Isaiah 30:8-11 – Self-centredness impedes spiritual growth

In no uncertain terms, Isaiah made known that approaching Egypt for help to deal with the threat of Assyria was a poor choice on Judah’s part. Isaiah was sure that all the trouble and effort to secure Egypt’s help would be futile. It would all be a worthless cause. Egypt would be of no profit to Judah. So sure was the prophet that he told them to record on a tablet or inscribe in a scroll, a message as a witness and future reference of how Egypt had failed to help them. Though we are not clear what the message was, it would remind them of how Egypt, likened to Rahab the mystical powerful creature was rendered powerless and did nothing to help Judah.  

What was the purpose of recording the message? Verse 9 said that in times to come when Egypt failed to deliver the promised help, it would attest to Judah’s faithlessness. It would remind them of Isaiah’s warning which they had failed to heed. As God’s seer, Isaiah was to provide accurate direction from the Lord, even when his message was unpleasant to the ear, he would speak them truthfully. But the people would rather have illusions, false prophecy, and pleasantries than accurate and truthful words from the Lord. They were so bent on hearing only positive words that they would even impede the prophet from telling the truth. There came a point when these faithless people even openly loathed hearing about the Holy One of Israel.

 

These four verses show us what self-centredness could do to people. It could cause one to become callous and insensitive to the truth of God. So bent on their own ways that the people of Judah were no longer capable of differentiating what’s truth and what’s pandering to the self. We need to know that truths are hard but needful words. While we want the comfortable words of the Lord, we must accept the uncomfortable words as well. It is comfortable to hear the invitation to find rest in Him when we are weary. But don’t forget that He also demands that we take up our cross, deny ourselves, and follow after Him daily. We must be true to God and to ourselves so that we can progress with God unimpeded. We cannot choose to hear only what we want to hear from God’s word.