Faithless People, Faithful God • 07.21.24
Faithless People, Faithful God
Isaiah 30-31
Warnings against pursuing your own way
- Searching for salvation outside of God brings shame
- Fostering a rebellious heart invites discipline
- Turn to the faithful Lord who keeps his promises
Good morning, church family! I am looking forward to celebrating the Lord’s Table with you after the sermon today. It is a special way for us to rejoice in the finished work of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, this morning.
If you’re new with us, welcome. We’re glad you could join us today for our study in Isaiah. Today we’re picking back up in Isaiah chapters 30-31. It is my hope that our regular attenders are in the habit of reading the passages before coming on Sunday. That is why we put them on the bottom of the bulletin each week to give you the opportunity to do some reading and studying on your own before you come in here on a Sunday. That is especially important in weeks like these where we are taking such large portions of the Scripture to study.
But, don’t panic if you didn’t do that, I will still be reading from sections of these chapters to help you follow what God’s Word is saying. Let’s go ahead and grab our Bibles…
Ushers + Bibles (Isaiah 30-31; page 700)
Where do you turn when life gets hard? When the rug is pulled out from under you? When you feel like you have no place to go? No hope? To what do you turn? To whom do you look?
The answers to these questions are very important. For you. For me. And for the nation of Judah in Isaiah’s day.
The nation of Judah was on the brink of disaster. A foreign enemy, the nation of Assyria, was looming and destruction seemed imminent and inevitable. Where would they turn? To whom would they look for help? … The answer, unfortunately, was to Egypt, another foreign nation with whom they had quite the storied past! They were once Egypt’s slaves!
Many centuries before, God had delivered them from Egypt through the exodus by the prophet Moses. He had counseled them never to return there again (Deut. 17:16). And yet, in man’s wisdom, Egypt seemed like the logical option to turn to in time of need… to find their hope of refuge and protection. They trusted in the chariots and horsemen of Pharoah over the unseen, creator God who reigns over all! (You might recall we sang about how he is the one who burns the chariots with fire…)
And this choice to trust Pharoah over Yahweh would cost them dearly… because it was a wrong and sinful choice. In their own foolish estimation, they thought that they knew better than God. Their unwillingness to listen to God’s prophets; their hard-heartedness towards their God led them to esteem themselves and their understanding over the warnings of God. The God who had previously rescued them out of Egypt in many mighty and miraculous ways. The God who had provided for them time and time again, parting the Red Sea, providing Manna in the desert, bringing them into the Promised Land and establishing them in victory over their enemies. The God who had been with their kings, most notably King David.
By this point in history, King David had already penned many of their Psalms, rejoicing in the Lord and recognizing the Lord as his refuge and strong tower, the source of his protection and the One to whom he should turn in times of trouble and struggles with sin. And yet, even though Judah had ancestors like King David and Asaph who had written these beautiful truths down, some of which were sung during their annual feasts and days of celebrations throughout the year… Even though they had these things, they were not willing to listen. They were not willing to heed this counsel. They thought that they knew better, and so they made a much different decision. They did not rely on the Lord as their refuge or strength or protector. Instead, they decided to look to Egypt. They would trust in the abilities of man to protect them. And, as Isaiah chapters 30-31 reveal, that was a foolish choice… a sinful choice that would have tremendous consequences. Let me read portions of these chapters to you.
Isaiah 30:1–7 (ESV)
“Ah, stubborn children,” declares the Lord,
“who carry out a plan, but not mine,
and who make an alliance, but not of my Spirit,
that they may add sin to sin;
2 who set out to go down to Egypt,
without asking for my direction,
to take refuge in the protection of Pharaoh
and to seek shelter in the shadow of Egypt!
3 Therefore shall the protection of Pharaoh turn to your shame,
and the shelter in the shadow of Egypt to your humiliation.
4 For though his officials are at Zoan
and his envoys reach Hanes,
5 everyone comes to shame
through a people that cannot profit them,
that brings neither help nor profit,
but shame and disgrace.”
