the way

Mar

28

Isaiah 30:1-22 This is the way you should go (v.21).

Read Isaiah 30:23-26 to see the blessings God promised to shower on Israel if they would turn and “come to Him” (v.18).

How has God’s voice been calling you back to Him? How have you been pursuing God and His way?

I always assumed that Isaiah 30:21 had something to do with directions. My understanding was, if I stood at a crossroads and veered one way or the other, the Holy Spirit would let me know if I was going the right way. God would alert me if I was heading into trouble or beginning to venture outside of His will.

While I still believe that Isaiah 30 has application for steps we should or shouldn’t take in life, after digging deeper I now have a better grasp of what Isaiah was communicating. In this passage, the prophet was speaking to the wayward tribe of Judah, which had foolishly entered into a treaty with Egypt. “Without consulting Me, you have gone down to Egypt for help. You have put your trust in Pharaoh’s protection” (Isaiah 30:2). In so doing, Judah had:

• Made plans that were against God’s

• Made alliances not directed by the Lord

• Gone down to Egypt for help without first consulting God

• Put their trust in Pharaoh’s protection

It was Isaiah’s role as a prophet to warn God’s “rebellious children” (Isaiah 30:1) of the subsequent outcome that awaited them: humiliation, shame, disgrace, loneliness, and calamity (Isaiah 30:3-5). Isaiah also plainly stated that despite what they had done, God was waiting for His stubborn people to repent and return to Him. He longed to shower them with love, compassion, grace, and forgiveness (Isaiah 30:18-19).

Through Isaiah, we learn the very essence of God’s heart: to draw His beloved people close so that—despite their hideous sins—they could repent and receive His infinite blessings. Our God is so loving that when Judah strayed— and when we stray—God provides “a voice” to show us the way back to the Lord’s protection and eternal riches.

NLT 365-day reading plan passage for today: 1 Samuel 17:32-58