Do you go to prayer with your mind already made up and you're simply asking God to join in on blessing it?
Or are we seeking direction? I like to think that everything around here, on Sunday morning, for example, is prayer going on all the time. You know, the pastors pray together, the prayer meeting, the ushers pray. I mean, it's just praying everywhere. Because we're not leaning on our own understanding.
We don't trust ourselves to make the right decisions. We are appealing to God. We're asking Him, by this very act, to fill in whatever we leave out.
I'd like to hear more information about Cross Reference Radio, specifically how you can get a free copy of this teaching. But for now, let's join Pastor Rick in the book of Isaiah chapter 30 with today's edition of Cross Reference Radio. Isaiah chapter 30, planning without God. Now after these two chapters, Isaiah 30 and 31, we should be less inclined to make plans without God. The old one-liner, how do you make God laugh?
Tell Him your plans. Well, as all of the life of Isaiah under the shadow of Assyria, as I've been mentioning going through this section, and we're still in the historical section really, not until we get to chapter 40 does it really open up and go to another level. But the Jews are planning ways to get from under the iron heel of Assyria.
But God wasn't invited to their plans. And that's what these two chapters are all about. It's sort of like Isaiah just saying, I'm coming back to this. Like Isaiah is saying that, I'm coming back to this.
I'm not done with this whole Egypt thing. And so these two chapters, he again goes at it. And the Bible teaches that God wants us to ask Him for directions, for instructions. He wants a relationship with us, not just be God's sovereign. Proverbs 3, we all know this verse, trust in Yahweh with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. But do we resent when others, when asked to do something by us, when others go to the Lord leaning not on their understanding and come back and decline our invitation, whatever it may be.
One of the big ones might be, would you co-sign for me? And you know, let me pray about that. And you come back, well I prayed about it.
The answer is no. And then you get the sad face, the guilt trip, the anger, the no more friends, whatever it is. The flank moves some way to get you from not obeying what God told you to do. Never mind Proverbs 22, 26, do not be one of those who shakes hands in a pledge, one of those who is surety for debts.
Now of course it changes a little with family, you know, you have more space there. But still, even there, you're under this proverb, not a commandment, it is a proverb. It is a very wise saying. So back to that initial point, when someone asks you to do something, attend something, and you say I'm going to pray about it, and you pray about it, and you come back and say I'm not going to do that. How do we behave as Christians? Is that verse, Proverbs 3, 5, trust in the Lord with all your heart, lean not on your own understanding, is that only good on coffee, mugs, and refrigerators, t-shirts, but really has no life application?
Of course it has a life application. This is a nation at war, and Isaiah is telling them you're fighting a losing battle, the way you're fighting this, you're planning without God, he's going to lay into them. I'm sure there were more enemies heaped upon the pile against this prophet. Hezekiah is the king. Remember there were two Assyrian invasions into Jerusalem. The first one has passed, Hezekiah caved in, but they stayed under the rule of Assyria.
This is the second one. Hezekiah is the king, and you say well if Hezekiah, that godly king, is he guilty here? Well yeah, he's coming under the influence of the upper crust of society.
They're a powerful force. We just saw Paul deal with this pressure from the beloved James, and incidentally James' letter is no less scripture than any of Paul's writings, 100% inspired by the word of God. All of us, we can get many things right and be off in one particular area.
At least I'm told some of you have that problem. But verse 1, woe to the rebellious children says Yahweh, who take counsel but not of me, and who devise plans but not of my spirit, that they may add sin to sin. Now Isaiah is not saying here's my take on it. He's, thus says the Lord, God has put this on my heart. He has put me in this office of prophet. You know I'm God's prophet.
You've seen the fruit. Well, here's what God has to say about you. Assyria, the cause of Judah seeking Egypt. Judah is sending money and caravans to Egypt to buy their military assistance, and it's doomed.
And again, the advisors of Hezekiah are urging him to do this so that the Assyrians can be put down. But they're not seeking God. They're seeking Egypt, the idol worshipers. People who worship created things. They were worshiping the sun and serpents and reptiles, but they weren't worshiping Yahweh. They trusted these in the upper levels of the government here in Judah.
They were trusting in unbelievers instead of God. When it comes to planning, when it comes to behavior, when it comes to life, we turn to God. Now, being led by a good idea or a what could be wrong with that, or it's the good thing to do, none of those are enough if that's all you have.
