Rebellion of Rejecting the Lord

Isaiah 30:8-17

8 Now go, write it before them on a tablet,
And note it on a scroll,
That it may be for time to come,
Forever and ever:

9 That this is a rebellious people,
Lying children,
Children who will not hear the law of the LORD;
10 Who say to the seers, "Do not see,"
And to the prophets, "Do not prophesy to us right things;
Speak to us smooth things, prophesy deceits.

11 Get out of the way,
Turn aside from the path,
Cause the Holy One of Israel
To cease from before us."

12 Therefore thus says the Holy One of Israel:
"Because you despise this word,
And trust in oppression and perversity,
And rely on them,

13 Therefore this iniquity shall be to you
Like a breach ready to fall,
A bulge in a high wall,
Whose breaking comes suddenly, in an instant.

14 And He shall break it like the breaking of the potter's vessel,
Which is broken in pieces;
He shall not spare.
So there shall not be found among its fragments
A shard to take fire from the hearth,
Or to take water from the cistern."

15 For thus says the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel:
"In returning and rest you shall be saved;
In quietness and confidence shall be your strength."

But you would not,
16 And you said, "No, for we will flee on horses"—
Therefore you shall flee!
And, "We will ride on swift horses"—
Therefore those who pursue you shall be swift!

17 One thousand shall flee at the threat of one,
At the threat of five you shall flee,
Till you are left as a pole on top of a mountain
And as a banner on a hill.

In their rebellion of rejecting God and His word, Israel wanted their ears tickled instead of hearing hard truths.  They did not want the prophets to speak what God told them, but wanted only to easy lies so as not to be upset.  They wanted the smooth lies of peace, health, and wealth and not repentance and following the word of the Lord, much as many do even today.  They went so far as to ask that God stopped being there and would get out of their own way as they spurned His.  Because they relied on their own perversion an oppression of others instead of following what God said, even despising His commands, they faced imminent judgment.  They were like a potter’s vessel being crafted by his hand and understanding which was broken to the smallest fragments for their defiance and rejection of His hand’s work which was themselves.  If only they listened to God calling them to return and to rest on Him for salvation, for deliverance from their just due (Romans 3:23), they would have the strength of that peace with God with quiet confidence.  But they rebelled further and reaped the whirlwind (Hosea 8:7).  As those fleeing God, they were to be swiftly hunted down and running scared at the impending execution of divine justice as a sign to warn others of the wages of sin.  Thanks be to God in Christ we have repentance by faith leading to life and reconciliation by God’s work of grace in His Son!  May we then be more diligent to hear and heed His word and not fall in with the wrong crowd of the world and its thinking to live contrary to all the scriptures tell us.  Remember this word of God given through His messenger Isaiah and all the apostles and prophets (Ephesians 2:20, 2 Peter 3:2).  May we not allow others to sway us from the truth of God’s word.  Amen.