The Lord Waits for His Children

The lesson of Isaiah 30 is to reject all stratagems of self-salvation and to live by repentance and rest, to learn to face all the small and great trials of our lives by faith in God. This lesson is vital because an enemy is coming that is far more powerful than the Assyrian army: death. And no “separate peace” can be made with death, no ally can be hired that will help at all.

Now as then, by faith in Christ alone can we survive that invasion.

Rebellious obstinate children is a continual theme throughout the Old Testament and the children of God. All children have a tendency to rebel against the God of all the universe.

Isaiah 30:1–7 ESV

“Ah, stubborn children,” declares the Lord, “who carry out a plan, but not mine, and who make an alliance, but not of my Spirit, that they may add sin to sin; who set out to go down to Egypt, without asking for my direction, to take refuge in the protection of Pharaoh and to seek shelter in the shadow of Egypt! Therefore shall the protection of Pharaoh turn to your shame, and the shelter in the shadow of Egypt to your humiliation. For though his officials are at Zoan and his envoys reach Hanes, everyone comes to shame through a people that cannot profit them, that brings neither help nor profit, but shame and disgrace.” An oracle on the beasts of the Negeb. Through a land of trouble and anguish, from where come the lioness and the lion, the adder and the flying fiery serpent, they carry their riches on the backs of donkeys, and their treasures on the humps of camels, to a people that cannot profit them. Egypt’s help is worthless and empty; therefore I have called her “Rahab who sits still.”

Characteristics of Rebellious Children

Rebellious children—whether in Scripture or in daily life—tend to display certain recognizable traits. These can be seen as outward signs of a deeper heart posture of resistance to authority and rejection of wisdom. Here are some key characteristics:

1. Resistance to Authority

They push against boundaries, rules, and guidance given by parents, teachers, or God Himself (cf. Isaiah 1:2, “I reared children and brought them up, but they have rebelled against me”).

Their default response to correction is defiance rather than humility.

2. Pride and Stubbornness

Often unwilling to admit mistakes, apologize, or change course (Jeremiah 5:23 speaks of a people with a “rebellious and stubborn heart”).

They insist on doing things their own way, even when consequences are clear.

3. Selective Hearing

• They may hear words of instruction but ignore or dismiss them (Proverbs 1:24, “I called and you refused to listen”).

• They often seek “pleasant words” instead of truth (Isaiah 30:10).

4. Impulsiveness and Disregard for Consequences

Driven by desires and short-term satisfaction rather than long-term wisdom.

Show disregard for warnings and repeated discipline (Proverbs 29:1).

5. Disrespect and Contempt

Their speech or attitude often shows dishonor toward parents and elders.

The fifth commandment (Exodus 20:12) highlights how honoring parents is essential; rebellion flips that on its head.

6. Ingratitude

They fail to recognize sacrifices made for them and see love as control rather than care.

Romans 1:21 shows that refusing to give thanks leads into deeper forms of rebellion.

The Young Man’s Dilemma

Illustration: The Cliff and the Branch

A young man was walking along a mountain trail. The path was narrow, but instead of staying focused, he was distracted, careless, and overconfident. Suddenly, he slipped and tumbled over the edge of the cliff. As he fell, he managed to grab hold of a thin branch jutting out from the rock.

Dangling there, he cried out, “Help! Somebody help me!”

A voice came from above: “Let go of the branch, and I will catch you.”

The young man looked down—nothing but hundreds of feet of jagged rocks. He looked up and shouted, “Is there anyone else up there?”

Connection to Isaiah 30

• Judah was like the young man: walking carelessly, slipping into danger, and then grabbing onto anything (in their case, Egypt) instead of trusting God.

Takeaway for the congregation:

Many of us are hanging onto our own “branches”—whether money, relationships, or human solutions—rather than trusting God. Real rest, salvation, and strength only come when we let go of what we think is holding us up and place our full weight on Him.

Isaiah prophecies six sighs (“Ah”)

HE IS WAITING FOR US TO SEEK HIS DIRECTION

1. Rebellious Children Think They Have the Road Map

THE HEART OF THE PROBLEM

The people of Judah were not just making a political move; they were making a spiritual statement. By choosing to run to Egypt without consulting God, they revealed:

Self-reliance — They trusted their own judgment and human alliances more than God’s wisdom.

