August 05, 2011
Isaiah 30 - The chapter Jane (Her Name Was Jane) asked us to read in September of '07. The chapter that seemed like Greek then, but now makes so much more sense since I understand the context better.
Isaiah 30 is full of warnings. Warnings to His people who were stubbornly refusing to surrender to Him and to go to Him for help. Instead, they tried to be in control of their own lives and make their own plans for survival and protection.
It all always goes back to the core issue—pride. A refusal to let go and let God. A refusal to surrender. A refusal to submit to the very first commandment—No other Gods. A refusal to put aside their "rights" and live a "I'm following God no-matter-what-life." Stubborn. A refusal to submit to God's authority. A hardening of the heart. A turning of the back. Reminds me of the old Frank Sinatra song, "I'll do it my way."
And the LORD says:
Incredibly, the Israelites rejected the LORD who brought them out of Egypt's slavery. Instead of going to the LORD who saved them in the past, they incredibly went to the very thing they were enslaved to in the past for help. How does that make any sense? Why wouldn't they rely on what was proven to help them in the past instead of returning to what was proven to hurt them in the past? Pride. Self-reliance. Stubbornness. The thing is, "Christians" do the exact same thing today. They ask Jesus for forgiveness but then for whatever reason (pride, tough times, stress, stubbornness, etc.) they return to making their own plans instead of asking God for help. They believe (trust) more in themselves than they believe (trust) in God.
God clearly says in Isaiah 30 that relying on yourself or others, and refusing to rely on God, will be of no use. "It will give no help and will be of no use; it will cause only shame and embarrassment." Yet, even when they have been shown God's protection by past experience and have been warned of the consequences for not relying on His (God's) protection, some people continue to insist on "carrying their wealth on the backs of donkeys and their treasure on the backs of camels," going through dangerous areas and through a land of hardship and distress, trying (in their own power) to get to a place "that cannot help them... whose help is useless."
Determined—determined to make it on their own. Sure—sure they can save themselves.
Next Entry: Isaiah 28:1 – 31:9 (Continued)
Isaiah 30 - The chapter Jane (Her Name Was Jane) asked us to read in September of '07. The chapter that seemed like Greek then, but now makes so much more sense since I understand the context better.
Isaiah 30 is full of warnings. Warnings to His people who were stubbornly refusing to surrender to Him and to go to Him for help. Instead, they tried to be in control of their own lives and make their own plans for survival and protection.
It all always goes back to the core issue—pride. A refusal to let go and let God. A refusal to surrender. A refusal to submit to the very first commandment—No other Gods. A refusal to put aside their "rights" and live a "I'm following God no-matter-what-life." Stubborn. A refusal to submit to God's authority. A hardening of the heart. A turning of the back. Reminds me of the old Frank Sinatra song, "I'll do it my way."
And the LORD says:
"How terrible it will be for these stubborn children. They make plans, but they don't ask me to help them. They make agreements with other nations without asking my Spirit. They are adding more and more sins to themselves."That's the thing about sin. There's no such thing as a "little" sin. Disobedience births disobedience. Every step away from God's Will takes you further down the path of disobedience, which leads to a path of destruction.
Incredibly, the Israelites rejected the LORD who brought them out of Egypt's slavery. Instead of going to the LORD who saved them in the past, they incredibly went to the very thing they were enslaved to in the past for help. How does that make any sense? Why wouldn't they rely on what was proven to help them in the past instead of returning to what was proven to hurt them in the past? Pride. Self-reliance. Stubbornness. The thing is, "Christians" do the exact same thing today. They ask Jesus for forgiveness but then for whatever reason (pride, tough times, stress, stubbornness, etc.) they return to making their own plans instead of asking God for help. They believe (trust) more in themselves than they believe (trust) in God.
God clearly says in Isaiah 30 that relying on yourself or others, and refusing to rely on God, will be of no use. "It will give no help and will be of no use; it will cause only shame and embarrassment." Yet, even when they have been shown God's protection by past experience and have been warned of the consequences for not relying on His (God's) protection, some people continue to insist on "carrying their wealth on the backs of donkeys and their treasure on the backs of camels," going through dangerous areas and through a land of hardship and distress, trying (in their own power) to get to a place "that cannot help them... whose help is useless."
Determined—determined to make it on their own. Sure—sure they can save themselves.
Next Entry: Isaiah 28:1 – 31:9 (Continued)
No comments:
Post a Comment