Lest They See With Their Eyes

Last updated on: September 30, 2020 at 9:07 am by Anne Kennedy

Lest They See With Their Eyes 2020-09-30T09:07:04-04:00 Anne Kennedy

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

I was determined not to watch the debate last night—committed, really, as a matter of Christian virtue. Unfortunately, the person to whom I am married insisted on putting it on and watching it on his large screen across the room. So even though I did not technically watch it, shielding my eyes behind my own tiny screen, I did hear almost the whole wretched thing, except for when it was so bad that my true love actually pushed mute.

I mean, you know it’s bad when a person who loves to argue almost more than anything else in the world has to push mute. On account of how embarrassing it is—like British Office level embarrassing.

So anyway, I woke up late this morning and flipped open Ye Olde Bible and read this, because it was the next section in my regular reading through the whole thing year by year:

In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called to another and said:

“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts;
the whole earth is full of his glory!”

And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!” Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. And he touched my mouth and said: “Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.” And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here I am! Send me.” And he said, “Go, and say to this people:

“‘Keep on hearing, but do not understand;
keep on seeing, but do not perceive.’
Make the heart of this people dull,
and their ears heavy,
and blind their eyes;
lest they see with their eyes,
and hear with their ears,
and understand with their hearts,
and turn and be healed.”
Then I said, “How long, O Lord?”
And he said:
“Until cities lie waste
without inhabitant,
and houses without people,
and the land is a desolate waste,
and the Lord removes people far away,
and the forsaken places are many in the midst of the land.
And though a tenth remain in it,
it will be burned again,
like a terebinth or an oak,
whose stump remains
when it is felled.”
The holy seed is its stump.

Now, I think it’s really important to keep remembering that America is not the ancient nation of Israel. This important fact may be obvious to most of us, but there seem to be enough people wandering around who are confused. And therefore it is worth saying again: America is not God’s city on a hill. Nor is Mr. Trump King Cyrus or anyone like that. These words were spoken by God to Isaiah, who is not telling us anything about what is going to happen to our nation in the next few years. The Assyrians are not about to sweep down like a wolf on the fold with their cohorts all gleaming in purple and gold. The Babylonians are not gathering up their strength and getting ready to take over the world.

Nevertheless, the curious thing about the Bible is that God means for you to be swept up into the way he sees everything—things that happened a long time ago, things that are happening now. He gently pulls back the veil, by means of the text, and lets you see that he is sitting on a glorious throne, that the hem of his robe is trailing over the cosmos, that the angels are calling out to each other in wonder and adoration about his holiness and beauty. And that, in contrast to that wondrous vision, all of us here on earth go on looking at the ground, castigating each other for our dull hearing, our blind eyes, our un-understanding.

When you read the words, you’re meant to lift up your voice and cry out, “How long, O Lord,” because God is always God, and you are always a creature, and things are always bad. And that being so, the Savior that God promises to Isaiah is always your Savior, he is as much for you as he was for Uzziah and Hezekiah and Cyrus and Isaiah.

So God has given us two fools to choose between, as he did the last time. He has put before our dim eyes the truth about ourselves, again—which is a mercy. Because if you can’t see how ugly and wretched you are in your sin, you will never look up to behold his astonishing beauty.

Previous Post

September 29, 2020

Maybe It's Not All Bad

Next Post

October 1, 2020 The Trees Are Pretty Good This Year

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category books Catechesis of the Good Shepherd Children in Conversation culture watch Daily Devotions Demotivations with Anne faith alone for the grandparents GAFCON In conversation with children In the News Kitchen Notes Lambeth Learning Notes Life Going On Men are Human Notes from Home Pictures Reading the Bible Saturday Links Sermons Signs of the Apocalypse The Bad Word Association The Prayer of Jonah Travel Notes Uncategorized Witless Wednesdays Work and the Christian

Select a Month June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 July 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 September 2008 August 2008 July 2008 June 2008 May 2008 April 2008 March 2008 February 2008 January 2008 December 2007 November 2007 October 2007 September 2007 August 2007 July 2007 June 2007 May 2007 April 2007 March 2007 February 2007 January 2007 December 2006 November 2006 October 2006

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Who said: "Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come"?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Jesus An angel A voice from heaven (or the multitude) John

Books by This Author Books by Anne Kennedy

See All Titles »