Year of Exposure Day 16: Blind leaders lead people into destruction.
“Then the disciples came and said to him, "Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this saying?" He answered, "Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be rooted up. Let them alone; they are blind guides. And if the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit."”
Matthew 15:12-14 ESV
The psalmist, during a time of being defeated by the enemy, writes this poignant commentary:
“We do not see our signs; there is no longer any prophet, and there is none among us who knows how long.”
Psalm 74:9 ESV
Without the prophetic voice, they could not see the way to go. They had no idea when or how their trouble would end. And, as is often the case, the word of the Lord being absent seems to be a judgment against the rebellious people (the psalmist begins this psalm by referencing God’s anger against His people).
The prophet Isaiah, in his commentary concerning the state of affairs in the midst of a people turned to do every evil thing, gives this commentary:
“Their feet run to evil, and they are swift to shed innocent blood; their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity; desolation and destruction are in their highways. The way of peace they do not know, and there is no justice in their paths; they have made their roads crooked; no one who treads on them knows peace. Therefore justice is far from us, and righteousness does not overtake us; we hope for light, and behold, darkness, and for brightness, but we walk in gloom. We grope for the wall like the blind; we grope like those who have no eyes; we stumble at noon as in the twilight, among those in full vigor we are like dead men.”
Isaiah 59:7-10 ESV
How tragic to imagine that the people of God, because of their wicked ways, didn’t know the way to go, couldn’t see the way to go, no longer having the light of the prophetic word guiding their way.
Even as Christians, we must remember that there are times that we can lose sight of the will of the Lord in our lives.
Now, the reasons for this are many. But often, the reason is sin in one form or another.
Of course, there are times when the Lord may seem to be silent in our lives during a time of testing, to see if we will remember and be faithful to what God has said.
But that is not what we are considering here. Rather, we are considering the spiritual blindness that results from disobedience.
To be able to know the way to go, and the way to live, is certainly a function of the Holy Spirit working in our lives.
However, there is a process towards walking into greater understanding and greater sight in the Spirit. Paul addressed the need for this progression in our ability to see and understand what God has for us.
“For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.”
Ephesians 1:15-23 ESV
Now consider, what if the one(s) who is supposed to be leading you spiritually, is blind to what God wants?
Indeed, I think that there are many people who are being led by spiritual leaders who walk according to their own understanding. And, as we see in our opening scripture, spiritually blind leaders are in no position to lead anyone.
Child of God, let us seek the Lord to make sure that those to whom we turn for spiritual instruction, are hearing from the Lord, rather than teaching what tickles ears, draws a crowd, or has some other self-serving purpose.
Truly, don’t expect to be led by the spiritually blind through a wicked world, without ending up in some trap of the enemy.