
Isaiah 30:8-11
New International Version
8
Go now, write it on a tablet for them,
inscribe it on a scroll,
that for the days to come
it may be an everlasting witness.
9
For these are rebellious people, deceitful children,
children unwilling to listen to the Lord’s instruction.
10
They say to the seers,
“See no more visions!”
and to the prophets,
“Give us no more visions of what is right!
Tell us pleasant things,
prophesy illusions.
11
Leave this way,
get off this path,
and stop confronting us
with the Holy One of Israel!”
The Lord told Isaiah to write these words on a tablet and on a scroll. It was to be a record of the rebellion of the Israelites and their unwillingness to walk in the ways of the Lord. The reason God wanted this written down for future generations is so that those generations would learn from the mistakes of those who came before them. That they would not repeat their same mistakes. God’s desire was for Israel to walk in obedience to His law so that His blessing would touch every area of their lives. God has still called us to walk in obedience to His word. Jesus said those who love me will obey my commands. God’s word is His command to us. When we choose to walk in disobedience we invite the correction and discipline of the Lord.
God calls people rebellious when they are unwilling to listen to His word. It is not merely being unwilling to hear His word, but what the Lord is pointing to is an unwillingness to live according to His word. There are times in our lives that we bring hardship upon ourselves because we are not listening and living according to the word of God. When our Father sees us beginning to go off track He will intervene because He loves us. He knows if we continue in sin that it will ultimately destroy us.
This was His feeling concerning Israel. God knew that if they continued in their rebellion and sin that it would destroy them as a nation. God sending them into exile ultimately saved them as a nation and God did it through the removal of His remnant before judgement came upon Jerusalem. When God brings correction into our lives we must remember it is because He loves us and it is ultimately for our good. God never promised a life of ease and comfort. He actually promised us the opposite. But no matter what we face we know that He is with us. He will never leave us nor forsake us. Even when He is correcting us, He will never turn His back on us.
The people no longer wanted to hear words of correction. They wanted messages that brought comfort even though they continued to live in sin and rebellion. Things haven’t changed much. People today desire preachers who will not confront their sin, but instead will speak comfort and encouragement. It doesn’t mean that a true preacher of the gospel won’t speak comfort and encouragement, but when God’s people are living in sin, that sin needs to be confronted with the word of God. To compromise the truth means the destruction of God’s people.
When we examine the seven letters to the seven churches in Revelation two and three we find that Jesus rebuked five of the churches. In each of His messages when He brought rebuke He began highlighting what they did very well. But then the Lord confronted that which needed to be repented of. Jesus' warning was stern and to the point. He told them that if they failed to repent He would come and remove their lampstand.
Just because we have a relationship with the Living God does not give us license to live how we want. Our lives are to be surrendered to Almighty God. He is God and we are not. When our eyes are open to the truth, we come to understand that Jesus is both Savior and Lord. This means every dream and desire is surrendered to Jesus. Every decision is surrendered to Jesus. Our very will is surrendered to the Lordship of Jesus Christ.
The people resisted Isaiah and told him to get out of the way and stop confronting them with the truth of God. When people reject the truth of God and they reject His word, they have no one to blame but themselves when destruction comes. God is very clear in His word concerning what happens when we live in sin and wickedness. Whatever the devil tempts us with is appealing to our eyes. If we begin to give into temptation and live in sin, we will begin to justify our actions because pride and arrogance is taking hold of our heart.
But true blessing is found in walking in obedience. The abundant life Jesus spoke of can only be found when living according to the word of God. We must remember that the word of God is not a suggestion. It is a our road map and playbook of how we are to live life on a daily basis. As we spend time in the word of God daily we come to know God intimately. He has revealed Himself through the scriptures and those who fail to rightly divide the word of truth and fail to study the word of God, fail to know Him. The ability to live according to God’s word is not found in ourselves, it is only made possible by the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives.
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