The Holy One of Israel offers his help. But fools reject it.
Israel failed to fully trust in the Holy One of Israel. Isaiah’s messages throughout his sixty-six chapters reflected the varying degrees of that failure. Here in chapter thirty, we see some choices they made to avoid the Lord’s guidance when they could have really used it. One of their choices is over-the-top hilarious. Sadly, they were completely serious and thought it was a good excuse.
We show ourselves wise when we learn from the foolish mistakes of others. We don’t have to be foolish. That’s a choice.
The Jewish people have done a great service to mankind. They made a lot of mistakes in their quest to serve and follow the Lord God of Israel. In our attempts to the do the same we have valuable lessons to learn from in the Old Testament. Be wise. Learn from the mistakes of others.
Try not to laugh when you see reason number five. Further down inside the text, you’ll read why Israel thought they had a great idea.
Top Five Reasons: with a sarcastic slant
We all have our own reasons to avoid trusting in God. Whether one is a Christian or not isn’t the issue. Humanity, in general, has come up with numerous reasons why trusting in the Lord isn’t the best option. The circumstances vary of course, but when the time comes to decide who to trust, God often isn’t the first choice. Below I’ve listed five of the top reasons why individuals avoid trusting in the Almighty. All of them are found in the first half of chapter thirty of the Book of Isaiah.
I got this
There is no need to ask God for help when I’m perfectly capable of doing this by myself. Praying or reading the Bible is for little kids and weak-minded people. I can do it myself, thank you.
Smart people know better
Science has disproven the existence of God, many will argue. Those scientists are really smart and the people who go to church aren’t. Only the foolish and simple-minded believe in those fairy tales. I believe in evolution and the survival of the fittest.
The old ways are–old
Hey old-timer, things are changing. We don’t need the old way of doing things. It may have been good enough for my mom and dad or their church friends, but I am an individual and will think for myself. I will go my own way.
I’m self-contained and self-sustained.
I’ve got a great job making good money and have made my way in this world. God is fine for others but I don’t see a need for him. You can sit around and pray to an unknown god if you want to but I’ll make my own way and pay for what I need all on my own. My money can by my happiness. Money is my god.
I have horses!
Yes, that’s a real answer. The Jewish people had that as one of their reasons that they didn’t need to trust the Lord God of Israel. They had horses, and anyone who owns horses knows full well that God is not necessary when you have some nice swift horses to ride out of trouble in a moments notice. 🙂
They were serious. Reason number five for not trusting in God was their fast horses. 🙁
Now let’s get into each verse and hopefully learn from the mistakes of others. We’ll also see a fabulous verse about the importance of Bible prophecy.
Isaiah 30:1 Refusing advice from the Holy One of Israel
“Woe to the rebellious children, says the Lord, that take counsel, but not of me; and that cover with a covering but not of my spirit, that they may add sin to sin.”
The stubborn, rebellious children of Israel didn’t want to listen. They set a consistent pattern of betrayal against God’s design and direction. These were all grown men and women who made the choice to rebel against the Lord’s best advice. They were called children but it wasn’t the young ones among them who were acting childish. It was the grown adults who continually threw temper tantrums if God didn’t make all of their wishes come true. Today, we all do the same thing. We are prone to complaining about God’s provision if the toaster doesn’t work or if we can’t find our car keys. Why does God torment me so? Israel refused God’s advice and most of us have that same bad habit.
Isaiah 30:2 Instead, taking help from Egypt
“That walk to go down into Egypt, and have not asked at my mouth; to strengthen themselves in the strength of Pharaoh, and to trust in the shadow of Egypt!”
During the time of Isaiah’s ministry to Israel, Egypt was a declining world power. They had their time of prominence on the world stage but that time was past, never to return. Israel, feeling confident in their own ability to choose their own friends decided a weak Egypt was good enough. The prophets, not just Isaiah, warned the Jewish people against trusting in Egypt. It was normal for them to refuse good advice. This would prove to be no different.
Isaiah 30:3 Trust in Egypt will lead to shame and confusion.
“Therefore shall the strength of Pharaoh be your shame, and the trust in the shadow of Egypt your confusion.”
Egypt did have some power. They were still very rich and this held a lot of sway among their neighbors. Their impressive pyramids and the long line of historical greatness made them seem like a wise choice to lean upon in a time of need. The prophet Isaiah, through the Lord’s direction, told them not to trust them. It would lead to shame and confusion.
Isaiah 30:4 Taking counsel from unhelpful leaders
“For his princes were at Zoan, and his ambassadors came to Hanes.”
