Isaiah 30:18
Therefore the LORD longs to be gracious to you; therefore He rises to show you compassion, for the LORD is a just God. Blessed are all who wait for Him.
Therefore the LORD longs
The Hebrew word for "longs" is "ḥākâ," which conveys a deep yearning or desire. This word suggests not just a passive waiting but an active, eager anticipation. In the context of Isaiah, this longing reflects God's enduring patience and desire to extend grace to His people despite their rebellion. Historically, Israel often turned away from God, yet His longing underscores His unwavering commitment to their restoration.

to be gracious to you
The term "gracious" comes from the Hebrew "ḥānan," meaning to show favor or mercy. This grace is unmerited, highlighting God's benevolence and love. In the broader scriptural context, grace is a central theme, pointing to God's redemptive plan through Christ. Theologically, this grace is not earned but freely given, emphasizing God's initiative in the relationship with His people.

therefore He rises
The phrase "He rises" uses the Hebrew "qûm," which means to stand up or arise. This action signifies God's readiness and active involvement in the lives of His people. It is a powerful image of God not being distant or passive but actively engaging to bring about His purposes. Historically, this can be seen in God's interventions throughout Israel's history, where He rises to deliver and restore.

to show you compassion
"Compassion" is translated from the Hebrew "raḥam," which is related to the word for womb, suggesting a deep, nurturing love. This compassion is akin to a parent's love for a child, full of tenderness and care. In the biblical narrative, God's compassion is a recurring theme, demonstrating His willingness to forgive and restore His people despite their failings.

For the LORD is a God of justice
The word "justice" is "mišpāṭ" in Hebrew, indicating fairness, right judgment, and righteousness. God's justice is perfect, ensuring that He acts in accordance with His holy nature. This justice is not merely punitive but restorative, aiming to bring about righteousness and peace. In the historical context, God's justice was a source of hope for the oppressed and a warning to the unrepentant.

Blessed are all who wait for Him
"Blessed" comes from the Hebrew "’ašrê," meaning happy or fortunate. This blessing is not just material but spiritual, indicating a state of well-being and favor with God. "Wait" is from the Hebrew "ḥākâ," the same word used earlier for "longs," suggesting an active, hopeful anticipation. Those who wait for the LORD are promised His blessing, reflecting a trust in His timing and faithfulness. This waiting is an act of faith, rooted in the assurance of God's character and promises.

Persons / Places / Events
1. The LORD (Yahweh)
The covenant-keeping God of Israel, who is characterized by grace, compassion, and justice.

2. Israel
The nation to whom Isaiah is prophesying, often depicted as rebellious and in need of repentance.

3. Isaiah
The prophet delivering God's message, calling the people back to trust in the LORD.

4. Judah
The southern kingdom of Israel, facing threats from surrounding nations and tempted to seek alliances rather than trust in God.

5. Assyria
The dominant empire at the time, posing a significant threat to Judah, leading to political and spiritual crises.
Teaching Points
God's Desire to Show Grace
God longs to be gracious to His people, indicating His proactive love and mercy. This challenges us to trust in His willingness to forgive and restore.

The Nature of God's Compassion
God's compassion is not passive; He rises to show it. This teaches us that God's love is active and intentional, encouraging us to seek His compassion in our lives.

Justice as an Attribute of God
The LORD is a God of justice, reminding us that His grace and compassion do not negate His righteousness. We are called to live justly in response to His character.

The Blessing of Waiting
Waiting for the LORD is portrayed as a blessed state. This encourages us to cultivate patience and trust in God's timing, even when circumstances are challenging.

Trust Over Alliances
In the context of Isaiah, Judah was tempted to rely on political alliances. This serves as a reminder to place our trust in God rather than in human solutions.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does understanding God's desire to be gracious change your perspective on repentance and forgiveness?

2. In what ways can you actively seek God's compassion in your daily life?

3. How can you reflect God's justice in your interactions with others?

4. What are some practical ways to cultivate patience and trust while waiting for God's timing?

5. How can you ensure that your trust remains in God rather than in worldly solutions or alliances?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Exodus 34:6-7
This passage describes God's character as merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love, which parallels Isaiah 30:18's emphasis on God's grace and compassion.

Psalm 37:7-9
Encourages believers to wait patiently for the LORD, similar to the blessing pronounced on those who wait for Him in Isaiah 30:18.

Micah 6:8
Highlights God's requirement for justice, mercy, and humility, reflecting the attributes of God mentioned in Isaiah 30:18.

