Topical Bible: Blindness: Israelites

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Blindness, both physical and spiritual, is a recurring theme in the Bible, particularly concerning the Israelites. This condition is often used metaphorically to describe the spiritual state of the people of Israel when they turn away from God and His commandments.

Physical Blindness

Physical blindness is mentioned in various contexts throughout the Old Testament. In the Law, God commands the Israelites to care for the blind, emphasizing compassion and justice: "You must not curse the deaf or place a stumbling block before the blind, but you are to fear your God. I am the LORD" (Leviticus 19:14). This command underscores the importance of protecting and providing for those who are vulnerable.

Spiritual Blindness

Spiritual blindness is a more pervasive theme in the Scriptures, often symbolizing the Israelites' inability to perceive and follow God's will. The prophets frequently rebuke the people for their spiritual insensitivity and idolatry. Isaiah, for instance, laments the condition of Israel: "Bring out a people who are blind, even though they have eyes, and are deaf, even though they have ears" (Isaiah 43:8). This metaphorical blindness represents a failure to understand and obey God's revelations.

The New Testament continues this theme, with Jesus addressing the spiritual blindness of the religious leaders of His time. In the Gospel of John, Jesus heals a man born blind, using the miracle to illustrate a deeper truth about spiritual sight: "Jesus said, 'For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind may see and those who see may become blind'" (John 9:39). Here, Jesus contrasts physical sight with spiritual insight, highlighting the Pharisees' inability to recognize Him as the Messiah.

Blindness as Judgment

Blindness is also depicted as a form of divine judgment. In Deuteronomy, God warns the Israelites of the consequences of disobedience: "The LORD will afflict you with madness, blindness, and confusion of mind" (Deuteronomy 28:28). This passage indicates that spiritual and physical blindness can be a result of turning away from God's covenant.

Restoration of Sight

Despite the prevalence of blindness, both physical and spiritual, the Bible also offers hope for restoration. The prophets speak of a future time when God will heal the blind and restore His people. Isaiah prophesies, "Then the eyes of the blind will be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped" (Isaiah 35:5). This promise points to the coming of the Messiah, who will bring healing and spiritual renewal.

In the New Testament, Jesus fulfills these prophecies, performing miracles that restore sight to the blind and offering spiritual enlightenment to those who believe in Him. His ministry is a testament to God's power to overcome both physical and spiritual blindness, offering redemption and clarity to the people of Israel and beyond.

Nave's Topical Index

Numbers 16:1
Now Korah, the son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, and Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, and On, the son of Peleth, sons of Reuben, took men:
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Numbers 17:1
And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
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Library

Refutation of the Arguments of the Marcionites, who Attempted to ...
... And for the reason that the Lord spake in parables, and brought blindness upon Israel ...
resting in the notion that the exit of these [Israelites] was accomplished ...
/.../irenaeus/against heresies/chapter xxix refutation of the arguments.htm

Elisha's Closing Ministry
... Judgment upon judgment had befallen the Israelites during the reign of Hazael the ...
unto the Lord, and said, Smite this people, I pray Thee, with blindness. ...
/.../white/the story of prophets and kings/chapter 21 elishas closing ministry.htm

Salvation to the Jews
... His grace should be revealed among the Gentiles as well as among the Israelites. ...
mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part ...
/.../white/the acts of the apostles/lesson 35 salvation to the.htm

That in the Books of the Old Testament, Where it is Said that God ...
... but were in their own persons to become the spoil of the Israelites. ... by no one, unless
by those who, through some incredible animosity or blindness, decline to ...
//christianbookshelf.org/augustine/city of god/chapter 30 that in the books.htm

How God Works in the Hearts of Men.
... When his light is taken away, nothing remains but blindness and darkness: when his ...
that Simon, king of the Amorites, did not give the Israelites a passage ...
/.../calvin/the institutes of the christian religion/chapter 4 how god works.htm

Psalm LXXIV.
... But let us understand here the voice of the Israelites in the same manner as ... "Blindness
in part happened unto Israel, in order that the fulness of the Gentiles ...
/.../augustine/exposition on the book of psalms/psalm lxxiv.htm

Discussion of the Subject of Permission
... fight afterwards with Ahab, and, after his death, with the Israelites, and besiege ...
the act of God, who punishes that sin by merited desertion, and blindness. ...
/.../arminius/the works of james arminius vol 3/discussion of the subject of.htm

Appendix xvi. On the Jewish views About Demons' and the Demonised ...
... bear in mind that the practice of magic was strictly prohibited to Israelites, and
that ... Thus against blindness by day it is proposed to take of the spleen of ...
/.../the life and times of jesus the messiah/appendix xvi on the jewish.htm

Sowing Beside all Waters.
... What Isaiah saw immediately around him was sin and moral blindness. ... the text I have
just read to you, which is a blessing on those true Israelites who realised ...
/.../percival/sermons at rugby/ix sowing beside all waters.htm

The Wilderness State
... and tormented: And this, some, in allusion to the case of the Israelites, have termed
"a ... but darkness is again on the face of their souls, and blindness on the ...
/.../wesley/sermons on several occasions/sermon 46 the wilderness state.htm