It may be brilliant, but what does God say? There may be a need. You may not see the problem. What can be wrong with that? You may not see the problem, but God has perfect knowledge.
We don't. And what about, again, it's the good thing to do? Well, sort of there are times where you don't have to pray. The good thing is obvious. If you're in a building and it catches fire, it's obvious. Should I pray and let everybody know that it's on fire?
Should I pull the fire alarm? Of course. I mean, there are clear situations. But in planning our lives, we are to look to the Lord. He invites us to do this, and He's pretty upset when we ignore Him. That's what we are being taught. We want to say, well, the Old Testament is just as much a scripture as the New Testament.
Amen, I believe that. Well, here it is. Here is the application, because the New Testament backs all of this up. We talked about the Philippians saying that they wanted to give to the need in Jerusalem, but before they even brought it up with Paul, they got along with God.
And when Paul heard that, he couldn't wait to tell everybody. It was such a magnificent move of basic Christianity in action. And so, here they are with this plan to buy the Egyptian army without God. And you know, the one who was preaching to them, they're not listening to. The man of God, they're not listening to the prophet God has given to them. Maybe you've come across Christians who think that they can just blurt out the gospel to anybody they choose. With zilch leading, confirmation, doors opening from the Holy Spirit. And as a result, they end up watering down, cheapening the gospel. People begin to resent them. They live their life just wanting what they want.
And that's tough. Do you go to prayer with your mind already made up, and you're simply asking God to join in on blessing it? Or are we seeking direction? I like to think that everything around here, on Sunday morning for example, is prayer going on all the time. You know, the pastors pray together, the prayer meeting, the ushers pray. I mean, it's just praying everywhere. Because we're not leaning on our own understanding. We don't trust ourselves to make the right decisions. We are appealing to God. We're asking him, by this very act, to fill in whatever we leave out under his leadership, under his lordship, which goes much deeper than leadership. What about churches that say, we need a teen center?
Oh man, they'll pile on for that one. But what does God say? What does God say about it? And as a result, you know, they're either begging people for the money, or they get it built, but God was not in any of their planning.
It was a good idea. If it worked, if this building, a teen center, made all our teens line up with God and become these ministers of fire, it would be wonderful. But that's not what happens. People, they resent being told this. They think if it's a good idea for the kingdom, who needs God?
Well, I think it is a mistake, and I think when you see this practice taking place, I think it's unfortunate. One of the things I loved about coming under the leadership of Chuck Smith is just the quest to be led in the Spirit, the quest to seek God. Picked up as we're going through the book of Acts, you know, and I'll quote Paul in just a moment. But coming back to Proverbs, he continues in Proverbs 3.6, in all your ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct your paths.
That's what I want. I want God to direct my paths, not me. I don't want the pastor to direct my paths. I want him to preach the Word. In that preaching, the Holy Spirit will direct my path. We all, you know, this is learning to be led, and the more you serve Christ and come under this, you'll learn to identify a lot faster what a closed door is and what an open door is. And live with it, too, because it doesn't mean by seeking the Lord, you're going to get what you want. I think more prayers are not granted than are granted, not because they're bad prayers, because this is spiritual war. And that does not take the wind out of the sail.
It should drive us on further to break through. And so may we not get in the flesh over spiritual things. Paul said, therefore, when I was planning this, when he was planning to come to the Corinthians, did I do it lightly, or the things I planned, do I do according to the flesh? Right there he's telling you, I took this to the Lord.
I didn't just say, you know what, they need some of me over there. He said to the Romans, I want to come to impart some spiritual gift to you. But he was totally dependent on God making that happen. He just didn't see it happening in the custody of Roman guards.
But it happened, and it was very effective. And Paul continues, he says, or the things that I planned, do I plan according to the flesh, that with me there should be yes, yes, and no, no? In other words, he's saying, I wasn't indecisive about this, because I sought the Lord, and he told me what to do, and I did it. And if I planned to come to you, or planned not to come to you, I did not take it lightly.
He was telling him, I really don't appreciate all these things you're saying about me. Again, he gets to that 11th chapter, and he unloads on them a little bit of the guilty ones. Anyway, Psalm 37, again, more than a t-shirt. The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and he delights in his way.
Even when God says, no. When David, I said, I want to build you a house, and Nathan said, that's a wonderful idea. It's a brilliant idea.
