Isaiah 29:21, commentary and pictures

To twist a person's words into a charge of guilt over what is trivial or innocent is to make him an offender for a word. To lay traps for those who openly reprove wrong in order to silence their protest and shut out moral courage is to snare the reprover in the gate, and to deny the righteous justice over an empty nothing is to turn aside the just. It is the work of faultfinding watchers for evil and for halting, who cherish bitterness when crossed, act from unsanctified pride and self-will, and reveal a Pharisaical spirit that suspects the purest motives. Those who persist in it will be cut off and brought to nothing when God does His marvelous work, while in that day the deaf shall hear the words of the book, the blind shall see out of darkness, and the meek and poor shall increase their joy in the Lord. It is therefore cruel and unjust and must be put away, for all judgment is committed to the Son by God's unerring standard; instead believers must bear with one another in compassion, speak frankly and kindly to the brother himself rather than tale-bearing to others, and dwell on the bright side of God's character and Christ's love.

Meaning of the Words

Making a man an offender for a word is twisting what is said into grounds for accusation, treating a person as guilty over speech and using words as a pretext to accuse others. It can turn even on something trivial, over a mere word, where there is no actual sin in what was criticized.

Laying a snare for him that reproveth in the gate is setting traps for those who correct wrongdoing publicly, for those who challenge wrongdoers and give correction in the open. It is challenging them, seeking to stop their mouths, to silence protest and shut out those with moral courage to name oppression, robbery, exaction, and double dealing.

Turning aside the just for a thing of nought is denying justice to the innocent and righteous over something empty and trivial. It is perverting justice, corrupting judgment, and oppressing those who speak against the wrong for personal gain.

Setting and Coming Judgment

The verse belongs to the company of those who watch for wrongdoing, the violent oppressor and the mocker and all who plot harm against others. It includes those who seek to hide their plans from the Lord in darkness as if unseen and unknown, who invert Creator and creature, who approach with mouth and lips while the heart stays distant and reverence is only human rule, and who listen with outward affection of speech while the heart pursues gain and refuses obedience. It also includes professing believers who show bitterness when their own ideas and will are crossed, who feel injured when all does not accord with their expectations, who look for evil and are ready to charge others with it, who watch for a chance to complain, and who reject warning and correction.

Those who act in this way are cut off, consumed, and brought to nothing, and their power and influence are ended. This takes place when God proceeds to do His marvelous work and wonder and the understanding of the prudent is hidden. The violent are then brought to nothing and the mocker consumed.

In that same day the deaf hear the words of the book and the eyes of the blind see out of gloom and darkness. The humble increase joy in the Lord and the poor among men rejoice in the Holy One of Israel. The despised receive the message that leads sinners to repentance and understanding, while mockers and watchers for wrongdoing are removed.

Afterward Jacob is no longer ashamed nor his face pale, for his children as the work of God's hands sanctify God's name and stand in awe of the God of Israel. Those who erred in spirit come to understanding and those who complained learn instruction.

The conditions of the chapter belong to the present world, especially to those turned away from truth and misled by persuasive speech. They stand as a repeated warning that God's word will be fulfilled and that destruction will come upon cities, warning against trusting those who reject divine warning and correction. Those who reject reproof and follow voices that turn things upside down are left unable to see, like blind men.

The whole section from blindness through restoration will be met by all who claim to be teachers yet act on these principles without conversion of heart. Their eyes are greatly blinded so that they do not see, weakening the Lord's work and dishonoring truth of heavenly origin, including men in responsible positions at the center of the work who retain old inherited and cultivated traits while serving as counselors and wise men, who mingle their own spirit with words and acts and pervert principle, who combine to do what God has forbidden, until justice and mercy and love toward God and man fall in the streets and equity cannot enter. Even so God will still have a remnant people purified, made white, and tested.

