A translation and sermon by Nate Wilson for Christ the Redeemer Church, Manhattan, KS, 15 Apr. 2007
1 Woe, rebellious children, declares Jehovah,
to make a plan - but not from me,
and to weave an alliance - but not of my Spirit,
2 those who proceed to go down to Egypt – but have not asked my mouthpiece,
to take refuge in Pharaoh’s strength
and to seek shelter in Egypt’s shadow -
3 but Pharoah’s strength will become shame to you,
and shelter in Egypt’s shadow will become humiliation.
4 Though his princes are in Zoan and his messengers reach Hanes,
5 each has been shamed over a people that did not bring benefit to him.
Not for help and not to bring benefit
but rather for shame and also for disgrace.
6 A burden of the beasts of the Negev,
in a land of trouble and anguish,
lioness and lion,
the viper and flying fiery serpent,
they will carry their riches away from them upon the back of donkeys.
7 They will help Egypt, worthless and empty,
therefore I called her, “Rahab they are a dud!”
8 Now, go write it upon a tablet with them
and inscribe it upon a book,
thus it will exist for a later day as a witness until eternity.
9 For they are a rebellious people,
false sons,
children who will not choose to heed the Instruction of Jehovah,
10 who say to the seers, “Stop seeing,”
and to the visionaries, “Stop envisioning for us what is right;
speak to us about what is pleasant.
Envision deceptions.
11 Turn away from the way;
turn aside from the path;
cause the Holy One of Israel to cease from before our faces. ”
12 Therefore, thus said the Holy One of Israel,
“Because you reject this word and you trust in what is twisted and crooked, and you rely upon it,
13 therefore this iniquity will happen for you like a crack
running down and expanding in a high wall,
which suddenly, in an instant it goes, it shatters her.”
14 And He will break her like the shattering of a smashed potter’s jar.
He will not spare,
and there will not be found among its fragments a shard
to take fire from the hearth
or to scoop water from a cistern.
15 For thus says the Lord Jehovah, the Holy One of Israel,
“In returning and rest you will be saved;
in quietness and in trust will be your strength.”
But you were not willing,
16 and you said,
“No, for upon a horse we will flee!”
Therefore you will flee.
“and upon a swift one we will ride.”
Therefore your pursuers will be swift.
17 One thousand from before the threat of one;
from before the threat of five you will flee
until if you have been left
like a pole upon the top of the mountain
and like a signal upon the hill.
18 And therefore Jehovah will wait to show grace to you,
and therefore He go up to show mercy to you.
Since Jehovah is a God of justice, happy are all who wait for Him.
HISTORICAL CONTEXT:
After their great deliverance from Egypt, God had told the Israelites, “You shall henceforth return no more that way.” Deut. 17:16c Israel was being threatened by the Assyrian army, and they were looking for help. They naturally looked to the next biggest army around – Egypt. “You’ll pay a lot for the solution you have come up with. It will be very expensive … and it won’t work.” (F.Barker)
I. Rebellion is acting apart from God (v.1-3)
1 Woe, rebellious children, declares Jehovah, to make a plan - but not from me, and to weave an alliance - but not of my Spirit, 2 those who proceed to go down to Egypt – but have not asked my mouthpiece, to take refuge in Pharaoh’s strength and to seek shelter in Egypt’s shadow - 3 but Pharoah’s strength will become shame to you, and shelter in Egypt’s shadow will become humiliation.
· Rebellious lit. “turning away” / rebellious-KJV,NAS / obstinate-NIV / stubborn-ESV / apostate-LXX
· According to Deut. 21:18ff, rebellious sons had to be brought to judgment by their parents. The rebellion consisted of planning and acting apart from God.
· Five Infinitives in vs. 1-2 have the common subject of “those who proceed” (v.2), each followed by qualification (last 2 are in v.3).
1. Make a plan/take counsel – but not from me
2. Weave a web, cover a covering (KJV), form an alliance (NIV), lit. “pour out a drink offering” which was a way to finalize a covenant or treaty) – but not of the Spirit of God
3. Go down to Egypt without consulting God – literally without asking His mouth.
4. Take refuge (KJV strengthen themselves) in the strength of Pharaoh – the king of Egypt’s protection (NIV) and safety (NAS). This will become a shame to you (v.3) because you are not seeking God’s strength and protection
5. Take shelter (NAS) refuge (NIV), trust in (NIV) the shadow of Egypt, which in v.3 we see will result in humiliation because it is done apart from God
ILLUSTRATION: Our Kansas legislature was worrying this year about all the money it is loosing because our citizens are going over the border to gamble at the casinos in Missouri. Their solution? Start our own casinos here in Kansas! Is that God’s way? I predict that this “solution” will not net an increase in the well-being of our state. The cost will be great in terms of misspent funds, increased poverty, and growth in organized crime.
