6 The [c]oracle concerning the beasts of the Negev.
Through a land of distress and anguish,
From [d]where come lioness and lion, viper and flying serpent,
They carry their riches on the [e]backs of young donkeys
And their treasures on camels’ humps,
To a people who cannot profit them;
7 Even Egypt, whose help is vain and empty.
Therefore, I have called [f]her
“[g]Rahab who has been exterminated.”
8 Now go, write it on a tablet before them
And inscribe it on a scroll,
That it may [h]serve in the time to come
[i]As a witness forever.
9 For this is a rebellious people, false sons,
Sons who [j]refuse to listen
To the [k]instruction of the Lord;
10 Who say to the seers, “You must not see visions”;
And to the prophets, “You must not prophesy to us what is right,
Speak to us [l]pleasant words,
Prophesy illusions.
11 “Get out of the way, turn aside from the path,
[m]Let us hear no more about the Holy One of Israel.”
The last passage condemned Israel for choosing their own path (allying with Egypt) instead of trusting God. Now, we see even more detail, as God assures them that help will not come from Egypt, for their help is “vain and empty” and He calls her “Rahab” which literally means “arrogance”. It’s fitting that Israel calls upon an arrogant nation for their help, while in their own arrogance they ignore God’s instructions.
So much so, that they effectively tell the seers and prophets, “Hey, you must not hear from God! Just tell us nice things, and we’ll all get along just fine.” They were adamant that their way was best and they didn’t want to hear anything about what God was saying. Now, we could focus in on arrogance, as we all struggle with that at various times. Or we could speak to their disobedience, for following God isn’t always the easiest for us either.
Yet it’s interesting that they go so far to tell the prophets they don’t want to hear God’s word. Well naturally, they wanted their own way. But also, I think it is because they didn’t want to have their conscience niggling at them, saying “Hey, this isn’t the right way! You know better, turn back and go God’s way…”
We’ve all likely seen or heard it from unbelievers, who don’t want to be distracted from going their own way by a troublesome conscience. But how many times do we also, keep ourselves so distracted, that we never hear God’s voice either. Whether intentional or not, God calls them, “rebellious people, false sons, sons who refuse to listen to the instruction of the Lord…”
Are we true sons and daughters, listening for the Father’s voice, following in His footsteps? Or are we just as false as these, and even the unbeliever, disobeying God because we refuse to hear the voice of God? That’s a startling thought, and a challenging one. So let us not be so busy, in such a frenzy that we cannot (or will not) hear God. Again, listen for His voice, and that means taking time to sit and do nothing else.
Sure, God can interrupt our day, if we are listening at all for His voice. Yet it is even better to take some time and ask God to speak into your day. We need His direction today, and tomorrow, and all the time, so we need to develop a habit of listening. Now go, do it!