What the Bible says about Blinding Spiritually
(From Forerunner Commentary)

Genesis 19:10-11 In this instance, the violent Sodomites, determined to assault Lot and his angelic guests sexually, were physically blinded. God used the two angels He had sent to deliver Lot as instruments to take the men's sight. Angels are not the only servants of God used to blind those who oppose Him. On occasion, His human servants have prayed for Him to restrain the sight of enemies, and He has answered. For example, Elisha asked for God to blind the Syrian army, and He did so temporarily (II Kings 6:18-20). In Acts 13:11, Paul called on God to blind Elymas the sorcerer for a time, which He did. Famously, Christ Himself struck Paul blind on the road to Damascus, and the apostle's temporary blindness potently portrayed the spiritual blindness in which he walked to that point (Acts 9:3-9). David C. Grabbe Spiritual Blindness (Part One): The God of This World Related Topics: Blinding is Exclusively in God's Domain | Blinding is Solely God's Prerogative | Blinding Spiritually | Elymas | Elymas the Sorcerer | Spiritual Blindness: The God of this Age | Spiritual Blindness: the God of this World

Exodus 4:11 Exodus 4:11 underscores God's sovereignty over human physical and spiritual abilities. In responding to Moses' resistance to His summons to service, God declares that He is responsible for the organs that work and those that do not. Whatever speech difficulties Moses had were entirely in God's hands. Moses had claimed he was “slow of speech,” and if so, God counterclaims to be the source of that impediment and also the potential solution to it. Such a minor problem could not impede God's ability to work through him. Likewise, whether one sees or is blind is in God's hands. Although God refers directly to physical capabilities here, His sovereignty certainly extends into spiritual ones as well. He governs humanity's ability to see (and hear) spiritually. As Solomon observes in Proverbs 25:2, “It is the glory of God to conceal a matter.” David C. Grabbe Spiritual Blindness (Part One): The God of This World Related Topics: Blinding is Exclusively in God's Domain | Blinding is Solely God's Prerogative | Blinding Spiritually | Spiritual Blindness | Spiritual Blindness: The God of this Age | Spiritual Blindness: the God of this World

Isaiah 45:7 To worship God “in spirit and truth” (John 4:24) requires us to refine our concept of Him continually based on what Scripture teaches, which at times necessitates challenging our preconceptions. Due to this reality, God's actions at times make us uncomfortable. When a recorded deed or attribute of God does not fit our ideas, we tend to hurry past such disconcerting passages rather than allow the holy and pure Word of God to mold our minds. One act of God that may seem ungodlike is that He blinds. More precisely, God exercises sovereignty over both physical sight and spiritual vision—that is, understanding. At times, He removes literal or metaphorical sight as He works out His purpose. David C. Grabbe Spiritual Blindness (Part One): The God of This World Related Topics: Blinding is Exclusively in God's Domain | Blinding is Solely God's Prerogative | Blinding Spiritually | God Removes Wisdom and Understanding | God's Sovereignty | Spiritual Blindness: The God of this Age | Spiritual Blindness: the God of this World

John 12:39-40 After three-and-a-half years and countless miracles, the Jews maintained a high level of disbelief, particularly among the religious leadership. Notice that the source of their doubt was God Himself! Isaiah's prophecy says He had blinded their eyes, and He had hardened their hearts. The reason for this is that if they turned to Him, He would heal them, which may also strike us as odd if we assume that it is always His will to heal. Perhaps His actions seem unkind or mean-spirited to us, but this passage shows that it was not His will to heal the nation at that time (see also Matthew 13:11-15). The people were still disobeying His commandments and statutes and thus still under a curse. To heal them without repentance would reward their wickedness. God's curse of blindness was so effective that, though Jesus declared them to be blind, they were confident that they saw clearly (John 9:40)! They had no reason even to consider repenting, and therefore, the blindness and other curses continued. David C. Grabbe Spiritual Blindness (Part One): The God of This World Related Topics: Blessings and Curses | Blinding is Exclusively in God's Domain | Blinding is Solely God's Prerogative | Blinding Spiritually | Hardening Hearts | Sin Causes Hardening of Heart | Sin, Hardening Effects of | Spiritual Blindness

Romans 9:18 God not only gives gifts to those He favors, but He also hardens and/or blinds (Romans 11:7) some so that they become enemies of those He favors. Witness what He did to and with Pharaoh when He redeemed Israel from Egypt. That God would actually harden someone's heart so that he would become an enemy of Himself or His people is sometimes even more difficult for us to comprehend than His bestowing of favor on one over another. Because God is invisible in exercising His sovereignty, people often put far too much weight on a person's works and far too little on God's grace toward us in the outworking of His plan. John W. Ritenbaugh Eating: How Good It Is! (Part Two) Related Topics: Blinding Spiritually | God's Hardening of Pharaoh's Heart | God's Sovereignty | Hardening Hearts | Pharaoh | Vessels for Dishonor | Vessels for Honor | Vessels of Dishonor | Vessels of Honor

