Isa 30:18-26 | KingComments | STEP | It is precisely the desolation of that brings the LORD to express the desire to be gracious to them, while being gracious is still being postponed ( ). The Hebrew word haka means waiting with desire, a waiting until the judgment is fully executed. Therefore the LORD does not intervene during the siege by the Assyrians, the king of the North. He always shows His grace to a helpless remnant who has no right to it in himself and is aware of that. The link between the chastisements presented above as necessary because of their rejection of Him and His Word and the announced compassion is that “the LORD is a God of justice”. Judgment is exercised; His righteousness is fulfilled. Then comes the second ‘therefore’. “Therefore” He can then have compassion. We can summarize it as follows. Since they refuse to wait for the LORD, the LORD must wait for them, until through the judgments on their foolishness they return to Him like the prodigal son. To their cry for help: ‘How long Yahweh ?’ His answer is: ‘As soon as you are ready and converted.’ Because God’s holy demands were met when He brought the full judgment on sin down upon Christ, He can show grace to anyone who appeals to that grace with repentance for his sins. The people still have to wait for that grace to be shown. They may already know that this grace is present. The time to accept them as His people in grace has not yet come. However, when they confidently “long for Him”, He calls them “blessed”. The prophet gives more substance to this “blessedness” by promising them God’s comfort and hearing for the time of the great tribulation ( ). Babylon will never be rebuilt and Nineveh will be destroyed and will no longer be a city ( ; ), but the Jews will have an everlasting dwelling place in Zion, in Jerusalem. Dwelling in Zion indicates God’s grace. If the people ask Him for help and not any other people, He will answer by giving them this dwelling place of rest. The destiny of Israel, like ours, will be a home of rest. In Jerusalem they will find that peace after all their wanderings through countless foreign lands. There they will receive the proofs of Divine love that are waiting for them. For a brief period of time they will undergo tribulation, namely at the time of the great tribulation. Then they will feed on the bread of privation and drink the water of oppression ( ). But after that time will come a blessed time, the realm of peace, in which He will provide them with guidance and education by skilled teachers He will give. Their teacher par excellence will be the Lord Jesus, Who is also called the “teacher for righteousness” as the footnote to to “the early rain” reads (cf. ; ; ). The Hebrew word translated here with “Teacher” can be translated in singular or plural, but the verb “hide” is singular. The latter reinforces the idea that here we may think of God – in Hebrew, God is plural – as the Teacher. He will be behind them and make them go the right way, keeping them from deviations ( ). This Teacher is constantly with them. “A word behind you” indicates that He is close by and that small instructions are sufficient to guide them in the right direction. “To the right or to the left” is an expression that indicates the choices to be made in life. It is the same for us. The Lord Jesus is always with us and constantly wants to show us the right way through His Word. Listening to the teaching of God’s Word keeps us on the right way. If we want to deviate to the right or to the left, we hear His voice that keeps us on His way. All these provisions of the LORD, together with the spirit of repentance that is in them, will have a cleansing effect on them ( ). Sound teaching from God’s Word and the Spirit of grace in God’s people are the basis for sound spiritual growth. It reveals in life what is contrary to this. Everything that is contrary to God’s Word will be thrown away like an impure thing. If God’s Word has its authority over our lives and we listen to it, we will also with a resolute “be gone!” remove everything from our lives that prevents us from receiving God’s blessing to the fullest.

‏ Isaiah 30:18-26

Grace for God’s People

It is precisely the desolation of Isa 30:17 that brings the LORD to express the desire to be gracious to them, while being gracious is still being postponed (Isa 30:18). The Hebrew word haka means waiting with desire, a waiting until the judgment is fully executed. Therefore the LORD does not intervene during the siege by the Assyrians, the king of the North. He always shows His grace to a helpless remnant who has no right to it in himself and is aware of that.

The link between the chastisements presented above as necessary because of their rejection of Him and His Word and the announced compassion is that “the LORD is a God of justice”. Judgment is exercised; His righteousness is fulfilled. Then comes the second ‘therefore’. “Therefore” He can then have compassion.

We can summarize it as follows. Since they refuse to wait for the LORD, the LORD must wait for them, until through the judgments on their foolishness they return to Him like the prodigal son. To their cry for help: ‘How long Yahweh?’ His answer is: ‘As soon as you are ready and converted.’

