Isaiah 29:13, commentary and pictures

Isaiah 29:13 describes people drawing near and honoring God with mouth and lips while the heart is removed far from Him, and fearing Him only as taught by human rules and traditions rather than by God Himself. It means laying aside the commandments of God to hold the traditions of men and teaching human commandments as doctrine, which makes worship vain and empty and sets men above God. This was the condition of the Jewish people under priests and rulers when Christ came in humanity, when forms, traditions, and human enactments obscured true worship so they failed to recognize Him. To that condition God answers that He will do a marvelous work and a wonder, in which the wisdom of the wise perishes, the deaf hear the words of the book, the blind see out of darkness, and the meek and poor rejoice in the Lord while oppressors are cut off. The same condition marks professed believers who honor God outwardly without heart conversion, daily experience, and obedience, whose lip service does not save and leaves them in spiritual blindness.

Outward Words, Distant Hearts

The verse describes people coming close and giving honor with mouth and lips while the heart has been moved far away, and such spoken worship does not honor God and is not true devotion. It can appear in those who regard themselves as God's people and in workers entrusted with spiritual responsibility, including medical workers not guided by heavenly influence and all who reject reproof and refuse to obey His voice. It marked the Jewish people under priests and rulers when Christ appeared in humanity, honoring Him with mouth and lips while the heart was far and fear toward Him was only taught by human precept. In that setting outward religion stood together with spiritual blindness and loss of understanding, as traditions and human teachings obscured the spiritual purpose of worship God intended.

Their fear toward God is taught by the precept of men, a reverence learned from human rules, traditions, and teachings rather than received from God. Such worship shaped by human commands is misplaced, empty, vain, and not genuine devotion. The Jewish nation exalted forms, traditions, and human enactments until they hid the spiritual lessons God intended, and when Christ came as the reality to which the ceremonies pointed they failed to recognize Him, clung to ceremonies, and demanded signs instead of receiving the gospel message. Their reverence was shaped by human teaching rather than true knowledge from God, leaving them in moral darkness and spiritual blindness.

The condition is profession of religion without conversion of heart, without daily experience and without a life changed by divine truth. It is mere lip service that cannot save, for pilgrimages, offerings, repeated prayers, religious dress, and other outward acts have no power to secure salvation or bring God's favor when the heart is far, since God looks at the heart and Christ's once-for-all sacrifice alone satisfies for the sins of believers. Such empty profession makes its holders a stumbling block to others and harms them, and sacred service itself can become mechanical and merely formal, treating holy things as common while people act contrary to God's will. A person may preach and offer expressions of love to God yet give only lip service, and that worship does not make one fit to teach God's Word or do spiritual work. It describes those who seek comfort, refuse to move out by faith to endure wearing labor and privation in missionary work, do not use knowledge received, lack the spirit of sacrifice, have much of self and little of Christ, have little faith and few good works, yet think they have religion when it amounts to nothing. It also describes people at the very heart of the work who take up truth in profession but keep old hereditary and cultivated character while assuming places as teachers, counsellors, and wise men, teaching by human precepts, mingling their own spirit with words and actions, perverting principle and confederating to do what God forbade, so that justice, mercy, love for God and man fall in the streets and equity cannot enter.

That state leaves people in moral darkness and spiritual blindness, in a sleep and drunkenness in which they profess faith yet cannot see truth. They misunderstand Christ, fail to recognize fulfilled prophecy, cannot walk straight, and treat Christ as a fable while considering themselves God's people. The same blindness overtakes those with great light and opportunity who follow leaders instead of remaining under God's guidance, accept falsehood, and reject counsel, warnings, and reproofs, including in the present time those whose false science and spiritual deception lead them to set truth aside for error.

