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God's Servant Is Blind and Deaf

Who is blind, but my servant? or deaf, as my messenger that I sent? who is blind as he that is perfect, and blind as the Lord's servant? (Isaiah 42:19)

The Holy Spirit instructs each Christian to be blind and deaf. To be blind and deaf in the Lord means we see only what God wants us to see, in a given situation, and we hear only what God wants us to hear. We learn to walk by the Word, will, and purpose of God rather than by what we observe in the material world. Such blindness and deafness are a mark of spiritual maturity and require a period of time for their development.

When we are walking in the wisdom and strength of the flesh we see by the light of this present world, but we are as blind to the will of God as were the Pharisees of Jesus' day. When we are walking in the flesh we hear the multitude of voices that counsel us to eat, drink, and be merry in the attractions of the present age, but we do not have ears to hear what the Spirit is saying to the churches. We must become blind so we may see God's Glory in the earth. We must become deaf so we may hear the voice of God's Christ.

And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the Lord: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears: (Isaiah 11:3)

The Servant of the Lord is blind and deaf as far as the glitter and noise of the present age are concerned.

Seeing many things, but thou observest not; opening the ears, but he heareth not. (Isaiah 42:20)

When the Servant of the Lord looks about Him in the world He beholds the Glory of the Lord. The disciples showed Jesus the magnificence of Herod's Temple. But Jesus "saw" the Temple in a condition of complete destruction.

Jesus beheld with His physical eyes what His followers were pointing out. But Jesus did not perceive Herod's Temple in the manner in which they had expected. Jesus, being full of the Holy Spirit, perceived the Temple of God as God perceived it--a den of thieves soon to be demolished by Roman soldiers.

God desires to develop in each member of the Body of Christ blindness and deafness to the things and events of the present world in order that we may behold what the Word of God is bringing into existence. Commencing with the Church of Christ, the entire creation of God is to be re-created in Christ. No creature, thing, or situation is excepted.

And he that sat on the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful. (Revelation 21:5)

"All things new."

Jesus did not pay too much attention to what He was seeing and hearing in the world. He was listening to the voice of the Spirit of God. As a result, He made righteous judgments.

I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me. (John 5:30)

Many times we make decisions on the basis of what we are seeing and hearing in the world rather than what we are hearing from God. Therefore the judgments we are making are not righteous but warped, being founded on incorrect information plus our own perceptions and feelings.

The Servant of the Lord is "blind and deaf" to the sights and sounds of the present age, to the demands of his own will and fleshly nature, and to the threats and enticements of the devil and his hordes.

This does not mean the Christian is to be unaware of what is about him, ignorant of the needs of his family, unappreciative of beauty, impractical, or foolish. What it does mean, however, is that the believer is to perceive everything about him through the eyes of the Lord and that he is not to be moved solely by external circumstances. He does not make quick judgments based on what he sees and hears but waits for the Lord to reveal the truth of the matter.

The Servant of the Lord has the mind of Christ. He hears the voice of the Spirit of God and "sees" the will of God for the present and the future. He interprets the past as God gives understanding to him.

Every human being seeks to understand his or her immediate situation and desires to have the power to change that situation according to his or her needs and inclinations. We enjoy having the ability to plan what we should do next, how our circumstances should be arranged so as to secure our interests for the future.

Little by little the Lord brings us to the place where we are willing to sit in darkness until He reveals His will to us. If we remain faithful, sitting in the Lord's darkness (not in the darkness of sin, rebellion, passivity, or indecision), He will come to us in His time. There will be light at the end of the tunnel if we abide in Christ.

Let us not force our way out of the prison in which God is keeping us.

Who is among you that feareth the Lord, that obeyeth the voice of his servant, that walketh in darkness, and hath no light? let him trust in the name of the Lord, and stay on his God. Behold, all ye that kindle a fire, that compass yourselves about with sparks: walk in the light of your fire, and in the sparks that ye have kindled. This shall ye have of mine hand; ye shall lie down in sorrow. (Isaiah 50:10,11)

When we come into a dark place in the Lord and have no light, then we must trust in the name of the Lord and wait for God to make the pathway clear to us. Meanwhile we are to keep on doing what is at hand, "occupying" until He comes.

We are to avoid "kindling fires" of our own and "compassing ourselves about with sparks." This is a figurative way of saying we should not attempt to break out of the tunnel God has put us in by working out solutions of our own.

Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life. (Revelation 2:10)

The Servant of the Lord is willing to wait on God. Waiting on God productively requires considerable experience. Eventually we learn to distinguish among the many sights, sounds, and impressions that come to us. The observations God wishes us to make and the voices He desires that we regard will appear in time, although there may be confusion and uproar before the gentle voice of the Spirit speaks to us.

The Lord's sheep know His voice but sometimes the lambs are not as discerning. One of the main lessons we learn in our Christian walk is to follow the leading of the Lord and to be "blind" and "deaf" to everyone and everything else.

And Jesus said, For judgment I am come into the world, that they which see not might see; and that they which see might be made blind. And some of the Pharisees which were with him heard these words, and said unto him, Are we blind also? Jesus said unto them, If ye were blind, ye should have no sin: but now ye say, We see; therefore your sin remaineth. (John 9:39-41)

The judgment of God causes those who "see" by the light of the present age to be blind to the truth, and those who are "blind" to the things of this age to see the Kingdom of God. The children of darkness see by the light of the world but the children of light behold the glory of the Kingdom of God.

Jesus advises each of us:

I counsel thee to . . . anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see. (Revelation 3:18)

The Servant of the Lord is blind and deaf to the ways and things of "the prince of this world." The Lord's Servant observes the will and way of God and hears the voice of the Holy Spirit, and bears witness of these.

We Christians are to keep ourselves, through the wisdom and strength of the Holy Spirit, in the place where we are sensitive to God's will for our life. Such sensitivity and awareness require time set aside for prayer, Scripture reading, and Christian fellowship.

Also, strict obedience to the Spirit is necessary. If we "walk in the light," that is, in the will of God as it is made known to us, we have fellowship with God and with all the saints.