6 An oracle on the beasts of the Negeb.
Through a land of trouble and anguish,
from where come the lioness and the lion,
the adder and the flying fiery serpent,
they carry their riches on the backs of donkeys,
and their treasures on the humps of camels,
to a people that cannot profit them.
7 Egypt’s help is worthless and empty;
therefore I have called her
“Rahab who sits still.”
Isaiah 31:1–3 (ESV)
Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help
and rely on horses,
who trust in chariots because they are many
and in horsemen because they are very strong,
but do not look to the Holy One of Israel
or consult the Lord!
2 And yet he is wise and brings disaster;
he does not call back his words,
but will arise against the house of the evildoers
and against the helpers of those who work iniquity.
3 The Egyptians are man, and not God,
and their horses are flesh, and not spirit.
When the Lord stretches out his hand,
the helper will stumble, and he who is helped will fall,
and they will all perish together.
God has strong words of rebuke for his faithless people! He warns them that their plans will only increase sin and the painful consequences of it in their lives. Their plans to seek refuge in Pharaoh will lead to shame and humiliation of all involved. As you heard in 31:3, “They will all perish together.” Whew! Strong words of warning!
It is important to realize that God is having Isaiah share these rebukes before Judah has even fully gone through with their plans. God knows their hearts and he is forewarning them of the outcome! Listen to what he commands of Isaiah:
Isaiah 30:8–11 (ESV)
8 And now, go, write it before them on a tablet
and inscribe it in a book,
that it may be for the time to come
as a witness forever.
9 For they are a rebellious people,
lying children,
children unwilling to hear
the instruction of the Lord;
10 who say to the seers, “Do not see,”
and to the prophets, “Do not prophesy to us what is right;
speak to us smooth things,
prophesy illusions,
11 leave the way, turn aside from the path,
let us hear no more about the Holy One of Israel.”
God commands Isaiah to write these things down on a tablet and in a book. The book is likely the scroll of Isaiah’s prophecies that we are reading from to this day. The tablet is thought to be a large sign that was hung in a public area to serve as a witness against them. If that is true, then the tablet likely contained an abbreviated message of rebuke. But the point here is that the people were unwilling to hear the instruction of the Lord. They knowingly told their spiritual leaders to stop talking about right and wrong and instead to tell them easy messages that did not challenge them. They do not want to hear any more about the path of holiness or the Holy One of Israel!
Oh my, oh my, oh my! What a dangerous place to be! And yet, it was not unique to their day. Paul warned Timothy about the very same thing in the New Testament era. This comes right after Paul’s exhortation to bold preaching of the truth. Listen to his warning:
2 Timothy 4:3–4 (ESV)
3 For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, 4 and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.
Throughout history, man has been tempted to turn from the truth to pursue lies. Even going so far as to set up teachers/leaders who will only tell them what they want to hear rather than the truth! An honest evaluation of humanity is that we can be very stubborn and unwilling to listen even when there are plenty of warnings in advance! The pattern of ancient Judah is the same pattern for us today. We have the entire revealed word of God and still we often pursue our selfish, sinful path!
I believe the lessons of Isaiah’s day are ones we need to hear and heed in our own lives today. It is like we have heard in previous weeks, there is nothing new under the sun when it comes to the temptations and struggles of man. Even though we have so much information, so much written down for us in the Word, so much from human history proving that God is faithful to protect and provide for his people, we still think that we know better. We still make decisions based on our own understanding, limited as it may be of the situation or even possible solutions. And we often fail to seek the Lord. We often fail to humble ourselves before Him and cry out and ask for His help. We fail to turn to His Word or to other wise counselors who will help us understand His Word. Instead, we do it in our own strength.
Like a toddler craving independence we shout, “MYSELF! I DO IT!” We think that things will work out just fine if we’re in control. And we follow our own plan rather than being humbled and asking for help. That is what our sermon is about today. Faithless people, Faithful God. We’re going to see that even when Judah was faithless to Yahweh, even when they did the exact opposite of what he had called them to and counseled them to do time and again, he faithfully waited for them.
