“Do not prophesy to us right things; speak to us smooth things, prophesy deceits.”Isaiah 30:10

In verse eight of Isaiah 30, it was written that the words which follow are so important that they should be “written on a tablet.” Write it down on a scroll for all to see, for all the generations yet to come. Not only was the generation here spoken of wicked, trusting in oppression and perversity, but every proceeding generation would be in danger of falling into their perverse ways. The pattern would repeat itself over and over again, and it has, and shall continue to do so until the Lord Himself comes back again the second time. In Jesus’ day, He spoke to a wicked and perverse generation. We live today in such a generation. Not any old generation, mind you, but the generation that precedes the coming of the Lord, and therefore our generation bears the unmistakable marks of the days of Noah.

This generation, perhaps more than any other, demands that “smooth things” be spoken to them from the pulpit and from anywhere else that claims to speak for God. They do not desire to hear what is right. They would rather have their ears tickled. They would rather be comforted in their rebellion than confronted by the truth. God speaks directly to this condition: “Because you despise this word, and trust in oppression and perversity, and rely on them, therefore this iniquity shall be to you…” They despise the Word of God, and where the true prophets would speak, they are muzzled. Smooth words are welcomed, but the sharp edge of truth is despised.

And what does God say this iniquity shall become? He says that this generation is like a bulge in a high wall, swelling outward and ready to collapse, whose fall shall come suddenly, in an instant. They are lying and rebellious children who will not be led by the Word of God. They prefer the traditions of their fathers, traditions that demand nothing more than an outward show while possessing no inner reality. They have the form, but not the life. They have the words, but not the power. And anyone who dares to point out the glaring discrepancies in the lives of such people is hated and despised, ridiculed and banished. In older days they would have been burned at the stake. The fires may have gone out, but the spirit that lit them remains.

Yet in the midst of all of this, the Lord gives us the way home. In verse 15 He says, “In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and confidence shall be your strength.” Come to Me, says the Lord Jesus, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. There is rest to be found in coming to Jesus. There is strength to be found in coming to Jesus. There is a quietness that the world cannot give and a confidence that cannot be shaken, because it is found in Him alone.

Yet we read these terrible words: “But you would not.” They would not come to God and be saved. They would have no rest. They would have no strength. They would run from God. They would mount their swift horses and ride as fast and as far away from God as they could.

Yet where shall a man flee from the presence of God?

Ride your swift horses. Run to the ends of the earth. Climb the highest mountain or descend into the deepest valley. You cannot run from God.

And so their hearts shall faint. At the threat of one, a thousand shall flee. What a picture of a people who have rejected the only true source of their strength.

Now contrast this with the saints spoken of in Psalm 91: “A thousand may fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand; but it shall not come near you.” What a privileged people we are who dwell in the secret place of the Most High God, who abide under the shadow of the Almighty.

The world runs from Him. We run to Him.

The world demands smooth things. We desire truth.

The world trusts in its own strength. We rest beneath the shadow of His wings.

And while a thousand flee at the threat of one, the saints of God shall stand though ten thousand fall at their right hand.

For He is our refuge.

He is our fortress.

He is our God.

And in Him we shall trust.