Isaiah 29:9, 10

Isaiah 29:9, 10

Stay yourselves, and wonder; cry ye out, and cry: they are drunken, but not with wine; they stagger, but not with strong drink.

For the Lord hath poured out upon you the spirit of deep sleep, and hath closed your eyes: the prophets and your rulers, the seers hath he covered.

1. “For the Lord hath poured out upon you the spirit of deep sleep, and hath closed your eyes…”

a. These verses are quoted by the Apostle Paul in the book of Romans  concerning the blindness of Israel.

1). Romans 11:7, 8 What then? Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for; but the election hath obtained it, and the rest were blinded.

(According as it is written, God hath given them the spirit of slumber, eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not hear;) unto this day.

b. Before anyone begins to blame God for these and other passages inferring that God in his sovereign will caused Israel to be unable to see and therefore can’t help but be disobedient, we need to look at some other passages. For instance, similar language is used by the Prophet Isaiah when discussing Israel’s blindness.

1). Isaiah 6:9, 10  And he said, Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not.

Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed.

c. At first glance it looks like God is a sadistic puppeteer and Israel cannot help but be disobedient. But Jesus quoted these same verses and used a slightly different wording that gives an entirely different perspective.

1). Matthew 13:13-15 Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand.

And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive:

For this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.

2). There own disobedience caused their own inability to see, their own inability to hear and their own inability to understand. The Prophet Zechariah confirms it.

a). Zechariah 7:11, 12 But they refused to hearken, and pulled away the shoulder, and stopped their ears, that they should not hear.

Yea, they made their hearts as an adamant stone, lest they should hear the law, and the words which the Lord of hosts hath sent in his spirit by the former prophets: therefore came a great wrath from the Lord of hosts.

3). When the first martyr Stephen was stoned those who carried out his execution refused to hear any more of what he said by

a). Acts 7:57, 58 Then they cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and ran upon him with one accord,

 And cast him out of the city, and stoned him: and the witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man's feet, whose name was Saul.

4). We as believers who have a free will have the responsibility to protect our hearts from sin because sin will harden our heart. It is not God’s fault that anyone ends up with a hard heart, it is ours.

a). Hebrews 3:12, 13 Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God.

But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.