Ways we try to solve problems w/o looking to God:
· Speeding to make up for time when you’re late to an appointment,
· Fudging on taxes – lawnmowing income as a teenager. Or claiming company use of a car when it was driven for some personal use – the tax people would never know, and everyone’s doing it.
· Dating a non-Christian who shows interest in you because you’ve given up hope of finding a good Christian mate,
· Classmates that wanted me to sign a statement that I hated our English teacher– peer acceptance pressure is a powerful temptation.
All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.
II. Acting Apart from God results in shame & humiliation
“Sin is cumulative; one sin leads to another.” and “Reliance upon human resources instead of upon Divine help is always a cause of shame.” Young
Example: A mission agency started in humble reliance upon God and grew and grew in its reputation, but the president felt self-conscious because all he had was a degree in agriculture. So he worked hard and earned a Doctoral degree and implemented many administrative changes that all the popular management books advised. Shortly afterward, the organization went under. Why? I believe this happened in part due to making human efforts with human wisdom apart from God.
4 Though his princes are in Zoan and his messengers reach Hanes, 5 each has been shamed over a people that did not bring benefit to him. Not for help and not to bring benefit but rather for shame and also for disgrace.
Zoan (North Egypt ) a.k.a. Tannis, and Hanes is in central Egypt – this is the only place it’s mentioned in the Bible.
These are princes/officials/envoys/ambassadors/messengers sent from Judah to Egypt across the Negev desert. It doesn’t matter if they find great favor and get well into Egypt and work out deals with leaders in major cities.
The result will be:
1. no help
2. no profit/benefit
3. shame
4. reproach/disgrace
Failure to trust God does not bring a neutral result. The stakes are high and if you place your trust in the wrong thing you will end up hurting. Don’t fool with plans that leave God out. The result will not be neutral, it will be shame.
6 A burden of the beasts of the Negev, in a land of trouble and anguish, lioness and lion, the viper and flying fiery serpent, they will carry their riches away from them upon the back of donkeys.
· Describes the envoys going down from Jerusalem through the Negev desert southward to Egypt with gifts for Pharaoh, trying to buy an alliance with Egypt.
· Phrase after phrase warns of the dangers of going to Egypt: trouble/hardship/distress/affliction and anguish, lions, snakes and even dragons (although the NIV tries to avoid this interpretation with its rendering “darting snake” rather than what it says literally “flying fiery one”)!
· Deut. 8:15 speaks of how God led Israel OUT of Egypt “through that great and terrible wilderness, where there were fiery serpents and scorpions and drought” and here they’re trying to go back IN!
· Have you ever been in this position? Like when you are driving in an unfamiliar location and you’re going all around in the wrong directions, but refusing to ask for directions, all the time feeling sorry for yourself that you are having such a bad day.
· The way of the sinner is hard (Prov. 13:15)
7 They will help Egypt, worthless and empty, therefore I called her, “Rahab they are a dud!”
· Most modern English translations render the word “Help” as a noun – Egypt’s help, but in Hebrew it is a verb, so I believe the KJV got it right – Israel’s officials who are bringing payment down to Pharaoh will help Egypt, this verse says, but will get no help in return.
· This is because Egypt is worthless and empty – or more to the point, trust in Egypt apart from God is what is vain and useless.
· In the second half of the verse, God is contrasting the old name for Egypt (Rahab – the terrible monster - Ps. 87:4; 89:10, Isa. 51:9) with a new name (Shavet – rest). The former terror of the world will be too old and decrepit to do anything helpful.
“Rahab” / Big
Mouth-MSG / strength-KJV / Arrogancy-AJV / word sometimes describes
crocodile-Yng
becomes
a resting-Young / do-nothing-NIV / who sits still-ESV, KJV / exterminated-NAS, a disappointment, a dud.
III. What a faithful person must do in the face of rebellion
8 Now, go write it upon a tablet with them and inscribe it upon a book, thus it will exist for a later day as a witness until eternity.
· “write it” – “it” being the message esp. v.6-7. The reason for writing it down is in v.9-11 – they wouldn’t listen.
· (This is for Chip: Here is an occurrence of the Hebrew word “yom” “day” which, interestingly enough, only the NIV renders literally, all the other English translations render “time.”)
· The Hebrew word for “witness” is spelled the same as the Hebrew word for the preposition “until/for” this is why the KJV and the LXX render “forever and ever” while modern eng. translations render “a witness forever”
· To what would it “witness”? It was a witness to the fact that God knew the truth and could bless those who trust Him and punish those who don’t. That witness was written down not for the people of Isaiah’s day, but FOR US! (I Pet. 1:12)
1. v.9-12, BECAUSE they are rebellious, lying (KJV), deceitful (NIV), false (NAS) children… THEREFORE God will pronounce judgment on them for their sin.
This teaches us two things: 1) God wants us to heed His word and 2) God wants us to keep using His word to uphold His holiness before the world.
9 For they are a rebellious people, false sons, children who will not choose to heed the Instruction of Jehovah,
· How are they being rebellious? By not listening to God’s word. They didn’t ask of God’s mouth earlier, here it says they will not listen to or heed God’s instruction
· God’s law, the written word of God (that’s what is meant by this word “Torah”)
· Proverbs instructs us that it is the duty of a child to take in his father’s instruction (Prov. 1:8; 3:1; 6:20; 28:7)
· Do you call yourself a child of God but deny it by not trusting Him as your Father, not heeding His laws and instructions in the Bible?
· Is there some area of your life where you are being rebellious to God? You know He wants you to do (or not do) something, but you aren’t willing.
·
but in rebellion the
people of Isaiah’s day would not take instruction from their heavenly Father,
rather they try to silence and manipulate His prophets:
10 who say to the seers, “Stop seeing,” and to
the visionaries, “Stop envisioning for us what is right; speak to us about what
is pleasant. Envision deceptions.”
· What they want is smooth, pleasant messages, illusions, deceit, and error to match their own rebellious character.
· Not only O.T. Jews, but
also N.T. church:
2 Timothy
4:2-4 “preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke,
and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. (3) For the time is coming
when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will
accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, (4) and will
turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.
·
Still happens today:
“Quit saying that homosexuality is wrong; quit saying that abortion is murder,
and we won’t bother you,” they will say. “Tell us about how we can achieve a
world where no one makes anyone feel bad, and everyone lives in harmony.
Rationalize away miracles with scientific explanations so we don’t have to
believe in a God.”
· Watch out for the temptation to “Preach soft” (as Luther translated this) and continue acting in a spiritual leadership role without addressing the hard issues.
· How do you respond when someone says they think you’re doing something wrong? Watch out for that natural impulse to say, “Get out of my way, don’t confront me with what you think God says! I want to hear things I agree with & that please me!”
11 Turn away from the way; turn aside from the path; cause the Holy One of Israel to cease from before our faces.
· Just like Isaiah, we must remind people that God is not an “anything goes” god, He is “the HOLY one of Israel.”
·
No one likes it when you
hold the line of holiness & tell them that they are crooked; they will do
everything in their power to get you to join in with them in their rebellion so
that you will stop pricking their consciences.
ILLUSTRATION: High school track team members who shared their stolen cookies
with me.
· Turn aside (Lit), leave God’s way (NIV,ESV) , get out of our way (NAS). “There is a way that seems right to man, but in the end it leads to destruction!” (Prov. 14:12; 16:25). There is only one way that leads to eternal life, and that is Jesus, who said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” (Jn 14:6)
· However, as v. 15 asserts, Repentance and quiet trust in the true God are far better than listening to “pleasant words” which are false. It is worthwhile to cause people to hear that God is holy, to confront (NIV) mankind with the fact that God shows us how shabby our ways are and shows us a better way.
What does God want us to do about His word, the Bible? 1) Listen to it, obey it, and 2) Keep using it to uphold His holiness before the world.
2. v.12-13, BECAUSE you reject (NAS,NIV) despise (KJV,ESV) this word, or this message that Isaiah has been delivering… THEREFORE your sin of rebellion will be like a crack that makes a wall collapse.
This shows that God punishes rebellion. This is something to FEAR.
12 Therefore, thus said the Holy One of Israel, “Because you reject this word and you trust in what is twisted and crooked, and you rely upon it, 13therefore this iniquity will happen for you like a crack running down and expanding in a high wall, which suddenly, in an instant it goes, it shatters her.”
· This verse begins a formal address containing the judgment of God in v.12-14 in consequence of their rebellious attitude.
· “The One whom the nation would cause to cease is the One who will cause the nation to cease.” (Young)
· If we don’t accept God’s word, we will be trusting in “twisted, crooked” things – oppression, perverseness (KJV,ESV), deceit (NIV), guile (NAS); there is no middle ground. Half-crooked is still crooked.
· Inasmuch as it is true that the people have rejected God’s word in favor of what is twisted and crooked, this is the consequence. The picture is that of a crack running down a wall that grows and expands quickly and suddenly the wall can take no more and it collapses.
· The downfall of Judah would be due to their own sin, not due to Assyria’s army. Israel is already about to collapse.