Now that doesn’t mean that he withheld his judgment. He does discipline them because he loves them and wants them to see the folly of their ways and learn from them. And this is not a lesson solely for them but for the coming generations, as we’ve heard in 30:8. God wanted future generations to see and understand and learn from the mistakes that this generation made… *pause*
But thankfully, God waits. He disciplines, but he waits to show mercy and grace and justice. He waits for his people to turn back to him. He confronts them in their sin and then he stands ready to forgive. And that’s a beautiful picture of how God operates, even to this day.
Let’s consider what we can learn from these chapters today. Our emphasis this morning is on…
Warnings against pursuing your own way
And we begin with a warning informed by the beginning of chapter 30…
- Searching for salvation outside of God brings shame
In verses 1-7 of chapter 30, God speaks through Isaiah to warn Judah about the shame and disgrace that their rebellion will bring upon them. As they turn to things other than God for refuge and protection and shelter, the result is revealed to be shame and humiliation and disgrace. Now these concepts are understood differently in the Hebrew context than they would be in ours. Our English meaning for shame is typically understood as a condition of our inner man/woman. The Hebrew meaning, in this context, is a public disgrace, which is why it is paralleled with humiliation. It is speaking about the shame of defeat at the hands of their enemies. Their path would not result in protection or victory, as they hoped, but defeat. So, it would be appropriate to write “defeat” or “humiliation” next to the word shame on your bulletin.
This is what inevitably happens when man chooses to reject God’s counsel and wisdom. They carried out a plan that was not God’s and made decisions without asking for God’s direction. This is a recipe for disaster! God had invited them to be his people and promised to be their God. He had invited them to seek him in sincerity and promised to be their refuge and rock of salvation. Throughout their nation’s history, He had proven himself as a faithful deliverer! Yet they would rather turn to Egypt for refuge and shelter. They exchanged the shelter of the Most High and the protection of the shadow of the Almighty for a manmade, poor alternative. (Ps. 91:1)
As God reveals, Egypt will be unable to deliver them. He even mocks the effort that Judah makes to send their treasures across the desert to secure a worthless and empty ally. One commentator I read helped me understand the mocking comments of God in verses 6-7:
Rahab who sits still presents a striking dissonance in ideas. On the one hand, Rahab is the sea monster of popular legend. She is the ancient chaotic Matter against whom the gods struggled for survival, only subduing her by dint of the last bit of effort. The Hebrews used that legend as a literary allusion when they spoke of God overcoming Egypt to set them free.
So is that who Egypt is? Some ancient Rahab with all the destructive powers of chaos at her command? Hardly. She is more like a fat old grandmother sitting sleepily in the sun. Why go to all that effort to buy her help? (John Oswalt, NICOT)
The things/people (nations) that you turn to for help in your time of need are not what you think they are. They cannot deliver what they promise. They will inevitably let you down. They will lead to shame, or as we understand it, defeat and humiliation when God is revealed. There is no good outcome from searching for salvation and protection outside of God!
The people of Isaiah’s day needed to hear this warning so that they could turn back to God and live. The people of our day need to hear this warning so that they can turn to the Son of God, Jesus Christ, for salvation. As we have heard in previous weeks, Jesus is the cornerstone of our faith. He is essential for our salvation. This is what is revealed in the New Testament and preached by the disciples of Christ.
Acts 4:11–12 (ESV)
11 This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. 12 And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
There is no shame/defeat/humiliation in Christ. Peter connected the dots on this in his first letter by quoting Isaiah 28:16:
1 Peter 2:6 (ESV)
6 For it stands in Scripture:
“Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone,
a cornerstone chosen and precious,
and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.”
Are you trusting in Jesus Christ alone for your salvation? Or does your way of life reveal that you are searching for help/protection/refuge in things other than God? Where do you turn when things get hard?
We must trust in and depend on God for both physical and spiritual provision/protection. He is the provider of both. Your bank accounts, your health, your children’s wellbeing, your relationships, your plans for your life (as good as you think they might be) are not able to bear the weight of your hopes and expectations, nor were they meant to.
Learn from the Judeans – these things will fail you. But God never will. Trust in Him. Turn to him and be free from shame.
Yet this is not the only warning found from these chapters. As we progress through chapter 30 and into 31, we find another warning jumping off the page:
- Fostering a rebellious heart invites discipline
Earlier you heard me read from 30:8-11, where God commanded Isaiah to write about the rebellious heart of this generation of Judah. He had hard words for them! The phrase lying children may better be understood as false sons for it is not so much that they tell lies as they are lies. They are living in a way that is untrue to what a son should be. They refuse to hear the instruction of the LORD! They are disobedient and hard-hearted towards their sin.
Look how God responds to their rebellion! In verse 11 they said, “Let us hear no more about the Holy One of Israel.” God responds in verse 12, “Therefore thus says the Holy One of Israel…” They may not want to hear what God has to say, but He is going to warn them of the dangerous outcome of their path anyways. We don’t get to tell God what to do!
So, verses 12-17 unpack the discipline of the Lord that will come upon them, just as 31:1-3 do the same. God will oppose them in their way and disaster will come upon them suddenly, as when a wall collapses, and completely, as when a jar is shattered into little pieces. And yet, throughout it all, the people think they are going to be successful. They seem to be oblivious to the danger they are in!
This is the self-deceiving nature of sin! You think life is going fine when complete disaster is right around the corner! Sin over-promises and under-delivers, every single time. Verses 16-17 reveal the folly of trusting in self and sin. God had invited them to return and rest in him to find salvation and strength, but they refused! They believed they could just run away on horses, that their swift steeds would save them from their troubles. (Kids, can you just run away from your problems? Can you outrun God?)
In complete irony God promises that they will run away alright, but it would be in fear/defeat, and their pursuers would be swifter than they. And in a stunning reversal, God uses a phrase that was previously about Israel’s victories in battle, to tell them that THEY will now flee at the threat of one or five. Meaning, it won’t take much to defeat Judah because the LORD is against them.
This should be a shocking word of warning to us today. If searching for salvation outside of God brought shame upon Judah and fostering a rebellious heart invited God’s discipline in their lives, why would we expect it to go any differently if we do the same thing? God is graciously allowing us to hear of these things that were written down long ago, that we might learn from them and not repeat them! God intends for you to be convicted of the ways in which you are living like a modern-day Judah.
Where in your life are you living in rebellion against the One, True God? Are there ways in which you are unwilling to hear the instruction of the Lord? We are all prone to temptation and believing the lies of sin, that it will somehow satisfy us in a way God cannot. That if I simply had __________ (my way, entertainment, the approval of others, $$$ in the bank, ease/comfort) then my life would be full of joy, rest, and I would be secure. But these things are poor substitutes for the faithful God who provides true life and rest.
Kids, this applies to you too. Are you struggling with getting in trouble or making sinful choices? When you’re upset/angry/scared/anxious, where do you turn? You can trust in Jesus for your salvation/help/refuge in time of need too. He is the hope and help for kids AND adults.
And I want to spend the rest of our time showing you from this passage why it is so much better to…
- Turn to the faithful Lord who keeps his promises
We’re moving now from the warnings to the solution! There are two calls in these chapters to turn to and trust in the Lord. Let me take you to each in turn:
Isaiah 30:15 (ESV)
15 For thus said the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel,
“In returning and rest you shall be saved;
in quietness and in trust shall be your strength.”
But you were unwilling,
Isaiah 31:6–7 (ESV)
6 Turn to him from whom people have deeply revolted, O children of Israel. 7 For in that day everyone shall cast away his idols of silver and his idols of gold, which your hands have sinfully made for you.
The solution to our sin and the brokenness it invites into our lives is to turn back to the Lord. To repent (a change of mind that leads to a change of life) by forsaking the pursuit of self/sin to pursue and trust in the Lord. The language of chapter 31 is again “in that day” – speaking of a future day when all will forsake the idols they had made and bowed down to. The day is coming when everyone will realize the futility of the things they worshiped instead of God. These calls to repentance are issued as God reveals His power to rebuke and to restore.
We’ve heard about God’s power to rebuke in the earlier verses we’ve looked at. Both Egypt and Judah will fall if they persist in their rebellion against God. Now let’s look at God’s power to restore if they would repent and trust in Him.
Isaiah 30:18–26 (ESV)
18 Therefore the Lord waits to be gracious to you,
and therefore he exalts himself to show mercy to you.
For the Lord is a God of justice;
blessed are all those who wait for him.
19 For a people shall dwell in Zion, in Jerusalem; you shall weep no more. He will surely be gracious to you at the sound of your cry. As soon as he hears it, he answers you. 20 And though the Lord give you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, yet your Teacher will not hide himself anymore, but your eyes shall see your Teacher. 21 And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it,” when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left. 22 Then you will defile your carved idols overlaid with silver and your gold-plated metal images. You will scatter them as unclean things. You will say to them, “Be gone!”
23 And he will give rain for the seed with which you sow the ground, and bread, the produce of the ground, which will be rich and plenteous. In that day your livestock will graze in large pastures, 24 and the oxen and the donkeys that work the ground will eat seasoned fodder, which has been winnowed with shovel and fork. 25 And on every lofty mountain and every high hill there will be brooks running with water, 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 when the Lord binds up the brokenness of his people, and heals the wounds inflicted by his blow.
This passage is a shocking turn of events after the hard words of 30:1-17! While they persist in sin, God patiently waits to show them grace, mercy, and justice. God is faithful to allow them to experience the full weight of their sin and his discipline, yet He does that to bring them to the end of themselves that they might turn and trust in Him!
Even when we are faithless, God is faithful and keeps His promises. He had not forgotten His covenants to create a people for Himself who would represent and reflect Him on the earth. He was committed to preserving the throne of David so that He might send Jesus the Messiah to reign forever on it. God has plans, as we’ve heard week after week, to create a people for himself from every tongue, tribe, and nation that will gather to worship Him forever. We’ve been hearing about that since Isaiah 2.
The language in this passage reveals a stunning promise that though defeated, Jerusalem will not be empty, nor will it be filled with weeping. God will answer their cry. In fact, he was never absent. He was with them in the lessons of adversity and affliction, those came at his hands. But he will change his relationship with them again to teach them the way of righteousness. He will lead them and correct them when they begin to drift.
And this time their response will be different! Verse 22 reveals they will respond in obedience by defiling their idols and scattering them as unclean things (menstrual rags) and saying, “Be gone!” There has been a heart change in the people. They truly want to obey and trust the Lord.
As God teaches them the way of righteousness, he also provides for their physical needs. He is the Lord over all. He commands the rain to give water for the seeds. He is the one who provides a bountiful harvest. The imagery here is one of fruitfulness and blessing. Even as he overthrows the enemies around them. This language is speaking of a future day when God does wonderful things.
But it also transitions to the very real present day for Judah. In 30:27-33 and 31:4-5, 8-9 God declares that he will protect and deliver them from the Assyrians. If you haven’t read these passages, you should. The language is again very vivid, but this time in judgment of the nations who stand against God’s people. God promises quite clearly that He will not let the enemies win the day. He will act in a mighty way to deliver Judah from the Assyrians. He will act in such a clear way that no one else will be able to claim glory for the victory. The Judeans can sit back and rejoice as God delivers them.
Listen to these short snippets from these sections:
Isaiah 30:33 (ESV)
33 For a burning place has long been prepared; indeed, for the king it is made ready, its pyre made deep and wide, with fire and wood in abundance; the breath of the Lord, like a stream of sulfur, kindles it.
