Grace and Mercy of the Messiah

The Grace and Mercy of the Messiah

Book of Isaiah Chapter 30

The title of this lesson could be "Who Do You Trust".

Isaiah has been speaking to these people, mainly of Judah, for many years now of the things God had promised if they refused to repent.

As Christians, we know that God is full of "Mercy" and "Grace". Even those that reject the "Judgment" of God, speak of God as a God of love.

Well, if God is that loving Father then we should realize, nothing damages a relationship as much as rejection!

No father wants to be rejected by his children!

None of us accept rejection very well!

"Rejection" is the main cause of "rebellion", and these two things are most dangerous forces upon this earth!

Rebellion within a family can have tragic consequences and the same can be said for any nation.

Every war was started over rebellion!

Once war begins, then there will be people who will be fleeing from the destruction that comes with war.

Rebellion against the Lord is a sure sign of "unbelief", the greatest of all sin, and the only sin the Lord will never forgive!

What does God say about rebellion?

*****Isa 30:1  Woe to the rebellious children, saith the LORD, that take counsel, "but not of me"; and that cover with a covering, "but not of my spirit", that they may add sin to sin: 

Isa 30:2  That walk to go down into Egypt, "and have not asked at my mouth"; to strengthen themselves in the strength of Pharaoh, and to trust in the shadow of Egypt! 

The leaders of the government, which at this time was King Hezekiah and even the people of Judah had a great fear of being over run by the foreign nations to their north, especially Assyria. In this day Egypt still had some power as a nation but was not near as dominant as in the days of Moses. The government of Judah decided if they could get some help from Egypt then maybe that threat would be enough to stop an invasion by other nations especially of Sennacherib of Assyria.

Sennacherib had already invaded one time and had done much damage. Hezekiah had robbed the House of God to pay a ransom to this evil king whose name means "Sin is his god"

2Ki 18:13  Now in the fourteenth year of king Hezekiah did Sennacherib king of Assyria come up against all the fenced cities of Judah, and took them. 

2Ki 18:14  And Hezekiah king of Judah sent to the king of Assyria to Lachish, saying, I have offended; return from me: that which thou puttest on me will I bear. And the king of Assyria appointed unto Hezekiah king of Judah three hundred talents of silver and thirty talents of gold. 

2Ki 18:15  And Hezekiah gave him all the silver that was found in the house of the LORD, and in the treasures of the king's house. 

2Ki 18:16  At that time did Hezekiah cut off the gold from the doors of the temple of the LORD, and from the pillars which Hezekiah king of Judah had overlaid, and gave it to the king of Assyria. 

The main thing we see is no one was asking God for His counsel. God says His children are foolish not to come to Him first. To not do so shows a lack of faith!

As Isaiah is preaching the Word of God, the ambassadors from Israel are already on the road to Egypt.

To the Jews, it seemed they could see only a terrible future of foreign domination but they had forgotten the only one who had delivered them time after time, after time, the Lord.

So what does God have to say?

Why would Judah not seek God for the answers to this serious problem.

In fact why are we all so quick to get advice from someone else before we seek the Lord's advice. Hezekiah is known to be a good king of Judah, in fact he was one of the better kings.

Hezekiah was not only seeking help from outside of Judah but he was also seeking help from a nation that God had forbidden them to have any association with, Egypt, a proven enemy with multitudes of false gods!

Our own leaders should take note of these things.

We will always cause harm to ourselves when we turn our back on God!

When we believe that our shelter can come from a source foreign to the ways of God, we become a foolish people!

We should remember God does not take these things lightly!

1Ch 10:13  So Saul died for his transgression which he committed against the LORD, even against the word of the LORD, which he kept not, and also for asking counsel of one that had a familiar spirit, to enquire of it; 

1Ch 10:14  And enquired not of the LORD: "therefore he slew him, and turned the kingdom unto David the son of Jesse". 

To seek the help of the Egyptian gods was as bad as Saul seeking advice from a from that one who had a familiar spirit.

