Lesson 319: "Things I Have Learned"
I have learned to never sip hot coffee through a straw; do no wear make up to the dermatologist; listening is better than talking in most situations; do no operate the weed-eater without eye safety glasses; don’t trust a strange dog even if he IS wagging his tail and ladies, never let your husband get the last word or he will “get out of hand” (just had to throw that one in). I have not yet mastered the “not-talk-listen” method but am better than I used to be. I have learned this by simply listening to others and realizing that they believe what they are saying is far more important than what I have to say to them. If a person comes to you for a talk then they deserve your total and undivided attention. This is most true than ever when God comes to “talk” with you. He deserves your undivided attention!
Judah wanted to form an alliance with Egypt for protection but this was not God’s plan for the nation and Isaiah called them obstinate children. God had already said that He would use Assyria to wipe out the Northern Kingdom and punish the Southern Kingdom so to look to a crumbling empire for help was useless and could only result in disgrace. However the people did not want to listen to God’s instructions through Isaiah and sent envoys through Negev to Egypt. The delegation from Judah took expensive gifts to Egypt on the backs of camels, traveling through desolate dangerous areas infested with snakes and wild animals. Judah’s people were so desperate for help that they were willing to risk hardship and great expense to “buy” help; however Isaiah called Egypt “Rahab the Do-Nothing”, a nation unable to help anyone.
Since the people refused to listen to Isaiah, God told him to write down his message so that they could not claim they had never heard it. In the future the scroll on which the message was written would witness against them. They insisted they did not want to be confronted by the Holy One of Israel but Isaiah did not back off but confronted them with more words from God. Rejecting Isaiah’s message and relying on oppression (fraud or plans to avoid God’s counsel) and deceit (which Egypt would practice on them) they would undergo judgment. That judgment would come suddenly, like a cracked wall that would collapse on them. It would be like a pot so shattered that the pieces cannot be used for anything. Though the Lord had called for repentance and trust so that the Judeans might have salvation and strength they did not want any of it. Instead they depended on military might and would be forced to flee being easily alarmed by the enemy. They would stand alone on a hill as a warning to others to listen to the Lord!
“In quietness and in confidence shall be your strength” (Isa. 30:15 KJV). “The unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit is of great worth in God’s sight” (1 Pet. 3:4). Listen! Be gentle! Be patient! And above all, be quiet and others will gain confidence in you by seeing the confidence you have in God and be led to the Lord (1 John 3:21-24)!