It is
said that one picture is worth a thousand words. Likewise, a well-crafted,
simple illustration can teach volumes of ideas. At 2 Corinthians 4:4, Paul
says that Satan has blinded the minds of unbelievers. Mental pictures like this
immediately get me running for my Greek dictionary. I am always curious if
there is anything deeper that would help me appreciate what the Bible is
saying. The Greek word used here is “tuphloo.” In explanation, Vine’s states: “to
burn, smoke;… is used metaphorically, of the dulling of the intellect.” (This
online interlinear rendition of the passage shows the word “etyphlÅsen.”
However, clicking on the word-number reference (5186) above the phrase “has
blinded” helps the reader appreciate that the phonetic spelling agrees with
what Vine states.)
Enough
of a language lesson. The more important thing is understanding the point. When
I first learned the scripture, I imagined that Satan blinds people like living
in darkness – like stepping outside at night without any street lights, without
a moon, in the middle of a dark forest. However, that is not what Paul meant by
his use of the Greek word “tuphloo.” The image he is drawing is more akin to
getting smoke in your eyes. Many people experience this when they are barbequing.
Others living in grassy areas may have driven through smoke being blown onto
the road from a summer’s grass fire. It is blinding, but in a different way.
(The third type of blinding is a “blinding light.” That also is not the intent
here as used by Paul.)
Just
like smoke can irritate our eyes and obscure clear vision, Satan’s use of God-hating
propaganda obscures and irritates spiritual vision. First Satan convinces
people that God
doesn’t care, then he introduces the idea that God doesn’t even exist.
This thick smoke permeates our society today, not just in atheism and evolution, but also in the teachings of religions claiming to represent God but their teachings actually make no sense so people are repulsed.