The child of God has only one true refuge in time of trouble!

Psa 91:1  He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. 

Psa 91:2  I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust. 

Psa 91:3  Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence. 

Psa 91:4  He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler. 

King Hezekiah knew these things and the people of Judah knew these things!

We are all sinners to begin with, when we reject and rebel against the Lord, we are just adding sin to sin.

2Ti 3:12  Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. 

2Ti 3:13  But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived. 

In fact, all sin is rebelling against the Word of God! It is the sin of disobedience!

We can apply these things to our own lives, if we consider that Egypt is in "type" the "world we live in".

When we seek strength from "the world" rather than from the Lord, we have rebelled against the Lord.

Jesus said:

Luke 6:46  And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?

Even if the government refuses to seek the Lord, then those who have been given the task as ambassadors, should at least seek the counsel of God. It is each individual that is responsible for their own actions. We are not to be robots controlled by this world we live in!

To have a relationship with the Lord is a personal decision that does not require approval by some other human! Amen!

*****Isa 30:2  That walk to go down into Egypt, and have not asked at my mouth; to strengthen themselves in the strength of Pharaoh, and to trust in the shadow of Egypt! 

The Jews had once regarded themselves as "living in the shadow of Jehovah" so to trust in the strength of a Pharaoh of Egypt would be the same as to put Egypt in the place of God.

We already know that anything in the place of Jehovah God then becomes an idol and a false god!

If we cannot trust in the Lord, then we are foolish to place our trust in any human being who rules at the will of the Lord!

Isa 19:3  And the spirit of Egypt shall fail in the midst thereof; and I will destroy the counsel thereof: and they shall seek to the idols, and to the charmers, and to them that have familiar spirits, and to the wizards. 

Isa 19:4  And the Egyptians will I give over into the hand of a cruel lord; and a fierce king shall rule over them, saith the Lord, the LORD of hosts. 

To trust in Pharaoh would only bring shame to Judah!

*****Isa 30:3  Therefore shall the strength of Pharaoh be your shame, and the trust in the shadow of Egypt your confusion. 

Isa 30:4  For his princes were at Zoan, and his ambassadors came to Hanes. 

Isa 30:5  They were all ashamed of a people that could not profit them, nor be an help nor profit, but a shame, and also a reproach. 

We must surely understand that, as believers and as nonbelievers, we are all only instruments in the hands of the Lord to do with, as He wishes!

Even as believers, when we are willing to trust some human above the counsel of the Lord, this comes from a heart that is not sold out to God!

Only shame and confusion can come from such a relationship with the Lord!

We cannot have one foot in the world and one foot in the Church and still call ourselves Christians!

Palestine is an area of steep hills, difficult ways, and deserts. A horse is actually of little use. The donkey, the camels, and even mules are much better suited for use in Palestine.

The horse is only supreme in warfare. Egypt was known for it's horses and horse drawn chariots.

It was these things that Hezekiah sought from Pharaoh, to prepare for war!

But even the captain of the host of the Assyrians knew how foolish this thing was:

2Ki 18:19  And Rabshakeh said unto them, Speak ye now to Hezekiah, Thus saith the great king, the king of Assyria, "What confidence is this wherein thou trustest"? 

2Ki 18:21  Now, behold, thou trustest upon the staff of this bruised reed, even upon Egypt, on which if a man lean, it will go into his hand, and pierce it: so is Pharaoh king of Egypt unto all that trust on him. 

2Ki 18:22  But if ye say unto me, We trust in the LORD our God: is not that he, whose high places and whose altars Hezekiah hath taken away, and hath said to Judah and Jerusalem, Ye shall worship before this altar in Jerusalem? 

2Ki 18:23  Now therefore, I pray thee, give pledges to my lord the king of Assyria, and I will deliver thee two thousand horses, if thou be able on thy part to set riders upon them. 

2Ki 18:24  How then wilt thou turn away the face of one captain of the least of my master's servants, and put thy trust on Egypt for chariots and for horsemen? 

