Isaiah 30:20

The Bible says in Isaiah 30:20-21, “And though the Lord give you the bread of adversity, and the water of affliction, yet shall not thy teachers be removed into a corner any more, but thine eyes shall see thy teachers: And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left.” These two verses are actually a very great promise to those who live on this earth and who are believers. Yes, this life can bring tremendous afflictions. Some people are even given sufferings that are akin to those of Job. You might be given the “bread of adversity” and the “water of affliction.” The word “adversity” speaks of having enemies who come against you to oppose you and to fight you. The word “affliction” refers to being greatly oppressed by financial loss or physical ailment or other suffering. Notice that it is called the “bread” of adversity and the “water” of affliction. Perhaps this emphasizes that the sufferings being spoken about here will come even while pursuing the very basic necessities of life; and thus much of life will be terrible for a person who suffers such things.

Perhaps the most important truth to notice about the adversities and afflictions that are mentioned here is the source of these sorrows. It says in Isaiah 30:20, “And though the Lord give you the bread of adversity, and the water of affliction…” God is all-powerful. He is all-in–all. Romans 11:36 “For of Him, and through Him, and to Him are all things.” Nothing happens except the mighty Christ allows it to happen. He is King of kings. God is involved. That is why all things have a purpose. Your purpose on this earth is to do the will of God no matter what happens, and no matter how bad circumstances or situations in life become for you.

But notice what God provides for every believer no matter how bad things get: He provides someone to teach them. After all, that is what we really need: wisdom and instruction on how to handle whatever comes our way. The Lord God says in the last part of Isaiah 30:20, “yet shall not thy teachers be removed into a corner any more, but thine eyes shall see thy teachers.” No matter what happens, you still will have a teacher who will teach you. Isaiah 30:20 makes it clear who is your most important teacher. It says, “yet shall not thy teachers be removed into a corner any more, but thine eyes shall see thy teachers.” Teachers are important. God has given some the gift to teach His Word. The reason that the devil has raised up so many false teachers is to try to spread confusion instead of truth. Jesus said in Matthew 7:15, “Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.” The Bible says in Second Peter 2:1, “But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.” Often congregations have not sought and retained the best teachers, and therefore the false teachers slip in among them.

Of course, the best teacher of all is the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. He will teach every one of His children. Make sure that you learn from Him. One of the most important things to learn from Him in the midst of adversity or affliction is this: “What do I do now?” He will let you know what to do and which way to go because He has a purpose for your life, and He wants to guide you. That is why it says in Isaiah 30:21, “And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left.” Notice that concerning God speaking to you, that it is called “a word behind thee.” In a symbolic way God will be behind you, not in front of you. In other words, His speaking to you may not be real obvious. You may have to listen carefully in order to hear Him. He speaks in a still, small voice. If you rush on to make a decision out of your own self-will, you probably will not take the time to turn and listen for God’s direction and for God’s will. It may take you many years to recover from a bad decision, and you may not recover until you get to heaven.

The important point to remember is that God will speak to you to show you which way to go in life, especially when you reach an important crossroads. But remember that this verse in Isaiah is symbolic. He will not speak to you in an audible voice, but He will find a means of communicating to you so that you will know what direction He is leading. To speak to us, the Lord most often uses His Word, but sometimes He speaks to us through other people. That is why Isaiah 30:20 spoke of our teachers. God speaks through people. The Bible says about John in John 1:6-7, “There was a man sent from God whose name was John. The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe.” Listen carefully to the wisdom and advice and teachings of others. If you listen to the right person, you just might hear the voice of God in a symbolic sense. That certainly is what happens with the Bible itself. God used human beings to write down the words. We read the words, and then we hear from God. “Holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.” Of course, hearing a person who is alive today is not exactly the same as the written Word of God, because the Word of God is complete; but part of the principle is the same. God uses people, and He will use them in your life. And if you walk in fellowship with Christ, He will use you. God will speak to you through others, and He will also speak to others through you. If you are at a crossroads in life or need to make an important decision, remember the promise of Isaiah 30:21, “And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left.” Someone might say, “I made a terrible decision. I went the wrong way because I did not turn around and listen to His gentle voice that was so willing to guide me in the right path.” If that happened, learn from your mistake and do what is right from then on. From now on start listening for God’s direction before you make an important decision. The promise of Christ will always be there for you. He is always willing to guide you, if you are willing to listen for His guidance.

