"This is the way; walk in it."
These are rebellious people, deceitful children,
children unwilling to listen to the LORD's instruction.
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.
Leave this way, get off this path,
and stop confronting us with the Holy One of Israel!"
Therefore, this is what the Holy One of Israel says: "Because you have rejected this message, relied on oppression and depended on deceit, this sin will become for you like a high wall, cracked and bulging, that collapses suddenly, in an instant. It will break in pieces like pottery, shattered so mercilessly that among its pieces not a fragment will be found for taking coals from a hearth or scooping water out of a cistern."
This is what the Sovereign LORD, the Holy One of Israel, says: "In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength, but you would have none of it.
You said, 'No, we will flee on horses.' Therefore you will flee!
You said, 'We will ride off on swift horses.' Therefore your pursuers will be swift!
A thousand will flee at the threat of one; at the threat of five you will all flee away,
till you are left like a flagstaff on a mountaintop, like a banner on a hill."
Yet the LORD longs to be gracious to you;
he rises to show you compassion.
For the LORD is a God of justice.
Blessed are all who wait for him!
O people of Zion, who live in Jerusalem, you will weep no more. How gracious he will be when you cry for help! As soon as he hears, he will answer you. Although the Lord gives you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, your teachers will be hidden no more; with your own eyes you will see them. Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, "This is the way; walk in it." -- Isaiah 30:9-21
This passage really hit me. I mean ... this Isaiah guy's got it right on. (Guess it helps to be divinely inspired :).) But seriously, does anyone else see themselves in this? I see society as a whole in this. We don't want to hear what's really going on, or what God really wants for our lives and our society. Instead, we just say "Hey, I got this under control. I've got technology and evolution and contraception and whatever else you want, I don't need this God thing. Not really. Sure, I'll go to church on Easter or Christmas, but I've got the right to do my own thing, and no one can tell me otherwise. Don't tell me about God. I don't want to hear it!"
I definitely see me in this... a couple weeks ago I was struggling through some stuff and I knew what I was thinking was wrong, but didn't want to admit it *at all* ... I told my friend Brian a "theory" I had and he asked me if it was Biblical (knowing full well that it wasn't). I looked him right in the eye and said "nope," but still wanted to believe it anyways. We don't want to hear the truth when it's easier to do something another way.
It's actually a kind of humorous passage. He talks about how we think we can flee on horses, and then almost laughs, saying that our pursuers will be swift. God will give us exactly what we want - He will let us flee from things on our quick horses, but that does not mean we will flee successfully. He even says that our sin is like a wall that is "cracked and bulging" ... like it will be all cool and then suddenly come tumbling down. We'll keep going along on our merry way until WHAM! ... our "pursuers" will catch up with us.
But God is so faithful... Isaiah says "He longs ... to show [us] compassion" ... he's just waiting for us to ask, and then He'll be right there, and He'll guide us along the right path. It says that "as soon as He hears, He will answer you." It's like a horse in a starting gate - as soon as he hears the bell go off and sees the doors fly open, he's already half-way down the track because he's been waiting for that sign that he can go.
The other thing I thought was cool about this passage was how it says "your teachers will be hidden no more." It kind of goes along with that idea of seeking. Even though hard stuff might still happen to us, we will be able to hear and see the works of the Lord and take comfort that He has everything under control.
God bless!!!!
In His Love,
Michele
children unwilling to listen to the LORD's instruction.
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.
Leave this way, get off this path,
and stop confronting us with the Holy One of Israel!"
Therefore, this is what the Holy One of Israel says: "Because you have rejected this message, relied on oppression and depended on deceit, this sin will become for you like a high wall, cracked and bulging, that collapses suddenly, in an instant. It will break in pieces like pottery, shattered so mercilessly that among its pieces not a fragment will be found for taking coals from a hearth or scooping water out of a cistern."
This is what the Sovereign LORD, the Holy One of Israel, says: "In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength, but you would have none of it.
You said, 'No, we will flee on horses.' Therefore you will flee!
You said, 'We will ride off on swift horses.' Therefore your pursuers will be swift!
A thousand will flee at the threat of one; at the threat of five you will all flee away,
till you are left like a flagstaff on a mountaintop, like a banner on a hill."
Yet the LORD longs to be gracious to you;
he rises to show you compassion.
For the LORD is a God of justice.
Blessed are all who wait for him!
O people of Zion, who live in Jerusalem, you will weep no more. How gracious he will be when you cry for help! As soon as he hears, he will answer you. Although the Lord gives you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, your teachers will be hidden no more; with your own eyes you will see them. Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, "This is the way; walk in it." -- Isaiah 30:9-21
This passage really hit me. I mean ... this Isaiah guy's got it right on. (Guess it helps to be divinely inspired :).) But seriously, does anyone else see themselves in this? I see society as a whole in this. We don't want to hear what's really going on, or what God really wants for our lives and our society. Instead, we just say "Hey, I got this under control. I've got technology and evolution and contraception and whatever else you want, I don't need this God thing. Not really. Sure, I'll go to church on Easter or Christmas, but I've got the right to do my own thing, and no one can tell me otherwise. Don't tell me about God. I don't want to hear it!"
I definitely see me in this... a couple weeks ago I was struggling through some stuff and I knew what I was thinking was wrong, but didn't want to admit it *at all* ... I told my friend Brian a "theory" I had and he asked me if it was Biblical (knowing full well that it wasn't). I looked him right in the eye and said "nope," but still wanted to believe it anyways. We don't want to hear the truth when it's easier to do something another way.
It's actually a kind of humorous passage. He talks about how we think we can flee on horses, and then almost laughs, saying that our pursuers will be swift. God will give us exactly what we want - He will let us flee from things on our quick horses, but that does not mean we will flee successfully. He even says that our sin is like a wall that is "cracked and bulging" ... like it will be all cool and then suddenly come tumbling down. We'll keep going along on our merry way until WHAM! ... our "pursuers" will catch up with us.
But God is so faithful... Isaiah says "He longs ... to show [us] compassion" ... he's just waiting for us to ask, and then He'll be right there, and He'll guide us along the right path. It says that "as soon as He hears, He will answer you." It's like a horse in a starting gate - as soon as he hears the bell go off and sees the doors fly open, he's already half-way down the track because he's been waiting for that sign that he can go.
The other thing I thought was cool about this passage was how it says "your teachers will be hidden no more." It kind of goes along with that idea of seeking. Even though hard stuff might still happen to us, we will be able to hear and see the works of the Lord and take comfort that He has everything under control.
God bless!!!!
In His Love,
Michele