All right, the verse is short
to the point. It says this, and the seeing eye, the Lord
hath made even both of them." Look at it again. The hearing
ear, the seeing eye, the Lord hath made both of them. I think that when we consider
the human frame that we are bound to have to agree with the opinion
of the psalmist when he said in Psalm 139, And verse 13, as he contemplated
how God had framed him and how marvelous was his body, saying,
I will praise him for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. And he
went on to meditate upon how God saw him and knew him and
covered him even while he was yet in forming in the womb. One man that I read described
the human body this way, our whole frame is by divine contrivance,
a divine workmanship and structure and most complicated and exquisite
mechanism, unquote. What a description of the body. One said another, the one who
closely examines and looks at the human frame and assigns it
to evolution is beyond any reasonable argument whatsoever. And I think
that we agree. But, that having been said, of
all of the members and all of the faculties in the human makeup,
I think we can agree that none are more amazing and none are
more useful than those two that are mentioned in our text today,
and that would be the eye and the ear. Consider them as a prelude
under our study today as to their design as to their function and
their operation, the eye and the ear. First of all, let's
think a minute about the eye. The eye has been called the wonder
of wonders. As we know, it is set in a socket
in the front of the skull of each one of us. perhaps for protection,
but also perhaps for better position and better guidance of the whole
body. It has been likened to, and that
rightly well, unto a camera in that it is able to automatically
focus upon the object. Actually, the eyes are a pair
of cameras which send the same image to the brain in perfect
focus one with the other. And it sees, and it sees not
just in black and white, but in all of the glorious color
with which our Lord has painted His creation. And this eye, hardly
an inch in its side, yet it is taken in light for the body in
just the right and the perfect amount. And it has a shutter
or a curtain that comes down over it from time to time that
it might be able to cover the delicate inward part when it
is needed, such as from dust or to protect it, and the shutter
or curtain is called an eyelid. And it is an amazing thing about
it, in that it is dry on the outside, it is moist on the inside,
that it might give the eye its moisture. Who can look at this
and deny that there is an intelligent design that is behind the eye
of people? Then let's think a minute about
the ear as we move along. another marvel, what the eye
is to sight, the ear is on the sound. Someone has called it
an auditory marvel that allows one to hear sounds of all kind,
from a whisper to a boom. We hear of the outer ear and
we hear of the inner ear, and the eardrum, and the ear fluid
that is there, and such like, so that sound waves cause the
eardrum to begin to vibrate, and the vibrations are transmitted
then via some small bones that are called ossicles, in the fluid
into the inner ear, and finally the auditory nerves, and by a
process almost beyond our comprehension or understanding we can hear
sounds of all kind, whether they are pleasant or whether they
are irritating. Now, before we move along, let's
remember that the ear has much to do with our balance, that
we might be balanced and not fall around. And I wonder, could
this also have a spiritual application that we might run across later? Now, let's note how Solomon frames
our text here in chapter 20 and verse 12. He does not just say,
the eye and the ear, the Lord had made both of them. Now, that
of course would and is certainly true since Psalms chapter 94
and verse 9 said, He planted the ear, He formed the eye, the
point there being, He that did so sees and hears all things
that go on in His creation. You can read in Exodus 4 and
verse 11. that God has made these things,
the eye and the ear and the dumb and such like. But notice Solomon
is more specific, and he speaks not just of the eye, but of the
seeing eye, and not just of the ear, but of the hearing ear. And so the question is this,
does this wise man Solomon refer to only the physical eye and
the physical ear, that is, to these two natural senses or members
that God has created, the ability to see and the ability to hear. Now, certainly these are the
handy work of God, and we bless Him that He has endowed the human
family with such. Or, is there, and perhaps even
more, a spiritual component that is referred to in this verse
of the Scripture? Is there something here that
is beyond natural, physical seeing and hearing? At this point, Let's
