Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you;
therefore he will rise up to show you compassion.
For the Lord is a God of justice.
Blessed are all who wait for him! Isaiah 30:18 NIV
Isaiah wrote to a rebellious people who didn't listen to the Lord's instruction. His writing was to "stand until the end of time as a witness" (8-9). The dead sea scrolls contain 150 full copies of Isaiah and they match our version's today. Indeed the people in Isaiah's time match people in our time.
A) Rebellious person
1. Refuses to listen to the Lord's instruction (9)
2. Withholds truth, trusts in oppression and perversity, depends on deceit (10-12)
3. Sin/Iniquity/calamity comes like a broken damn, shattered crystal glass (13-14)
B) Hope extended from God
1. Only in repentance and resting in God is salvation, yet you were unwilling (15)
2. Your plans won't work, pursuers swift, 1,000 flee from threat of 1, threat of 5 you'll flee (16-17)
3. Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you, therefore he rises up/exalts himself to show compassion/mercy, He is faithful, just and blessed are those how wait on him (18)
- Lord is not slow to fulfill His promise, he is patient with you - not wanting you to perish but everyone to come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9)
- Consider the Lord's patience brings salvation (2 Peter 3:15)
- The proud/loftiness of man will be humbled by God (Isaiah 2:11,17;5:16)
- Salvation foretold (Isaiah 25:9,Psalm 118:25), recognized in Christ Jesus (Hosanna means "Save now, rescue, savior" Mark 11:9-10; Matt 21:9) being fulfilled in us (Philippians 4:4-5)
- Grace in community: "O LORD, be gracious to us; we have waited for You. Be their strength every morning, Our salvation also in the time of distress." (Isaiah 33:2)
http://biblehub.com/isaiah/30-18.htm
Isaiah 30:8-33 NLT, Isaiah 30:8-33, NLT, ESV, NIV
