What other biblical events show God blinding people to protect His followers? God’s Protective Use of Blindness: Key Moments Beyond Sodom • Genesis 19:11 sets the pattern: “And they struck the men at the entrance of the house, young and old, with blindness, so that they wore themselves out groping for the door.” – Here the angels render the mob powerless, preserving Lot’s household and the Messianic line. Elisha and the Aramean Army • “Elisha prayed to the LORD, ‘Please strike these people with blindness.’ So He struck them with blindness according to the word of Elisha.” (v. 18) • The enemy troops are led harmlessly into Samaria and later released, proving God can disarm a hostile force without bloodshed. • The incident shields the prophet and the nation, reinforcing that “those who are with us are more than those who are with them” (v. 16). The Pillar of Cloud at the Red Sea • “So it came between the camps of Egypt and Israel. There was cloud and darkness, and it lit up the night; yet neither camp came near the other all night.” • While not called “blindness,” the thick darkness functions the same way—Egypt cannot see to attack, giving Israel safe passage and foreshadowing God’s future interventions. Saul of Tarsus Temporarily Halted • “He fell to the ground and heard a voice… When he opened his eyes he could not see.” (vv. 4, 8) • The persecutor is stopped in his tracks; believers in Damascus receive a reprieve. • God also transforms the threat into an apostle, turning danger into advance for the gospel. Elymas the Sorcerer Silenced • Paul confronts the magician who is “opposing them and trying to turn the proconsul from the faith.” • “Now look! The hand of the Lord is upon you, and you will be blind and for a time unable to see the sun.” (v. 11) • The sudden mist and darkness hushes the opposition and clears the way for Sergius Paulus to believe. Prophetic Glimpses of Coming Protection • “I will strike every horse of the peoples with blindness.” • In the last days God again neutralizes enemies’ sight, shielding Jerusalem. • The fifth bowl plunges the beast’s kingdom “into darkness,” preserving the saints as judgment falls. Themes to Notice • God intervenes decisively yet selectively—only the threat is blinded. • Blindness can be a mercy (Saul) or a judgment (Elymas), but it always guards God’s redemptive purpose. • Physical sight is secondary to spiritual vision; those who trust the Lord walk in light even when armies, mobs, or emperors grope in the dark. The same God who shielded Lot, Elisha, Israel, and the early church still watches over His people today, more than able to confound any force that rises against them. |
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