Itching Ears - Isaiah 30

Chapter 30 continues with the prophet hammering home God’s message to His people. He seems to be incredulous that His people would seek help from other men/nations rather than from Him and at great expense and sacrifice to themselves. He makes a point of having Isaiah record for posterity His thoughts regarding their actions. He identifies them as rebellious liars that refuse to hear His truth to the point that they urge their spiritual leaders to speak to them with lies and deception according to what they want to hear. They don’t want to be answerable to God. I couldn’t help but think of Paul’s words to Timothy and how applicable they are to the “church” today.

2Tim. 4:3-4 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.

God is very clear that He would prefer to be gracious and show mercy if they would but repent and turn back to Him in faith and obedience. The sad response from the people was “No,” so they would be judged accordingly. God always tempers His message of judgment with hope—They would one day come to a position of repentance and would once again experience God’s hand of blessing.

The prophet delivers a very strong statement of God’s coming vengeance upon the nations and their leader, the Assyrian, who I believe is a reference to the Antichrist because of the method God employs to accomplish His purpose as recorded in verses 30-31.

“And the LORD shall cause his glorious voice to be heard, and shall shew the lighting down of his arm, with the indignation of his anger, and with the flame of a devouring fire, with scattering, and tempest, and hailstones. For through the voice of the LORD shall the Assyrian be beaten down, which smote with a rod.”

He obviously intervenes supernaturally with a storm (from the Hebrew for scattering), an overwhelming rain or flood (from the Hebrew for tempest), and hailstones. He also specifies that the Assyrian will be defeated by the “voice of the Lord,” which corresponds specifically to John’s prophecy in Revelation.

Rev. 19:11-13 &15 And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God….And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations….