Isaiah 30:9-11 (ESV) – For they are a rebellious people, lying children, children unwilling to hear the instruction of the LORD; who say to the seers, “Do not see,” and to the prophets, “Do not prophesy to us what is right; speak to us smooth things, prophesy illusions, leave the way, turn aside from the path, let us hear no more about the Holy One of Israel.”  

Have you ever noticed when someone is wrong about something they don’t want to hear about it? This is natural for all people. Whether it is parents with children, peers at work, or friends at school, nobody wants someone to keep harping on how they were wrong about something. I love to play around with my wife when something we disagreed about proves that I was right. I’ll keep talking about it until she finally tells me “that’s enough.” 

Our passage today demonstrates how this phenomenon can go beyond relational squabbles or friendly banter and reflects how badly sinful man struggles with hearing God’s Word or standard applied to their life. We read in Isaiah 30:9-11, “For they are a rebellious people, lying children, children unwilling to hear the instruction of the LORD; who say to the seers, ‘Do not see,’ and to the prophets, ‘Do not prophesy to us what is right; speak to us smooth things, prophesy illusions, leave the way, turn aside from the path, let us hear no more about the Holy One of Israel.’”

Notice that the people are described as rebellious and liars. They do not want to hear the instructions of the LORD. Nobody in sin wants to hear about it. We are ready to defend ourselves, but quicker to plug our ears from God’s Word. The text says that these rebels want the prophets to speak kindly and smoothly to them. They don’t want any convictions in their hearts.

Why is this? What does this reflect about the nature of sinners? We don’t want reminders of our rebellion. We’d rather surround ourselves with people who never contradict our lives or beliefs. This is an issue we see in our world every day. Nobody wants to hear about God’s standard. The moment God’s Word is raised in the court of public discussion, people raise up against the knowledge of God with ferocity. The quickest way to anger people today in our culture is to say what God says about their lives. They will hate and despise you quickly. But the reason for this is the wickedness that dwells in the hearts of sinners. 

This is why we need grace. All of us were born this way. Were it not for the grace of God, we would remain like this.

May God raise up a generation of people
who love His Word and repent when we are out of step with it. 

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Reflection & Journal: 
- Why do the people plead for the prophets not to speak the Word of God in our text?
- What do the responses of the people reveal about human nature and sinners?
- How does this text help us better understand our own world today?

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