How did we get the magnificent book, Isaiah? It seems that God directed His prophet to write down what he received from the Lord.
Go now, write it before them on a tablet,
and inscribe it on a scroll,
so that it may be for the time to come
as a witness forever. (Isaiah 30:8)
Isaiah’s message had an immediate impact on his audience, but it frequently referenced the Messiah who didn’t appear on the scene for 700 years. There are parts of what God showed the prophet that await the end-time for fulfillment.
Itching Ears
Whether it was 700 BC or 2026, the truth is that people intent on self-will and self-rule don’t want to hear the truth about their situation.
For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables (2 Timothy 4:3-4)
God’s word to Isaiah was similar to Paul’s instructions to young Timothy.
For they are a rebellious people,
faithless children,
children who will not hear
the instruction of the Lord;
Who say to the seers, “Do not see,”
and to the prophets, “Do not prophesy to us what is right;
speak to us smooth things;
prophesy illusions;
Leave the way; turn aside from the path;
let us hear no more about the Holy One of Israel.” (Isaiah 30:9-11)
James wants his readers to recognize that faith is revealed through behavior that conforms to God’s guidance. The Bible’s message is intended to correct us.
For if any are hearers of the word and not doers, they are like those who look at themselves in a mirror; for they look at themselves and, on going away, immediately forget what they were like (James 1:23-24).
Imagine looking in the mirror and finding dirt all over your face. That’s an indication that washing is in order. What if, instead of washing your face, you demand that everyone around you tell you that you look perfect?
That’s exactly what Paul’s letter to Timothy and Isaiah were getting at. When we look in the mirror of God’s word, let’s allow it to challenge us to align with His standards.
Another Option
The ancient Catholic saints often spoke of consolations and crosses. We experience a consolation when things go our way. The people with “itching ears” want messages that bring consolation and reinforce their attitudes and actions.
The crosses these saints wrote about involve events that are hard to bear. Sickness, poverty, and temptation are but a few of what could be listed as a cross-like experience.
The counsel of the saints is to surrender to God in all areas of life. When it is a consolation, it is easy to surrender. When it is a cross, surrender is far more difficult.
Isaiah calls us to surrender, whether it is a consolation or a cross.
For thus said the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel:
In returning and rest you shall be saved;
in quietness and in trust shall be your strength.
But you refused and said,
‘No! We will flee upon horses’—
therefore you shall flee! (Isaiah 30:15-16)
Self-will walks away from God with willful attitudes and actions. Repentant individuals return to God and begin walking with Him.
An old man who had never flown on an airplane was asked how his ride was. He replied, “It was OK, but I never put my full weight on it.” The person who rests and trusts the Lord, will put their full weight on Him.
Quiet, non-striving, submission to God’s will caps off the adjectives that describe the kind of surrender that Isaiah invites us to experience.
The people of Jerusalem and Judah may have been willing to surrender if it meant consolations, but they were faced by the cross of the Assyrian army at their doorstep.
The question for us is whether we are willing to look in the mirror of God’s word and surrender at all times. Will find strength in surrender whether it is consolations or crosses? Or, will we demand easy answers that tickle our ears?
YouTube Discussion
Rudy Ross, Bruce Kirby, and I discussed this passage on YouTube today.
Real Voices 