Isaiah 30:8

The Bible says in Isaiah 30:8-11, “Now go, write it before them in a table, and note it in a book, that it may be for the time to come for ever and ever: That this is a rebellious people, lying children, children that will not hear the law of the LORD: Which say to the seers, See not; and to the prophets, Prophesy not unto us right things, speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits: Get you out of the way, turn aside out of the path, cause the Holy One of Israel to cease from before us.” One of the sad facts of life is that many people will so resolutely turn away from the truth. That is what the Lord said about the children of Israel, and that is what takes place so often today. People who have a “rebellious” spirit against the Lord Jesus will not want to hear the truth from God. People who are attached to the lies and the darkness of the world also will not want to hear the truth. Jesus said in John 3:19, “And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.” Concerning the last days, the Bible says in Second Timothy 4:3, “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears.” That is exactly what happened to the Israelites when they became wicked and turned from the ways of the Lord. They said “to the seers, See not; and to the prophets, Prophesy not unto us right things, speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits.”

But no matter what the majority of mankind does to turn away from the truth of the Lord, the Lord’s purposes still march forward. God has a great plan whereby He brought His truth into the world to always make His truth available for whosoever will seek the truth. Notice carefully what God said to Isaiah in Isaiah 30:8, “Now go, write it before them in a table, and note it in a book, that it may be for the time to come for ever and ever.” It is obvious that one of the things that God has done for mankind is the giving of truth and the preserving of that truth for all generations. Jesus said in Matthew 24:34-35, “Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled. Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.” The Bible also says in Psalms 100:5, “For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.” The method that God chose to ensure that His truth would endure to all generations was to give a written word. By having a written word, there is no need to be concerned that the word could have changed or could have lost anything as it passed from one person to another. A written word is established and concrete. A written word is verifiable and can be traced to its source. A written word can be preserved from one generation to the next. The power of God gave the written word, and the power of God preserved the written word for each generation.

Isaiah 30:8 gives us the main elements of a written Word of God. God said to Isaiah, “Now go, write it before them in a table, and note it in a book, that it may be for the time to come for ever and ever.” The idea to write the words that we find in the Bible did not come from man. The idea came from God. As it says in Second Peter 1:21, “For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.” And it says in Second Timothy 3:16, “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.” These two facts are very essential facts for being able to accept the Bible as God’s truth and God’s revelation to mankind: 1. God gave the Bible, and therefore the Bible is the very truth from God. 2. God preserved the Bible, and therefore the Bible that we read today is just as true as the Bible that a Christian read two thousand years ago. Of course, in order to stay faithful to these truths, it is important to avoid any theological positions of theories that depart from them. The Bible came from God, and the Bible has been preserved by God for all generations. Any theological position that discredits the truth of the Bible must be rejected. Modern textual criticism must be rejected because it brings doubt upon the truthfulness and accuracy of what we find in the King James translation. It is not the translation that is the most critical issue, but the texts from which the translation has been made. It is no wonder that the final warning of the Bible itself has to do with this very issue. It says in Revelation 22:19, “And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.”

The Bible says in Isaiah 30:12-14, “Wherefore thus saith the Holy One of Israel, Because ye despise this word, and trust in oppression and perverseness, and stay thereon: Therefore this iniquity shall be to you as a breach ready to fall, swelling out in a high wall, whose breaking cometh suddenly at an instant. And he shall break it as the breaking of the potters' vessel that is broken in pieces; he shall not spare: so that there shall not be found in the bursting of it a sherd to take fire from the hearth, or to take water withal out of the pit.” If you despise the Word of God, you will turn to something else as your authority for the behavior that you hope to put into action. In other words, you will trust in some other authority if you do not trust in the Lord and His authority. In the case of the Israelites, they trusted in “oppression and perverseness.” The word “oppression” literally refers to violence and taking something by force. Jesus taught us that the second greatest commandment is to “love thy neighbor” as thyself. Therefore, you cannot get much worse than using “oppression” against your neighbor. The word that is translated “perverseness” means literally to turn aside or to turn away from. If you do not receive the Word of the Lord and trust in His Word, then you will definitely turn away from the right path in life, and you will never be what you could have been. But remember that you are the clay, and God is the potter. His purpose is to make you into something. If you keep that from happening by constantly turning away from His Word, then what is said in Isaiah 30:14 may happen to your life, “And he shall break it as the breaking of the potters' vessel that is broken in pieces; he shall not spare.”