2Ki 18:25  Am I now come up without the LORD against this place to destroy it? The LORD said to me, Go up against this land, and destroy it. 

History teaches us that Hanes and Zoan were the extreme limits of lower Egypt. At this time this area was ruled by petty rulers who could not even get along with themselves. One of those the prince of Sais had just assumed the title of Pharaoh without being the true Pharaoh.

He was certainly willing to make great promises but he had no power to fulfill those promises!

The Lord, "who knows all things", informed His prophet that only shame and reproach could come from such a man and this was true, as is all the Word of God!

*****Isa 30:7  For the Egyptians shall help in vain, and to no purpose: therefore have I cried concerning this, "Their strength is to sit still". 

Our leaders should understand and learn from this also. We cannot make treaties with puppet regimes or evil regimes and expect them to hold to the truth. Their intent is to always have things their own way and they will violate any agreement.

This Pharaoh of Egypt knew his only strength was to sit still.

The Hebrew word used here is "rahab" which has the meaning of "a braggart that will sit still" and do nothing that they bragged about doing!

The world is full of such men today!

A perfect example is the recent pact made with Iran, by the Obama administration!

Sin will always come with a price tag!

It would cost Judah financially.

It would cost Judah in further national danger.

Most important it would cause the hand of God to remain still and not defend this rebellious people!

When we bind the hands of God, we place ourselves in jeopardy!

Sin just cause more sin!

Judah had forgotten that the strength of God's people is to sit still and trust in the Lord and then take the action that God says to take!

King Hezekiah had God's prophet Isaiah and other prophets also.

We have the complete Word of God and direct contact with the Living God through prayer!

Psa 27:14  Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.

What do rebellious people do?

*****Isa 30:10  Which say to the seers, See not; and to the prophets, Prophesy not unto us right things, speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits: 

Isa 30:11  Get you out of the way, turn aside out of the path, "cause the Holy One of Israel to cease from before us". 

This could be said of America today! No one wants to hear what God has to say!

Even the modern day church have harden their hearts and only want to hear pleasant and flattering messages that allow them to live as they wish to live.

This is known as the Laodicean Church Age:

Rev 3:15  I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. 

Rev 3:16  So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.

Rev 3:17  Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: 

God said to His prophets to write all these things down to be used as a witness against these people of Judah.

God said to the Church to study the Scriptures to see what He has done in the past because He does not ever change!

Rev 3:20  Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. 

Even today many ask, "Well why would God allow such a thing". These same people had said they did not want to hear what God had to say.

The truth is when we ask the Lord to get out of our lives, He will then do just that!

We should also clearly understand, to attack the men God has chosen to preach the truth in any way, is the same as making an attack on the Lord!

*****Isa 30:12  Wherefore thus saith the Holy One of Israel, Because ye despise this word, and trust in oppression and perverseness, and stay thereon: 

Isa 30:13  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. 

Isa 30:14  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. 

When we challenge the truth of the Word of God, we are rejecting the Lord who gave it to us!

Judah was guilty of rejecting the Word of God.

Judah was guilty of oppression, by seeking money from the Jewish people to finance that help of Egypt, that would never come.

Judah was guilty of trusting in the deceiving, false idol worshipping, leaders of Egypt, who refused to acknowledge the Holy God of Israel!

It is this sin that will doom God's people!

Suddenly the "Judgment" of God would fall upon them, and "He would not spare".

Why would we expect the Lord to be any different today? I tell you He will not.

It takes a foolish people to ignore the Word of God!

Pro 3:5  Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. 

Pro 3:6  In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. 

Pro 3:7  Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil. 

The only way to avoid destruction, is to repent and return as quickly as you can to the Lord! Amen

*****Isa 30:15  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. 

It's called "repentance" and "faith"!

We are to depend on the Lord to meet all our needs! Amen

Now there is nothing wrong with increasing the strength of our military. The wrong comes when we trust in the things of this world and not in the power of God. We must always be prepared.

