“And the Lord said: “Because this people draw near with their mouth and honor me with their lips, while their hearts are far from me, and their fear of me is a commandment taught by men” Isaiah 29:13 ESV
Reflection: how would you describe the idiom “empty words”?
You have probably heard many idioms describing the difference between what some say and promise, versus what they actually do, like
- Why don’t you say what you really mean!
- Tell me what you really think!
- Don’t give me just lip service!
- Words are cheap!
- These are words without action!
- All you give me are empty promises!
- You are all talk and no action!
And, if you do a quick internet search, you find from places like theidioms.com or Wikipedia a definition of “Lip service” such as “Lip service refers to the act of expressing support or agreement verbally without taking any real action to back it up. It implies insincerity, where someone claims to support a cause or idea but does not follow through with meaningful efforts.” But, why do we have so many idioms and expressions in our language for saying one thing but doing something else?
We commonly see this behavior from politicians, who may promise “the world” during a campaign, but never deliver on their promises. They give all sorts of reasons why they are unable to deliver. Their explanations are mostly due to things that have happened outside of their control. Rarely do they say it is their fault, rarely taking accountability. But sadly we know this behavior is not limited to just politicians. This behavior is much more widespread, and we probably all have run into someone who say one thing but we later learn they had no intention of following through. Their words were, well, just words.
Empty words.
Even within Christian circles we see many who proclaim they follow Christ (being a Christian), but their actions speak otherwise. Their fruit is not of the Spirit of God, but of the evil one. In the focus verses today, the Lord speaks directly through Isaiah, about His frustration with His own people. “And the Lord said: “this people draw near with their mouth and honor me with their lips, while their hearts are far from me, and their fear of me is a commandment taught by men,” Isaiah 29:13b ESV. Notice this phrase that they “draw near with their mouth”. They say they love the Lord, even honor Him “with their lips”. But that is where it stops. They are just empty words. Because, “their hearts are far” from the Lord. They are religious, but don’t follow the Law God defined. They follow their own man-made laws, “commandment taught by men”, what their church or religious leaders have defined. So their hypocrisy caused the Lord to blind them, to confuse the wise, as He says “therefore, behold, I will again do wonderful things with this people, with wonder upon wonder; and the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the discernment of their discerning men shall be hidden.”” Isaiah 29:14 ESV
This is very serious.
Because, we see the same today. So many who claim to be a Christian, but don’t really want to know God, with no desire to actually do His will. Jesus said, ““Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’” Matthew 7:21-23 ESV. Notice who will enter the kingdom of heaven – “the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.” It is not about just saying a bunch of empty words at church, or even singing beautiful worship songs; it is about changed hearts that
do the will of the Father.
So, what about you and I? Do we say one thing to others (and to God), while “secretly” have a different intent? Perhaps to sound “good” or “correct”, to give the “right impression” or “image”? Let’s never forget that, while we might be able to fool people, we cannot fool the Lord God, who sees our hearts. Jesus taught us a simple method to check ourselves, if we are being truthful and genuine. He said “Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything more than this comes from evil.” Matthew 5:37 ESV