Isaiah 30: 1 -33
The Original Prodigal Sons
1 “Woe to the rebellious children,” says the LORD, “Who take counsel, but not of Me, and who devise plans, but not of My Spirit, that they may add sin to sin; 2 Who walk to go down to Egypt, and have not asked My advice, to strengthen themselves in the strength of Pharaoh, and to trust in the shadow of Egypt! 3 Therefore the strength of Pharaoh shall be your shame, and trust in the shadow of Egypt shall be your humiliation. 4 For his princes were at Zoan, and his ambassadors came to Hanes. 5 They were all ashamed of a people who could not benefit them, or be help or benefit, but a shame and also a reproach.” 6 The burden against the beasts of the South. Through a land of trouble and anguish, from which came the lioness and lion, the viper and fiery flying serpent, they will carry their riches on the backs of young donkeys, and their treasures on the humps of camels, to a people who shall not profit; 7 For the Egyptians shall help in vain and to no purpose. Therefore I have called her Rahab-Hem-Shebeth. 8 Now go, write it before them on a tablet, and note it on a scroll, that it may be for time to come, forever and ever: 9 That this is a rebellious people, lying children, children who will not hear the law of the LORD; 10 Who say to the seers, “Do not see,” And to the prophets, “Do not prophesy to us right things; Speak to us smooth things, prophesy deceits. 11 Get out of the way, turn aside from the path, cause the Holy One of Israel to cease from before us.” 12 Therefore thus says the Holy One of Israel: “ Because you despise this word, and trust in oppression and perversity, and rely on them, 13 Therefore this iniquity shall be to you like a breach ready to fall, a bulge in a high wall, whose breaking comes suddenly, in an instant. 14 And He shall break it like the breaking of the potter’s vessel, which is broken in pieces; He shall not spare. So there shall not be found among its fragments a shard to take fire from the hearth, or to take water from the cistern.” 15 For thus says the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel: “ In returning and rest you shall be saved; In quietness and confidence shall be your strength.” But you would not, 16 And you said, “No, for we will flee on horses” Therefore you shall flee! And, “We will ride on swift horses”— Therefore those who pursue you shall be swift! 17 One thousand shall flee at the threat of one, at the threat of five you shall flee, till you are left as a pole on top of a mountain and as a banner on a hill. 18 Therefore the LORD will wait, that He may be gracious to you; And therefore He will be exalted, that He may have mercy on you. For the LORD is a God of justice; Blessed are all those who wait for Him. 19 For the people shall dwell in Zion at Jerusalem; You shall weep no more. He will be very gracious to you at the sound of your cry; When He hears it, He will answer you. 20 And though the Lord gives you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, yet your teachers will not be moved into a corner anymore, but your eyes shall see your teachers. 21 Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “ This is the way, walk in it,” Whenever you turn to the right hand or whenever you turn to the left. 22 You will also defile the covering of your images of silver, and the ornament of your molded images of gold. You will throw them away as an unclean thing; You will say to them, “Get away!” 23 Then He will give the rain for your seed with which you sow the ground, and bread of the increase of the earth; It will be fat and plentiful. In that day your cattle will feed in large pastures. 24 Likewise the oxen and the young donkeys that work the ground will eat cured fodder, which has been winnowed with the shovel and fan. 25 There will be on every high mountain and on every high hill rivers and streams of waters, in the day of the great slaughter, when the towers fall. 26 Moreover the light of the moon will be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun will be sevenfold, as the light of seven days, in the day that the LORD binds up the bruise of His people and heals the stroke of their wound. 27 Behold, the name of the LORD comes from afar, burning with His anger, and His burden is heavy; His lips are full of indignation, and His tongue like a devouring fire. 28 His breath is like an overflowing stream, which reaches up to the neck, to sift the nations with the sieve of futility; And there shall be a bridle in the jaws of the people, causing them to err. 29 You shall have a song as in the night when a holy festival is kept, and gladness of heart as when one goes with a flute, to come into the mountain of the LORD, to the Mighty One of Israel. 30 The LORD will cause His glorious voice to be heard, and show the descent of His arm, with the indignation of His anger and the flame of a devouring fire, with scattering, tempest, and hailstones. 31 For through the voice of the LORD Assyria will be beaten down, as He strikes with the rod. 32 And in every place where the staff of punishment passes, which the LORD lays on him, it will be with tambourines and harps; And in battles of brandishing He will fight with it. 33 For Tophet was established of old, yes, for the king it is prepared. He has made it deep and large; Its pyre is fire with much wood; The breath of the LORD, like a stream of brimstone, kindles it.
