Sight and Faith
Why were the Israelites so easily swayed by the patterns and lifestyles of the foreigners that were all around them despite God’s commandments, warnings, and teachings?
“So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. Since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” 2 Corinthians 4:18 (NIV)
It was not a simple thing like ignorance that led the Israelites to worship Baal and other gods; despite their intimate knowledge of God, His wonders and actions that had been on display to them, it was the pull of sight. Human sight and loyalty are often linked, and our shortsighted impatience can cause our hearts to shift allegiance. While faith is the substance of things hoped for, sight, what is seen, appeals to our flesh because it manifests in the tangible, earthly realm.
It is easier, for example, to take a job with guaranteed pay and benefits than to step out into an uncertain adventure with God, trusting only His confirmed word in your spirit that He has a beautiful plan for your life. The security of a job can become an idol, something that grounds us in the temporal and satisfies our carnal desire for the visible and tangible, versus, say, the winsomeness of the thought that God will supply all your needs as you launch out on a venture that is only evidenced in your mind’s eye - your imagination. Our attention, fixed on what is present and guaranteed, is drawn to the temporary because of the heightened cravings of the flesh.
Nonetheless, when we subdue the flesh and submit it to the Word of God and the leading of the Holy Spirit, the unseen becomes more desirable than the seen. Our gaze shifts, and the eternal substance of faith outweighs what is manifest before our eyes. This is the example of Jesus, who, “for the joy set before Him”, not the comfort of His present circumstances, but the certainty of God’s promise, endured the cross, despising its shame. We were that joy set before Him, and He teaches us to fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, for what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal (2 Corinthians 4:18).
We become more like Him when we live and walk by faith, rather than orchestrating our lives solely by what we see.
Father, help us to be found in faith when Jesus returns. Amen