Lamentations 3:25
Speaks of the goodness of the LORD to those who wait for Him, reinforcing the promise of blessing in Isaiah 30:18.

James 5:7-8
Encourages patience and waiting for the Lord's coming, echoing the call to wait for the LORD in Isaiah 30:18.
A God of Judgment is the LordProf. G. A. Smith, D. D.Isaiah 30:18
A Waiting God and a Waiting PeopleIsaiah 30:18
God's DelaysF. B. Meyer, B. A.Isaiah 30:18
God's Gracious Purpose Towards His PeopleT. Thomason, M. A.Isaiah 30:18
God's Waiting and Man'sAlexander MaclarenIsaiah 30:18
God's Waiting and OursW. Clarkson Isaiah 30:18
Mercy AcknowledgedH. Stowell, M. A.Isaiah 30:18
Reasons for God's DelaysF. B. Meyer, B. A.Isaiah 30:18
Strange, But TrueJ. R. Wood.Isaiah 30:18
The God of JudgmentOliver Cromwell.Isaiah 30:18
The Lord is a God of JudgmentR. Macculloch.Isaiah 30:18
The Spiritual Waiter and His BlessingS. Sears.Isaiah 30:18
The Waiting Hours of LifeF. B. Meyer, B. A.Isaiah 30:18
The Waiting LordJ. Brash.Isaiah 30:18
Waiting for GodHomiletic ReviewIsaiah 30:18
Waiting for GodCarus Wilson.Isaiah 30:18
Waiting Should be ExpectantF. B. Meyer, B. A.Isaiah 30:18
A Testimony ForeverE. Johnson Isaiah 30:8-18
Aspects of SinW. Clarkson Isaiah 30:8-14, 17, 18
People
Assyrians, Egyptians, Isaiah, Mash, Pharaoh, Rahab, Saraph
Places
Egypt, Hanes, Jerusalem, Lebanon, Negeb, Rahab, Zion, Zoan
Topics
Blessed, Blessedness, Blessing, Cause, Compassion, Exalted, Exalts, Favour, Gracious, Happy, Hope, Judgment, Justice, Kind, Lift, Lifted, Longs, Mercy, O, Pity, Righteousness, Rises, Wait, Waiting, Waits
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Isaiah 30:18

     1030   God, compassion
     5262   commendation
     5966   tenderness
     6688   mercy, demonstration of God's
     8203   character
     8318   patience
     8678   waiting on God
     9210   judgment, God's

Isaiah 30:17-18

     8833   threats

Isaiah 30:18-19

     8264   gentleness

Library
'Quietness and Confidence'
'In returning and rest shall ye be saved; in quietness and confidence shall be your strength.'--ISAIAH xxx. 15. ISRAEL always felt the difficulty of sustaining itself on the height of dependence on the unseen, spiritual power of God, and was ever oscillating between alliances with the Northern and Southern powers, linking itself with Assyria against Egypt, or with Egypt against Assyria. The effect was that whichever was victorious it suffered; it was the battleground for both, it was the prize of
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

God's Waiting and Man's
'And therefore will the Lord wait, that He may be gracious unto you, and therefore will He be exalted, that He may have mercy upon you: for the Lord is a God of judgment: blessed are they that wait for Him.'--ISAIAH xxx. 18. God's waiting and man's--bold and beautiful, that He and we should be represented as sharing the same attitude. I. God's waiting, 1. The first thought is--why should He wait--why does He not act at once? Because something in us hinders. We cannot enter into spiritual blessings
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

The Voice Behind Thee
The word behind us which is spoken of in the text is mentioned as one among other covenant blessings. No "if" or "but" is joined to it. It is one of those gracious, unconditional promises upon which the salvation of the guilty depends. There are many comforts of the new life which depend upon our own action and behaviour, and these come to us with "ifs"; but those which are vital and essential are secured to the chosen of God without "but" or "peradventure." It shall be so: God declares it shall,
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 28: 1882

My God Will Hear Me
"Therefore will the Lord wait, that He may be gracious unto you. Blessed are all they that wait for Him. He will be very gracious unto thee at the voice of thy cry; when He shall hear it, He will answer thee."--ISA. xxx. 18, 19. "The Lord will hear when I call upon Him."--PS. iv. 3. "I have called upon Thee, for Thou wilt hear me, O God!"--PS. xvii. 6. "I will look unto the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation: my God will hear me."--MIC. vii. 7. The power of prayer rests in the faith
Andrew Murray—The Ministry of Intercession