This is speaking about the King of Assyria marching to his own funeral pyre at God’s doing. Remember how we heard that God is the holy fire burning on the altar-hearth (Ariel) last week? The king of Assyria is about to find that out in a very real way.
Isaiah 31:8–9 (ESV)
8 “And the Assyrian shall fall by a sword, not of man;
and a sword, not of man, shall devour him;
and he shall flee from the sword,
and his young men shall be put to forced labor.
9 His rock shall pass away in terror,
and his officers desert the standard in panic,”
declares the Lord, whose fire is in Zion,
and whose furnace is in Jerusalem.
The Lord is the fire of Zion who delivers his people – from their sin and their enemies. He is worthy of their trust. And He is worthy of yours. Heed the warnings of Isaiah and turn to the faithful Lord who keeps his promises. There is salvation in no one else but God. And we have the privilege of living in the stage of history when we can know that this plan of rescue and redemption is fulfilled in the person and work of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. The One, whom we heard earlier, is the only One under heaven by which we must be saved.
So, unbelieving friend who is listening to this today, heed these warnings and turn from your faithlessness towards God. Believe in His Son, Jesus Christ, for the forgiveness of your sins and salvation of your soul.
And, Christian friend, heed these warnings and turn from your faithlessness towards God. Wherever it may be showing up in your life. You know the truth. You have been brought into the light. Do not harden your heart or return to the darkness. Do not give yourself over to lies. Do the hard work of identifying and forsaking any lies or idols that you are turning to for refuge/protection/comfort and, instead, trust in the One, True God who died to save you! *Pause*
As we close out our service today, we have a great opportunity now to reaffirm our trust in God through the Lord’s Table.
Communion
We are going to close out our services today by worshiping the Lord through the celebration of communion or the Lord’s table.
Communion is an opportunity for Christians to remember all that the Lord has done for us through his death, burial, and resurrection. This is an opportunity for Christians to remember that we have embraced the promised hope of Christ for the forgiveness of our sins and salvation of our souls!
We will celebrate by partaking of both the bread and the cup as a symbol and reminder of Jesus’ body broken in our place and his blood shed for the forgiveness of our sins. Communion is an opportunity to remember how great a price was paid so that we could be saved from our sin. It is a sobering, yet joyful celebration for Christians. Sobering that the Son of God would give himself for us as a ransom. Joyful that he did, and the result is a living hope that cannot be taken from us! Jesus is victorious; therefore, we have the hope of heaven with Him!
At this time, I’d like to invite the ushers forward with the elements.
Before we pass them, I want to share the biblical requirements for joining in this celebration.
This celebration was given by Jesus to his followers. We invite anyone who has trusted in Jesus Christ alone for salvation to join us in this celebration today. If your faith is not in Jesus Christ alone, then we would encourage you to let the elements pass by you and simply consider what you’ve heard so far during the service this morning and reflect on what is keeping you from trusting him.
The second requirement we see in Scripture is a call to examine ourselves. This is the idea of making sure that you’ve confessed any known sins and sought to turn away from it. It would not be wise to partake of the table if you have sin in your life for which you are not repentant. Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 11 that taking the table while living in sin is eating and drinking judgment on yourself. I would ask you not to do that, for your sake and the sake of God’s glory. Instead, I would encourage you to use this time to confess that sin and make a plan to address it right away. If you know you need to be reconciled to someone else in this church, please take care of that during this time. The table is time to protect the unity of the church.
The ushers are going to pass the elements now as we have a time of silent reflection and prayer to prepare for the table. Please use this time to reflect on all that we’ve talked about today and to prepare yourself to take communion by confessing and repenting of any known sin. After the elements have been passed, I’ll lead us in prayer and taking communion together.
Ushers pass elements
Silent prayer. Corporate prayer.
1 Corinthians 11:23–26 (ESV)
23 For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”
Take bread.
25 In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” 26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.
Take cup
Hallelujah, thank you, Jesus!