Hearts That Commit This

This wrong is the work of faultfinders and watchers for iniquity, for evil, and for halting, who criminalize a person over speech and condemn what is unworthy of notice. They cherish bitterness of spirit when their own ideas and will are crossed, feel abused when all does not harmonize with their ideas, think themselves treated unjustly, and make a great fire out of a spark. They watch for opportunity to complain, unite and talk with those who have grievances, empty the heart of hard feelings and wounds and bruises, and sow seeds of bitterness, evil speaking, wrath and malice that the enemy waters. Even while professing to be Bible Christians they reveal the same feelings as an unconverted person, speaking evil of brethren, looking for evil, misconstruing motives, and charging with evil those who will not accommodate expectations and carry out their ideas.

It comes from an unsanctified, self-willed, proud, hardhearted and condemnatory heart that is sensitive to any reproof itself yet judges brethren for a word and draws apart because they do not speak and act to please. It comes from self-sufficiency, self-esteem, desire to be first, envy, jealousy, suspicion, fault-finding, false witness, and an unconsecrated heart that under strong temptation views things in a perverted light, so that suspicion reflects the critic's own mind. It is mingled as a personal spirit with words and actions by those acting as counselors and wise men in responsible positions and positions of trust without heart conversion, holding to old hereditary and cultivated character and perverting principle. Such harsh, unforgiving criticism, distrust, evil surmising, evil speaking and injustice can reproduce itself even in connection with God's cause and become more grievous than the errors and mistakes condemned.

It shows the spirit of Phariseeism and self-righteous, self-deluding superiority that supposes others at fault and harbors evil thoughts suspecting even the purest motives. Exalted self claims all faith, honor and love for itself, leaving the heart a hopeless and profitless soil where heavenly truth cannot take root, while roots of bitterness stirred by the goodness seen in true Christians defile many. From that soil come strong hard reproofs and condemnations that crush hope and courage out of the soul, turning even a word into grounds for guilt when there is no actual sin in what is criticized.

It means striving to bring fellow men under personal jurisdiction, lifting up and casting down at pleasure, and placing men in close places to gain unjust ends by inconsistent plans devised without the Holy Spirit. It violates supreme love to God and love to fellow men by heartily disliking and despising anyone who questions a favored course thought wise. It treats with disrespect those entrusted with a message, rejects both message and messengers, seeks to stop their mouths and silence protest, and cherishes bitter feelings and hatred toward the message and its bearers. Those with moral courage to reprove oppression by its right name, refuse the net spread for the unwary, protest robbery, and stand firm against exaction and double dealing are therefore looked on with disfavor and shut out from councils.

It wrongly takes up the work of correcting others to fit personal ideas and standards by reproof and harsh cutting remarks, which is not duty and not the work given to do. It measures all by one iron rule, is exacting and watches for failings, pushes souls away with hurried fanatical zeal governed by strong feeling, and is quick to take offense and rebellious against all discipline and correction. It is scrupulous over little matters while dealing unjustly in serious wrongs, condemning lesser faults severely while overlooking greater sins, neglect of justice and mercy, and false principles, which reveals distorted spiritual judgment. Such a spirit is wholly unbecoming, must be entirely changed, and leaves God's cause better off without that influence than with it.

Forms and Instances of Wrong

Tale-bearing that breaks unity and injures character is a common form of making a man an offender for a word. Small incidents and minor mistakes are seized upon, rumors are collected, repeated and exaggerated until scandal is spread abroad. What begins as a word or a trifle is turned into accusation that harms influence and reputation, while those who would correct wrong are obstructed. Such rumor-spreading fosters jealousy and division and does the work of Satan. Hearsay is to be rejected, the heart examined, and concerns taken frankly and kindly to the brother himself with prayer with and for him.