Even the Lord Jesus said all His disciples must be prepared:

Luk 22:36  Then said he unto them, But now, he that hath a purse, let him take it, and likewise his scrip: and he that hath no sword, let him sell his garment, and buy one. 

But we must always first seek the counsel of the Lord in all things! Amen

1) Returning or "repentance" assures us of God's forgiveness!

1Jn 1:9  If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 

1Jn 1:10  If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. 

2) "Rest". Waiting on the Lord shows our "Faith"

Mat 11:28  Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 

3) "Quietness". God did not give us the spirit of fear. If we are afraid of the enemy, that fear did not come from the Lord.

2Ti 1:7  For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. 

4) "Confidence". Confidence must be part of our Christian character. Confidence is "exercising our faith"!

Confidence is the link between our heart and our Creator! We can actually become partners with Christ!

Heb 3:14  For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end; 

But Judah said "NO" to all these things and trusted in the Egyptians and it would eventually bring their downfall.

We must remember that the Lord had made certain promises to Abraham and to David and these promises would certainly be fulfilled!

So what had the Lord decided to do?

*****Isa 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. 

Isa 30:19  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.

Unlike we ourselves, the Lord is omniscient. He knows everything that will happen and all at the same time. He knows the end at the same time as He knows the beginning.

Note: This does not make Calvinism right, in fact it proves Calvinism to be wrong!

The Lord does not ever choose!

The Lord just always knows the outcome of each individual and He knew all these things before they were even born.

The example of Jeremiah:

Jer 1:5  "Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee"; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations. 

The Lord just knows everything about each of us! He loves each and everyone of us, He warns each and everyone of us, and He then allows us to make our own choice, and that choice has its own consequences!

So the Lord just patiently waits for the outcome even if it is many, or even thousands of years. After all one day to the Lord is a thousand years.

2Peter 3:8  But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.

The Lord has written all these things down for us so we can know what He is waiting for! Amen

The next thing on the Lord's clock is the "Calling out of the Church" then the "time of Jacob's trouble" and then this Scripture will take place where the Lord will be "gracious", He will be exalted by the Jews and they will then see His mercy!

We can certainly be blessed, because we can see our time to go home getting closer with each passing day.

The Scriptures are just as much a calendar as it is "Good News"! Amen

It is for certain that the future of the Jews looks bright. These Jews have only one thing left to do to make things better!

2Ch 7:14  If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. 

We should consider that Heaven has no favorites! No one is served before others!

The Lord will never delay because He chooses to neglect some for awhile!

The Lord will never delay because He has denied some people!

The Lord will only delay so that we are able to see His "Grace"!

We cannot know the Lord, until have have humbled ourselves before Him and "repent"!

When this world has failed us and we know it, we can then realize that we have a Creator, who seeks to be our Savior, if we will only accept Him and His Word.

The Lord offers a wonderful "gift" but no gift is a true gift, until it has been received! Amen

The Lord is very patient but there is an end to that patience! Amen

Just as God knows all those who will repent, God also knows those who will never repent! As I said, God knows the ending before the beginning!

We should never trust anyone who teaches that God has already selected those who will be saved and those who will spend eternity in Hell!

We make this choice ourselves! Amen

2Pe 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. 

2Pe 2:2  And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of.

The Lord died for everyone! Amen

He does not choose, it is we who have to choose accept or reject His free gift!

When we reach a point that we understand the truth, it is when we call out to the Lord, that we can see His "Mercy" and His "Grace"!

*****Isa 30:23  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. 

Isa 30:24  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. 

Isa 30:25  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. 

When we accept the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior, then and only then can we expect a bountiful supply from Heaven! Amen

If we begin with a prayer of repentance, we will learn from the Word of God the wonderful things that lay ahead of each of us!

Notice these things about the Millennial Kingdom after the slaughter of those who have rejected the Lord.

Food will be plentiful.

The food for the animals will be just as nourishing as the food for people.

Even the desert will spring forth with water, as all the lands become fertile as in the time of Adam. (Every high hill)

We already know that many terrible things will take place during the Tribulation Period such as the darkening of the Sun and the Moon.