Have you ever heard the saying, ‘It’s hard to keep a good man down?” Well, this is kind of what is happening in what we study in chapter 30 of the book of Isaiah.
The Northern kingdom was no longer in existence. The Southern kingdom was now governed by Hezekiah, recognized by our Lord as a good king. He tells us so in the book of 2 Kings chapter 18, “ 1 Now it came to pass in the third year of Hoshea the son of Elah, king of Israel, that Hezekiah the son of Ahaz, king of Judah, began to reign. 2 He was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Abi the daughter of Zechariah. 3 And he did what was right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his father David had done.”
Israel was doing the same thing that we in the United States are presently doing. We are paying all the countries of the world in order to have some stability and peace. However, what uniquely was going on was that the nation of Assyria was the top nation which controlled this portion of the world. The nation of Judah was paying tribute to this foreign country. Then came a significant change. The king of Assyria Sargon II died. He was replaced by a guy by the name of Sennacherib who was quite involved in cementing his ruler ship in his country.
Now Hezekiah was faced with a dilemma, should they just continue paying Assyria now under this new leadership or refuse to pay for the protection.
At this time the nation of Babylon was beginning to grow in strength and power and attempted to break away from the bondage of Assyria. Since they were fairly nearby to the capital of Assyria, their rebellion was quashed.
To add confusion to his decision, the nation of Egypt was communicating with Judah to come and join them against Assyria. This is the current situation that chapter 30 deals with.
Here is a point of knowledge that we need to solidify in our thought processes. Even as Christians we are affected by choices. Fear and worry can cause us to panic. Instead of trusting in the Lord’s deliverance right from inception, what do we do?
We look elsewhere for the advice, comfort and relief to our problems. We are the ‘McDonald’s Generation’. We want everything right now. We need to cast all our cares on Him for He cares for us. You see, the biggest sin we have to come to grips with is that we do not trust our Holy God. Oh, we can lip this saying but in the end we fail.
We shouldn’t bad mouth Peter because he failed the test of trust. Remember his bold statement to our Lord Jesus? We see in chapter 26 of the Gospel of Matthew this, “31 Then Jesus said to them, “All of you will be made to stumble because of Me this night, for it is written: ‘ I will strike the Shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered. 32 But after I have been raised, I will go before you to Galilee.”33 Peter answered and said to Him, “Even if all are made to stumble because of You, I will never be made to stumble.” 34 Jesus said to him, “Assuredly, I say to you that this night, before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.” 35 Peter said to Him, “Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You!” And so said all the disciples.
Another thing for us to consider as we discuss this chapter is the situation that Judah was having with the nation of Egypt. If you stop and think about this for a moment can you understand how ironic it is for the Jewish people to interact with the Egyptians. Didn’t they have any history books? If you have a hard time thinking if they did or not, I want to remind you that they had the accurate Scriptures with them. So, they should have learned from these valuable bible lessons. Do you think that maybe they were not reading the Word of God very often? If they did I would suppose that someone might have brought up the point of why they should trust the very nation that had them in bondage for centuries.
As Christians we are also need to stay alert with God’s discernment. For we also can forget all the hardships that we faced before coming to Jesus Christ. We can begin to flirt with our old enemies whether they alcohol, drugs, pornography, etc. Do you see my point?
So, if you will join me we want to first see the reasons our Precious Holy Spirit informs us as to why the Israelites rebelled.
1 “Woe to the rebellious children,” says the LORD, “Who take counsel, but not of Me, and who devise plans, but not of My Spirit, that they may add sin to sin; 2 Who walk to go down to Egypt, and have not asked My advice, to strengthen themselves in the strength of Pharaoh, and to trust in the shadow of Egypt!
One reason right from the start of this message is that the people did not include our Holy Master in their plans. Look at what is says again in verse 1 - 1 “Woe to the rebellious children,” says the LORD, “Who take counsel, but not of Me, and who devise plans, but not of My Spirit, that they may add sin to sin”
Our Lord says in Psalm 1 this important truth, “ 1 Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful. 2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and in His law he meditates day and night. 3 He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper. 4 The ungodly are not so, but are like the chaff which the wind drives away. 5 Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. 6 For the LORD knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the ungodly shall perish.”
It amazes me the great wisdom that our Lord gives us yet we don’t get these truths in our lives all the time. What great guidance we would have if we just took the time to memorize these directions from our Holy El Olam – our Everlasting God.