Another form is going back over a brother's history for years to search out everything unfavorable and every shadow of evil to sustain accusers. Every power is brought to uphold the accusing side in a course that is unjustifiable and unchristian. Little motes are exalted into charges, and dust and storm are raised against a man when investigation proves there is nothing at all to the accusations. Such faultfinding and unfounded accusation is childish, inconsistent and miserable, a grievous sin wrought through hearts not daily partaking of the divine nature. It must be fought without yielding an inch to gratify a faultfinding, disorderly spirit, with victory gained through Jesus Christ, for accusers will be dealt with in the same manner and measure they use and will meet their work again. Their example also shapes watching students who are impatient of restraint, molding their character and life history.

Another form is judging a brother by finite human measurement and contracting the mind upon little things. The mind centers on objectionable matters, dwells on disagreeable items in self and in brethren, fills itself with contemplation of others' mistakes and errors, and speaks words of criticism. Motives are misconstrued, and those who do not accommodate expectations and carry out favored ideas are charged with evil. A great fire is made out of a spark, the person thinks himself treated unjustly, feels abused when all does not harmonize with personal ideas, and watches for opportunity to complain. Limited personal standards are set up in place of patience and love, with thoughts resting anywhere but on God's character and the experience of Christ's love. Instead self-discipline must exalt and ennoble rather than narrow, cultivating faith and endurance under trial from holy principles, constantly looking and talking on the bright side, letting simple trustful earnest prayer be heard in the dwelling, dwelling upon the love of Jesus and His beauty and grace, and letting the fullness of that love soothe little bruises, inconveniences and disagreeable occurrences, for no one is perfect but Jesus and beholding defects weakens faith in God and His promises.

Still another form is secret dealing behind a person's back. Envious and jealous complaint is listened to, evil surmisings and suspicions are treated as truth, a worker is misrepresented and judged unworthy of confidence while kept in ignorance of the real facts. Such dealing is cruel, unjust and wrong, wounding souls, embittering experience, and throwing souls onto Satan's battleground where they may never recover. The one at fault must instead be told plainly and frankly to herself, not to others, and labored for in love as a mother or father would, to educate, train and correct the fault in order to save souls, by dealing justly, loving mercy, walking humbly with God, and being as open as day in all dealings. So a sick, care-worn, paralyzed man was made an offender over something he said, and Brother Wood at Avon stood alone with folded arms feeling aggrieved when causeless suspicion, jealousy and envy made him guilty over a mere word, bringing trials and loss of peace from a mere atom. In the same way every detail of Edson White's boat work was seized, misconstrued and magnified, showing how a word or minor mistake is made to invite criticism.

Warning and Right Conduct

Making a man an offender for a word is cruel, unjust and wrong, and childish, inconsistent and miserable conduct, a grievous sin in God's sight wrought through hearts not daily partaking of the divine nature. It includes going back over a brother's history for years to search out everything unfavorable and every shadow of evil to use against him, bringing every power to sustain the accusers, and exalting little motes into charges and raising dust and storm when investigation proves there is nothing at all to the accusations. It includes striving to bring fellow men under personal jurisdiction, lifting up and casting down at pleasure, and placing men in close places to gain unjust ends by inconsistent plans devised without the Holy Spirit. God does not regard those who practice such oppression, but will deal with accusers in the same manner and measure they use so they will meet their work again, and will reject critics who condemn others and spread unfavorable reports while neglecting to put on Christ's righteousness. Such dealing by listening to envious and jealous complaint, misrepresenting a worker, treating evil surmisings and suspicions as truth, and judging behind the back while keeping the person ignorant of the real facts, wounds souls, embitters experience, and throws souls onto Satan's battleground where they may never recover.