add a cluster of scripture to our study that we might better
understand. You remember last week we were
in Isaiah chapter 6, and I'd like to turn there and read verse
9 and verse 10 again. Isaiah chapter 6. and verse 9
and 10. And he said, that is, the Lord
God said unto the prophet Isaiah, understand with their heart,
and be converted, and I should heal them." Now, as you know,
this passage from Isaiah chapter 6 is very heavily referenced
in our New Testament scripture. Especially in regard to the blindness
of the Jew, does this passage of the Scripture keep coming
up in the New Testament. The blindness of the Jew in regard
to Messiah and unto the Gospel. For example, Listen to Matthew
chapter 13, and here it will be verse 14 and verse 15. And the Lord Jesus is speaking,
and He said, In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah, which
said, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand, and
seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive. For this people's
heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing. Their eyes they have closed,
lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear
with their ears, and should understand with their heart and should be
converted, and I should heal them. And I want you to notice
verse 16 in that chapter if you are there. But blessed are your
eyes, for they see, and your ears for they hear." Now, a second
example is found in John chapter 12. I'm not going to turn there
and read, but it is verse 37 through verse 41. John, the gospel
writer, sees the unbelief of the Jew as the fulfillment of
the prophecy and the words that Isaiah had written in chapter
6. when he saw the Lord, and he
saw His glory, and he saw Him high and lifted up. In fact,
concerning John 12, 37-41, let us, like Moses, yonder at the burning bush, turn
aside that we might take a closer look and see why these things
are written in the Scripture. The time of this is very near
the end of our Lord's public ministry. In the Gospel of John,
He is recording near the end of the public ministry of our
blessed Lord. And in verse 22, through verse
36, he speaks often of his approaching death unto them. And some commentators
point out And at verse 37, it is John the Gospel writer that
sums up the unbelief of many of the Jew in the face of the
very strong evidence that Jesus was the Messiah. Having done
so many wonderful works and miracles and wonders among them, And yet
the greater body of the Jew, especially the Pharisee and the
rulers, did not believe. And John said that fulfilled
the saying of Isaiah, especially in verse 40. He has blinded their
eyes, hardened their heart that they should not see with their
eye, nor understand with their heart, and be converted." So
that Isaiah's words came true, not only in his contemporary
generation but also in that generation to whom and among whom our Lord
and Messiah appeared with undeniable credentials that were displayed
unto them." Now consider Psalm 58 verse 4 and 5. The psalmist
considered the behavior of the wicked and then he likens them
to serpents, a term which by the way Both John the Baptist
in Matthew 3.7, vipers are serpent, and the Lord Himself in Matthew
23 and verse 33, vipers and serpent, both of them use these terms
and expressions against the Jew in their day, calling them a
generation of vipers or of serpents. First of all, the psalmist said,
their poison is like the poison of a serpent. That is, the poison
of their lips and of their heart, has in it the likeness of the
poison of a serpent." And you can see that in Paul in Romans
chapter 3 and verse 13 and 14. But second, we noted that the
psalmist said that they resemble the death adder. You are like the death adder. I think probably we would call
that a cobra in our day. And the psalmist said, it stops
its ear. It pays no heed. It is not charmed
by the charming or the cunning charmer. They are nearly deaf
already, I have read, and even close their ear to the most soothing
and the most charming music from the most experienced hand that
might be imagined." Now, I will quote from Spurgeon on that text
shortly. But first, this text teaches
us that unbelievers are not one. Unbelievers are not won over
by persuasive oratory. They are not won over by the
most passionate pleas or by the syrupy words of some silly minister
of the gospel. And they're not won over even
by irrefutable logic. Their ears are stopped up. Their ears are like that of the
deaf adder. And here is that quote that I
promised from Spurgeon, taken from Psalm 58, verse 4. Try all
ye arts, ye preachers of the Word, lay yourself out to meet the
prejudices and the test of sinners and the taste of sinners, and
ye shall yet have to cry out, Who hath believed? I report."