Before I move on we just have to mention the advice from our Savior’s half brother James who writes this in chapter 1, “13 Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit”; 14 whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. 15 Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that.” 16 But now you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. 17 Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin.”
We have to remember that everything is in our Lord’s hands. We do not do anything ever right without asking His okay. Okay?
So, instead of first and completely turning to the Lord and trust His help, the people were told by our Holy Lord that He knew what they were up to. He told them what they were secretly trying to do. They were seeking alliance with the nation of Egypt – “2 Who walk to go down to Egypt, and have not asked My advice, to strengthen themselves in the strength of Pharaoh, and to trust in the shadow of Egypt!”
Now having pointed out their secret negotiations now our Holy El Roi – our Majestic Strong God Who Sees all, will tell them the what will happen by this wrongful pursuit.
3 Therefore the strength of Pharaoh shall be your shame, and trust in the shadow of Egypt shall be your humiliation. 4 For his princes were at Zoan, and his ambassadors came to Hanes. 5 They were all ashamed of a people who could not benefit them, or be help or benefit, but a shame and also a reproach.” 6 The burden against the beasts of the South. Through a land of trouble and anguish, from which came the lioness and lion, the viper and fiery flying serpent, they will carry their riches on the backs of young donkeys, and their treasures on the humps of camels, to a people who shall not profit; 7 For the Egyptians shall help in vain and to no purpose. Therefore I have called her Rahab-Hem-Shebeth.
Our Holy Abba [Daddy] warns them right off that they are going to experience significant shame, overwhelming struggles, and noticeable silence.
Our Lord does not reject a humble and contrite heart. If we do not humble ourselves in the sight of our God then we will deal with humiliation and that my friends, take it from me is not something you want to experience. Look at what it says in verses 3 through 5 – “3 Therefore the strength of Pharaoh shall be your shame, and trust in the shadow of Egypt shall be your humiliation. 4 For his princes were at Zoan, and his ambassadors came to Hanes. 5 They were all ashamed of a people who could not benefit them, or be help or benefit, but a shame and also a reproach.”
When we fail to trust our Holy Sovereign Lord we go dumb and deaf. We do not realize all the extra labor and strife in attempting to bring what we want about. Here the leaders in order to keep their plans secret are going to have to endure going the long way around to Egypt through 3 deserts so spies from Assyria will not know their plans. Hey, God knows - “6 The burden against the beasts of the South. Through a land of trouble and anguish, from which came the lioness and lion, the viper and fiery flying serpent, they will carry their riches on the backs of young donkeys, and their treasures on the humps of camels, to a people who shall not profit.”
After they think that they made their deal they will be surprised at not hearing in the distance the sound of the Egyptian army marching to their assistance - 7 For the Egyptians shall help in vain and to no purpose. Therefore I have called her Rahab-Hem-Shebeth.”
Rahab was a mythological female sea monster. It also means arrogant. Egypt’s help in time of need for the Israelites will be just a fairy story not one that is real that will help you in time of need. You will be crying out to them, ‘Hey, we made a deal, why aren’t you coming to help me?’ In their arrogance they will just laugh at you for being so stupid in the first place for having trusted them.
And while our Holy Faithful Witness Is addressing their current rebellion, He now goes on to tell them of their future rebellion.
8 Now go, write it before them on a tablet, and note it on a scroll, that it may be for time to come, forever and ever: 9 That this is a rebellious people, lying children, children who will not hear the law of the LORD; 10 Who say to the seers, “Do not see,” And to the prophets, “Do not prophesy to us right things; Speak to us smooth things, prophesy deceits. 11 Get out of the way, turn aside from the path, cause the Holy One of Israel to cease from before us.”
To make this point our Lord says, ‘Write this down and look at it later when it happens – ‘8 Now go, write it before them on a tablet, and note it on a scroll, that it may be for time to come, forever and ever: 9 That this is a rebellious people, lying children, children who will not hear the law of the LORD;”
When you get what’s coming to you do not sit around moaning how come this is happening to us. You didn’t want to take any corrective advice. You only wanted to hear the 7 ways God’s loves you instead of what He wants you to change – ‘10 Who say to the seers, “Do not see,” And to the prophets, “Do not prophesy to us right things; Speak to us smooth things, prophesy deceits.”
In your thoughts, words, and actions you do not want our Holy God bother you. Let Him go bother someone else. You want to be left alone – ‘11 Get out of the way, turn aside from the path, cause the Holy One of Israel to cease from before us.”
