Isaiah 29:16, commentary and pictures

Surely turning things upside down is reversing the order between Maker and made, as if the work could deny its maker or the thing formed could deny its former understanding. That reversal is hiding plans and purposes from God and setting human judgment above His wisdom, though all that is concealed remains open before Him. The prophecy foretold the work done when Christ came in human form, when souls outside priestly rule heard His word and believed, and He applied its words to those who honored God with lips while hearts were far away and human tradition displaced divine command. It exposes the upside-down thinking of those who claim religious standing yet are deceived, turning truth aside for error and crooked paths without seeing their own blindness. The same turning appears in teachers and workers at the heart of the work who claim great light yet remain unconverted, mingling their own spirit with counsel and perverting principle until justice and mercy fall, while God still purifies a tried remnant.

Potter, Clay, and Reversal

To turn things upside down is to reverse the relation between Creator and creature, esteeming the potter's clay above the potter. It is folly for the work to say of the one who made it that he did not make it, and for the thing framed to say of the one who framed it that he had no understanding, for human beings are the work of God and the created thing has no right to deny its Maker or to judge and reject His authority and wisdom. That reversal rebukes medical workers who resist heavenly influence and God's direction by opposing His will and exalting human authority. It also rebukes those whose outward religious words conceal hearts devoted to covetousness and whose conduct reverses what is right.

The same reversal includes hiding plans and purposes from God while treating human judgment as wiser than the Maker's. Those who do so deny and dispute with their Creator like clay disputing with the potter, acting as though they know better than God when they reject His counsel and warnings and follow deceptive human leaders and seducing spirits. Their concealed schemes nevertheless remain known to Him. In its setting this describes those who hide their plans from God and reject the light He has sent, whose false ideas belong to the spiritual blindness and confusion confronting those carrying forward the third angel's message, even trusting false science and rejecting truth so that they cannot walk straight in the way of truth, like those spiritually drunk, as unbelieving Jews fulfilled Old Testament prophecy about Christ without realizing it.

God Himself will turn everything upside down in His work when those closely connected in it remain exclusive and secretive toward each other. Unless those who labor together are one in soul with perfect confidence in each other and perfect frankness and openness, He will overturn the order of the Office. Unless things go on in an entirely different manner and principle, that overturning will come.

Prophecy and Past Fulfillment

The prophecy to which the turning upside down belongs foretold the work accomplished when Christ appeared in human form, when souls outside the jurisdiction of priests and rulers heard His word, were converted, and believed and acknowledged Him. Christ applied the surrounding prophecy to the Pharisees, who honored God with their lips while their hearts were far from Him and set aside God's commands for human traditions, thereby rejecting God's authority in favor of their own religious rules. Unbelieving Jews fulfilled Old Testament prophecy concerning Christ without realizing it, and their spiritual blindness and inability to walk straight in the way of truth are set forth under the image of spiritual drunkenness.

Isaiah 29:9-24 is God's description of the course pursued at Battle Creek by men supposed to be trustworthy, who violated the principles of the ten commandments by showing neither supreme love to God nor love to fellow men as to themselves. In their own wisdom they pursued a course and heartily disliked and despised anyone who questioned it. The very men entrusted with a message for God's people were not treated with respect, for the opposers rejected not only the message but would have rejected the messengers themselves, cherishing bitter feelings against them. Yet had their mouths been stopped and their voices silenced, God would have raised up others to do the work, and if no human voice could be heard He could have given a tongue to the stones to proclaim the message He would have brought to men.

Warning to Professed Believers

The turning upside down is the thinking of people who claim religious standing while deceived, setting truth aside for error and following crooked paths without recognizing their own spiritual blindness, treating the Creator as though He lacked understanding, and the prophecy is fulfilled in their condition. The chapter portrays the true conditions in the world today and is to be studied by those who have cast truth behind them and are deceived by persuasive words. Those who once knew the truth but turned aside are invited to return to God, and the prophecy would still be fulfilled.

In its own day the warning falls on those who reject truth, trust false science, and reject the light God has sent. Their false ideas form part of the spiritual blindness and confusion confronting those carrying forward the third angel's message. Those who cannot walk straight in the way of truth are as those drunk spiritually, fulfilling prophecy without realizing it as did the unbelieving Jews concerning Christ. The rebuke reaches those whose outward religious words conceal hearts devoted to covetousness and whose conduct reverses what is right. It reaches medical workers who resist heavenly influence and God's direction by opposing His will and exalting human authority, for what is created has no right to deny or judge the wisdom of its Creator.

Rejecting God's counsel and warnings while following deceptive human leaders and seducing spirits is acting as though human judgment were wiser than the Maker's, like clay disputing with the potter, yet concealed schemes remain known to Him. The same reversal is seen in teachers and counsellors at the heart of the work who claim great light yet are not converted in heart and soul. They keep old hereditary and cultivated characters, mingle their own spirit with counsel, pervert principle, confederate to do what God expressly forbade, misrepresent God and insult His honor, and cause justice and mercy and love for God and man to fall in the streets so that equity cannot enter. Their eyes are blinded so they cannot see, they weaken the work of the Lord and dishonor truth of heavenly origin, and this word will be fulfilled to all who act out these principles, while God will still have a remnant people purified, made white, and tried.