Scripture: Isaiah 30

I. Why is God waiting?

A. He is waiting for your repentance and faith. Jerusalem and its leaders did not trust in God. The LORD in vs. 1 calls the people of Jerusalem “stubborn children, who carry out a plan, but not mine, and who make an alliance, but not of my Spirit, that they may add sin to sin.” Jerusalem trusted in Egypt instead of God (vs. 2) to help against the Assyrians. How much help would Egypt be? Verse 7 says, “Egypt’s help is worthless and empty.”

B. We see what God was waiting for from Jerusalem and King Hezekiah in vs. 15. “In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your strength.” If they came to God in repentance and faith, what would God do for them? He would give them rest, salvation and strength. Sadly, where did Jerusalem put its trust? Verse 16 says the people of Jerusalem said, “We will flee upon horses.” We trust in the latest weaponry and military tactics to defend us!

II. What is God wanting?

A. God wants to show you grace and mercy. Verse 18 is a magnificent verse. It is the key verse of chapter 30. God longs deep in His heart to show you grace and compassion and mercy because of His steadfast love for you. Judgment is never God’s final word for His people. Grace is the final word. God’s justice in vs. 18 refers also to God’s wisdom. God knows how to make the right decision at the right time.

B. Lamentations 3:33: “For (God) does not afflict from his heart or grieve the children of men.” What do we learn from this verse? God is the one who brings affliction into our lives. But God does not afflict us from His heart. What does God want to show you instead? Grace and mercy. Jeremiah 32:41: “I will rejoice in doing them good, and I will plant them in this land in faithfulness, with all my heart and all my soul.”

III. Where is God working?

A. God works in many different places. 1) God is working where He shatters His enemies -enemies like the Assyrians (vs. 27-33). 2) God is working where we repent and believe. Where you are trusting in God, God is at work. Where you are trusting in an idol, God will not honor such faith (vs. 12-13). When we trust God, verse 29 says, “You shall have a song as in the night.” 3) God will work when we trust completely in Him. Jerusalem would see that God had prepared a funeral pyre for Assyria’s king and army (vs. 33).

Application:
Trust and obey for there’s no other way to be happy in Jesus but to trust and obey.

Sources:
The book of Isaiah
Commentaries by J.A. Motyer, Derek Thomas, Tim Chester, Bob Fyall & David Jackman

Sermon Discussions Questions

1. What is King Hezekiah looking for in Egypt and why won’t he find it there? What was the main issue for Hezekiah and Jerusalem (see vs. 12 and vs. 15)?
2. How do the promises of vs. 18-26 encourage our faith? Which of these promises are for today and which are for heaven?
3. In what ways are you tempted to trust in Egypt rather than in God? What was God preparing for Assyria’s king and army (vs. 33) – even without help from Egypt?