Let's do it. What could be wrong with that? And then God says, I'll tell you what's wrong with that.
I don't want my house associated with the battlefield of blood. Tell David, no. I love him for it. I'm going to bless him.
He's not the guy. And Nathan went back, you can't do it, David. And David said, that's the way it's going to be. My steps are ordered by the Lord, whether I want it or not. You have to learn to wait, and to learn to do without.
That is what it takes to be led by the Spirit of God. To learn to deny yourself those things that you think you must have. Spiritual desideratums.
I've got to have it. It's for the kingdom. What does God say? And so being led by God, it means being ready to hear your flesh scream bloody murder, when it can't get what it thinks is the spiritual thing that should happen. And so Paul writes to Galatians, are you so foolish, having begun in the Spirit, and you are now being made perfect in the flesh?
You started out trusting God, but now, now you don't ask him, you don't seek him, you don't follow the word, you just know what right is. And that, you know, he got them to clean up their act. Anyway, Judah would have none of this dependency on the Lord. They knew better. They did not trust him. So they're going to go to Egypt. It would have been different if they had asked.
He still would have said no. He told them he didn't want them going back to Egypt. It says here in verse 1, And who devise plans, I spoke so much on the other, I need to put it back in context. Woe to the rebellious children, verse 1, says Yahweh, who take counsel but not of me, who devise plans but not of my spirit, that they may add sin to sin.
He doesn't lighten up on this. Again, imagine praying with your mind made up, closed to God's will. This is what Saul did when he went to seek the witch at Endor.
He wanted what he wanted. We pick it up, verse 28, verse 7, Then Saul said to his servants, Find me a woman who is a medium, a witch, that I may go to her and inquire of her. And his servants said to him, In fact, there is a woman who is a medium, her sister is a large.
Sorry, I just can't be struggling with this all day. Just say witch. But that is so funny. Anyway, a woman who is a witch at Endor.
I know a woman who is a witch and she dwells at the place, the area of the county of Endor. Well, what we have here, Saul, he put the spiritus out of Israel and now he's seeking one because he doesn't want what God wants. He wants what he wants. And what was the sentence on him?
You're going to die. That was the sentence on him. He says here in verse 1 that they may add sin to sin. So plans of the believers or those who claim God to be God, professed believers, plans that factor God out and unbelievers in on spiritual matters is a sin. That's what we're reading here. You're adding sin to sin. What did they do?
As I've been saying so far all the 16 minutes. They're making plans of war and they're not interested in what God has to say. Isaiah 65, I have stretched out my hands all day long to rebellious people who walk in a way that is not good according to their own thoughts.
What other evidence do you need? Would somebody after hearing this as a Christian come up and say, I disagree with that? That would prove they weren't praying. They plan to come and say that.
Never mind. Verse 2, who walk and go down to Egypt and have not asked my advice to strengthen themselves in the strength of Pharaoh and to trust in the shadow of Egypt. Verse 3, therefore, the strength of Pharaoh shall be your shame and trust in the shadow of Egypt shall be your humiliation. Well, again, they didn't care for God's input. Moses had said, you know, we're going to seek the priest, the Urim and the Thunim. We're going to seek God. Joshua said, we didn't seek God. We took it for granted.
What could be wrong? These guys had, you know, molded bread and bad shoes. Surely they're sincere. They were sincere liars is what they were. And they wanted to kill Joshua for that. David, of course, when they wanted to kill him too, because as they were away lining up with the enemy and they were chased away, in their absence, the Amalekites came and raided their village, took away their women and children. And those men wanted to kill David.
What did David do? Strengthened himself in the Lord, called for the Urim and the Thunim and said, what shall I do? Shall I go after them, Lord? And the Lord said, go after them.
Pursue and overtake them. Jehoshaphat said, is there not a man of God we can seek? Not all these little fake prophets that you are parading out in front of me.
He didn't say it like that. He did say, is there not a man of Yahweh? Egypt was a shadow at this time. And what can a shadow do against the Assyrian army?
Nothing. And that's what Isaiah is going to tell them, Psalm 81. So I gave them over to their own stubborn heart to walk in their own counsels. Do you not fear that? David said, take not thy Holy Spirit from me.
