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!