Israel at Christ's Coming

The verse describes the condition of the Jewish people under the priests and rulers when Christ appeared in humanity, in a time of deep moral darkness among God's professed people. They honored God outwardly with mouth and lips while their hearts were far from Him, and their fear toward Him was only taught by the precept of men. It foretells God's answer to that condition with a marvelous work and a wonder among this people in which the wisdom of the wise would perish, when souls who were not under the jurisdiction of priests and rulers would hear Christ's word, be converted, and believe and acknowledge Him.

The Jewish nation exalted forms, traditions, and human enactments until they obscured the spiritual lessons and purpose of worship God intended. When Christ came as the reality to which the ceremonies pointed, they failed to recognize Him, clung to the ceremonies, and demanded signs instead of receiving the gospel message. They had discarded truth for tradition, drawing near with mouth and lips while the heart was far from God, so their worship was vain while teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. They had lost sight of the character and manner of the promised Deliverer, grown estranged from the spirituality that comes through obedience to God's law, and failed to recognize Jesus while continuing to teach human commandments as doctrine. Christ spoke this prophecy against them as hypocrites, with authority, to rescue truth from the rubbish of superstition and tradition and give it to the world clothed with more than its original glory.

Jesus applied the verse directly to the scribes and Pharisees who came to watch Him to accuse Him because His disciples ate bread with unwashen hands and did not keep the tradition of the elders in washing cups, pots, brazen vessels, and tables. It means laying aside the commandment of God to hold the traditions of men and teaching for doctrines the commandments of men, so that worship is vain. Its proof is fully rejecting the commandment of God to keep human tradition, as in setting aside the fifth commandment to honor father and mother by the rule that a man who says his help is a gift is free and need do nothing more for father or mother, making the word of God of none effect. Their careful ceremonies and outward strictness coexisted with hypocrisy, with ritual traditions displacing God's commandments and confusing the sacred with the common, though some Pharisees were genuinely pious and became His disciples. At Christ's first advent the Jewish priests kept the forms and ceremonies of their office but lacked personal piety and virtuous character, prizing outward show, honors, and wealth and using religious customs and claims to exploit the poor, especially widows and orphans, which shows that honoring God with outward religious forms is empty when the heart is far from Him and human traditions are treated as divine commands.

God's Promised Marvelous Work

Isaiah's charge of lip-honour with a far heart stands joined to God's announced answer, that He will do a marvelous work and a wonder among the people, in which the wisdom of the wise shall perish and the understanding of the prudent shall be hid. That work was foretold against the condition of the Jewish people under priests and rulers when Christ appeared in humanity, whose fear toward God was only taught by the precept of men, and it came when souls not under the jurisdiction of priests and rulers heard Christ's word, were converted, and believed and acknowledged Him. The same connection exposes outward religion as giving no true understanding of God, warning that those who trust their own devices and reject divine warnings, walk in their own ideas, refuse correction, and use hidden dishonest conduct will have their human wisdom brought to nothing and will face sorrow and judgment.

In that marvelous work the deaf shall hear the words of the book, the blind shall see out of obscurity and darkness, and the meek and the poor shall increase joy and rejoice in the Lord. Those who had gone astray shall gain understanding and learn sound teaching, coming to present truth and righteousness as the needed witness shown in action bearing good fruit. This light and joy for the blind, deaf, meek and poor is the direct context of the exposure of false worship shaped by human commands rather than by God.

In that same work the terrible one is brought to nought, the scorner is consumed, and all that watch for iniquity are cut off. Those who oppress the just are removed, so that oppressors no longer hinder the rejoicing of the meek and poor and the learning of those who erred. Such clearing of oppressors belongs to the wonder in which covetous lip-service, robbing God in small and large things, faultfinding, and hearing God's word as a pleasant song without obedience are answered by judgment and deliverance together.

The surrounding prophecy pronounces woe on and exposes those who seek deep to hide counsel from the Lord, make secret plans as though God cannot see, and do works in darkness saying none sees them. It exposes the folly of turning things upside down, of the created thing denying or judging its Maker as if the work could say to its Maker He made me not. That hiding and self-exalting course, followed by people of great light and opportunity who follow leaders instead of God, accept falsehood, and reject counsel, warnings and reproofs, is what calls forth the marvelous work in which human wisdom fails.