Such doing departs from the Word of God and fails to act out the lessons of Jesus Christ and cannot be in harmony with Christ. It comes from cherishing bitterness of spirit when own ideas and will are crossed, watching for opportunity to complain, uniting and talking with those who have grievances, emptying the heart of hard feelings and wounds and bruises, and sowing seeds of bitterness and evil speaking and wrath and malice that Satan waters. It comes also from self-sufficiency, phariseeism, feeling righteous and meritorious, wanting to be first, self-esteem, envy, jealousy, suspicion, faultfinding, false witness, and an unconsecrated, self-willed, proud, hardhearted and condemnatory heart that views things in a perverted light under temptation, so suspicion reflects the critic's own mind, with sensitivity to any reproof oneself while judging brethren for a word and drawing apart because they do not speak and act to please. It sets a wrong example that shapes watching students impatient of restraint in character and life history, speaks words that produce not union but heartache and discouragement and give cause for anger, breaks sweet fellowship and unity into disgust and secret retaliation, and spreads disaffection, disunion and jealousy as leaven that permeates the company. It dishonors God, degrades the principles of truth, mars and dwarfs Christian experience, breaks the unity Christ prayed for, denies the love by which disciples are known, and gives a wrong impression to families, neighbors and unbelievers.

All judgment is committed to the Son, and words and works will be judged not by man's view but by God's unerring standard, so men must keep off the judgment seat and will be held accountable for every seed sown. Treating a person as guilty over a word is wrong prevailing through a hard, unjust, critical spirit indulged by those holding positions of trust, with suspicion, distrust, jealousy, evil surmising, evil speaking and injustice reproducing themselves even in connection with the cause, including persecution among church members by criticizers and censors whose harsh and unforgiving spirit is more grievous than the errors of those they condemn. Those who indulge this spirit must be converted or be relieved of responsibility in committees of council and business transactions, and their voices must not be heard in council, because the combined result is more injurious than beneficial. Being quick to take offense and rebellious against discipline and reproof is wholly unbecoming and must be entirely changed, for the cause is far better off without that influence than with it, since God wants only well-disciplined soldiers and will accept no others, and those who rebel because drilled and will not do duty because corrected are dismissed as worthless.

Instead believers must bear with one another in compassion, allow for different temperaments and minds, and avoid harsh or rigid discipline and catching a brother in what he says. No one should lord it over God's people or reject a fellow believer without sufficient cause, or wrongly take on correcting others to fit personal ideas and standards by reproof and harsh cutting remarks, for that is not duty nor the work given to do. They should work with one another patiently as Christ has been patient, remembering personal weakness and failings and the patience already shown, and dealing in a judicious, reasonable, patient, forbearing way, since all cannot bear the same rigid discipline or be brought to another's ideas of duty. Right conduct leaves others to God while looking well to one's own case, lays aside suspicion and jealousy, avoids criticizing and judging by limited personal standards, and cultivates the love, pitying tenderness and gentleness of Christ. God does not rigidly mark words and acts in order to cut off, but in kindness and compassion bears with sinners, giving Jesus Christ the righteous as Advocate when sin is committed.

Instead of centering the mind on objectionable things, judging by finite human measurement, and contracting the mind upon poor self and little things, there must be thoughts growing out of holy principles and self-discipline that exalts and ennobles rather than narrows. There must be constantly looking and talking on the bright side, letting simple, trustful, earnest prayer be heard in the home and dwelling instead of faultfinding, poring over disagreeable items, speaking criticism, and filling the mind with contemplation of others' mistakes and errors. Christians should let thoughts rest on God's character and experience of Christ's love, dwell upon the love of Jesus, look away from the disagreeable to Him, love Him more and obtain His beauty and grace of character. Let the fullness of that love soothe little bruises, inconveniences and disagreeable occurrences, for no one is perfect but Jesus and beholding defects weakens faith in God and His promises.

Concerns must be addressed frankly and kindly with the brother himself, not to others, praying with and for him, rejecting hearsay and tale-bearing and examining one's own heart, since seizing on small incidents and repeating and exaggerating them into scandal damages character and influence and fosters jealousy and division. The one at fault must be told plainly and frankly to herself, not to others, and labored for in love as a mother or father would, to educate, train and correct the fault in order to save souls. This is done by dealing justly, loving mercy, walking humbly with God, and being as open as the day in all dealings with one another.