The Deaf Addiction to Smooth Things Text: Isaiah 30:8-17
Introduction: A Permanent Record
We live in an age that despises authority, and particularly the authority of God's spoken and written Word. Our generation believes that truth is something you feel in your gut, something you construct for yourself, not something that is delivered to you from on high. We are encouraged to "speak your truth," which is another way of saying, "invent a reality that suits you." But this is no new rebellion. This is an ancient and damnable idolatry, the idolatry of self. And the prophet Isaiah was commanded by God to confront this very same rebellion in his own day.
The historical situation is this: Judah is caught between two superpowers, Assyria to the north and Egypt to the south. Instead of trusting in Yahweh, their covenant God, the politicians in Jerusalem are playing diplomatic games. They are looking to Egypt for salvation, sending ambassadors with treasures, trusting in their chariots and horses. They are pursuing a foreign policy of practical atheism. God sends Isaiah to tell them that this plan is foolish, faithless, and will end in utter ruin. But the people do not want to hear it. They want a message that flatters their political savvy. They want a religion that blesses their self-reliance.
In response, God tells Isaiah to do something striking. He tells him to write it all down. Carve it in stone. Inscribe it on a scroll. Create a permanent, unalterable record of their rebellion and His warning. This is not just for them; it is for the "time to come," as a witness forever. This means it is for us. This passage is a divine diagnosis of a spiritual disease that is rampant in the modern church: the desperate craving for "pleasant words" and the angry rejection of hard truths. It is a warning about the catastrophic consequences of telling God to leave you alone. And it is a glorious, though rejected, offer of the only true salvation: repentance and rest in God alone.
The Text
Now go, write it on a tablet before them And inscribe it on a scroll, That it may be in the time to come As a witness forever.
For this is a rebellious people, false sons, Sons who are not willing to listen To the law of Yahweh,
Who say to the seers, “You must not see,” And to those who have visions, “You must not behold visions for us of what is right, Speak to us pleasant words, Behold visions of illusions.
Get out of the way, turn aside from the path, Cease speaking before us about the Holy One of Israel.”
Therefore thus says the Holy One of Israel, “Since you have rejected this word And have put your trust in oppression and deviousness and have relied on them,
Therefore this iniquity will be to you Like a breach about to fall, A bulge in a high wall, Whose breaking comes suddenly in an instant,
Whose breaking is like the breaking of a potter’s jar, So ruthlessly shattered That a potsherd will not be found among its pieces To take fire from a hearth Or to scoop water from a cistern.”
For thus Lord Yahweh, the Holy One of Israel, has said, “In repentance and rest you will be saved, In quietness and trust is your might.” But you were not willing,
And you said, “No, for we will flee on horses,” Therefore you shall flee! “And we will ride on swift horses,” Therefore those who pursue you shall be swift.
One thousand will flee at the threat of one man; You will flee at the threat of five, Until you are left as a flag on a mountain top And as a standard on a hill.
(Isaiah 30:8-17 LSB)
The Indelible Indictment (v. 8-9)
God begins by commanding that His Word be recorded for posterity.
"Now go, write it on a tablet before them And inscribe it on a scroll, That it may be in the time to come As a witness forever. For this is a rebellious people, false sons, Sons who are not willing to listen To the law of Yahweh," (Isaiah 30:8-9)
God wants this written down because spoken words can be forgotten, denied, or twisted. But the written word is fixed. It stands as a silent, immovable witness. This is the foundation of our confidence in Scripture. God has given us a fixed, objective revelation. He has not left us to the whims of subjective feelings or the ever-shifting winds of culture. The Word is a witness against all who would ignore it.
And what is the charge? What is the core of their sin? They are a "rebellious people." The word for rebellious here is related to bitterness and stubbornness. They are "false sons," literally, "lying sons." They bear the name of Yahweh, they are circumcised, they go to the temple, but it is all a lie. They are counterfeit children. Their fundamental problem is a matter of the will: they are "not willing to listen to the law of Yahweh." The Hebrew word for law here is Torah, which means instruction, teaching, guidance. It is God's fatherly direction for how to live in His world. But they will not have it. Their ears are open to the court prophets with their soothing lies, but they are spiritually deaf to the authoritative Word of God.
