He Leadeth the Blind

The chapter which contains this text opens with the explanation of the office of Christ. It reads, “Behold My servant, whom I uphold; Mine elect, in whom My soul delighteth; I have put My spirit upon him: he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles.” It speaks about Him who will lead the blind. The words, “and I will bring,” found in our text refer to the Lord Jesus Christ, the true Surety of His people, the Great Shepherd who will lead His God-given flock in the way of true salvation. This Great Shepherd is the Son of God, the only-begotten of the Father, and yet co-equal with the Father. He became man in order to be the true Mediator between God and man, to deliver His people out of the state of sin and death. Many names are given Him in the Bible, such as Immanuel, God with us, Jesus, Savior, Christ the Anointed, Lord of lords, and King of kings.

People of God, may the Lord lead us by His Holy Spirit in the meaning of His Names, but also in that which He declared Himself to be. In the letters to the seven churches of Asia Minor, He said to the church of Ephesus, “These things saith He that holdeth the seven stars in His right hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks.” To the church of Smyrna He wrote, “These things saith the first and the last, which was dead, and is alive,” etc. How firmly the foundation of the true church lies in its great Head. The words, “and I will bring the blind by a way that they knew not,” are the words of the Lord Jesus Christ, or actually the words of a triune God.

Let us consider who these blind people are. By nature they are all people, Jew and Gentile. But the text speaks about a people who are brought out of the darkness of sin and death. The Lord has said, “I will bring the blind by a way that they knew not.” How true is the Word of God, and how precious are the truths of that Word! By regeneration the Lord will bring a people in a way that they knew not, for the way of grace is a way which we do not know in our deep, fallen state.

What a comfort lies in the words, “I will bring”! Therein lies the strength of that people. It is not only that the Lord will bring them out of the state of death by regeneration, but it is by this grace and light that they learn how blind they are. They learn how blind they are in heavenly ways, of which we read clearly in Isaiah 48:17, ‘Thus saith the Lord, thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; I am the Lord thy God which teacheth thee to profit, which leadeth thee by the way that thou shouldest go.” How rich the text is in Psalm 73:24, “Thou shalt guide me with Thy counsel, and afterward receive me to glory.”

It is clearly shown that what the Lord begins, He will carry on, since our text continues, “I will lead them in paths that they have not known.” Along this unknown path in which the Lord will lead the blind is the discovery of self. What a painful, but yet such an important, lesson it is to be led by the Holy Spirit in the path of repentance. The blind are brought before the holy law, a path which the natural man does not know. It is a way that the vulture’s eye hath not seen. How dark, how fearful it can be under the thunderings of Sinai when our sins rise up against us and the sorrow of guilt is felt deep in the heart! There the soul may justify a righteous God, and by grace may love a condemning God.

By nature enmity rises against God’s sovereignty. How powerfully Satan works in connection with our sinful flesh; the words ring in our ears, “Jacob have I loved, and Esau have I hated.” Oh, how the blind one is attacked with the words from Hebrews 6:4–5, “For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, and have tasted the good Word of God, and the powers of the world to come.” How dark it can be for the soul under these trying times! They are ways which the soul hath not known, ways in which the Lord condemns him. He is afraid that the sovereignty of God excludes him, and that he will be proven to be an hypocrite, for he cannot deny that he has tasted of the heavenly gift in experiencing sweet times of repentance. How his heart flowed out in true contrition in the upright love of a godly sorrow! How he has experienced sweet moments of hope, when he was privileged to go up to the house of the Lord, there gleaning on the field of the greater Boaz!

Then to experience that everything is dark within, everything is barren, and all the doors are shut — hope sinks away, an assaulting devil roars, and, on the other hand, a tempting devil advises to return to the former life. The soul fears much; everything points to him as the most wretched and unhappy creature living on the face of the earth. All things in the providence of God seem to be against him. Oh my friends, do you understand the words, “and I will make darkness light before them”? In Luke 1:79 we read, “To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.”

When the Lord says, “I will bring the blind by a way that they knew not,” it is not only in a discovering work, but also in the applying work, where they may behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world. They are given a glimpse, by faith, of that spotless Lamb who suffered and died so that such sinners as they, may experience “I will lead them in paths that they have not known.” Then hope is revived, and the soul sinks away in unworthiness, crying out, “Who can tell?” He sings with Psalter 202, “In doubt and temptation, I rest Lord in Thee.” Love is renewed, the soul receives new courage, and the darkness dispels into light. The soul is given to see a little of the wonderful works of a triune God, how that God can be reconciled with a guilty sinner in that blessed Mediator Jesus, the Savior for sinners. Jesus becomes precious to them in His prophetical office. They may at those times say, “Away pleasures, away world!” They can uprightly make the choice of Ruth, “Thy people shall be my people.” By grace they may even go a little further with Ruth, experiencing those precious gleanings on the field, also hearing words from the mouth of the greater Boaz, and possibly coming so far as to lie at His feet on the threshing floor.

To continue, the Lord says, “I will make the crooked things straight.” We find this also in Isaiah 40:4, “Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain,” and in Isaiah 45:2, “I will go before thee, and make the crooked places straight: I will break in pieces the gates of brass, and cut in sunder the bars of iron.” The soul is given to rejoice in the Lord when all the crooked ways are made straight. They may see the loving dealings of the Lord with them. They may see for a moment that all these crooked and dark ways do not come out of the left hand, but the right hand of a merciful God in Christ. They may then understand that which is written in Romans 8 that all things work together for good. Yes, my friends — all things.

We will not go further into the text, but close with the last words, in which we find a rich and blessed promise for all the people of God. It is these words, “these things will I do unto them, and not forsake them.” What a rich promise of the Lord to that people who deserve nothing, but by free and sovereign grace may receive everything! Four times the text reads, “I will.” Oh, that blessed Shepherd who goes before His sheep! He is their grace; He is their love; He is their light; He is their strength; He is their wisdom; He is their righteousness; He is their holiness; He is their redemption; He is their all and in all; He is their glory forever and forever. They are chosen in eternity, called in time, and will be brought safely to glory.

People of God, should you not cry out, “Unto Him be all the glory, now and forever”? Boys and girls, men and women, seek it not in the world, because this will end in eternal death and in eternal condemnation. Young and old, hear the Word of the Lord. Be a separate people and seek that one thing needful.

Concerned and troubled souls, your way can be so dark and so crooked, but remember that the darkest part of the night is just before the dawn; the deepest valleys and highest mountains are before the plain. Don’t forget, we have a right to nothing. People of God, may the Lord by His Holy Spirit bind this promise unto you, “These things will I do unto them and not forsake them.”

Rev. J. Spaans is pastor of the Netherlands Reformed Congregation of Norwich, Ontario.

Deze tekst is geautomatiseerd gemaakt en kan nog fouten bevatten. Digibron werkt voortdurend aan correctie. Klik voor het origineel door naar de pdf. Voor opmerkingen, vragen, informatie: contact.

Op Digibron -en alle daarin opgenomen content- is het databankrecht van toepassing. Gebruiksvoorwaarden. Data protection law applies to Digibron and the content of this database. Terms of use.

Printen