Isaiah 13:10  For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine.

In order for things to change, then our Sun and Moon will have to return to bring life to the plants.

*****Isa 30:26  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. 

This should not be taken as 7 times brighter than we have now, because that will also happen, but not after the Lord mends His breach with the Jews.

Psalms 121:6  The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night.

This is also "in typology" a picture of the Holy City of New Jerusalem!

Rev 21:23  And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof. 

Rev 21:24  And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it. 

Rev 21:25  And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day: for there shall be no night there. 

Rev 21:26  And they shall bring the glory and honour of the nations into it. 

Rev 21:27  And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life.

Before these things can take place, the Lord will rid this earth of every evil and sinful thing!

Many see this a a terrible thing and it will be terrible to those who reject the Lord, but to those who have accepted the Lord this is still a sign of God's "Mercy" and God's "Grace"!

*****Isa 30:33  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. 

In Hebrew the word "tophet" means a place of cremation.

In this passage the word "Tophet" represents the cries of all those precious babies that were sacrificed to the false god Moloch.

Remember Moloch was a large oven of an idol with outstretched arms and foolish people would sacrifice babies and small children, by laying them in his arms that were glowing red hot because of the heat.

We should understand that God hears the cries of all abused children! Amen

Even that one before it is born into this world and robbed of its life! Amen

Those that were sacrificed to Moloch.

Those that were abused throughout history.

Those that are aborted today.

And those who have been Martyred because of their service to the Lord!

Even with all the destructive power that is available in this world, "fire" is still one of the most destructive forces known to man.

Tophet begins, where the vail of Hinnon bends to the east between the cliffs of Zion and the Hill of Evil Counsel and ends as it joins the Valley of Jehoshaphat. The southern side abounds in ancient tombs where dead carcasses were cast to rot and be consumed by worms (maggots) or consumed by the fire that was never quenched! This is also the place the Jews offered up human sacrifices!

Jer 7:30  For the children of Judah have done evil in my sight, saith the LORD: they have set their abominations in the house which is called by my name, to pollute it. 

Jer 7:31  And they have built the high places of Tophet, which is in the valley of the son of Hinnom, to burn their sons and their daughters in the fire; which I commanded them not, neither came it into my heart. 

Jer 7:32  Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that it shall no more be called Tophet, nor the valley of the son of Hinnom, but the valley of slaughter: for they shall bury in Tophet, till there be no place. 

In "typology" this place represents Hell, or the Burning Lake of Fire! This will be the end place for all those that reject the Lord! Amen

Rev 20:14  And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. 

Rev 20:15  And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. 

Rev 21:7  He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. 

Rev 21:8  But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death. 

This is a deep and large place that was created for the Lucifer (Satan) and those Angels that followed him but has had to increase as evil has increased.

The king mentioned here is probably the king of Assyria but represents all kings and leaders who have oppressed God's people.

In fact this king in "typology" represents the Antichrist!

Eze 32:22  Asshur is there and all her company: his graves are about him: all of them slain, fallen by the sword: 

Eze 32:23  Whose graves are set in the sides of the pit, and her company is round about her grave: all of them slain, fallen by the sword, which caused terror in the land of the living. 

Isa 14:9  Hell from beneath is moved for thee to meet thee at thy coming: it stirreth up the dead for thee, even all the chief ones of the earth; it hath raised up from their thrones all the kings of the nations. 

We should remember the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah!

Gen 19:23  The sun was risen upon the earth when Lot entered into Zoar. 

Gen 19:24  Then the LORD rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD out of heaven; 

Gen 19:25  And he overthrew those cities, and all the plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew upon the ground.

It should be obvious, that we must place our trust in the Lord no matter what we are going through. In the end it is the Lord who will have victory. Amen

Those that trust the Lord are on the "Winning Side"! Amen

We simply cannot ignore the Word of God!

If we follow the Lord, we can never fail. If we do not follow the Lord we can never succeed! Amen

Questions?

Let's Pray!