This is the root of all sin. It is not a simple mistake or a moment of weakness. It is a willful, stubborn refusal to hear and submit to God's instruction. It is telling God, "You do not have the right to tell me what to do." This is the spirit of our age, and it is the spirit of every unregenerate heart.
The Demand for Deception (v. 10-11)
The indictment gets more specific. The people are not just passively ignoring God's Word; they are actively suppressing it.
"Who say to the seers, “You must not see,” And to those who have visions, “You must not behold visions for us of what is right, Speak to us pleasant words, Behold visions of illusions. Get out of the way, turn aside from the path, Cease speaking before us about the Holy One of Israel.”" (Isaiah 30:10-11)
This is astonishing. They go to the prophets, the men of God, and command them to stop being men of God. "Stop seeing what God shows you. Stop telling us what is right." They have an allergy to righteousness. Instead, they have two demands. First, "Speak to us pleasant words." The Hebrew is literally "smooth things." They want a message that won't chafe, a sermon that glides right past their conscience without leaving a mark. They want spiritual anesthesia. They want to be told they are fine, their plans are brilliant, and God is lucky to have them on His team.
Second, they want "illusions." They want to be lied to. They are addicted to deception. This is what sin does to the mind. It makes you love the lie that is destroying you. The apostle Paul describes this exact condition in the last days, when men "will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires... they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables" (2 Timothy 4:3-4). When a culture, or a church, starts demanding that its preachers tell them smooth things and illusions, the end is near.
And what is the ultimate offense? What do they want removed? "Cease speaking before us about the Holy One of Israel." This is the heart of the matter. They cannot stand the holiness of God. God's holiness is a consuming fire, and it exposes the filth of their sin, the foolishness of their plans, and the fraud of their religion. The holiness of God means He is utterly distinct, transcendent, and righteous. He cannot be manipulated, bribed, or domesticated. He will not be an endorsement stamp for their political agenda. And so, rather than repent before this Holy God, they seek to banish Him from their thoughts and their vocabulary. They want a god they can manage, a god who is not so... holy.
The Inevitable Collapse (v. 12-14)
Because they have rejected God's Word, God speaks a word of judgment. Notice the title He uses: "the Holy One of Israel," the very one they wanted to forget.
"Therefore thus says the Holy One of Israel, “Since you have rejected this word And have put your trust in oppression and deviousness and have relied on them, Therefore this iniquity will be to you Like a breach about to fall, A bulge in a high wall, Whose breaking comes suddenly in an instant," (Isaiah 30:12-13)
Their rejection of God's Word is not a neutral act. It creates a vacuum that must be filled. They have replaced trust in God with trust in "oppression and deviousness." Their clever political maneuvering with Egypt was unjust and crooked. They were relying on human cunning, not covenant faithfulness. And God says this sin, this misplaced trust, will become the instrument of their destruction.
The imagery is vivid and terrifying. Their iniquity is like a bulge in a high wall. From a distance, the wall might look strong. The nation might appear secure. But there is a structural flaw, a fatal weakness that is growing. The rejection of God's Word is not just a surface crack; it is a foundational failure. And the collapse, when it comes, will be sudden and total. There is a point of no return. A wall can bulge for a long time, but when it goes, it goes "in an instant." Judgment often ripens slowly, but it falls suddenly.
"Whose breaking is like the breaking of a potter’s jar, So ruthlessly shattered That a potsherd will not be found among its pieces To take fire from a hearth Or to scoop water from a cistern.”" (Isaiah 30:14)
The destruction will be complete and irreversible. It is not a mere chipping or cracking. It is a shattering so ruthless that not even a useful fragment, a potsherd, will remain. A potsherd could be used to carry a hot coal or scoop a little water. But this judgment will leave nothing of value, nothing salvageable. When a nation or a church builds its security on lies, on smooth things, on anything other than the rock of God's Word, the eventual collapse will be absolute. There will be nothing left to pick up.
The Rejected Gospel (v. 15-17)
In the middle of this blistering judgment, God reveals the path of salvation they could have taken. This is the gospel according to Isaiah.
"For thus Lord Yahweh, the Holy One of Israel, has said, “In repentance and rest you will be saved, In quietness and trust is your might.” But you were not willing," (Isaiah 30:15)
Here is the divine formula for salvation and strength, and it is the polar opposite of their frantic, self-reliant scheming. Salvation is found in "repentance and rest." Repentance means turning away from their Egyptian alliance, their crooked politics, their idols, and turning back to Yahweh. Rest means ceasing from their own anxious striving and trusting God to be their deliverer. Their might, their strength, is not in chariots, but in "quietness and trust." It is the settled confidence that God is on His throne and will keep His promises.
This is the essence of the Christian life. We are saved by turning from our own efforts to save ourselves (repentance) and resting in the finished work of Jesus Christ. Our strength for daily living is not found in frantic activity, but in a quiet trust in our sovereign Father. But notice the tragic conclusion: "But you were not willing." Salvation was offered. The path to strength was laid out. But their rebellious will stood in the way. God did not fail them; they refused Him.
Having rejected God's way, they declare their own way.
"And you said, “No, for we will flee on horses,” Therefore you shall flee! “And we will ride on swift horses,” Therefore those who pursue you shall be swift. One thousand will flee at the threat of one man; You will flee at the threat of five, Until you are left as a flag on a mountain top And as a standard on a hill." (Isaiah 30:16-17)
Their rejection is a defiant "No." They prefer the tangible power of Egyptian horses to the invisible power of God. And here we see the terrible, ironic justice of God. God gives them over to their own choice, with a twist. "You want to trust in horses to flee? Then you will indeed flee. You will spend your life running. You want swift horses? Your enemies will be swifter." God's judgment often consists of giving us exactly what we thought we wanted, until it chokes us.
The result of trusting in human strength is not victory, but pathetic, humiliating defeat. Their mighty army will be so terrified that a thousand soldiers will run from one enemy, and the whole nation will flee from just five. The covenant curses of Deuteronomy 28 are coming upon them. Their misplaced trust will lead to total rout, until they are left isolated and exposed, like a lone flagpole on a barren mountain. They trusted in the crowd, in the might of Egypt, and they will end up utterly alone and defeated. This is the end of every road that begins with rejecting the Holy One of Israel.
Conclusion: The Only True Rest
This passage is a permanent witness, written down for us. And it asks us a very pointed question. What kind of word do we want to hear? Do we attend church looking for "smooth things?" Do we want a message that affirms our choices, blesses our politics, and never challenges our sin? Do we get angry when the preacher speaks of the holiness of God, because it makes us uncomfortable?
If so, we are the people described in this chapter. And the wall of our life, our family, our church, has a bulge in it. The collapse will be sudden and the shattering will be complete. We cannot build on the sand of pleasant illusions and expect the house to stand.
But the gospel is still offered. The Holy One of Israel still says, "In repentance and rest you will be saved." The only escape from the coming judgment is to turn away from our self-reliance, our clever schemes, our cultural idols, and to fall helpless into the arms of Jesus Christ. He is our rest. He is our quietness. He is our trust. He did not flee on a swift horse, but hung on a cursed tree, absorbing the full, shattering wrath of God that we deserved.
The choice is the same for us as it was for Judah. We can trust in the horses of this world, its power, its politics, its philosophies, and we will spend our lives fleeing, only to be overtaken by a swift judgment. Or we can abandon our own strength, repent of our rebellion, and find our salvation and our might in the quiet confidence that Jesus Christ is Lord. Will you say "No" to His offer? Or will you, by His grace, turn and rest?