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The Lord had told Moses that He was `long suffering' (Exod. 34: 6) and how many
times in the O.T. do we see this blessed attribute of God demonstrated. There does come
a time when `there is no remedy'. See the culmination of many rebellious acts by Israel
in II Chronicles:
". . . . . they mocked the messengers of God, and despised His words, and misused His
prophets, until the wrath of the Lord arose against His people, till there was no remedy"
(II Chron. 36: 16).
Here is a people chosen by God to teach the world about Himself and we find a crisis
has arrived when they are unusable and there is `no remedy' for their correction. Let us
digress again and seek to understand in part how our God works. God has the
supernatural power to see the ages ahead and their happenings. This is quite beyond us to
explain or understand. It is a fact, for God has placed in the Scriptures prophetic
happenings of future events, many of which have been fulfilled and many are still to
happen. God created the angels and man with free choice. Prophecy touches both these
realms. What we must not think is that God causes His prophecies to come true by
making us mere puppets. What He does do is to overrule the actions of Satan and his
spirits and the activities of rebellious man in such a way that His final purpose is
achieved. Throughout the ages there has been this dual action going on and the reason
why God permits this interference with His plans would seem to be that He has a wide
long term education for man and the spirit world. The goal of this tuition is to show that
the ways of God are always best and result therefore in the greatest good for man and for
the redeemed or saved in final unity with their Creator and Redeemer.
Having such thoughts in mind consider the warning God sent to Israel by the hand of
Isaiah:
"Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed (cp.
John 9: 41), but perceive not. Make (declare) the heart of this people fat, and make their
ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and
understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed" (Isa. 6: 9, 10).
To understand this prophecy we must view it as a decision by God to institute a period
of time when He would not only nationally refuse spiritual sight to Israel but would
leave their land wasted and untenanted. God waited patiently, delaying this sentence,
and the warning was repeated (Matt. 13: 14; Mark 4: 12; Luke 8: 10; John 12: 40;
Acts 28: 26, 27; Rom. 11: 8).
Acts 28: was the last time the warning was
nationally disregarded and the period of blindness commenced for Israel.
The advent of Christ gave to all the opportunity to see the Light and receive spiritual
illumination. It alas also supplied condemnation to those that preferred the darkness that
fitted their deeds:
"And Jesus said, For judgment I am come into this world, that they which see not
might see; and 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).