Of course, that verse is in Isaiah chapter 53 and verse 1. Lord, who hath believed? I report. Now here in the case
of the charmer and the cobra, it is not that the music was
off-key. That's not the problem. It is
the deafness of the adder or of the cobra. Nor is it the inexperience
of the charmer that is at fault here. It is the closed ear of
the cobra or the adder. So it is with preachers and with
people. It is not that the message is
wrong. It is not that the message is
badly presented. It is that the people do not
have a hearing ear and a seeing eye. In fact, they are spiritually
deaf and blind. They are more likely to receive
a wrong message badly delivered than they are a good one. So
the fault or their failure has to do with the fact that their
ears are deaf, their ears are stopped up, and their eyes are
blind unto the spiritual truth of God. And let us not forget
that this is not only a sad, but it is a dangerous condition
for anyone to be in. It is both sad and dangerous. Hear the prophet Jeremiah describing
some of his contemporaries, and you'll find it in Jeremiah chapter
6 and verse 10. and give warning that they may
hear. Behold, their ear is uncircumcised,
and they cannot hearken. Behold, the word of God is unto
them a reproach and they have no delight in it." Add to that
Deuteronomy 30 and verse 6 where it goes right along the same
line. Now I want to take you to the
New Testament and the man named Stephen as he stands before the
Sanhedrin council there in Jerusalem just prior to his martyrdom. He said something in Acts chapter
7 and verse 51 we need to hear. He said to that group of men,
you stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears. You do always
resist the Holy Ghost as your fathers, so do ye." Now, let's
don't leave here too quickly. Let's not pass over this too
quickly or too lightly. Let's focus a bit on that epithet
with which Stephen used to define them as he stood to speak before
a group called the Council. It is called the Council in Acts
6, 12 and verse 15. In Acts chapter 5 and verse 27. And who are they? This Council
is the Jewish Sanhedrin, which we might define as the supreme
and the highest religious and legal authority in the Jewish
nation at that time and was presided over at that time by the high
priest. Scholars tell us that their number
was 70. But notice what Stephen uses
as an epithet to Jews. Uncircumcised. He said to them,
you are uncircumcised in your heart and your ears. Now, the
use of the word uncircumcised, and especially applied unto a
Jew, was a great insult indeed. It is like calling them heathenous. It is like putting them in the
class of the Gentile. For the Gentiles were known as
the uncircumcised in 1 Samuel 17 and 26. in Acts 11 and verse
3. In Galatians 2 and verse 7 they
are referred to as the uncircumcised or the uncircumcision. Here is Stephen summing up, about
to end his speech, summing up his speech to the council calling
them uncircumcised in heart and in ears. The thought that they
proudly resisted and they heard and they proudly boasted in their
fleshly or their physical circumcision. And yet, does Brother Stephen
here give them a double insult? First of all, he calls them stiff-necked. Ye stiff-necked. We can see that
in Exodus 32 and verse 9. Ye are a stiff-necked people. Exodus 33 and 3 and 5 and 19. Deuteronomy 9 and 6. 2 Chronicles
30 and verse 8. It refers to one who is stubborn,
who is obstinate, who is openly rebellious, and defiant like
an ox that refuses to wear or to bear the yoke. By the way,
Moses in Deuteronomy chapter 10 and verse 16 connects the
same two things together as did Stephen. Circumcise, therefore,
the foreskin of your heart, and be no more stiff-necked, Moses
said unto them. Thus Stephen, notwithstanding
their trust in their physical privilege as well as their high
position in Judaism. As Gil put it, they had not the
circumcision of the heart or love or fear of God, nor were
their ears circumcised to hear the word of God or the gospel
of Christ. Well, does Stephen say, you are
uncircumcised in ear and in heart. Now this account This accounts
for the rejection of the Messiah. They had not ear to hear and
they had not eyes to see. Their understanding was darkened
and as J. A. Alexander put it, it amounted
to a charge of apostasy and rebellion to call them uncircumcised. And as has been said, what Stephen
said describes those who think and feel like the Gentile heathen,
uncircumcised in heart and in ear. And I want to enlarge a
little bit upon the point. This accounts for the Jewish
nation's rejection and the crucifixion of the Messiah when He appeared
among them. They had not eyes to see. They had not hearing. Their ears
had not been circumcised. They had not understanding. Their
ears had not been open. just as when Isaiah said in chapter
6 and verse 9 and verse 10, and he said, Go and tell this people,
Hear ye indeed, there the margin has continually or without ceasing. Go and tell this people without
ceasing. But understand not, see ye indeed,
but perceive not, make the heart of this people fat, make their
ears heavy, and shut their eyes, lest they see with their eyes,
and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart,
and be converted, and be healed." See again what we read in Matthew
13, 13 through 15. where the Lord applied that very
passage of Scripture to that generation. Now, how often do
you read that the Lord prefaced something that he was about to
say with these words, ye that have ears to hear, let him hear. We find that is a preface several
times in the scripture. You that have ears to hear, let
him hear. Matthew 4 and verse 9, Mark 4,
23. Luke 14 and 35. And we read in
Revelation chapters 2 and chapter 3 several times that in the various
messages under the churches there, it is prefaced with these words,
He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says under
the churches. Now that's important. Have you
caught it? He that has an ear, let him hear
what the Spirit says to the church. Not he that has an ear fastened
to the side of his head, but he that has a hearing ear, a
spiritual ear, let him hear what the Spirit said unto the church. Now at this point, rather, in
our study, let's make a point and drive down a stake at this
particular place that we might market and that we might give
