People want to hear only what they want to hear. If someone’s heart is not aligned with God, they will reject what does not fit into their narrow understanding of what they consider to be true. As in all Isaiah’s prophecies, they reveal principles about the Lord that remain unchanged over time and can be applied today.
Isaiah wrote at a time when God’s people were seeking help from Egypt, the very nation from which they fled in the Exodus. They did not listen to God’s warnings and still sought help from their previous oppressors.
“Now go and write down these words. Write them in a book. They will stand until the end of time as a witness that these people are stubborn rebels who refuse to pay attention to the Lord’s instructions. They tell the seers, stop seeing visions! They tell the prophets, don’t tell us what is right. Tell us nice things. Tell us lies. Forget all this gloom. Get off your narrow path. Stop telling us about your Holy One of Israel” (Isaiah 30: 8-11).
When this kind of deception has shackled people, there is only one way those shackles can be released, “This is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel, says: ‘Only in returning to me and resting in me will you be saved. In quietness and confidence is your strength’”. (vs. 15).
Instead of going out to seek help from those not aligned with the Lord, they will miss out on the intervention of God, something He promised to do for those who return to Him and to His truth.
“So the Lord must wait for you to come to him so he can show you his love and compassion. For the Lord is a faithful God. Blessed are those who wait for his help” (vs. 18). Our impatience to wait for the Lord to help us will remove the intended blessing He wants all His people to experience.
As confusing messages increase in volume and intensity, they can deafen people’s ears to the voice of God. Those who return to the Lord will receive direction on which way to turn, “Your own ears will hear him. Right behind you, a voice will say, This is the way you should go, whether to the right or to the left” (vs. 21).
In the quietness and strength our trust in God brings, we will manifest something remarkable, “The people of God will sing a song of joy, like the songs at the holy festivals. You will be filled with joy” (vs.29).
This joy is the fruit of our returning to the Lord, as many around us become disoriented and abandon Him, demanding their preachers and prophets, “Tell us nice things. Tell us lies. Forget all this gloom.”
This is an updated edition of a post originally published on Garris Elkins
Featured Image by Kimia Zarifi on Unsplash
