Isaiah 30:1-7 Adding Sin Upon Sin
It hasn’t happened yet, but Isaiah warns the people NOT to look to Egypt for protection. God said they would be adding sin upon sin when they did.
Notice I didn’t say “if” there but “when.” God KNEW they were going to do it, even after His warning. Judah had already reached out to Assyria for protection from Syria and Israel. Next, Judah would reach out to Egypt for protection from Assyria. WHAT A MESS!!!
The first alliance was the first sin and the second was adding “sin upon sin.” NEITHER alliance proved profitable for Judah. Neither alliance provided them with the security they were seeking. Neither alliance followed God’s plan or even acknowledged Him. GOD was the protection of Judah. They were HIS children but they refused to turn to Him in their time of need. Or any other time at this point.
As I am learning and investigating Judah’s political side as we go, I don’t know all the details about either alliance. What I DO know is that God told them to rely on HIM. I’m seeing ‘teasers’ that Judah will rely on Him to get them out of the mess they have made, in a little while. And He answers their cry! But the consequences of their sin didn’t go away.
From the time of the alliance with Assyria, Judah no longer ruled its own people. They became ‘puppet’ leaders. Their king only had power granted by the ruling/alliance government of the time. Tribute/Taxes were demanded of the people and the nation as a whole to pay for their ‘protection’.
BE CAREFUL WHO YOU LET INTO YOUR LIFE! This was certainly the lesson Judah was learning; the HARD way. Judah opened the door for their own destruction. It was actually opened a LOT earlier when false gods were allowed in. But during Isaiah’s day the door was thrown open to anyone that even looked like they might be of help. At the same time, that ‘door’ was closed in God’s face. Who they let in made ALL the difference!
We learned in Proverbs, through Israel’s history, and in Paul’s letters the concept of “Bad company corrupts good morals.” Absolutely true then and still just as true today. It is also just as important to realize that bad company will have a lasting effect, even when that company is terminated. Judah will try and distance themselves from Assyria when it becomes too much trouble but the damage is already done. Judah would never stand on her own again. Even though one of the BEST kings Judah ever had was still to come, he would not be able to prevent the downward spiral caused by allowing in the ‘wrong company’ to begin with. That company being false gods first, and corrupt alliances second. If they had held fast to God’s hand, who knows what their story might have been! God does.
I was thinking about Israel’s ‘roller coaster’ ride regarding trusting in the Lord. The northern kingdom had a more direct dive but Judah was up and down all the time. I realized that I think of Israel’s/Judah’s history as the same as a person’s history. But their history, that we get to read about, happened over MANY lifetimes. One built on another. And one sin built upon another. I have not ‘right’ to expect continued adherence when my own family history doesn’t support this. Several generations do, but not all of them. I’m SO GLAD I’m only dealing with a small portion of my family history! I wonder how many lessons someone would receive from our passage if they followed my family line as long as we have shared Israel’s/Judah’s. I PRAY it would show a legacy of believers. I’m concerned about what still lies ahead. What legacy will they leave?
Father God, forgive me for being judgmental with Israel. I didn’t live their lives. Thank You for the legacy of faith from my family. I’m putting my children, once again, in YOUR hands. Only You know what their future holds. I DO trust You.
Lord Jesus, bring the right friends into my children’s lives. Hold the wrong friends FAR from them. I leave them in Your care.