I don't want to be left on my own. And here, the psalmist writes about those who are determined to live this life outside of obedience to God. Now, as I mentioned, Judah was invaded twice. Sennacherib, in his historical writing, said that 46 Judean cities fell to his army. 100,000 people were taken captive.
Probably twice as much or more slaughtered. My point is, this is the time. This is what Isaiah is facing. Already his country is wiped out. And so this isn't just, you know, a Bible study for him.
This has to do with, he's got skin in the game. He doesn't want Assyria coming in and taking him captive because they will skin him. After all, he's going to judge them in his writings. Verse 4, his princes were at Zoann and his ambassadors came to Hanez. Verse 5, they were all ashamed of a people who could not benefit them or be help or benefit, but ashamed and also a reproach.
So Zoann was at that time Egypt's capital, and Hanez another central city of influence in Egypt at this time. And the Judean princes were going to be made fools by not trusting God and trusting these sources of human power. And short-sighted, spiritually blind, verse 6, the burden against the beast of the south through a land of trouble and anguish, from which came the lioness and lion, the viper and fiery flying serpent. They will carry their riches on the backs of young donkeys and their treasures on the humps of camels to a people who shall not profit.
So Isaiah is saying, I see the caravans going to Egypt. I see them going through the Negev, to the desert, the land that is fraught with danger, lions. The flying serpents is interesting, right? The fiery flying serpents. I'll tell you, if there was a flying serpent within 1,000 miles of where I lived, I'd move another 1,000 miles away. Of course, these are more gliders than flyers. The Egyptians had artwork with snakes with wings, and today we have, of course, flying serpents, but these things leap out of a tree and they glide like over 100 meters, I'm told. I would only see it one time. The high-pitched scream that I would let out would kill that thing. It is actually quite, it's magnificent to see one. They're better fliers or gliders than flying squirrels. Anyhow, yeah, I YouTubed that one. I remember seeing it many years before the Internet on a documentary or something, but anyway, he's not methodological there. Like, evidently, Egypt must have had them.
I'm not known to have them anymore, as far as I know, and that makes perfect sense because they would have called St. Patrick. He's credited with getting all the snakes out of Ireland. All right, back to this.
I don't hate snakes, as long as they're not around me, though I hate ticks more. Through a land of trouble and anguish. There's these caravans going through this desert trying to buy the Egyptians, and Isaiah is saying, what a joke. What a waste. You've got these convoys going with all of these goods. You're just giving it away.
It's not going to benefit you any. Verse 7, for the Egyptians shall help in veins, and that's the context that lends to what he's talking about, and to no purpose. Therefore, I have called her Rahab-ham-shebeth. Now, this is a different. It's phonetically the same Rahab as, of course, the harlot in Jericho, but it is spelled differently. It's a different meaning.
It's not the same word. It shows up a couple of other times in Scripture, but it's a term for Egypt, and it has to do with their folklore and a mythological dragon that became powerless. Well, Isaiah, he's giving Egypt this nickname, which means Rahab the do-nothing.
Is Egypt the do-nothing? You're sending money to Egypt the do-nothing, and, you know, as we've been going through this, we're talking about not only Isaiah. Many of the prophets were notorious for their ridicule and their lampooning and satire against things that were false, and here's one of them. He'll come back to it in verse 8.
Now, go write it before them on a tablet and note it on a scroll that it may be for time to come forever and ever. So the Lord says, I want this made Scripture. This is the headwater of Scripture. This is one example of how we got Scripture. Of course, Daniel, Habakkuk, Habakkuk writes, Then Yahweh answered me and said, Write the vision and make it plain on tablets. I want this documented so other generations can come and learn from what took place here because of my prophets. There are going to be two sides of the story.
I want my side told. Thanks for tuning in to Cross Reference Radio today. Cross Reference Radio is a ministry of Pastor Rick Gaston of Calvary Chapel, Mechanicsville in Virginia. If you'd like to learn more about this ministry, we invite you to visit our website, crossreferenceradio.com.
You'll find a number of teachings from Pastor Rick available there. We also encourage you to subscribe to our podcast. When you subscribe, you'll be notified of new editions of Cross Reference Radio. Just search for Cross Reference Radio on your favorite podcast app. You can also follow the links at crossreferenceradio.com. We're glad we were able to spend time with you today. Tune in next time to continue learning from the book of Isaiah with Pastor Rick right here on Cross Reference Radio.
