What does Isaiah 30:20-21 mean?

Answer:

We'll start by looking at the context. Israel wasn't following God's teachings. " "Woe to the rebellious children," says the LORD, "Who take counsel, but not of Me, And who devise plans, but not of My Spirit, That they may add sin to sin" " (Isaiah 30:1). Instead, they were straying off the path of righteousness because they weren't listening to God's law.

"Now go, write it before them on a tablet, and note it on a scroll, that it may be for time to come, forever and ever: that this is a rebellious people, lying children, children who will not hear the law of the LORD; who say to the seers, "Do not see," and to the prophets, "Do not prophesy to us right things; speak to us smooth things, prophesy deceits. Get out of the way, turn aside from the path, cause the Holy One of Israel to cease from before us"" (Isaiah 30:8-11).

It had gotten so bad that they were telling God's prophets not to tell them what God had said. They wanted to hear things that made them comfortable. They wanted to stay in their sins and not be reminded of God.

However, God would be patient with these rebellious people. "Therefore the LORD will wait, that He may be gracious to you; and therefore He will be exalted, that He may have mercy on you. For the LORD is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for Him. For the people shall dwell in Zion at Jerusalem; you shall weep no more. He will be very gracious to you at the sound of your cry; when He hears it, He will answer you" (Isaiah 30:18-19). When they finally turn back to God, He will be there waiting for them.

"And though the Lord gives you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, yet your teachers will not be moved into a corner anymore, but your eyes shall see your teachers. Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, "This is the way, walk in it," whenever you turn to the right hand pr whenever you turn to the left" (Isaiah 30:20-21).

When that happens, God would send His prophets again to guide and teach his people. They will have some hard lessons to learn, but they will not abandon their teachers as they did in the past. Instead, the words of their teachers will be there right with them, helping them make the right choices.