Wait on the Lord Is.30: 18-26 CLICK TITLE FOR AUDIO
Isaiah says in Is 30:18, “… blessed are all they that wait for him.” To wait on the Lord can be a difficult thing when you are impetuous or disobedient. When you are impetuous you want the favorable result of God’s will before his time. That never works out. When you are disobedient, you want the favorable result of God’s will in spite of your sin and unwillingness to conform to the Lord’s plan. Israel has been both impetuous and disobedient. Nevertheless, to wait on the Lord is their best strategy for receiving the blessings promised in this verse.
Isaiah prophesies to Israel what will happen to them by waiting on the Lord.
The Lord will be gracious and merciful to them – Is 30:18 – the Lord is a God of judgment and yet his desire is to extend his grace and mercy to Israel. He will have to wait until they accept Jesus as their Messiah in order to be gracious to them. Right now they have rejected his grace [Jn 1:14, 16-17, 11]. And they won’t receive his mercy until he is exalted. Notice in Heb 4:16 that we are to come boldly unto the THRONE of grace. King Jesus sits on that throne. When the thief on the cross asked for mercy, he acknowledged the Lord’s kingdom!! Well, then we know that the Lord’s mercy will be extended to Israel at the Second Coming of Jesus, when he is exalted [Is 2:10-12, 17].
They will finally dwell peacefully in their land – Is 30:19 – “the people shall dwell in Zion at Jerusalem” and they shall “weep no more.” He will be quick to answer their cry. See Is 65:19, 21-24; Ezek 36:28.
They shall see their teachers – Is 30:20 – at times Israel has been without a teacher [2 Chr 15:3]. Certainly none of their teachers in the last 2,000 years have been as good as Jesus and the apostles were [Matt 7:28-29]. Often they have suffered under “adversity” and “affliction.” They will not suffer again after Jesus returns and with him they will have the best teacher in the universe.
The words of God will be a constant guide to them – Is 30:21 – the words of God will be in their heart and the words will talk with them while they walk to keep them on the right path. See Deut 6:6-9; 5:32; Prov 6:20-22.
They will cast away their graven images – Is 30:22 – idolatry is a terrible sin that has plagued Israel since they were first recognized as a nation coming out of Egypt. They had Aaron’s golden calf, Moses’ serpent on a pole, and Jeroboam’s golden calves in Israel. When the Lord returns, Israel will cast away the gold and silver of their graven images as they behold Jesus Christ, “the express image” of God, Heb 1:3. See Ezek 7:19 and Zeph 1:18.
Their fields and cattle will yield plentifully from the abundance of rain – Is 30:23-25 – Elijah will withhold the rain for 42 months in the Tribulation just like he did in Ahab’s day [Rev 11:6; Jas 5:17]. The rain will resume at the end of the Tribulation [Jas 5:7, 18; Joel 2:23]. And when it does, the Lord’s former blessings to Israel will resume, as well [Deut 28:1-14].
The light will intensify since Jesus is here – Is 30:26 – see Is 60:19-20. It’s at this time that Israel’s “wound” is healed. This is the grievous wound that they receive in the Tribulation from which the Lord has to heal them. See Jer 30:12-17.
Conclusion: The Lord is a help and shield to those that wait on him [Ps 33:20]. Those who wait upon the Lord renew their strength [Is 40:31], are not ashamed [Ps 25:3] and don’t need to worry [Ps 37:7]. He will strengthen your heart [Ps 27:14] and save you from your enemies [Prov 20:22].