Isaiah 30 - Bible Study in 5 Minutes

Isaiah 30 Short Summary:

God condemned the people of Judah for attempting to make an alliance with the Egyptians to save them from the Assyrians. His people were supposed to trust Him and His promises to take care of them, but they were tired of listening to God and His prophets.

Isaiah 30 Bible Study

TIMELINE:

• The prophetic ministry of Isaiah spanned the reigns of King Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah.

• We do not know the date Isaiah spoke/recorded this prophecy.

KEY CHARACTERS:

• Isaiah – The son of Amoz (1:1). God commissioned Isaiah as His prophet to Judah.

• The Citizens of Judah – They hated hearing God’s instruction. They were sick of hearing Isaiah preaching about the Holy One of Israel (30:11).

DEFINITIONS:

• Rahab (30:7) – Rahab was the name of a woman in the Bible (Joshua 2:1), but it was also a title occasionally used for the country of Egypt (Psa 87:4).

OUTLINE:

• SEEKING HELP FROM EGYPT (30:1-7):

  • God rebukes the people of Judah for attempting to make an alliance with the Egyptians.

  • Instead of relying on God, they wanted foreign allies to save them from Assyria.

  • This was one sin added to their pile of sins.

  • God assured them Egypt’s help was worthless and empty.

• THE REBELLION OF GOD’S PEOPLE (30:8-17):

  • God wanted the rebellion of Judah documented so they could refer back to it after the Egyptian alliance failed them. He told Isaiah to “inscribe it in a book.”

  • They didn’t want to hear God’s message preached, they encourage their prophets and seers to teach pleasant messages, because they were tired of hearing about God’s anger. They wanted to be patted on the back not condemned.

  • Because they hated His words, God promised to bring the people to ruin. They would be made like a collapsed wall and a shattered piece of pottery (30:13-14).

  • If the people had waited on God and trusted Him, instead of running to Egypt, they could have been saved, but they determined to take things into their own hands and seek security outside of God.

• A FUTURE RESTORATION (30:18-33):

  • The final portion of this chapter speaks of a day of salvation and restoration for Judah.

  • Though they would not wait for God, God would wait for them and deliver them from the Assyrian threat (30:31-32, see also 2 Kings 19:35).

  • He would bring Judah to their knees, they would eat the “bread of adversity and the water of affliction,” but their discipline would lead to a restoration of the nation.

  • Judah would put away their idols and God would enrich their land (30:23-25).

  • God would bind up the brokenness of His people and heal the wounds inflicted by His blows (30:26).

APPLICATION:

• It’s good and necessary to listen to teachers who step on your toes and challenge you.

• If you’ve filled your life with teachers that only ever pat you on the back and confirm the things you already believe, that’s a dangerous position to be in.

• We love it when people confirm us in our current habits and lifestyles, but that isn’t the way to be transformed into the image of Christ.

• You need people that challenge you, teachers who rough you up sometimes, because listening to people who speak “smooth words” all the time is the path to spiritual complacency and error.