The leadership of Egypt held counsel in the two great cities of the ancient kingdom. Zoan (Tanis) and Hanes were cities held in high regard among other nations. The ambassadors of countries went there to hear the wisdom of the golden pharaohs. The impressive statues, unique hieroglyphic writing, and architecture held the imaginations of all who visited. Israel should have known better. They had been slaves in the country for much of four hundred years.
Isaiah 30:5 Egypt had little use for the small country.
“They were all ashamed of a people that could not profit them, nor be a help or profit, but a shame, and also a reproach.”
Isaiah predicted shame and reproach for Israel if they trusted in Egypt and not the Holy One of Israel. The prophet used that title of God as a strong hint who they should lean on. They never got the hint until it was too late. Egypt was useless and of no profit, as a help for the Jewish people.
Isaiah 30:6 Israel spent their riches and received nothing of value
“The burden of the beasts of the south; into the land of trouble and anguish, from where come the young and old lion, the viper and fiery flying serpent, they will carry their riches upon the shoulders of young asses, and their treasures upon the bunches of camels, to a people that shall not profit them.”
Israel loaded up camels, donkeys, and wagons with their finest goods. They made the long trek through the dry and desolate land to take their bribe to Egypt. They came across snakes and lions that undoubtedly took the lives of animals and travelers, for the purpose of paying off the Egyptians. But Isaiah kept making his point. It would not profit them. They had money to buy all the help they needed. That’s what Israel thought, but they were foolish in that belief.
Isaiah 30:7 The Holy One of Israel warned them.
“For the Egyptians shall help in vain, and to no purpose; therefore have I cried concerning this, their strength is to sit still.”
God told them many times. Through the words of Isaiah, Hosea, Joel, and many others, God made it clear. Trust me and no other. Isaiah mocks the insistence on trusting in Egypt. They are good at one thing. They can sit still! When the time to help came, they wouldn’t offer any and the bribes offered were of no value.
Isaiah 30:8 Write this down so people will know God sees the future.
“Now go, write it before them in a table, and note it in a book, that it may be for the time to come forever and ever.”
Here the Lord speaks to Isaiah and reminds all of us about the value of Bible prophecy. “Write it down,” God says. “Put the note in a book,” He continues.
This points to a profound truth in the Bible. The words of the prophecy, actually numerous prophecies, are written down. One can check them for accuracy and see if God can actually predict the future. We find that he can. If we read Isaiah’s prophecies we can find where he wrote that a virgin will give birth to a Son. That virgin will give birth in the town of Bethlehem. That Son, it will be revealed, shall become the anointed Messiah, but also get killed in a cruel execution next to thieves and robbers.
That’s just a few of about 300-plus prophecies that just one man wrote and said were certain to take place. Isaiah wrote the words and put them in a book about 700 years before some of them became a historical fact. God knows the future. He’s proven 100 percent accurate so far.
Isaiah 30:9 Rebellious children refuse to listen to the Lord
“That this is a rebellious people, lying children, children that will not hear the Law of the Lord.”
The Law of the Lord is the foundation stone upon which the Nation of Israel was built. They were and are people of the book. The Law was their guide–until it wasn’t. Just like a rebellious child, they didn’t want to do what they were told. They could think for themselves and make their own choices. They chose to make their own way. That sounds just like all of us. It’s a humanity thing. We’ll all prone to self-centered actions. But the strong irony for Israel is that they prided themselves as people of the Law, yet they broke it as often as the sun rose and set every day.
Isaiah 30:10 Don’t tell us to do the right thing
“Which say to the seers, see not; and to the prophets, Prophesy not unto us right things, speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits.”
The seers and prophets of Israel were gifts given by the Lord. The common man wasn’t listening to God’s advice so the prophets and wise men steered them back toward God’s Law. As most of us are familiar, the people grew tired of hearing that message. “Stop telling us the right things to do,” They said. “Tell us smooth things. Lie to us.” The people of Israel got to the point in which they openly asked for lies instead of the truth. There comes a time in a person’s life when he will no longer tolerate hearing guidance from God’s Word. That’s a dangerous place for a person. We’re all selfish and prideful, but we should try to remain teachable and open. We should stay open to the ‘right things’ the Lord wants us to hear.
Isaiah 30:11 Turn away from the Holy One of Israel
“Get out of the way, turn aside out of the path, cause the Holy One of Israel to cease from before us.”
Egypt is known for its pyramids and mummies. Israel, as I mentioned earlier, spent 400 years as slaves building some of those pyramids. On the other hand, The Almighty rescued the Israelites from the Pharaohs of that land. He parted the Red Sea, made water pour from a rock, and dropped bread from heaven. But, instead of trusting in God, Israel went back to trusting in the land of mummies. Bad choice. We see how that worked out.