The Word of God is important. It says in the book of 2 Timothy chapter 4 the apostle Paul explains the value of God’s word, “ 1 I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom: 2 Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. 3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; 4 and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables. 5 But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.”
Our Lord gives us easy choices, yes or no. If you reject His Word by saying ‘No’ then you will face His Judgment.
12 Therefore thus says the Holy One of Israel: “ Because you despise this word, and trust in oppression and perversity, and rely on them, 13 Therefore this iniquity shall be to you like a breach ready to fall, a bulge in a high wall, whose breaking comes suddenly, in an instant. 14 And He shall break it like the breaking of the potter’s vessel, which is broken in pieces; He shall not spare. So there shall not be found among its fragments a shard to take fire from the hearth, or to take water from the cistern.”
Let us get this verse down in our minds. If we reject His Word, then we get spanked by the evil situations in this cursed world. And please notice that a lot of times the answer that we do not like comes swiftly - 12 Therefore thus says the Holy One of Israel: “ Because you despise this word, and trust in oppression and perversity, and rely on them, 13 Therefore this iniquity shall be to you like a breach ready to fall, a bulge in a high wall, whose breaking comes suddenly, in an instant. 14 And He shall break it like the breaking of the potter’s vessel, which is broken in pieces; He shall not spare. So there shall not be found among its fragments a shard to take fire from the hearth, or to take water from the cistern.”
When we stiffen up to the corrective action of our Precious Holy Father, we can either repent and seek His forgiveness or remain defiant. If we chose the later path then we suffer from the situations life throws at us. We keep taking blow upon blow from the onslaught of problems and we get defeated. We lose all strength to go on. We want to quit everything. Now, we are drifting into dangerous waters where we also lose our mental stability. Look at these same things that happened to the Israelites.
15 For thus says the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel: “ In returning and rest you shall be saved; In quietness and confidence shall be your strength.” But you would not, 16 And you said, “No, for we will flee on horses” Therefore you shall flee! And, “We will ride on swift horses”— Therefore those who pursue you shall be swift! 17 One thousand shall flee at the threat of one, at the threat of five you shall flee, till you are left as a pole on top of a mountain and as a banner on a hill.
Look at the promises our Lord gives if the people would only surrender their defiance, yet they will not give in – “15 For thus says the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel: “ In returning and rest you shall be saved; In quietness and confidence shall be your strength.” But you would not,”
At one time you were thought of at work as being ‘irreplaceable’. Now, you hide at work just hoping they will not get rid of you – ‘16 And you said, “No, for we will flee on horses” Therefore you shall flee! And, “We will ride on swift horses”— Therefore those who pursue you shall be swift! 17 One thousand shall flee at the threat of one, at the threat of five you shall flee, till you are left as a pole on top of a mountain and as a banner on a hill.’
Yet, at times even when we feel like giving up, our Precious Holy Father will not give up on us. He will continue to love us and watch over us. He will continue to try to get our attention to come home to Him.
18 Therefore the LORD will wait, that He may be gracious to you; And therefore He will be exalted, that He may have mercy on you. For the LORD is a God of justice; Blessed are all those who wait for Him. 19 For the people shall dwell in Zion at Jerusalem; You shall weep no more. He will be very gracious to you at the sound of your cry; When He hears it, He will answer you. 20 And though the Lord gives you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, yet your teachers will not be moved into a corner anymore, but your eyes shall see your teachers. 21 Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “ This is the way, walk in it,” Whenever you turn to the right hand or whenever you turn to the left. 22 You will also defile the covering of your images of silver, and the ornament of your molded images of gold. You will throw them away as an unclean thing; You will say to them, “Get away!” 23 Then He will give the rain for your seed with which you sow the ground, and bread of the increase of the earth; It will be fat and plentiful. In that day your cattle will feed in large pastures. 24 Likewise the oxen and the young donkeys that work the ground will eat cured fodder, which has been winnowed with the shovel and fan. 25 There will be on every high mountain and on every high hill rivers and streams of waters, in the day of the great slaughter, when the towers fall. 26 Moreover the light of the moon will be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun will be sevenfold, as the light of seven days, in the day that the LORD binds up the bruise of His people and heals the stroke of their wound.