With a Heart Full of Anxious Request,
"In returning and rest shall ye be saved; in quietness and confidence shall be your strength." -- Isaiah 30:15. With a heart full of anxious request, Which my Father in heaven bestowed, I wandered alone, and distressed, In search of a quiet abode. Astray and distracted I cried, -- Lord, where would'st Thou have me to be? And the voice of the Lamb that had died Said, Come, my beloved, to ME. I went -- for He mightily wins Weary souls to His peaceful retreat -- And He gave me forgiveness of sins,
Miss A. L. Waring—Hymns and Meditations

But Though Prayer is Properly Confined to Vows and Supplications...
But though prayer is properly confined to vows and supplications, yet so strong is the affinity between petition and thanksgiving, that both may be conveniently comprehended under one name. For the forms which Paul enumerates (1 Tim. 2:1) fall under the first member of this division. By prayer and supplication we pour out our desires before God, asking as well those things which tend to promote his glory and display his name, as the benefits which contribute to our advantage. By thanksgiving we duly
John Calvin—Of Prayer--A Perpetual Exercise of Faith

"Take My Yoke Upon You, and Learn of Me," &C.
Matt. xi. 20.--"Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me," &c. Self love is generally esteemed infamous and contemptible among men. It is of a bad report every where, and indeed as it is taken commonly, there is good reason for it, that it should be hissed out of all societies, if reproaching and speaking evil of it would do it. But to speak the truth, the name is not so fit to express the thing, for that which men call self love, may rather be called self hatred. Nothing is more pernicious to a man's
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning

The Girdle of the City. Nehemiah 3
The beginning of the circumference was from 'the sheep-gate.' That, we suppose, was seated on the south part, yet but little removed from that corner, which looks south-east. Within was the pool of Bethesda, famous for healings. Going forward, on the south part, was the tower Meah: and beyond that, "the tower of Hananeel": in the Chaldee paraphrast it is, 'The tower Piccus,' Zechariah 14:10; Piccus, Jeremiah 31:38.--I should suspect that to be, the Hippic tower, were not that placed on the north
John Lightfoot—From the Talmud and Hebraica

Sennacherib (705-681 B. C. )
The struggle of Sennacherib with Judaea and Egypt--Destruction of Babylon. Sennacherib either failed to inherit his father's good fortune, or lacked his ability.* He was not deficient in military genius, nor in the energy necessary to withstand the various enemies who rose against him at widely removed points of his frontier, but he had neither the adaptability of character nor the delicate tact required to manage successfully the heterogeneous elements combined under his sway. * The two principal
G. Maspero—History Of Egypt, Chaldaea, Syria, Babylonia, and Assyria, V 8

How those are to be Admonished who have had Experience of the Sins of the Flesh, and those who have Not.
(Admonition 29.) Differently to be admonished are those who are conscious of sins of the flesh, and those who know them not. For those who have had experience of the sins of the flesh are to be admonished that, at any rate after shipwreck, they should fear the sea, and feel horror at their risk of perdition at least when it has become known to them; lest, having been mercifully preserved after evil deeds committed, by wickedly repeating the same they die. Whence to the soul that sins and never
Leo the Great—Writings of Leo the Great

Concerning Worship.
Concerning Worship. [780] All true and acceptable worship to God is offered in the inward and immediate moving and drawing of his own Spirit which is neither limited to places times, nor persons. For though we are to worship him always, and continually to fear before him; [781] yet as to the outward signification thereof, in prayers, praises, or preachings, we ought not to do it in our own will, where and when we will; but where and when we are moved thereunto by the stirring and secret inspiration
Robert Barclay—Theses Theologicae and An Apology for the True Christian Divinity

A Sermon on Isaiah xxvi. By John Knox.
[In the Prospectus of our Publication it was stated, that one discourse, at least, would be given in each number. A strict adherence to this arrangement, however, it is found, would exclude from our pages some of the most talented discourses of our early Divines; and it is therefore deemed expedient to depart from it as occasion may require. The following Sermon will occupy two numbers, and we hope, that from its intrinsic value, its historical interest, and the illustrious name of its author, it
John Knox—The Pulpit Of The Reformation, Nos. 1, 2 and 3.