Prayerlessness — They didn’t even pause to ask God for His will. The prophet highlights their independence from God as the real issue.

Distrust in God — They assumed Egypt’s armies were more reliable than the Lord’s promises.

*Acting Independently of God is Spiritual Suicide

What is Spiritual Suicide?

Spiritual suicide is when a person knowingly turns away from God’s truth, guidance, and protection, and instead entrusts themselves to what will ultimately destroy them.

It’s not always sudden; often it’s a slow process of repeated rejection of God’s voice.

It’s not ignorance—it’s willful refusal.

Isaiah 30:1–2 captures this: Judah knew God’s covenant promises, but they chose Egypt instead. They preferred “smooth words” to truth (v.10) and rejected God’s offer of rest (v.15).

Why It’s Suicide

Because the very things Judah trusted in—Egypt’s armies, smooth words, alliances—were powerless to save. To cling to them was to guarantee destruction. Spiritually, it is choosing death over life, lies over truth, bondage over freedom.

Deuteronomy 30:19 echoes this:

Deuteronomy 30:19 ESV

I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live,

Modern Parallels

A person who ignores Scripture and follows cultural “truths” instead.

Someone who numbs pain with addictions instead of turning to Christ.

Churches that adopt worldly wisdom and strategies while neglecting prayer and the Spirit.

In each case, the decision is effectively self-destruction—turning away from the only true source of life.

*Taking Refuge in Anything Other than Jesus will Always Fail

False Refuges Always Fail

Judah thought Pharaoh’s shadow would protect them (Isaiah 30:2–3), but God declared it would “turn to your shame.”

Anything outside of Christ—money, relationships, career, government, even religion—cannot bear the weight of ultimate trust.

Proverbs 18:10 ESV

The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous man runs into it and is safe.

When we take refuge elsewhere, we find temporary comfort but eventual collapse.

False Refuges Enslave

Egypt was not only weak—it was the land of slavery. Returning there symbolized going back into bondage.

Today, people who run to addictions, unhealthy relationships, or worldly success often find themselves chained by the very thing they thought would set them free.

2 Peter 2:19 ESV

They promise them freedom, but they themselves are slaves of corruption. For whatever overcomes a person, to that he is enslaved.

Refuge apart from Jesus doesn’t liberate—it imprisons.

*There is No Profit in Putting Faith and Trust in the Worthless

Illustration: The Lifejacket Full of Rocks

Imagine a man on a sinking boat in the middle of a storm. He doesn’t know how to swim, so he frantically looks around for something to save him. He spots a lifejacket, grabs it, and ties it tightly around himself with relief—“Now I’m safe!”

But what he doesn’t realize is that the “lifejacket” is actually filled with rocks. Instead of holding him up, it will drag him down. The very thing he thought would save him will bring him to ruin.

Connection to Isaiah 30:5

Judah thought Egypt would be their lifejacket, but Egypt was powerless and unwilling to save them.

Trusting them brought not rescue but “shame and disgrace.”

In the same way, whenever we put ultimate trust in people, systems, or worldly solutions, they cannot profit us—they may actually weigh us down.

Takeaway for the Congregation

What “lifejackets full of rocks” are we tempted to trust today?

• Wealth that promises security but brings anxiety.

• Relationships we expect to give identity but that disappoint.

• Governments, careers, or health plans that cannot keep us safe in eternity.

Only Christ is a true refuge—He alone profits, because He alone saves.

Isaiah 30:8–14 ESV

And now, go, write it before them on a tablet and inscribe it in a book, that it may be for the time to come as a witness forever. For they are a rebellious people, lying children, children unwilling to 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.” Therefore thus says the Holy One of Israel, “Because you despise this word and trust in oppression and perverseness and rely on them, therefore this iniquity shall be to you like a breach in a high wall, bulging out and about to collapse, whose breaking comes suddenly, in an instant; and its breaking is like that of a potter’s vessel that is smashed so ruthlessly that among its fragments not a shard is found with which to take fire from the hearth, or to dip up water out of the cistern.”

