Isaiah 29:9-14: a reflection

9Pause and wonder! Blind yourselves and be blind! They are drunken, but not with wine; they stagger, but not with strong drink. 10For the LORD has poured out on you a spirit of deep sleep, and has closed your eyes, the prophets; and he has covered your heads, the seers. 11All vision has become to you like the words of a book that is sealed, which men deliver to one who is educated, saying, “Read this, please;” and he says, “I can’t, for it is sealed;” 12and the book is delivered to one who is not educated, saying, “Read this, please;” and he says, “I can’t read.” 13The Lord said, “Because this people draws near with their mouth and honors me with their lips, but they have removed their heart far from me, and their fear of me is a commandment of men which has been taught; 14therefore, behold, I will proceed to do a marvelous work among this people, even a marvelous work and a wonder; and the wisdom of their wise men will perish, and the understanding of their prudent men will be hidden.”

God pronounces a sobering word about his people's worship: This people draws near with their mouth and honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; their fear of me is a commandment taught by men, learned by rote. Their worship was a matter of the lips and outward form, honoring God with words while their hearts were far from him; their reverence was mere routine, a learned habit, not the devotion of the heart. It was worship without the heart.

Notice the disconnect God names: honoring him with the lips while the heart is far from him. The people said the right things, went through the outward motions of worship, kept the forms; but their hearts were not in it, not truly near to God. Their reverence had become a rote habit, an external routine, disconnected from the heart. God sees this, and it does not please him; he desires the heart, not merely the lips, the devotion of the heart, not merely the outward form.

That warning searches our own worship, which can slip into the same disconnect. We can honor God with our lips, say the right things, go through the outward motions of worship, keep the forms, while our hearts are far from him, our reverence a mere rote habit disconnected from any real devotion. But God desires the heart, not merely the lips; worship that is only external, without the heart, does not please him. Examine your own worship: is your heart near to God, or only your lips? Do not be content to honor God with your lips while your heart is far from him, going through the motions without real devotion. God desires the heart; let your worship be the devotion of the heart, not merely the words of the lips or the keeping of outward forms. Draw near to God with your heart, not only your mouth; guard against the rote, external religion that honors God with the lips while the heart is far from him, and give him the true worship of the heart he desires.

Lord, you pronounced a sobering word about your people's worship: this people draws near with their mouth and honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; their fear of me is a commandment taught by men, learned by rote. Their worship was a matter of the lips and outward form, their hearts far from you. Show me the disconnect you name: honoring you with the lips while the heart is far. The people said the right things, kept the forms; but their hearts were not truly near to you, their reverence a rote habit disconnected from the heart. You desire the heart, not merely the lips. Let that warning search my own worship, which can slip into the same disconnect. I can honor you with my lips, say the right things, go through the outward motions, keep the forms, while my heart is far from you, my reverence a mere rote habit. But you desire the heart. Help me examine my worship: is my heart near to you, or only my lips? Keep me from being content to honor you with my lips while my heart is far from you, going through the motions without real devotion. You desire the heart; let my worship be the devotion of the heart, not merely the words of the lips. Help me draw near to you with my heart, Lord, not only my mouth, and give you the true worship of the heart you desire.