Opening Prayer
O Lord, show us Your mercy, and give us Your salvation. Amen.
Text: Isaiah 29:10-14
For the Lord has poured out on you the spirit of deep sleep, and has closed your eyes, namely, the prophets; and He has covered your heads, namely, the seers. The whole vision has become to you like the words of a book that is sealed, which men deliver to one who is literate, saying, “Read this, please;” and he says, “I cannot, for it is sealed.” Then the book is delivered to one who is illiterate, saying, “Read this, please;” and he says, “I am not literate.” Therefore the Lord said: “Inasmuch as these people draw near to Me with their mouths and honor Me with their lips, but have removed their hearts far from Me, and their fear toward Me is taught by the commandment of men, Therefore, behold, I will again do a marvelous work among this people, a marvelous work and a wonder; for the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hidden.”
Devotion
When a person resists God’s Spirit and does not want to be converted though he hears God’s Word and knows its power, then he becomes more secure and more hardened, sleeping more deeply and walking more blindly than the heathen. I once heard a pastor say that he used to be crushed by his sins, but now he thought that was crazy and just nerves of which he was now cured. “For God may speak in one way, or in another, yet man does not perceive it” (Job 33:14). God sends chastisements, wakes the sinner from sleep and lays the words of repentance on his soul. “Behold, God works all these things, twice, in fact, three times with a man, To bring back his soul from the Pit, that he may be enlightened with the light of life” (Job 33:29-30). Then when someone does not want to repent, the Lord pours out upon them a spirit of deep sleep, closes their eyes, so that they do not see the clearest thing and cannot be rid of the scales on their eyes even by the most powerful Word of God, but walk in happy insanity or in the gloom of despair with Saul and Judas to eternal condemnation.
As it is with the individual, so it is with the peoples. There is a sort of mutual responsibility for individuals from the same people, just like children and parents. We know that the Lord will save the faithful out of the destruction of a condemned people, but here we are talking about people as a nation. When the Lord repeatedly visits them with spiritual awakenings, and they always sink back into apathy, into spiritless worship, into worldliness and unbelief, then He finally hardens them, completely takes away the rest of their spiritual understanding, and makes their wisdom into foolishness. “They are drunk, but not with wine; they stagger, but not with intoxicating drink” (Isa 29:9). The candlestick is wholly and completely taken away (Rev 2:5). Up to now the intercessions of poor, despised Christians had supported the whole structure; now it is over, and the carcass lies there for the ravens (Mat 24:27). It has not yet come that far with our people; God, let it never happen! But the spirit of the Antichrist works busily among us, and many close their eyes to the light of the truth.
Closing Prayer
Lord, teach us to recognize the time of our visitation and to understand what serves for our peace (Luk 19:42). Be gracious to us, and be gracious to our people. Let Your face shine upon us, for Jesus’ sake. Amen.
Hymn
If thou but knew the snares of idle dreaming
Of which unwary souls are ever fond,
Thou wouldest seek the light
From heaven beaming
That leadeth safely to the goal beyond.
O how thy Savior would rejoice,
If thou should’st now begin
To listen to His voice!
Brorson: Ak, vidste du, som gaar i Syndens Lænke L 507:3-4 HCH 171:3 tr. P. C. Paulsen;
tune: Ak vidste du (HCH 171); alternate hymn: Rise! To arms! ELH 518:1