Blind As A Bat And Your Ears Need Cleaned Out!

An elderly woman stood on a busy street corner, hesitant to cross because there was no traffic signal. As she waited, a gentleman came up beside her and asked, “May I cross over with you?” Relieved, she thanked him and took his arm. The path they took was anything but safe. The man seemed to be confused as they dodged traffic and walked in a zigzag pattern across the street. “You almost got us killed!” the woman exclaimed in anger when they finally reached the curb. “You walk like you’re blind!” “I am,” he replied. “That’s why I asked if I could cross with you.”

We’ve all heard the expression “You’re as blind as a bat!” This expression is used based on the idea that because bats fly erratically they are blind. In fact, they are not blind at all. However, this message is not about bats, it is about blindness.

You see, we live in a world where people’s eyes have been blinded. Like the man and woman crossing the street, they can’t see where they are going and are headed for certain destruction.

Not only are they blind, but they are deaf as well. It seems as if you can try to talk to someone about their spiritual condition until you are blue in the face but in many cases you may feel like you are talking to a brick wall. Why? Because they are too deaf to hear.

Most of you are probably familiar with the Helen Keller story. Helen was both blind and deaf. On top of that, she was a little brat. She would often smash dishes and lamps and terrorize the whole household with her screaming and temper tantrums. She would eat the food off of other people’s plates at the dinner table. Relatives regarded her as a monster and thought she should be put into an institution. But really, what could you do if you were the family? Yell at her?

Pure logic would seem obvious that it won’t do any good to yell at something that can’t hear. But how often don’t we try it? Did you ever try to yell at a weed-wacker when it won’t start? Or, how about when you try to talk to someone who doesn’t understand English – the tendency is to talk louder as if that will help them understand you.

I have a little problem that I have to deal with, my ears don’t clean themselves out as they should so I will get a back up of wax and I can’t hear well. I can remember many times as a boy my mother would get after me and tell me “You need to clean your ears out!” (I may have just been pretending I couldn’t hear…)

Imagine going to a doctor and telling him you are losing your eyesight to have him say, “Come on! Look! Don’t be blind!” It seems rather foolish to tell a blind person to see or a deaf person to hear. But the same thing happens today, as Isaiah calls out in verse 18, “Hear, ye deaf; and look, ye blind, that ye may see.”

This morning I would like to talk to you for a little while about spiritual blindness. Notice…

I. The Reality of Spiritual Blindness.

Notice what verses 6-7 says, “I the LORD have called thee in righteousness, and will hold thine hand, and will keep thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles; 7 To open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison house.”

It will not take you long to look out into the world around about us before you will realize that we are in fact living in a world where sin has blinded the eyes of those around about us. It is everyday that we read or hear of another murder, another rape, another horrendous crime.

Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson went on a camping trip. After a good meal, they lay down for the night and went to sleep. Some hours later, Holmes awoke and nudged his faithful friend. “Watson, look up and tell me what you see.” Watson replied, “I see millions and millions of stars.” “What does that tell you?” Watson pondered for a minute.

“Astronomically, it tells me that there are millions of galaxies and potentially billions of planets. Astrologically, I observe that Saturn is in Leo. Horologically, I deduce that the time is approximately a quarter past three. Theologically, I can see that God is all-powerful and that we are small and insignificant. Meteorologically, I suspect that we will have a beautiful day tomorrow. Why, what does it tell you?” Holmes said, “Watson you idiot, someone has stolen our tent.”