HE IS WAITING FOR US TO HEAR HIS INSTRUCTIONS

2. Rebellious Children are Unwilling to Hear Sound Instructions

Note: Notice they are a rebellious people unwilling to hear the instruction of the Lord. They are not incapable of hearing the instruction of the Lord they are unwilling to listen.

They tell the seers and prophets: “Do not see,” and “Do not prophesy to us what is right; speak to us smooth things, prophesy illusions” (v. 10).

*Valuing Comfort Over Truth

A. Truth Exposes, Comfort Conceals

Truth reveals sin, pride, and idolatry. It convicts and demands change.

Comfort tells us we’re fine as we are, that nothing really needs to change.

Many would rather cover wounds with a bandage than allow the surgeon to cut them open and heal them.

Example: People may avoid passages of Scripture about judgment or holiness, preferring only the ones about blessing and peace.

B. Truth Challenges, Comfort Affirms

Truth says: “Deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow Me” (Luke 9:23).

Comfort says: “Indulge yourself, you deserve it, live your truth.”

Because truth demands sacrifice and obedience, people gravitate to voices that affirm their desires rather than confront them.

Example: Churches that avoid hard doctrines because “it might offend” end up feeding comfort instead of truth.

C. Truth Produces Growth, Comfort Breeds Stagnation

Growth often comes through discomfort—correction, discipline, pruning.

Hebrews 12:11: “For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness.”

Comfort, on the other hand, leaves us unchanged and unprepared.

Example: A student who only wants easy assignments never learns; a believer who only seeks spiritual “comfort food” never matures.

Show me a believer who has never stepped outside of their comfort zone and I will show a Christian that has never grown spiritually.

D. Truth is Eternal, Comfort is Temporary

Truth may sting in the moment, but it leads to lasting freedom (John 8:32).

Comfort feels good in the moment, but it fades and can even deceive (Jeremiah 6:14—“They have healed the wound of my people lightly, saying, ‘Peace, peace,’ when there is no peace”).

Example: Someone caught in sin may prefer friends who tell them “It’s not that bad” instead of those who call them to repentance.

*Valuing a New Morality over Truth

vs. 12-14 The people were trusting in the oppression and perverseness of the morality of humanity which will become like a bulging out and collapsing of a wall or the breaking of a potters vessel that is smashed against the ground.

Redefining Right and Wrong

God’s truth is unchanging (Psalm 119:89), but cultures shift.

A “new morality” often calls evil good and good evil (Isaiah 5:20).

People elevate feelings, social consensus, or “progress” above God’s Word.

Example: What God calls sin, society may rebrand as self-expression or personal freedom.

Elevating Human Autonomy Over Divine Authority

• God’s truth begins with “The Lord reigns.”

• A new morality begins with “I reign—I decide what’s right for me.”

• Romans 1:25: “They exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator.”

The new morality says: “Follow your heart.” God’s truth says: “The heart is deceitful above all things” (Jeremiah 17:9).

Seeking Social Acceptance Over God’s Approval

God’s truth may isolate us because it confronts sin.

A new morality promises belonging and applause if you conform.

Galatians 1:10: “Am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.”

Many trade God’s approval for human applause.

Isaiah 30:15–18 ESV

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 were unwilling, and you said, “No! We will flee upon horses”; therefore you shall flee away; and, “We will ride upon swift steeds”; therefore your pursuers shall be swift. A thousand shall flee at the threat of one; at the threat of five you shall flee, till you are left like a flagstaff on the top of a mountain, like a signal on a hill. 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.

HE IS WAITING FOR US TO TRUST IN HIS STRENGTH AND REST

3. Rebellious Children Have a Misplaced Confidence

Confident Children

We raise our children to be confident, self-reliant, and capable of flourishing in a world and society that is difficult and wrought with difficulty and challenges.

We want strong confident Christians, we need strong confident Christians. The question then is what or who are we drawing upon for our confidence.

No one would ever call Paul a faint and passive servant of Christ, no one would ever accuse Peter as lacking in confidence.

*The Active Pathway Back to God Requires Returning and Resting

Isaiah again wants to remind the Israelites who is sovereign over all things by calling the Lord God the Holy One of Israel.

