#isaiah29

Isaiah 29:13 (ESV)

“...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”

Why? Why would this people bother to continue in proper outward acts of worship if their hearts were cold and far away? If they did not even fear God? Perhaps one might consider our own experience and think - oh, it must be to fit in! Perhaps we’ve had times where we were compelled to appear to worship passionately, to serve “sacrificially”, to give “generously” because everyone else was doing it. And this verse does speak to that too. But I don’t think that’s what “this people” experienced. You see, in the context of this passage, it was clearly the majority that had their hearts far away, the majority that didn’t actually fear the Lord. Which begs the question... why? why would this people bother to continue in their hypocritical acts of worship? 

Might I suggest, that these people were outwardly “worshiping” God, as a way of evading Him at a deeper level. The people they were putting up a front for were in fact themselves! That in outwardly checking all the boxes, in going through the motion, they could get on with life without any real consideration for God. That by keeping up their outward acts of worship, they could tell themselves, “It’s all good”, when in reality, they are cherishing sin in their hearts, and have no regard for God (v15-16). 

God desires genuine worship from His people, hearts that fear Him and are drawn to Him. There must be a change of affections!

How often have I been guilty of this myself? When I’ve tried to check QT off the list without actually getting bare before God? When I go to church as a routine, without actually anticipating to be blown away by the glory of God with His saints? Yes, it may be hypocritical worship, but even worse than that, have I been evading God, from allowing Him to reveal the ugly bits in me, and to actually turn my heart wholly to Him? It isn’t just hypocritical worship, it’s silent, sinful, selfish rebellion of the heart. 

Yet how can I change that? Why would I? What would change my heart? But there is hope...

Isaiah 29:18-19 (ESV)

¹⁸In that day the deaf shall hear    the words of a book, and out of their gloom and darkness    the eyes of the blind shall see. ¹⁹The meek shall obtain fresh joy in the Lord,    and the poor among mankind shall exult in the Holy One of Israel.

How will this happen?

Isaiah 33:10 (ESV)

¹⁰“Now I will arise,” says the Lord,    “now I will lift myself up;    now I will be exalted.

He will cause our blind eyes to see, for then, our eyes shall behold the king in his beauty (Isa 33:17). 

To the people of Judah in that time, this was their hope - 

“²²For... the Lord is our king; he will save us.”  (Isa 33:22)

Today, this hope has come in Jesus. For we have seen the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ our King, who has come to save. Who has come to make blind eyes see, and deaf ears hear, who has come to draw all men to himself.