Isaiah 29:13,14

God's Response To and Verdict on Their Unbelief (Isaiah 29:13).

Isaiah 29:13

‘And the Lord said,

“Forasmuch as these people draw near to me with their mouth,

And honour me with their lips,

But have removed their heart far from me,

And their fear of me is but a commandment of men which has been taught them,

Therefore behold I will proceed to do a marvellous work among this people,

Even a marvellous work and a wonder.

And the wisdom of their wise men will perish,

and the understanding of their astute men will be hid.'

When men harden their hearts against God's revelation, given in one way or another, it often results in continuing hardening. It is as though having hardened themselves they have made it almost impossible for them to do anything else, and so they go on more and more firmly closing their eyes. This is what God saw would be the result here.

‘And the Lord said.' This, says Isaiah, is the sovereign Lord speaking, Who now gives His verdict on their attitude. They go on and on with their religious ritual, they all continue to say what seem to be the right things, repeating it by rote, but there is no true inward response in their hearts, as is shown by the way that they are acting. And it is of their own choice. They deliberately stop their hearts being taken over by God. So their supposed piety is simply something that they do because of the pressure of those in authority over them, and not because they have responsive hearts.

So He will act in a wondrous way which will be amazing to all, and He stresses the wonder of what He will do and men's responsive amazement. He will do a work which will result in the wise men's wisdom perishing, and the astute men's astuteness being hidden. He has already described it in terms of the great stupor He has brought upon them. As a result of what He will do they will appear as fools. All their clever words will be seen to have come to nothing. And later generations will wonder at it.

However, if the previous words were prior to the great deliverance then these words may well have in mind that deliverance. Then he may be saying that Yahweh will do a great work, a mighty work, a marvel, but because of their obduracy they will fail to see it and to properly appreciate it. They will close their minds against it.

Either way in the end it is simply a way of saying that man's opposition to Him and His ways, and their refusal to trust Him, is folly, a folly which the future, as controlled by Him, will reveal. History is full of such examples. Men make great statements and are greatly admired, and then they are seen to come to nothing. So will it be with these wise teachers and astute thinkers. They and all they have taught will perish, but God's word and God's purposes will go on.