Traditions Set Against Commandments

To draw near with mouth and lips while the heart is far away is to lay aside the commandments of God in order to hold the traditions of men, and to teach for doctrines the commandments of men, which makes worship vain and empty. Outward zeal for God then hides self-interest, and by elevating human requirements above divine commands men set themselves above God. The same outward strictness in careful ceremonies and traditions can coexist with hypocrisy, though some who held them were genuinely pious and became disciples. Clinging to church customs and institutions founded on human authority, and resisting those who expose their error, repeats the opposition shown in that day. Choosing human traditions and the commandments of men over God's Word leads to scornfully rejecting Scripture when it is given to the people in their own language, in contrast to all who love truth receiving it with great joy.

The charge was made directly against scribes and Pharisees who watched to accuse because the disciples ate bread with unwashen hands and did not keep the tradition of the elders in washing cups, pots, brazen vessels, and tables. Its proof is fully rejecting the commandment of God to keep human tradition, as in setting aside the fifth commandment to honor father and mother by the rule that a man who says his help is a gift is free and need do nothing more for father or mother, making the word of God of none effect. As it was with the Jewish nation so it will be with all who teach human commandments as doctrine, especially in exalting a first-day false sabbath with common workday worship and many ceremonies above the seventh-day Sabbath of the fourth commandment, which makes worship empty and void.

Setting aside the commandments of God for the precepts of men is never justified, including the demand for Sunday observance in place of God's Sabbath on the ground that desecration of the so-called Christian Sabbath causes corruption and that enforced Sunday-keeping would improve morals. The error is made more dangerous by joining it to a work good in itself, such as temperance reform, and by claiming to labor for the highest interest of society while denouncing those who refuse to unite as enemies of temperance and reform. Even when needed reforms and principles in harmony with the Bible are advocated, servants of God cannot unite with a movement that joins to them a requirement contrary to God's law. As poison mingled with wholesome food is still poison but more likely to be taken unawares, so falsehood combined with just enough truth to give it plausibility is still to be rejected.

Honoring God with words while the heart is far from Him is empty worship, and religious fear shaped by human teachings rather than God's word is false and misplaced. The warning falls on teachers who present inherited human errors and assertions as God's doctrine without a foundation in Scripture, who refuse open careful study of Scripture and refuse to test teachings by a Thus saith the Lord. People are to look to God as the source of truth, listen to His word, and refuse to repeat or let foundationless teachings influence the mind, following the example of refusing customs and ceremonies that conflicted with God's will and condemning the meaningless forms and human maxims so refused. Worship is vain in the present day as then when people look to educated men, scribes and Pharisees, to explain what God revealed, while those teachers depart from God and follow their own understanding instead of the ways of the Lord. Seeking the praise of men, they depart more and more from the plainly revealed way and follow traditions of men's devising, reshaping Scripture to harmonize with their own course and conduct. By so misrepresenting the character of God they charge upon Him satanic attributes and roll thick darkness before His throne to intercept mercy and love, so that Christ must come to sweep back the darkness and reveal the Father in His true character as full of mercy, love, and light.

Warning to Professed Believers

Isaiah 29:13 applies to those who count themselves God's people yet do not understand Christ and treat Him as a fable, professing faith while unable to see truth, misunderstand Christ and fail to recognize fulfilled prophecy. It portrays the condition of the world and calls those who have turned from truth to return to God. It warns against honoring God outwardly while relying on human teaching and wisdom instead of truly knowing and trusting Him.

It describes the course at Battle Creek by men supposed trustworthy, profession with mouth and lips while violating the principles of the Ten Commandments. That course failed supreme love to God and love to fellow men as self. It heartily disliked and despised anyone who questioned the course they thought wise to pursue. It disrespected and rejected the message God entrusted and the messengers He sent.