Then there is the quietness, the absence of frenzy and restless anxiety that evidences a true trust. There is a realism about this way of life. It brings strength (gḇûrâ, ‘warrior strength’), strength for life’s battles and challenges. His people were in a military situation but the prophet did not recommend armaments, only the armament of faith. As G. A. Smith says, ‘Not alliance but reliance’. You would have none of it is (lit.) ‘you were not willing’ (verse 9; 28:12).

Illustration: The Drowning Swimmer

A lifeguard once explained the hardest part of a rescue. He said, “When someone is drowning, they fight—they thrash, kick, and wear themselves out. If I go too soon, they might pull me under. I have to wait until they stop struggling. Only then can I grab hold of them and bring them safely to shore.”

Spiritually, we’re like that drowning swimmer. We flail in our own strength—fighting circumstances, trying to control outcomes, running to false solutions. But salvation and strength come not from frantic activity, but from surrender—returning to the Lord, resting in Him, and trusting His arms to carry us.

Connection to Isaiah 30:15

Judah wanted to flee on horses (v.16), but God offered them quiet strength if they would just return.

Our strength is not in more striving, but in stillness before God.

True rest comes when we stop struggling and let Him rescue us.

Takeaway for the Congregation

Are you exhausted from carrying your own burdens?

Do you feel like you’re “thrashing” through life?

God invites you to stop, return, and rest. Quietness and trust in Him are not weakness—they are the very place of strength.

Summary: Like the swimmer who finally stops struggling and is carried to safety, we find rest and strength only when we return to the Lord and trust Him completely.

*When We Refuse the way of Faith We Choose the way of Self-Reliance

We will flee in the face enemy, but, when we refuse faith whatever we choose will eventually turn against us. We seek to be swift only to learn how swift our enemy really is.

They have their own plans of self-salvation. If the alliance with Egypt fails, the walls of Jerusalem will protect them. If the walls fall down, they plan on fleeing on horseback.

Illustration: The Farmer with the Bucket

A farmer had a large field that depended on the rains to grow his crops. One season, the rains seemed slow in coming, and the farmer grew anxious. Instead of waiting and trusting that the rains would fall, he decided to water the field himself.

So, day after day, he took a single bucket, filled it from the well, and trudged out to pour it over his crops. At first, he felt proud of his effort—“At least I’m doing something!” But soon his shoulders ached, his strength gave out, and the vast field still looked parched. His little bucket could never match the heavens.

Then one morning, as he collapsed from exhaustion, the rains finally came. The sky opened, and the whole field drank deeply, flourishing in a way no human effort ever could.

Connection to Self-Reliance vs. Faith

• The farmer with the bucket is like us when we choose self-reliance—we exhaust ourselves, doing what only God can do.

• The rain is like God’s grace and provision, which we forfeit when we refuse to trust Him.

• Isaiah 30:15 reminds us: “In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and trust shall be your strength.”

CONCLUSION

Verse 18 is a glorious hinge. Up to this point, we read nothing but God’s disapproval of the attitudes and actions of his people.

But God is still yearning to show them mercy, rising to show them compassion. He waits until just the right moment and then takes sovereign initiative to pour out grace on his sinful people: “All who wait patiently for him are happy.”

He delights in showing mercy. The phrase “to be gracious” suggests that God is not reluctant—He is eager. Mercy is not His last resort; it’s His joy.

Illustration: The Porch Light

Picture a parent whose child has wandered away from home. Every night, that parent turns on the porch light and leaves it burning. They don’t know when their child will return—maybe tomorrow, maybe years from now—but they keep the light on as a sign: “This door is still open. You are still welcome. I’m waiting for you.”

The child may ignore the light, even curse the parent’s love, but the light still shines. It never goes out.

That is how the Lord waits for His people. He doesn’t slam the door shut when we rebel. He keeps the light on, longing to be gracious, ready to pour out mercy the moment we turn back.

Just as a parent keeps the porch light burning for a wandering child, God keeps the light of His mercy burning for His people. He patiently waits to show grace, because His desire is not to cast us off but to welcome us home.

Softly and Tenderly Jesus is calling, Calling for you and for me,

See on the portals, He’s waiting and watching,

Watching for you and for me. Isaiah 30:19-20 “reminds us that He will be gracious to us at the sound of our cry. As soon as He hears it he answers you.”

“Are you Crying Out to God Today”