special, special emphasis to the truth of the Scripture, which
is this, the natural ear the natural understanding is not
capable of receiving the spiritual truths of God Almighty. That is, apart from being enlightened
by work of grace, by the Spirit of God. And I want to prove it
from one verse from the Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 2 and verse
14. How many times have you read
this verse, or have you heard it, and yet it's full meaning
not sunk in. 1 Corinthians 2 and 14. The natural man receives not
the things of God, neither can he know them, because they are
spiritually discerned. Otherwise, the verse says, that
they are foolishness unto them, and foolishness to the natural
man. And the natural man is endowed
only with that natural ability to hear sound, but not to discern
spiritual matter, for they are spiritually discerned. In other
words, not being regenerated. not having been born again, not
having been enlightened. Hear John chapter 8 and verse
43. The Lord says to some Jews which
had opposed His teaching, they had done so in an open and an
insolent way. And the Lord says to them in
that verse, John 8, 43, Why do you not understand my speech? Now let's get the question. Why
do you not understand my speech? And the answer is it saying,
because you cannot hear my word. Why do you not understand what
I say? Because you cannot hear my word. You're not talking about with
the physical ear, but with a hearing ear indeed. You can hear it and
hear it orally, they did. They heard the oral word of their
Lord. In fact, this is one of the things
that caused them to attack Him and oppose Him because of what
they heard Him speak. Now, let's listen or expand on
that a minute. In John 8 and other places, they
heard the Lord speak of slavery and they thought of political
bondage. They heard our Lord mention slavery
and being free, and they thought of political bondage. They heard
our Lord speak of living bread, and they thought only of physical
bread. They heard Him declare His deity,
and they reckoned it to be blaspheming. And in John 8, 26 and 27, when
He spoke of the One who sent Him, they understood not that he spoke unto them of the
Father. One author in time past described
these Jews as one who were continually misunderstanding, continually
misinterpreting, and continually stumbling over the words spoken
by our Lord. They could not receive His words
as spiritual truth. They could not believe and they
could not understand His words. And again, why? Well, I should
like to make the answer to that two-part. Why could they not
hear and understand the words of the Lord? Well, first of all,
as in Matthew chapter 13 and verse 11, to some it is not given. to know the mysteries of the
kingdom of heaven." Now, you need to look at that. The Lord
said it. It is the words of the Lord.
To some it is not given to know the mysteries of the kingdom
of heaven. It is hid from them. Now, does it surprise you to
read the words of the Lord Jesus in Matthew 11 and verse 25? I thank you, Lord of heaven and
of earth, because you have hid these things from the wise and
the prudent and have revealed them unto babes." Now, is that
a surprising statement for you to hear from our Lord? Should
we not expect it to be? the other way around. But the
gospel is hid from them that are lost, so says Paul in II
Corinthians chapter 4 and verse 3. Now, what words are these? that we're reading from the Lord.
Hid from them. And the word hid in Matthew 11
and verse 25, a word used some nine times in the New Testament,
which I cannot pronounce, but it has the meaning of to conceal
or to be kept secret, to be out or beyond sight, to be not known. And you can see in Romans 11
and verse 8. Many cannot imagine God doing
what Jesus thanks Him for doing, hiding these things from the
wise and the prudent and revealing them unto babe. And from the
most zealous and the most religious, the Pharisee in that day, the
scribe the Pharisee and such like. Those that ought to be
more and fully acquainted with the things of God and yet the
Lord said they're hid from their eye. Now the second part of our
answer is this. Why could they not hear? And the practical part of the
answer is, they had not hearing ears and seeing eyes from the
Lord who makes them a pope. Their understanding is darkened
or was darkened very clearly. The New Testament teaches that
as it is written in Jeremiah 5 and verse 21. all foolish people
and without understanding, which have ears which hear not and
eyes that see not." Also in Ezekiel 12 and verse 2, and the Lord's
words in Matthew 13 and verse 14, quoting from Isaiah 6, 9
and 10, by hearing ye shall hear not and understand not, and seeing
ye shall see and not perceive. Now, please note, if you will,
hear but not understand, see but not perceive. You shall hear
orally, but not understand. You shall see with your eyes,
but not perceive the depth or the meaning. Now, this is a very
serious state to be in. What is the remedy? Is there
a remedy? And what is the remedy? How can
deaf ears become hearing ears? How can blind eyes become seeing
eyes? How can the understanding be
open so as to perceive spiritual truth when it is declared in
their hearing. Now, our opening text says, The
hearing ear and the seeing eye, the Lord hath made even both
of them. And as we've said, this is also
true of the physical in Exodus 4 and verse 11, and is true of
the spiritual in Proverbs 20 and verse 12. God as to creation
has endowed the family of Adam with the faculty of sight and
of hearing. And it is the same God who must
give or create or impart spiritual sight and spiritual hearing. And this is done by a special
work of God, by a special work of grace and the Spirit. In fact,
it comes in with regeneration, by divine quickening, or by the
new birth, if you will. You remember what the Lord said
to Nicodemus in John chapter 3, that except a man is born
again, that is, born of God or born from above, born of the
Spirit, he can neither see nor enter into the kingdom of God. Now, let's think about that word
see. He cannot see the kingdom of God. There are a few Greek
words translated see in the New Testament, I learned. And this
one has the meaning, but is not restricted to visible sight. But as A.W. Pink wrote, it has
the meaning of to be made known or to become acquainted with.