The Evening Light
This chapter is an article written by the author many years after she had received light on the unity of the church. It will acquaint the reader with what is meant by the expression "evening light." "At evening time it shall be light." "And it shall come to pass in that day, that the light shall not be clear, nor dark: but it shall be one day which shall be known to the Lord, not day, nor night: but it shall come to pass, that at evening time it shall be light" (Zechariah 14:6,7). The expression
Mary Cole—Trials and Triumphs of Faith

The Baptist's Inquiry and Jesus' Discourse Suggested Thereby.
(Galilee.) ^A Matt. XI. 2-30; ^C Luke VII. 18-35. ^c 18 And the disciples of John told him of all these things. ^a 2 Now when John had heard in the prison the works of Christ, he sent by his disciples ^c 19 And John calling unto him two of his disciples sent them unto the Lord [John had been cast into prison about December, a.d. 27, and it was now after the Passover, possibly in May or June, a.d. 28. Herod Antipas had cast John into prison because John had reproved him for taking his brother's wife.
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

The Eternity of God
The next attribute is, God is eternal.' Psa 90:0. From everlasting to everlasting thou art God.' The schoolmen distinguish between aevun et aeternum, to explain the notion of eternity. There is a threefold being. I. Such as had a beginning; and shall have an end; as all sensitive creatures, the beasts, fowls, fishes, which at death are destroyed and return to dust; their being ends with their life. 2. Such as had a beginning, but shall have no end, as angels and the souls of men, which are eternal
Thomas Watson—A Body of Divinity

How Christ is Made Use of for Justification as a Way.
What Christ hath done to purchase, procure, and bring about our justification before God, is mentioned already, viz. That he stood in the room of sinners, engaging for them as their cautioner, undertaking, and at length paying down the ransom; becoming sin, or a sacrifice for sin, and a curse for them, and so laying down his life a ransom to satisfy divine justice; and this he hath made known in the gospel, calling sinners to an accepting of him as their only Mediator, and to a resting upon him for
John Brown (of Wamphray)—Christ The Way, The Truth, and The Life

The Prophet Hosea.
GENERAL PRELIMINARY REMARKS. That the kingdom of Israel was the object of the prophet's ministry is so evident, that upon this point all are, and cannot but be, agreed. But there is a difference of opinion as to whether the prophet was a fellow-countryman of those to whom he preached, or was called by God out of the kingdom of Judah. The latter has been asserted with great confidence by Maurer, among others, in his Observ. in Hos., in the Commentat. Theol. ii. i. p. 293. But the arguments
Ernst Wilhelm Hengstenberg—Christology of the Old Testament

The Gospel Message, Good Tidings
[As it is written] How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the Gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things! T he account which the Apostle Paul gives of his first reception among the Galatians (Galatians 4:15) , exemplifies the truth of this passage. He found them in a state of ignorance and misery; alienated from God, and enslaved to the blind and comfortless superstitions of idolatry. His preaching, accompanied with the power of the Holy Spirit, had a great and marvellous effect.
John Newton—Messiah Vol. 2

"They have Corrupted Themselves; their Spot is not the Spot of his Children; they are a Perverse and Crooked Generation. "
Deut. xxxii. 5.--"They have corrupted themselves; their spot is not the spot of his children; they are a perverse and crooked generation." We doubt this people would take well with such a description of themselves as Moses gives. It might seem strange to us, that God should have chosen such a people out of all the nations of the earth, and they to be so rebellious and perverse, if our own experience did not teach us how free his choice is, and how long-suffering he is, and constant in his choice.
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning

The Covenant of Works
Q-12: I proceed to the next question, WHAT SPECIAL ACT OF PROVIDENCE DID GOD EXERCISE TOWARDS MAN IN THE ESTATE WHEREIN HE WAS CREATED? A: When God had created man, he entered into a covenant of life with him upon condition of perfect obedience, forbidding him to eat of the tree of knowledge upon pain of death. For this, consult with Gen 2:16, 17: And the Lord commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt
Thomas Watson—A Body of Divinity

A Description of Heart-Purity
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Matthew 5:8 The holy God, who is of purer eyes than to behold iniquity' calls here for heart-purity, and to such as are adorned with this jewel, he promises a glorious and beatifical vision of himself: they shall see God'. Two things are to be explained the nature of purity; the subject of purity. 1 The nature of purity. Purity is a sacred refined thing. It stands diametrically opposed to whatsoever defiles. We must distinguish the various kinds
Thomas Watson—The Beatitudes: An Exposition of Matthew 5:1-12

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