Adding Sin To Sin (30:1-33)
Neal Pollard
Isaiah moves from broad issues to specific incidences, starting in chapter 30. As he has already done and will do again, Isaiah moves between the prospect of punishment and reward. It is interesting how much of the middle portion of this great book looks at the demise of the Assyrian Empire, its fearful terrorizing of that part of the world, and Judah’s foolish impulse to seek earthly alliances when God is in control. When man is driven by sight rather than faith, he tends to let fear overwhelm him and move him to make both foolish and unrighteous choices.
THE EVILS OF THE EGYPTIAN ALLIANCE (1-17). Isaiah describes Judah’s reliance upon the strength of Egypt in several negative ways. It was their plan rather than God’s (1). It was tantamount to adding sin to sin (1). It was self-guided (1-2). It was a plan that would bring shame and humiliation, as it would fail (3-5). It was totally unprofitable (5). It signified rebellion (6-9). It caused them to ask for a soft, agreeable message rather than what was right (10-11). It made them despise truth and desire myths (12). It set them up for misery and destruction, to choose devastation over divine peace and strength (13-16). It would lead them to be driven by fear and make them cowards (17).
THE EXALTATION OF THE ETERNAL GOD (18-33). In the face of such faithlessness, Isaiah preaches the faithful God! How does God respond to the fearful and foolish decision of Judah to trust in men who cannot save. Here’s Isaiah’s transition statement: “Therefore the Lord waits to be gracious to you, and therefore he exalts himself to show mercy to you. For the Lord is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for him” (18).
From that point to the end of the chapter, Isaiah writes of what God waits to do for Judah. He will dry their tears (19), He will give them grace (19), He will answer them (19), He will use the adversity He allows to refine them (20-21), He will teach them to reject idols (22), He will bless them with prosperity (23-26), He will avenge their enemies (27ff), and He will cause them to sing and rejoice in worship to Him as they go “go to the mountain of the Lord, to the Rock of Israel” (29).
What a contrast! The people have insisted on trusting in a people who cannot save. Meanwhile, the God of salvation proves faithful to a faithless people. Assyria was the threat that never materialized, a moment of grace meant to motivate repentance. Ultimately, another threat, Babylon, would strike home when Judah proved rebellious even in the face of deliverance. God allows us to learn from the sin and folly of our Old Testament counterparts. Even as we struggle, He remains strong. Why? To move us to submit to His will and follow His way.
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