Isaiah 30:18-31:9

Let us continue to hear God’s call to trust Him.

·        30:18: This verse has a powerful principle to consider.  The idea is that God intended to be gracious to Israel.  But we know that grace is always received by faith.  So what God says is this: since Israel would not wait on Him (to do His gracious work) then God will just have to wait until Israel is in a place of faith.  How often have we forfeited God’s grace in a situation because we would not wait for it?  The answer is, every time we refuse to wait!

·        30:19-22:  We don’t always know what God would have done if we had waited for Him.  But God does tell Israel what they missed because He still plans to graciously give it to them when they are ready.  The first thing God will do is to establish a relationship with Israel based on the New Covenant.  These verses describe such a relationship.  After a time of adversity (v20a) they would be taught by the Holy Spirit (v20b-21), leading them in the right way that includes destruction of their idols (v22).

·        30:23-26:  Then God says He will prosper them in the land, the very thing He always will do for Israel and which their unfaithfulness causes them to lose. 

·        30:27-33:  Third, God promises to deliver Jerusalem from Assyria.  This He did, in the time of Hezekiah, and which He did in response to Hezekiah’s great faith.  For the sake of the LORD’s name (v27-28) the people will have that quiet confidence illustrated by a song in the night (v29).  The LORD will do this simply by His voice (v30-31), beating down Assyria (we will come to this story in Isa. 36-37) with fiery judgment (v32-33).  Tophet was the area overlooking the valley of Hinnom where even the King of Judah has practiced human sacrifice (Jer. 7:31) but was also the place where Hezekiah had burned the idols when he cleansed the land (2 Ki. 23:10).

·        31:1-3: The woe here is the same as in 30:1, pronounced on those who refuse God’s help and choose Egypt instead.  Why would we not trust the Holy One of Israel over mere men?

·        31:4-5:  Here again we see God’s grace.  He will come down and fight for Mount Zion and for its hill (Mount Moriah, the location of the temple).  This is a very Messianic promise; the Messiah is God Himself who comes to the aid of Israel.

·        31:6-9:  As in Ch. 30 the call is to repent.  And again, even as the refusal to trust God alone resulted in forfeiture of God’s grace, so here to return to Him against whom the children of Israel have deeply revolted will result in the New Covenant relationship (idols destroyed, v7) and fall of Assyria (v8-9).

Do we not desire to know that God is fighting for us?  He will not share His glory with another, so if we insist on making our own plan He will wait and watch us fall.  Let us learn instead to wait upon the Lord, to put our hope in Him!