Isaiah 30:12 Israel despised the Word of the Holy One of Israel.
“Wherefore thus says the Holy One of Israel, because you despise this word, and trust in oppression and perverseness, and stay thereon.”
“Oppression and perverseness,” are the very things they learned while enslaved in Egypt. Some leaders in Israel got together and actually came up with a plan. “Hey, let’s go back to Egypt and tell them we trust them to protect us.” Why did anyone think that was a good idea? We learn from history and the clear detail of scripture that it wasn’t.
Isaiah 30:13 Israel’s walls of protection will suddenly fall
“Therefore this iniquity shall be to you as a breach ready to fall, swelling out in a high wall, whose breaking comes suddenly at an instant.”
The Israelites spent forty years wandering in the desert after Moses led them out of Egypt. It should have been a lot quicker but that’s another story. One of the first things they encountered as they entered the Promised Land was the ominous city of Jericho. I say ominous because the Jewish slaves had a rag-tag army and were not equipped to fight against a great walled city. God, as we know, made quick work of that wall surrounding the city.
In this verse, Isaiah points out how quickly a wall can crumble if a “breach” is found in it. A wall may appear impenetrable, but it will crumble and fast as the walls of Jericho if God intends to bring it down.
Isaiah 30:14 The Holy One of Israel will shatter Israel’s protection
“And he shall break it as the breaking of the potter’s vessel that is broken in pieces, he shall not spare; so that there shall not be found in the bursting of it a sherd to take fire from the hearth, or to take water withal out of the pit.”
God intended to shatter Israel like countless shards of broken pottery. They were the chosen vessel in which the glory of God was to be revealed but they decided they wouldn’t trust in God anymore. They didn’t want to hear from his prophets or listen to the Law. What remained of the broken pottery wasn’t even usable for holding a small amount of water.
When we read this verse we get a glimpse of the culture during those days. When they did break some pottery, they found shards that were functional for other purposes. Some pieces were used for removing coals from a fire and others as a ladle to draw water from a pond or river.
Isaiah 30:15 They refused a quiet rest from the Lord
“For thus says the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel, in returning and rest shall you be saved; in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength, and you would not.”
They could have chosen quiet confidence and the strength of God’s help. But instead, they had a good reason to trust in themselves. They thought they could get by. As we read passages like this it reminds us why the Jews were the Chosen People.
It wasn’t because they were more special than any other group or culture. They simply provided all of us a perfect example of human frailty. They weren’t special, just human like the rest of us. Whatever family or culture the Lord had chosen would have made the same foolish mistakes. Many people hate the Jews, claiming they killed Jesus. We’re all to blame for that. Every sinner has a stake in that horrible scar in history. (though it was necessary.) Jesus died for the sins of all people. We can’t blame the Jews for that, but we can blame human nature. It’s on all of us. We need to take ownership of what all of us do or would have done if we were in their shoes.
Isaiah 30:16 We don’t need the Holy One of Israel! We have horses!
“But you said, no; for we will flee upon horses; therefore shall you flee; and, we will ride upon the swift; therefore shall they that pursue you be swift.”
Here’s another laughable reason the Jews had for not trusting in God. They had really fast horses. When the need arose and the invading armies arrived, they would hop onto their fast horses and ride to safety. God’s answer to them is equally funny. “You say you have fast horses, then I’ll send your enemies on faster horses.” When a righteous God determines that discipline is necessary that’s when our fast horses or faster cars won’t be good enough to help us escape God’s hand.
Isaiah 30:17 Egypt won’t help so Israel will run in fear
“One thousand shall flee at the rebuke of one; at the rebuke of five shall you flee; till you be left as a beacon upon the top of a mountain, and as an ensign on a hill.”
When the enemies began to show, the Israelites lost their bravery. The reasons to trust in themselves fell away as they turned and ran. Egypt was a fool’s hope when the battle was at hand. They had received the goods and riches Israel offered them but didn’t see the need to actually go into battle to defend them.
Isaiah 30:18 The Holy One of Israel is just and gracious despite their rebellion.
“And therefore will the Lord wait, that he may be gracious unto you, and therefore will he be exalted, that he may have mercy upon you; for the Lord is a God of judgment. Blessed are all they that wait for him.”
This is a good place to stop in this chapter. The Israelites had given numerous excuses why they didn’t need to trust God anymore. They could handle it themselves, buy powerful friends, those old ways weren’t any good, or they could hop on their fast horses. Any excuse was fine.
We see the amazing graciousness of God in this verse despite the rebellious nature of the Chosen People. Just like the rest of us, they rebelled. But God, as he always does, offers mercy to those who change their minds and turn back to him.
We’ll pick this up again at verse nineteen in the next in this series.
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