know that there is a God, they know that they have a spiritual dimension [created by God, though they deny that they have been formed by Him], and yet rather than learning from Him Who He is and worshiping Him as He is, they are compelled to create other “gods” for themselves, “gods” that they form and can adjust as suits and pleases them. How is this not insanity? So they assert of God, the only True and Living God, “He did not make me” and “He has no understanding.” In unbelieving modern minds this is the height of learning, wisdom, intellect, education, and sophistication. But this will only last for a short time, for “we will all stand before the judgment seat of God.” [Rom. 14:10]
Second, the invention of religion, whereby “people draw near with their mouth and honor Me with their lips, while their hearts are far from Me.” You see, by means of this – the invention and practice of religion – no one can accuse them of not being pious and of not honoring God – just look at their behavior. But again, the cynicism involved in this unbelief is astronomical. The result of people inventing religion rather than adhering to the Word of God, which He caused to be written for our learning in Holy Scripture, the Bible [Rom. 15:4], is that “their fear of Me is a commandment taught by men.” Fear is the key concept – that proper reverence, respect, and honor of God that is created when we know, understand, and accept Him as He is, including foremost His holiness and the necessity of our repentance and the assurance of His gracious forgiveness, mercy, and salvation in the gift of His Son, our Savior and Lord Jesus Christ. Instead, their “respect” for God is based in human concepts, human thoughts, and self-chosen beliefs – all of which center on the works of man rather than the gracious works of God. This they substitute for what God has given us and rather than honoring Him as He truly is, and truly fearing Him by faith, they instead insist on honoring and worshiping “gods” which they have invented, while claiming to be honoring the real God, the only True and Living God. But their religion is an explicit rejection of God – and cynically, they think that somehow God must accept this as proper and pious reverence, even a superior reverence! Look at the religions of the world – especially the cults and the sects with their smug claims by which they attempt to lure even the faithful children of God – and they correspond exactly to what Isaiah describes [by inspiration of God].
The cynicism is deeper, even self-deluding, for Isaiah describes the inner dynamic of unbelief: “Ah, you who hide deep from the LORD your counsel, whose deeds are in the dark, and who say, ‘Who sees us? Who knows us?'” If no One sees or knows what is the need for “hiding” things? But in fact all people are compelled to “hide” or to at least “excuse” what they are doing, even when they eventually do it publicly and in parades [Rom. 2:15,16]. I have yet to meet a proponent of wickedness and ungodliness who doesn’t have his case already prepared and in order – as if his case is sure to convince God of His error or demonstrate to all the ignorance and insanity of God. The delusion of this is observable to the faithful, to those who adhere to and abide by the Word of God: “I will again do wonderful things with this people, with wonder upon wonder; and the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the discernment of their discerning men shall be hidden.” This judgment is already imposed, and I’m not certain that it will be cured even on the Day of Judgment, although in that day “at the name of Jesus every knee shall bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” [Phil. 2:10,11]
All of this is the powerful disinformation campaign of God’s enemies – but we are forewarned, even in regard to the fact that the vast majority of mankind will capitulate and embrace the madness. So let us hold fast to the warnings from Isaiah, and cling tenaciously to the Word of God, identifying the falsehoods for what they are, praying God to preserve us steadfast in His Word and faith, and mourning the insentience exhibited in those whose minds have been blinded by the god of this world. [2 Cor. 4:4] Yes, let us pray also for them that God’s light might finally penetrate and dispel their darkness.
Scripture Cited
Rom. 15:4 “For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.”
Prayer For The Day
Dear Heavenly Father, You have shined the light of the knowledge of Your glory into our hearts and minds, so that we my know You and Your great love for us in Christ Jesus. You have also clearly and compellingly detailed the ignorance and insanity of unbelief, skepticism, cynicism, and religious hypocrisy. Help us retain our sentience and sanity and to continue growing in our faith and trust in You. Help us to stand firm in the face of the hatred and animosity that You endure, and that is also directed toward Your dear children of faith. Grant us peace and constancy in the joy of Your salvation, and in Your promises of deliverance. Amen.