The Bible says in Isaiah 30:22-25, “Ye shall defile also the covering of thy graven images of silver, and the ornament of thy molten images of gold: thou shalt cast them away as a menstruous cloth; thou shalt say unto it, Get thee hence. Then shall he give the rain of thy seed, that thou shalt sow the ground withal; and bread of the increase of the earth, and it shall be fat and plenteous: in that day shall thy cattle feed in large pastures. The oxen likewise and the young asses that ear the ground shall eat clean provender, which hath been winnowed with the shovel and with the fan. And there shall be upon every high mountain, and upon every high hill, rivers and streams of waters in the day of the great slaughter, when the towers fall.” There is a very important requirement given in Isaiah 30:22. It says, “Ye shall defile also the covering of thy graven images of silver…” In other words, get rid of your idols. Jesus told us in Mark 12:30 what is the most important commandment. Jesus said, “And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.” If the Israelites had turned to the Lord with all of their heart and had turned away from their idols, great material prosperity was promised to them. Christians can look forward to great spiritual prosperity, if they put away their idols. An idol is anything that keeps you from obeying the first of all commandments that Jesus explained so clearly for us, “And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.” The Apostle John wrote in First John 5:21, “Little children, keep yourselves from idols.”

The Bible says in Isaiah 30:26-33, “Moreover the light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall be sevenfold, as the light of seven days, in the day that the LORD bindeth up the breach of his people, and healeth the stroke of their wound. Behold, the name of the LORD cometh from far, burning with his anger, and the burden thereof is heavy: his lips are full of indignation, and his tongue as a devouring fire: And his breath, as an overflowing stream, shall reach to the midst of the neck, to sift the nations with the sieve of vanity: and there shall be a bridle in the jaws of the people, causing them to err. Ye shall have a song, as in the night when a holy solemnity is kept; and gladness of heart, as when one goeth with a pipe to come into the mountain of the LORD, to the mighty One of Israel. And the LORD shall cause his glorious voice to be heard, and shall shew the lighting down of his arm, with the indignation of his anger, and with the flame of a devouring fire, with scattering, and tempest, and hailstones. For through the voice of the LORD shall the Assyrian be beaten down, which smote with a rod. And in every place where the grounded staff shall pass, which the LORD shall lay upon him, it shall be with tabrets and harps: and in battles of shaking will he fight with it. For Tophet is ordained of old; yea, for the king it is prepared; he hath made it deep and large: the pile thereof is fire and much wood; the breath of the LORD, like a stream of brimstone, doth kindle it.” These verses contain two great promises about the future. One is a promise of future blessing to God’s people. The other is a promise of future judgment to the world. God promises in Isaiah 30:26 that He will give a great light to His people. Jesus is the fulfillment of that promise. Jesus is the Light of the world. The darkness of a sinful world is all around us. We need the Light of Christ in order to not be overcome by that darkness. Believers are also promised that they will be given “a song, as in the night,” and “gladness of heart.” The joy of the Lord is our strength. For someone who once had been a lost soul, there is no joy as wonderful as the joy of salvation.

God is a God of judgment. He must be because He is holy, and because He is a just Judge. He cannot let sin pass by unpunished, and He will not let it pass without the righteous judgment that it deserves. Right now we are in the age of grace when God’s mercy and patience are manifested to the world because of Jesus. But this age of grace will not last forever. The spiritual opportunities of this age will pass by, and will be followed by the time of God’s wrath against the sinfulness of the world. The Bible says in Revelation 14:10-12, “The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name. Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.” It also says in Revelation 6:12-17, “And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood; And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind. And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?”

If you want to escape the judgment of God against sin, then make sure that you repent of your sins and turn to Jesus while you still have the opportunity, and before you go out into eternity.

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