WEBVTT - Isaiah 30 0:00:02.730 --> 0:00:06.730 Life Audio. For more resources to help you in your 0:00:06.790 --> 0:00:13.580 walk with Christ, please visit us at BibleStudyHeadquarters.com. You're listening 0:00:13.620 --> 0:00:17.280 to the Chapter a Day Audio Bible. I'm John Stonge 0:00:17.880 --> 0:00:21.900 and today we're in Isaiah chapter 30 and we'll be 0:00:21.960 --> 0:00:28.160 reading from the New English Translation. The rebellious children are 0:00:28.220 --> 0:00:31.200 as good as dead, says the Lord. Those who make 0:00:31.260 --> 0:00:36.440 plans without consulting me, who form alliances without consulting my spirit, 0:00:36.940 --> 0:00:41.550 and thereby compound their sin. They travel down to Egypt 0:00:41.610 --> 0:00:46.089 without seeking my will, seeking Pharaoh's protection, and looking for 0:00:46.190 --> 0:00:51.070 safety in Egypt's protective shade. But Pharaoh's protection will bring 0:00:51.110 --> 0:00:54.940 you nothing but shame, and the safety of Egypt's protective 0:00:55.040 --> 0:01:00.020 shade nothing but humiliation. Though his officials are in Zoan, 0:01:00.500 --> 0:01:03.940 and his messengers arrive at Haines, all will be put 0:01:04.020 --> 0:01:06.959 to shame, because of a nation that cannot help them, 0:01:07.380 --> 0:01:10.910 who cannot give them aid or help, but only shame 0:01:11.270 --> 0:01:15.550 and disgrace. This is a message about the animals in 0:01:15.569 --> 0:01:20.809 the Negev. Through a land of distress and danger, inhabited 0:01:20.870 --> 0:01:25.550 by lionesses and roaring lions, by snakes and darting adders, 0:01:25.990 --> 0:01:29.860 they transport their wealth on the backs of donkeys, their 0:01:29.920 --> 0:01:33.240 riches on the humps of camels, to a nation that 0:01:33.340 --> 0:01:38.810 cannot help them. Egypt is totally incapable of helping. For 0:01:38.840 --> 0:01:42.289 this reason I call her proud one who is silenced. 0:01:43.030 --> 0:01:46.589 Now go, write it down on a tablet in their presence, 0:01:47.069 --> 0:01:49.970 inscribe it on a scroll, so that it might be 0:01:50.050 --> 0:01:54.330 preserved for a future time as an enduring witness. For 0:01:54.370 --> 0:01:59.070 these are rebellious people, they are lying children, children unwilling 0:01:59.130 --> 0:02:02.730 to obey the Lord's law. They say to the visionaries, 0:02:03.050 --> 0:02:06.510 See no more visions. And to the seers, Don't relate 0:02:06.590 --> 0:02:10.090 messages to us about what is right. Tell us nice things. 0:02:10.470 --> 0:02:15.160 Relate deceptive messages. Turn aside from the way. Stray off 0:02:15.200 --> 0:02:19.700 the path. Remove from our presence the Holy One of Israel. 0:02:20.900 --> 0:02:23.380 For this reason, this is what the Holy One of 0:02:23.520 --> 0:02:28.440 Israel says. You have rejected this message. You trust instead 0:02:28.540 --> 0:02:32.220 in your ability to oppress and trick and rely on 0:02:32.280 --> 0:02:36.750 that kind of behavior. So this sin will become your downfall. 0:02:37.230 --> 0:02:39.950 You will be like a high wall that bulges and 0:02:40.070 --> 0:02:44.230 cracks and is ready to collapse. It crumbles suddenly in 0:02:44.270 --> 0:02:48.210 a flash. It shatters in pieces like a clay jar, 0:02:48.730 --> 0:02:51.930 so shattered to bits that none of it can be salvaged. 0:02:52.710 --> 0:02:56.750 Among its fragments, one cannot find a shard large enough 0:02:56.810 --> 0:02:59.740 to scoop a hot coal from a fire, or to 0:02:59.820 --> 0:03:03.340 skim off water from a cistern. For this is what 0:03:03.400 --> 0:03:06.440 the Master, the Lord, the Holy One of Israel says, 0:03:07.490 --> 0:03:10.930 If you repented and patiently waited for me, you would 0:03:10.970 --> 0:03:14.169 be delivered. If you calmly trusted in me, you would 0:03:14.230 --> 0:03:18.609 find strength, but you are unwilling. You say, No, we 0:03:18.650 --> 0:03:23.010 will flee on horses. So you will indeed flee. You say, 0:03:23.310 --> 0:03:27.430 We will ride on fast horses. so your pursuers will 0:03:27.450 --> 0:03:31.660 be fast. One thousand will scurry at the battle cry 0:03:31.760 --> 0:03:35.420 of one enemy soldier. At the battle cry of five 0:03:35.480 --> 0:03:38.960 enemy soldiers, you will all run away until the remaining 0:03:39.040 --> 0:03:42.860 few are as isolated as a flagpole on a mountaintop 0:03:43.340 --> 0:03:46.790 or a signal flag on a hill. For this reason, 0:03:47.290 --> 0:03:50.490 the Lord is ready to show you mercy. He sits 0:03:50.630 --> 0:03:54.090 on His throne ready to have compassion on you. Indeed, 0:03:54.510 --> 0:03:57.730 The Lord is a just God. All who wait for 0:03:57.770 --> 0:04:01.280 Him in faith will be blessed. For people will live 0:04:01.410 --> 0:04:05.400 in Zion. In Jerusalem you will weep no more. When 0:04:05.460 --> 0:04:08.720 He hears your cry of despair, He will indeed show 0:04:08.780 --> 0:04:12.619 you mercy. When He hears it, He will respond to you. 0:04:13.660 --> 0:04:16.279 The Sovereign Master will give you distress to eat and 0:04:16.400 --> 0:04:20.299 suffering to drink. But your teachers will no longer be hidden. 