14 And He will break her like the shattering of a smashed potter’s jar. He will not spare, and there will not be found among its fragments a shard to take fire from the hearth or to scoop water from a cistern.”
·
Most translations
render this impersonally: It will break in pieces…mercilessly (NIV) / Its
breaking/collapse…so ruthlessly (NAS,ESV) cf. LXX, Young, Dreschler
But I believe it is more accurate grammatically and gives more honor to God to
translate it actively: “He breaks it .. He will not be sparing” (KJV, Delitzsch)
· This shows God’s violent anger against sin.
· Sometimes we can look upon a failure and see good things that came from it; this however will be different. They won’t be able to pick up the pieces after this punishment for sin and do anything with them. It will become truly useless.
· Nothing good will come of this sin. Picture of the end of Judah during exile – scattered, broken fragments. God wants His people to realize that w/o God they really are good for nothing, only in Him are we good for anything!
Will you be able to get away with rebellion against God? No way! This section shows that God will punish rebellion.
3. v.15-16, BECAUSE the LORD said to trust Him and you would not, THEREFORE you will be chased away
Teaches us what God wants us to DO:
15 For thus says the Lord Jehovah, the Holy One of Israel, “In returning and rest you will be saved; in quietness and in trust will be your strength.” But you were not willing,
·
Repentance/returning =
stop rebelling against God. True conversion.
Alternately, staying put rather than running off to Egypt for help. (Rashi
& Kimchi)
· Rest = stop worrying about the external threats and trust God. 7:4 God told Ahaz to be calm and not worry about the military threat of Israel and Syria,
· This is because only God, (emphasis on His lordship in this verse) “the Lord Jehovah,” has the power to accomplish salvation; (it is not the trusting itself that saves.) It is God who has this kind of strength, not Pharaoh.
· Are there ways in which we need to stop and come back from the rebellious direction we’ve been going in? Is there anything you need to undo before you start going in God’s direction?
EXAMPLE: When I was in seminary, I painted a house to earn money to replace Internet charges for personal use that I had claimed ministry reimbursements for.
· That is repentance if it comes along with a god-dependent resolve to obey Him from here on out.
What does God want us to DO? Repent of sin and trust in Him!
4. v.16 Because they trust in horses, THEREFORE they will have to run away from battle in defeat.
Shows us what NOT TO TRUST IN.
16 and you said, “No, for upon a horse we will flee!” Therefore you will flee. “and upon a swift one we will ride.” Therefore your pursuers will be swift. 17 One thousand from before the threat of one; from before the threat of five you will flee until if you have been left like a pole upon the top of the mountain and like a signal upon the hill.
· How does God feel when we do not respond to His grace? Grief but also indignation. God’s punishment ironically parallels the rebel’s own efforts to save themselves.
· There is no help in flight to Egypt – Hos.14:3; Amos 2:14-15; Ps. 20:8
· The horses and the thousands of people are placed in the Hebrew text in emphatic positions to emphasize the things the Israelites foolishly trusted in. This curse is the reverse of the blessings of obedience God promised through Moses. (Lev.26:8&36; Deut. 28:25; 32:30; Josh.23:10; Prov.28:1)
· The result of trusting in these things is loneliness, cf.1:8 – picture of a solitary flagpole standing on top of a mountain.
· EXAMPLE: I worry about not being able to speak well. My natural response is to spend inordinate amounts of time studying for a sermon so that I will look good in front of y’all, but then I don’t end up spending time being a husband & father, and I see my family suffer as a result. Sun. am, I’m sleep-deprived & strung-out. God offers rest instead.
· APPLICATION: Are you pursuing a solution to something that is threatening you without trust in God or obedience to God? He is inviting you to just trust in Him. He is waiting to bless you if you do this.
By showing us what NOT to trust in, this leads us to the conclusion of WHO TO TRUST:
18 And therefore Jehovah will wait to show grace to you, and therefore He go up to show mercy to you. Since Jehovah is a God of justice, happy are all who wait for Him.
· God is waiting to show blessing to the one who will trust Him.
ILLUSTRATION: J.Sammons Realty had sold nothing all year and a convenience store chain that sells pornography offered a very good price. Jim was tempted to drop his standard clause that limits the buyer from using the property to sell porn. God rewarded his trust & obedience with a contract, and it may be the only store in that nationwide chain that doesn’t sell porn!
We have looked at the attitude of rebellion, how it is acting apart from God, and how God promises to judge rebellion. God calls us to respond in the face of rebellion by:
1) Listening to His word and obeying it,
2) Upholding His holiness before the world.
3) Fearing His judgment,
4) Repenting from our rebellion,
5) and placing our Trust in Him, the one true God.
This is what will make you happy.