Moses reminded the people yet again. And yet again, they remained largely blind and deaf:

And Moses summoned all Israel and said to them: “You have seen all that the Lord did before your eyes in the land of Egypt, to Pharaoh and to all his servants and to all his land, the great trials that your eyes saw, the signs, and those great wonders. But to this day the Lord has not given you a heart to understand or eyes to see or ears to hear” (Deuteronomy 29:2-4, ESV).

In spite of historical experiences of God’s provision, deliverance, and sundry miracles, the people remained largely spiritually blind, deaf, and ignorant. No “eyes to see or ears to hear,” per Moses in Dt. 29:4.

The more things change, the more they remain the same. Spiritual blindess & deafness are God’s judgments upon people. And as much as Moses loved the people, it was not in his power to make them see and hear. It had to be God to do it, if it was going to be done.

For folks who can see and hear, this is a lesson that comes as a hard schoolmaster. That is, we long for folks to see and hear, and yet they remain duped by the duplicitous. They become prey for the roaring lions who steal, kill, and destroy.

But this is the testimony of Scripture: God alone has the power to open blind eyes and grant hearing where there is spiritual deafness. Our duty is to plead with the Lord to do just that.