0:04:20.800 --> 0:04:23.920 Your eyes will see them. You will hear a word 0:04:23.980 --> 0:04:27.300 spoken behind you saying, this is the correct way, walk 0:04:27.360 --> 0:04:30.020 in it, whether you are heading to the right or 0:04:30.100 --> 0:04:34.580 the left. You will desecrate your silver-plated idols and your 0:04:34.660 --> 0:04:38.240 gold-plated images. You will throw them away as if they 0:04:38.300 --> 0:04:42.500 were a menstrual rag, saying to them, get out. He 0:04:42.540 --> 0:04:45.600 will water the seed you plant in the ground, and 0:04:45.640 --> 0:04:49.400 the ground will produce crops in abundance. At that time, 0:04:49.460 --> 0:04:54.130 your cattle will graze in wide pastures. The oxen and 0:04:54.210 --> 0:04:58.620 donkeys used in plowing will eat seasoned feed winnowed with 0:04:58.660 --> 0:05:02.920 a shovel and pitchfork. On every high mountain and every 0:05:02.980 --> 0:05:06.560 high hill there will be streams flowing with water at 0:05:06.600 --> 0:05:10.060 the time of great slaughter when the fortified towers collapse. 0:05:10.940 --> 0:05:13.310 The light of the full moon will be like the 0:05:13.410 --> 0:05:17.490 sun's glare, and the sun's glare will be seven times brighter, 0:05:17.870 --> 0:05:20.950 like the light of seven days when the Lord binds 0:05:21.029 --> 0:05:26.270 up His people's fractured bones together and heals their severe wound. Look, 0:05:26.830 --> 0:05:29.330 the name of the Lord comes from a distant place, 0:05:29.830 --> 0:05:34.560 in raging anger and awesome splendor. He speaks angrily, and 0:05:34.620 --> 0:05:39.340 His word is like destructive fire. His battle cry overwhelms 0:05:39.420 --> 0:05:43.140 like a flooding river that reaches one's neck. He shakes 0:05:43.200 --> 0:05:46.640 the nations in a sieve that isolates the chaff. He 0:05:46.690 --> 0:05:49.330 puts a bit into the mouth of the nations and 0:05:49.430 --> 0:05:53.020 leads them to destruction. You will sing as you do 0:05:53.100 --> 0:05:56.200 in the evening when you are celebrating a festival. You 0:05:56.250 --> 0:05:58.950 will be happy like one who plays a flute as 0:05:58.990 --> 0:06:01.310 he goes to the mountain of the Lord, the rock 0:06:01.589 --> 0:06:05.589 who shelters Israel. The Lord will give a mighty shout 0:06:05.750 --> 0:06:11.130 and intervene in power, with furious anger and flaming, destructive fire, 0:06:11.570 --> 0:06:16.830 with a driving rainstorm and hailstones. Indeed, the Lord's shout 0:06:16.890 --> 0:06:20.440 will shatter Assyria. He will beat them with a club. 0:06:21.170 --> 0:06:24.470 Every blow from his punishing cudgel with which the Lord 0:06:24.510 --> 0:06:27.450 will beat them will be accompanied by music from the 0:06:27.510 --> 0:06:31.510 tambourine and harp, and he will attack them with his weapons. 0:06:32.550 --> 0:06:36.190 For the burial place is already prepared. It has been 0:06:36.230 --> 0:06:39.849 made deep and wide for the king. The firewood is 0:06:39.930 --> 0:06:43.680 piled high on it. The Lord's breath, like a stream 0:06:43.770 --> 0:06:51.280 flowing with brimstone, will ignite it. Let's pray. Lord, thank 0:06:51.300 --> 0:06:53.380 you for your word. Thank you for this portion of 0:06:53.460 --> 0:06:57.500 scripture that reminds us not to trust in human leadership 0:06:57.540 --> 0:07:00.640 in the sense that we replace our trust in you 0:07:00.810 --> 0:07:04.289 with trust in faulty human beings who could only do 0:07:04.410 --> 0:07:07.410 so much. We know, Lord, that it was a temptation 0:07:07.510 --> 0:07:11.350 for your people during Isaiah's time to put their trust 0:07:11.510 --> 0:07:15.830 in neighboring nations. These nations and their leaders seem so strong, 0:07:15.920 --> 0:07:18.680 but you reminded them in this portion of scripture, just 0:07:18.700 --> 0:07:21.230 like you remind us, that you're the one that we 0:07:21.270 --> 0:07:24.390 should ultimately trust, that human leaders do not have the 0:07:24.450 --> 0:07:27.090 capacity to do the things that only you can do. 0:07:27.790 --> 0:07:30.390 So we're grateful for recognizing this. We look forward to 0:07:30.430 --> 0:07:33.310 the day when your son, Jesus Christ, will rule and 0:07:33.370 --> 0:07:36.310 reign on this earth. And we're grateful for your presence 0:07:36.350 --> 0:07:39.510 with us in all circumstances. We commit this day to 0:07:39.530 --> 0:07:44.100 your care. We pray this all in Jesus' name. Amen.