It means to experience or to participate in. He cannot see
the kingdom of God without being born again. That is, he cannot
enter in He cannot experience. He cannot participate in it. Being the same word used of Christ
in Acts chapter 2, verse 27 and verse 31, that he should not
see corruption. Our Lord should not see corruption. Not know it. Not be acquainted
with it. Not experience it. Not participate
in it. That is, have no part in it.
whatsoever. And also the word is in Luke
2 and verse 26. Some should not see death. John 3.36. Not see light. You shall not see light. And
so forth. But let's make a point if we
might by comparison. And I want us to get this. It
is important to our study of the morning. Light will not give
sight to the blind. Put all the light that you want,
put the blind in the presence of all of the light that you
will, it will not give sight to a blind one. Not the brightest
light, not even that of the midday sun. Why? Well, you see, the
problem is not the lack of light. The problem is the lack of sight
in that particular individual. Let's go further. Neither will
sound or noise or music or speech and such like open the ear of
the deaf. Put a deaf man before all the
sound you will. The Swedish music that might
be made. It will not give him hearing
or open up his ear. The problem is not the lack of
sound or words or music, but the inability of the ear to hear
it so that If the blind is given sight, he then can see the light. And if the deaf is given hearing,
he then can hear that which is spoken in his present. Just as the deaf ear must be
open, the blind eye must be open. Even so, it is not truth that
opens the understanding. Now, slow down here. We hit a
speed bump here. Somebody's going to say, uh-oh,
wait a minute. Not light that opens the eye.
It's not sound that gives hearing. and it is not truth that opens
the understanding. So that truth presented externally
and by hearing only cannot open the understanding. The understanding
must first be opened and then can truth be spiritually understood
and applied. What man cannot understand cannot
be the medium of giving him understanding. What he can understand cannot
be the instrument of giving him understanding. If the heart and
the mind lack understanding, then truth, no matter by whom
spoken or how well explained cannot open the understanding. Truth only has a lasting, affecting
influence when it is apprehended and when it is understood. The
understanding is not opened because one perceives truth. Rather,
the truth is perceived because the understanding is opened. In other words, God has given
a hearing ear and a seeing eye. And this is without doubt a part
and partial of regeneration. and the renewing of the heart
and the mind that we read about in the Scripture. Now, let's
confirm that this is the order that is laid out in the Scripture
by a few well-known examples. That is, the understanding must
first be open, then it is clear. The eyes must first be open,
and then they see or perceive. Had you ever thought of this
in the light of the parable of the seed, the soil, and the sower? In every case, it was the same
seed or the same word. It was the same sower or the
same preacher. The difference lay in the different
condition of the soils, which represent the hearts of the hearer. Some fell on good soil, according
to Matthew 13. Luke 24, 31. and 45. Remember the two on Emmaus
Road. And they were walking all down
in the dumps and said, Oh, we hope this and that and the Lord
draw near. I think perhaps you remember
that. But we read there, then opened
he their understanding that they might understand the Scripture.
Their eyes were opened and they knew that it was Jesus, but not
before. Because in Luke 24, 16, their
eyes were holding. Quickly consider Acts 16 and
14, a woman named Lydia at Philippi, whose heart the Lord opened that
she attended unto the things that were spoken by Paul. No,
her heart was not open by what she heard. Her heart was open
so that she did hear what Paul said. Yes, indeed, the Lord is
the author, is the giver, is the maker of the hearing ear
and of the seeing eye. The only one that can give it
by a sovereign work. The preacher can't unlock the
deaf ear or arouse the blind eye. He can't charm like a deaf
adder. and bring them over to truth.
Well, Paul, and I'm sorry I wasted my time. I can't deal with Ephesians
1.17. Paul praying, the eyes of your
understanding being enlightened. That in order that a certain
end. might be attained. The hymn writer said, I once
was blind, but now I see. And I say to you this morning,
if you hear the Word of God, you're blessed of God. Blessed
is the hearing ear and the seeing eye. And if God has given you
such, you have great cause to praise Him and to thank Him. because it is an inestimable
gift and so precious. Thank God for that.