Come home to Him and find rest. You will no longer be wandering aimlessly in this brutal world – ‘18 Therefore the LORD will wait, that He may be gracious to you; And therefore He will be exalted, that He may have mercy on you. For the LORD is a God of justice; Blessed are all those who wait for Him. 19 For the people shall dwell in Zion at Jerusalem;’
The tears that we have shed over all the pain that we have had to endure will be wiped away by our Merciful Lord – ‘You shall weep no more. He will be very gracious to you at the sound of your cry; When He hears it, He will answer you. 20 And though the Lord gives you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, yet your teachers will not be moved into a corner anymore, but your eyes shall see your teachers.’
And since it has been a long time that your prayers were received by our Great King, He will now guide you in all your paths ‘21 Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “ This is the way, walk in it,” Whenever you turn to the right hand or whenever you turn to the left.’
You will find that the things you were involved with are not fun anymore - say, the nightclub scene. It will all seem like it was a waste of your time and energy –‘22 You will also defile the covering of your images of silver, and the ornament of your molded images of gold. You will throw them away as an unclean thing; You will say to them, “Get away!”
When you wake up to these areas and turn back to walking with your Holy God, it seems that the sun has come out again. No more ‘Dark Cloud Ministries. -23 Then He will give the rain for your seed with which you sow the ground, and bread of the increase of the earth; It will be fat and plentiful. In that day your cattle will feed in large pastures. 24 Likewise the oxen and the young donkeys that work the ground will eat cured fodder, which has been winnowed with the shovel and fan. 25 There will be on every high mountain and on every high hill rivers and streams of waters, in the day of the great slaughter, when the towers fall. 26 Moreover the light of the moon will be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun will be sevenfold, as the light of seven days, in the day that the LORD binds up the bruise of His people and heals the stroke of their wound.’
And I find it amazing that you will witness the Lord’s dealing with all those who have been hurting you.
27 Behold, the name of the LORD comes from afar, burning with His anger, and His burden is heavy; His lips are full of indignation, and His tongue like a devouring fire. 28 His breath is like an overflowing stream, which reaches up to the neck, to sift the nations with the sieve of futility; And there shall be a bridle in the jaws of the people, causing them to err. 29 You shall have a song as in the night when a holy festival is kept, and gladness of heart as when one goes with a flute, to come into the mountain of the LORD, to the Mighty One of Israel. 30 The LORD will cause His glorious voice to be heard, and show the descent of His arm, with the indignation of His anger and the flame of a devouring fire, with scattering, tempest, and hailstones. 31 For through the voice of the LORD Assyria will be beaten down, as He strikes with the rod. 32 And in every place where the staff of punishment passes, which the LORD lays on him, it will be with tambourines and harps; And in battles of brandishing He will fight with it. 33 For Tophet was established of old, yes, for the king it is prepared. He has made it deep and large; Its pyre is fire with much wood; The breath of the LORD, like a stream of brimstone, kindles it.
Your enemies will be devoured as quickly as a fire engulfs dry kindling – ‘27 Behold, the name of the LORD comes from afar, burning with His anger, and His burden is heavy; His lips are full of indignation, and His tongue like a devouring fire. 28 His breath is like an overflowing stream, which reaches up to the neck, to sift the nations with the sieve of futility; And there shall be a bridle in the jaws of the people, causing them to err.”
And when our Lord has done an amazing work for you, what happen to you personally? Your spirit is renewed within you. Your heart is rejoicing again. You might even whistle or sing a catchy song – ‘29 You shall have a song as in the night when a holy festival is kept, and gladness of heart as when one goes with a flute, to come into the mountain of the LORD, to the Mighty One of Israel. 30 The LORD will cause His glorious voice to be heard,’
And lastly I do not know if this advice is proper or not but I pray many times for people that if they have done nice things for others that our Holy Jehovah Jireh – The Lord Who Provides – would reward these people double. And if some people extended evil for good, I pray that they would experience the same thing that they did to others so they would know first hand what it is like.
I see our Holy Ruler dealing similarly with the Assyrians. For although our Holy King had used them as His instrument for discipline, they had issued more punishment than the crime required – ‘and show the descent of His arm, with the indignation of His anger and the flame of a devouring fire, with scattering, tempest, and hailstones. 31 For through the voice of the LORD Assyria will be beaten down, as He strikes with the rod. 32 And in every place where the staff of punishment passes, which the LORD lays on him, it will be with tambourines and harps; And in battles of brandishing He will fight with it. 33 For Tophet was established of old, yes, for the king it is prepared. He has made it deep and large; Its pyre is fire with much wood; The breath of the LORD, like a stream of brimstone, kindles it.’