Romans 11:7-10 Paul explains the fundamental reason for God's current blinding of Israel: God is working with the elect in a way He is not working with Israel yet. Thus, He has blinded Israel until He calls those Gentiles that He has determined to convert. Israel was disobedient, so He scattered and blinded her, intending to regather her and restore her understanding in the future. Then she will recognize her Savior and learn what a relationship with Him truly entails. David C. Grabbe Spiritual Blindness (Part One): The God of This World Related Topics: Blinding is Exclusively in God's Domain | Blinding is Solely God's Prerogative | Blinding Spiritually | God Removes Wisdom and Understanding | God's Scattering of Israel | Spiritual Blindness | Spiritual Blindness: The God of this Age | Spiritual Blindness: the God of this World

2 Corinthians 4:4 God is sovereignly over both physical and metaphorical sight (understanding or comprehension). God states that He blinds, whether as a punishment for sin or simply because He deems it necessary in working out His purpose. However, translators of II Corinthians 4:4 use a lowercase g in the phrase, “the god of this age,” to signify that Satan has blinded the world. If the translators are correct, it creates two significant scriptural anomalies: 1) Satan is nowhere else said to blind; blinding is squarely in God's domain. 2) Neither God nor His servants ever call Satan a god of something—at most, he is one of the “so-called gods” that “are not gods” (I Corinthians 8:5; Galatians 4:8). Rather than blinding, Satan deceives, distorts, and twists the truth. At times, we may use the terms “blinding” and “deceiving” interchangeably, which can have similar effects on understanding. However, the critical distinction is that it comes down to intent. God is absolutely committed to truth—to what is real. Jesus declared Himself to be the Truth. God desires His children to understand and walk in truth. However, without the necessary spiritual faculties, a person can find truth overwhelming, even painful, just as a diseased eye may find bright light excruciating. God hides and reveals truth according to His will as He moves His creation toward everlasting light. In type, we do the same thing with our children. We recognize that some knowledge would be harmful to them before they are mature, so we limit their exposure to some of the realities of life. We also determine what knowledge they are responsible for, according to their capability. God does the same thing with His children. In their natural state, humans cannot deal with God's knowledge and understanding, so He opens their eyes according to what is appropriate. He also closes their eyes, either as a judgment (see Deuteronomy 28:28) or out of mercy. In the Parable of the Faithful Steward, the man who does not know the master's will is disciplined less because he is accountable for less (Luke 12:47-48). Because God has hidden some truth for the time being, He has concluded humanity in unbelief so that He can have mercy on all (Romans 11:32, KJV). In this age, He is not working with all mankind the same way, so He closes the minds—blinds the spiritual eyes—of those He will work with in later ages. As Solomon teaches, part of His glory is to conceal matters (Proverbs 25:2). Satan, though, is not committed to truth; he is instead the father of lies and liars (John 8:44). God has not granted him authority to open or close eyes, so instead, he plays fast and loose with the truth with ultimate skill. He is not devoted to God's reality but to his own agenda. He lies, exaggerates, acts, distracts, downplays, and employs any other subterfuge in his pursuit of superiority. He will use some truth, but he couches it in self-serving ways that do not reflect reality. Scripture never shows him opening eyes or taking away understanding God has given. However, he will twist and distort truth, encouraging human nature to deceive itself about the truth that is available. Some truth is readily available to all. Mankind is without excuse when it comes to the truth of God's existence (see Romans 1:18-21). Satan has not closed men's eyes to this reality. Instead, Paul says, people have suppressed that truth, closing their own eyes, and Satan has aided them along the way. Similarly, the serpent “helped” Eve reinterpret what God had said in a way that seemed to benefit her. In fact, the world's disintegration began with Eve seeking knowledge that was not appropriate for her yet: Adam's and Eve's eyes were opened through eating of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Satan neither opened nor closed their eyes, but he offered an alternative narrative that eased their rejection of what God had said. Cultivating a love for truth thus becomes paramount, for that love stands as a hedge against falling away. When we value personal comfort or interpersonal harmony more than living by God's every word, we close our own eyes. When we so choose, we alter our beliefs and can no longer see what we saw before. David C. Grabbe Spiritual Blindness (Part Two): The God of This Age Related Topics: "Need-to-Know" Basis | Blinding in God's Domain | Blinding Spiritually | Satan as a Liar | Satan as father of liars | Satan Deceives | Satan Deceives Whole World | Satan Twists the Truth | Spiritual Blindness: The God of this Age

 

		The Berean: Daily Verse and Comment Sign up for the Berean: Daily Verse and Comment, and have Biblical truth delivered to your inbox. This daily newsletter provides a starting point for personal study, and gives valuable insight into the verses that make up the Word of God. See what over 155,000 subscribers are already receiving each day. Email Address:     A Faithful VersionKing James VersionNew International VersionNew King James Version Leave this field empty
We respect your privacy. Your email address will not be sold, distributed, rented, or in any way given out to a third party. We have nothing to sell. You may easily unsubscribe at any time.