It shows worship that draws near with mouth and lips while the heart goes after covetousness, robbing God in small and large things, faultfinding, and doing nothing heard. It means coming as God's people, sitting before His word and hearing it as a pleasant song without obedience. It describes those who seek comfort, refuse to move out by faith to endure wearing labor and privation in missionary work, and do not use knowledge received. They have not the spirit of sacrifice, have much of self and little of Christ, have little faith and few good works, yet think they have religion when it amounts to nothing.

It marks the state of God's people in Michigan where large institutions are established, honoring with mouth and lips while the heart is far and worship is taught by human precepts. It was dense darkness and spiritual blindness, though heaven had given greater spiritual and temporal blessings than to any people before, yet there was no corresponding obedience, wisdom, humility, and holiness. God's gifts were misinterpreted, privileges misapplied to please self, light not passed to others, and by not improving light the people became blind and lacked self-sacrificing workers together with God, while in that darkness those who cherished sanctifying truth are to shine.

It shows God speaking to His professed workers who live in discord, contention, and strife and stand apart as independent atoms instead of working together under His supervision, having not done the certain work He called them to do. The warning applies to medical workers not guided by heavenly influence and more broadly to those who reject reproof and refuse to obey His voice. It applies to people with great light who follow leaders instead of God, accept falsehood, and reject counsel, warnings, and reproofs. It applies to people at the very heart of the work who take up truth in profession but are not converted to practice it.

It describes people within the professed church who claim to believe truth and honor God by keeping His commandments while not loving Him, not trembling at His Word, and not purifying the soul in obeying truth. They keep old hereditary and cultivated character while assuming places as teachers, counsellors, and wise men, teaching by human precepts, mingling their own spirit with words and actions, perverting principle and confederating to do what God forbade, so justice, mercy, and love for God and man fall in the streets and equity cannot enter. They walk in imaginations of their own thoughts and sparks of their own kindling, accept Satan's plans, unite in heart with the confederacy of evil and become his agents, and the same principalities and powers of spiritual wickedness working in secrecy through concealed channels to make void God's law work with them. Their eyes are blinded, and the word will be fulfilled to all who claim to be teachers yet act so, greatly weakening the Lord's work, while God will have a remnant purified, made white, and tried.

The verse is fulfilled when people's work tears down instead of restoring and advancing God's work and their words offer only opposition, showing outward service does not make God accept a spirit that misrepresents Him. Cruelty and hardness cultivated are Satan's traits. It applies to the present time including those whose false science and spiritual deception lead them to set truth aside for error, and to those who claim to honor God but refuse correction and use hidden dishonest conduct.

Christ spoke this prophecy against hypocrites with authority to rescue truth from the rubbish of superstition and tradition and give it to the world clothed with more than its original glory. The same work is needed now when the enemy tries to remove old truths from their setting and put spurious theories in place, requiring keen perception and sharp spiritual eyesight to discern Satan's intrigues and give old truths their proper place in God's plan. This prophecy presents truth and righteousness as the needed witness shown in action bearing good fruit, while those who had gone astray gain understanding and learn sound teaching.

Drawing near with lips while the heart is far is worthless profession and denial of Christ. Useless chit-chat and a flood of evil speech prove Christ is not abiding within, for every tree is known by its fruits and no one can communicate what he does not have, and if the tongue works iniquity all profession says in effect I know not the man. Lip service joined to selfish plans for self-exaltation denies Christ, while true confession means words, dress, spirit, conduct, and conversation testify and reveal on which side the whole man stands, demanding the whole being consecrated, for a divided heart cannot be used. It is easy to talk truth with lips and keep a dry form of duties with no heart, as with young people separated from God's light and love. Such divided state darkens others especially in the home and training of children, requiring love of God first and enthroned, giving up every rival influence of husband, wife, or child, guarding affections from earthly things, and surrendering whole mind, soul, and strength to serve with humility and joy. The verse calls finite erring people to walk in the way God showed instead of their own counsel and warned-against principles.