Tell Us Smooth Things

Isaiah 30:8-15 tell us smooth things:

There are people today that will not come back to certain churches because they often hear the preacher preach on subjects that’s not very pleasant, what they want is for the preacher to tickle their ears. If there’s very much said about hell or the chastening hand of God it causes some folks much anxiety, so tell them smooth things such as how wonderful & nice they are & tell us about Gods love.

And it’s certainly true, 1st. john 4:8 says –God is love.

And then in 1st.cor.3: 16Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? 17If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.

Heb. 12: 29For our God is a consuming fire.

There’s more in the bible to preach than smooth things.

Listen as I read today’s text found in Isaiah 30: 8-15

8Now go, write it before them in a table, and note it in a book, that it may be for the time to come for ever and ever: 9That this is a rebellious people, lying children, children that will not hear the law of the LORD: 10Which say to the seers, See not; and to the prophets, Prophesy not unto us right things, speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits: 11Get you out of the way, turn aside out of the path, cause the Holy One of Israel to cease from before us.

12Wherefore thus saith the Holy One of Israel, Because ye despise this word, and trust in oppression and perverseness, and stay thereon: 13Therefore this iniquity shall be to you as a breach ready to fall, swelling out in a high wall, whose breaking cometh suddenly at an instant. 14And he shall break it as the breaking of the potters’ vessel that is broken in pieces; he shall not spare: so that there shall not be found in the bursting of it a sherd to take fire from the hearth, or to take water withal out of the pit.

15For thus saith the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel; In returning and rest shall ye be saved; in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength: and ye would not.

Isaiah was a part of God’s divine mission in the world — to announce the glad tidings of a God who loved them and wanted to be in covenant with them, but the people did not want to hear; they did not want to understand. And it is very much the same now, in our day & time.

They said to Isaiah and the other prophets: 10Which say to the seers, See not; and to the prophets, Prophesy not unto us right things, speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits: 11Get you out of the way, turn aside out of the path, cause the Holy One of Israel to cease from before us. They were more interested in a lie than the truth — as along as the lie was one they wanted to hear. Even if the warning of the prophets would have saved their lives and made their lives better, they still didn’t want to hear about it.

The first point that Isaiah is making in this scripture is: “A rebellious people want to believe a lie.”

Isaiah’s message to his nation was that their continued rebellion against God would be the ruin of the nation. Sin would not only destroy their personal lives, it would destroy their country. Sin brings judgment — always.

Isaiah was warning them about what was going to happen if they didn’t turn from their sin and turn back to God, but they didn’t want to hear it. It was unpleasant talk.

They didn’t want to hear about God’s judgment; they wanted to hear about God’s love and blessing. They wanted Isaiah to build up their self-esteem. They wanted him to discuss pleasantries and recite poems, and tip toe through the tulips.

They wanted a positive gospel. And even though Isaiah was telling them the truth, they preferred to believe a lie.

It’s hard to understand why people would prefer destruction over hearing and believing the truth.

And this was the case in the New Testament as well. In the sixth chapter of Luke we read about Jesus ministering to people and healing them while the religious leaders stood by trying to find something to criticize.

When Jesus healed a man’s deformed hand on the Sabbath, instead of being glad for the man, they were furious at Jesus and began to talk among themselves about how they could kill him. At the trial of Jesus, Pilate asked the people what was the crime that he had committed.