As I read through the book of Isaiah, blessings are surrounded by warnings for the continuance of people’s sins. They are buried within the text. God’s blessings require engagement on His terms to receive the blessing. This isn’t an Old Testament thing we can ignore. It is a reality of life in the Spirit.

The Scripture said of God’s people at the time Isaiah wrote his book, “These people are stubborn rebels who refuse to pay attention to the Lord’s instructions. They tell the seers, ‘Stop seeing visions!’ They tell the prophets, ‘Don’t tell us what is right. Tell us nice things. Tell us lies. Forget all this gloom. Get off your narrow path” (Isaiah 30: 9-11). This describes many in the Church today who want words that only represent an illusion of reality. These words become the scaffolding for their illusions.

The Lord promised how to dismantle the scaffolding that led Israel away from God. 

“Only in returning to me and resting in me will you be saved. In quietness and confidence is your strength” (vs. 15). Israel had rejected God’s offer and went to foreign nations for help. They relied on the “wisdom” of compromise to make them feel peaceful and confident.

“For the Lord is a faithful God. Blessed are those who wait for his help” (vs. 18). Israel became impatient and failed to wait for God. As a result, they impatiently moved ahead of God and suffered the consequence of their impatience.

“Your own ears will hear him. Right behind you, a voice will say, ‘This is the way you should go, whether to the right or to the left’ (vs. 21). The repentant ones who returned to the Lord would begin to hear the still small voice of God only heard by those who live in a healthy fear of God and trust in His word. This is especially true when what the Lord has to say runs contrary to the voices of compromise and people’s need to feel safe even when that feeling of false safety puts them in great jeopardy.

Scripture paints a dire image for those who want to always feel safe and secure at the expense of hearing the truth. When lies are represented as truth they must be evaluated by God’s word before we make life-altering choices. This was true in the time of Isaiah and remains true today. Be careful of those who only prophesy words of hope never issuing a warning. A word from God can contain both.