Because God’s holy demands were met when He brought the full judgment on sin down upon Christ, He can show grace to anyone who appeals to that grace with repentance for his sins. The people still have to wait for that grace to be shown. They may already know that this grace is present. The time to accept them as His people in grace has not yet come. However, when they confidently “long for Him”, He calls them “blessed”.

The prophet gives more substance to this “blessedness” by promising them God’s comfort and hearing for the time of the great tribulation (Isa 30:19). Babylon will never be rebuilt and Nineveh will be destroyed and will no longer be a city (Isa 13:19-21; Nah 1:14), but the Jews will have an everlasting dwelling place in Zion, in Jerusalem. Dwelling in Zion indicates God’s grace.

If the people ask Him for help and not any other people, He will answer by giving them this dwelling place of rest. The destiny of Israel, like ours, will be a home of rest. In Jerusalem they will find that peace after all their wanderings through countless foreign lands. There they will receive the proofs of Divine love that are waiting for them.

For a brief period of time they will undergo tribulation, namely at the time of the great tribulation. Then they will feed on the bread of privation and drink the water of oppression (Isa 30:20). But after that time will come a blessed time, the realm of peace, in which He will provide them with guidance and education by skilled teachers He will give. Their teacher par excellence will be the Lord Jesus, Who is also called the “teacher for righteousness” as the footnote to Joel 2:23 to “the early rain” reads (cf. Job 36:22; Jn 3:2; Psa 32:8).

The Hebrew word translated here with “Teacher” can be translated in singular or plural, but the verb “hide” is singular. The latter reinforces the idea that here we may think of God – in Hebrew, God is plural – as the Teacher.

He will be behind them and make them go the right way, keeping them from deviations (Isa 30:21). This Teacher is constantly with them. “A word behind you” indicates that He is close by and that small instructions are sufficient to guide them in the right direction. “To the right or to the left” is an expression that indicates the choices to be made in life.

It is the same for us. The Lord Jesus is always with us and constantly wants to show us the right way through His Word. Listening to the teaching of God’s Word keeps us on the right way. If we want to deviate to the right or to the left, we hear His voice that keeps us on His way.

All these provisions of the LORD, together with the spirit of repentance that is in them, will have a cleansing effect on them (Isa 30:22). Sound teaching from God’s Word and the Spirit of grace in God’s people are the basis for sound spiritual growth. It reveals in life what is contrary to this. Everything that is contrary to God’s Word will be thrown away like an impure thing. If God’s Word has its authority over our lives and we listen to it, we will also with a resolute “be gone!” remove everything from our lives that prevents us from receiving God’s blessing to the fullest.

The Full Blessing of the LORD

In these verses Isaiah presents this blessing to the people. These are earthly blessings that belong to a people who have promises that all relate to life on earth. Their entire national existence takes place on earth. This blessing comes when the Lord Jesus will reign on earth as the Prince of peace. After the “bread of privation and water of oppression” that was present in scarcity (Isa 30:20), there will be water in abundance through the rain of heaven that will also provide a yield of the ground that will be “rich and plenteous” (Isa 30:23). The cattle will also be richly blessed and provided with the best nourishment, a compound and fermented animal food that is a treat for the livestock. Everything will then be abundant and of the best quality (Isa 30:24).

Also on the higher places like mountains and hills water is abundant present (Isa 30:25). In the last battles that will also be at the beginning of the realm of peace, no precautions are needed to secure the water supply as in the days of Hezekiah. In “the great slaughter, when the towers fall”, we can think of the destruction of the armies coming from the far north, that is from Russia, to God’s land (Eze 38:14-23).

Also the celestial bodies will emit a multiple of their light now still tempered by sin (Isa 30:26). Literally, it says: ’The light of the ‘white’ will be like the light of the ‘hot’, and the light of the ‘hot’ will be sevenfold, like the light of seven days.’ It is a (figurative) sun that will be a joy for people, not tempered by sorrow and grief. This will be the result of the restorative work of the LORD, when He has delivered His people from sorrow and suffering. The sun is above all the Lord Jesus Himself, “the sun of righteousness” (Mal 4:2). Although the enemies have not all been destroyed yet, the prospect given here is a great encouragement for the believing remnant.