The Bible says in Isaiah 30:15-19, “For thus saith the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel; In returning and rest shall ye be saved; in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength: and ye would not. But ye said, No; for we will flee upon horses; therefore shall ye flee: and, We will ride upon the swift; therefore shall they that pursue you be swift. One thousand shall flee at the rebuke of one; at the rebuke of five shall ye flee: till ye be left as a beacon upon the top of a mountain, and as an ensign on an hill. And therefore will the LORD wait, that he may be gracious unto you, and therefore will he be exalted, that he may have mercy upon you: for the LORD is a God of judgment: blessed are all they that wait for him. For the people shall dwell in Zion at Jerusalem: thou shalt weep no more: he will be very gracious unto thee at the voice of thy cry; when he shall hear it, he will answer thee.”

Isaiah 30:15 gives us an interesting description of being saved. It says, “In returning and rest shall ye be saved.” Of course, people need to be saved. People need to be delivered from the consequences of their sins. Remember who is speaking in this passage of scripture: “the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel.” God is holy. Man is sinful. We must be saved from our sins by the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, or we are in big trouble. A holy God will definitely judge sin. The good news is that God has provided for our salvation. That is why Jesus came into the world: to die for the sins of the world. In order to obtain that salvation, we must turn from the direction that we are currently going, and we must turn to Jesus. That is what repentance is: a change of mind and a turning of the mind to the Lord Jesus. That is exactly what happens on the day when a person is saved by Jesus. That person turns to Jesus and trusts in Him for salvation and for forgiveness. “Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

Once a person is saved, there are many benefits in addition to eternal life. One of the great benefits is called “rest.” Rest refers to peace. The Bible says in Romans 5:1, “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” If you know Jesus, you can rest from your labors. Jesus paid it all. You can rest in His great eternal love for you. Another benefit to salvation is “strength.” Notice carefully what is said about the strength that believers will have. It says, “in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength.” There is a direct connection between “quietness and confidence” and this strength that the Lord will give to believers. Remember that without Christ, we have no strength. Jesus said, “Without me, ye can do nothing.” But when we put our confidence in the Lord, we can see anything accomplished because Jesus said in Mark 10:27, “With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible.” Those who believe and who put their trust in the Lord can remain quiet in the midst of difficulties. Believers do not have to make a show of noise when a storm of trouble comes against them. They can remain quiet and confident in the Lord.

Why is it that some people do not become saved? Why is it that some people do not have rest and quietness and confidence in the Lord? It says in Isaiah 30:15, “ye would not.” God has chosen to provide salvation for mankind. Jesus said, “The Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.” Whosoever will may be saved. But when a human being makes a resolute choice to refuse God’s salvation, that person will not be saved unless they repent while they still have time. God has given man a free will. If you never bow at the feet of Jesus and ask Him for forgiveness, it will be because of what the Lord said through Isaiah 2600 years ago: “ye would not.”

You could have the strength and the confidence that God alone can give, if you will seek it by faith. But if you do not, then you will be plagued by the same weakness that all of the unbelieving human race is afflicted by. An illustration of that weakness is given in Isaiah 30:17, “One thousand shall flee at the rebuke of one; at the rebuke of five shall ye flee.”

This passage of scripture reminds us once again of the tremendous mercy and grace of the Lord towards people. In spite of how terribly Israel had failed spiritually and morally, and in spite of all the judgments that God brought against them; the Lord’s long-range plans for them was mercy and grace. It says in Isaiah 30:18, “And therefore will the LORD wait, that he may be gracious unto you, and therefore will he be exalted, that he may have mercy upon you: for the LORD is a God of judgment: blessed are all they that wait for him.” Notice what it says about the grace and the mercy of God. It says that He will “wait.” There is a time for judgment and chastisement, but there is also a time for mercy. God comes and offers His mercy through Christ at just the right time. Salvation is the work of the Spirit. Salvation is God’s work. God knows when someone is ready for the gospel, and you do not know. Jesus knows when to wait and when to offer His mercy.

Once the Lord does offer His mercy, the proper response is given in Isaiah 30:19, “he will be very gracious unto thee at the voice of thy cry; when he shall hear it, he will answer thee.” Make sure that you cry out to Jesus. Call upon Him while He is near. “Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

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