8/13/2019 Then the Eyes of the Blind Will Be Opened
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Then the eyes of the blind will be opened, the ears of the deaf
shall be unstopped. Then the
lame man shall leaf as a hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing;
for in the wilderness shall waters
break out, and steams in the desert.
Isaiah 35:5 & 6
In the Providence of God my devotional reading for today
included a sermon from Charles
Haddon Spurgeon from the ten volume collection of his sermons
entitled The Dumb Singing. (The
Dumb Singing Volume 3 Spurgeons Sermons, Hendrickson Publishers,
Peabody, Massachusetts, 2011, p.
119-137) I believe that todays reading was providential because
the text which Spurgeon was
preaching upon was one that came from a transitional point in
Isaiahs Prophesy. Chapters 34 and 35 in
Isaiah bring the first section of the Isaiahs prophesy to a
close with a chapter pronouncing Gods
judgement upon sinners and then a chapter in which the blessing
of grace is described for those who
believe. This is followed by four chapters which are
descriptions of the historic events taking place as
Isaiah is communicating his prophesy. Following this Isaiah
transitions into the wonderful description of
Gods grace which we find in chapters 40 through 66 which in so
many ways is an exploration of the
means, methods and motives of Gods work in our world.
Why providential? I am writing this during the days between
Christmas and New Years.
Christmas is in many ways one of the high points of the year. So
much of our attention is focused upon
the coming of this one day. As the day draws close we find
ourselves thinking that it is a day which
brings another year to a fitting close. As a disciple of the
LORD Jesus Christ this day takes on greater
significance as a reminder and celebration of the Incarnation.
God gave His Son for us. This event which
ultimately includes all that our Redeemer did for us has
tremendous significance for us. Earlier in his
prophesy Isaiah tells us that The people walking in darkness
have seen a great light; on those living in
the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned. (Isaiah 9:2)
In many ways the celebration of
Christmas is a focusing upon that light. We find ourselves drawn
to the light of Christ as those who are
seeing that the significance of the year in which we are living
is found only in the Redeeming love of God
in Christ. When we get to Christmas and then into the transition
to the New Year we discover that that
light is pointing ahead to a New Year in which only that which
is done in the grace of the Risen Christ will
ever have an eternal significance.
As Spurgeon proclaims these verses from Isaiah he tells us that
the only thing that really matters
is the grace of God. This grace is however something
extraordinary. It is by grace that the tongue of the
dumb sings. Notice Isaiah tells us of the powerful reach of this
grace. Here is one who has never
spoken. Never has a word been formed on his tongue. It has never
been possible for him to speak. It
will never be possible for this one to ever speak. Yet Isaiah
cries out telling us that the impossible has
indeed happened. This wordless person does not just begin to
speak. They dont just begin to form a
few halting, uncertain words. This person begins to sing the
praises of their God. The impossible has
happened. What Isaiah is telling us is that Gods Grace when it
comes will come as a person who will
meet us in that very place where we are most hopeless. We are in
fact dead in our transgressions and
sins. There is nothing that we as a dead person can ever do for
ourselves. When we are lifeless there is
nothing we can do for ourselves. It is in that time of
impossibility that Gods grace acts doing the
