UPDATE: I was floored by how many of you jumped into the classroom and participated in this assignment! (As of noon Monday, several hundred have yet to be moderated but you’ll see them posted soon.) Your papers were FABULOUS. You did exactly what we hoped. You gave the assignment thought and authenticity. My tremendously busy weekend only afforded me a perusal but I look so forward to getting deeper into the stack. You are amazing women. You blow my mind over and over. I wish so much you could all have been at staff prayer today because each coworker brought her homework for us to discuss. We also had a particularly fun and unique translation addition (remember how you were to check 3 translations?)Â because I asked Melissa if she’d read it to us in Hebrew. We got such a charge out of it. It truly was beautiful. To me, one of the most intriguing insights from many of your papers was the varied forms fleeing can take. Those differences were also articulated in our staff circle today. Running takes all sorts of forms, doesn’t it, Sisters? Here’s what we can know: Only when we’re fleeing from God can the enemy catch us. And even then, if we’re in Christ, he cannot have us. Nor can he keep us. Our God be praised. Gotta get back to work! Bible study tomorrow night! I love you, Sisters! And I think about you daily. THANK YOU FOR PARTICIPATING!!
Happy Friday, you wonderful things!
As soon as I push publish on this post, I’ll be heading out the door to the airport. I have a Life Today taping this weekend for the Wednesday program. (Two sessions tonight. Two in the morning.) Please pray for Jesus to fill us, teach us, heal us, and thrill us and that the group will be greatly responsive. Thank you! I do not know where I’d be without prayer. What I’m asking for in this Bible study ministry as a whole is something only Jesus can do. I need Him so much.
OK! So, this morning God impressed something on me in prayer time that I became convinced over the next hour He wanted me to share also with you. It’s coming in the way of a homework assignment I want to offer to any of you who’d like to participate. I have to be sparing in my words this morning because I have very little time but my heart is tremendously enlarged over it.
Here’s the ground rule: Please complete your assignment without reading any of the comments. Let’s resist any comparison or competition. Everybody who participates gets an A+. So you’re not tempted and so that you don’t get well into the assignment and lose your connection and your work, do it first on a Word document or the equivalent and then copy and paste it into your comment. I’m not looking for smart or scholarly sounding responses or ones that demonstrate impressive and great Spiritual prowess. I’m just looking for thought-out answers that are real.
You game? Me, too! OK, here goes. You do not need to include the questions or instructions in your answers but, for the sake of organization, please do list them by number. (1-6)
1. Please go to a website like Bible Gateway or to your Bible software if you have it and look up Isaiah 30:15-18. Please read it thoroughly in 3 different translations. In your response to this first exercise, please tell me what 3 translations you read then copy and paste the one that spoke the most blatantly to you. (In your answer you will have the abbreviations to three translations and then the full text in one of them. Make sense?)
2. Look up the word “threat” in any good English dictionary and write the full definition. After you write the definition, please share how it hits you and how you feel most threatened in this season, if at all. Keep in mind that nothing trips the switch on our insecurity like feeling threatened. Be careful as always in this community not to over-share by telling things about other people who wouldn’t necessarily appreciate it.
3. What does “fleeing” tend to look like in your life? In other words, how are you most prone to flee? And, are you in fleeing mode right now?
4. Compare or contrast the Isaiah text (30:15-18)Â to 1 Peter 5:8-10 and James 4:7.
5. One of my translations this morning for this text was The Message. Here it is on the card I wrote out.
Do you perchance need to hear the words “settle down!” as much as I do? If so, why?
6. Finish your assignment with any particular personal insight you gained from it and, most of all, what you discern God is saying to you through it.
I love this kind of thing! If you don’t, I still love YOU. I will look so forward to reading many of your “papers.” Girl, I do dearly relish a classroom, and from both sides of the desk. Lindsee will be in town moderating your comments then I will start looking at them as soon as I finish up in Dallas.
PRAY FOR US! I LOVE YOU!!!
1. I read Isaiah 30: 15-18 in NIV, NCSB and MSG
Isaiah 30:15-18
The Message (MSG)
God Takes the Time to Do Everything Right
15-17 GOD, the Master, The Holy of Israel,
has this solemn counsel:
âYour salvation requires you to turn back to me
and stop your silly efforts to save yourselves.
Your strength will come from settling down
in complete dependence on meâ
The very thing
youâve been unwilling to do.
Youâve said, âNothing doing! Weâll rush off on horseback!â
Youâll rush off, all right! Just not far enough!
Youâve said, âWeâll ride off on fast horses!â
Do you think your pursuers ride old nags?
Think again: A thousand of you will scatter before one attacker.
Before a mere five youâll all run off.
Thereâll be nothing left of youâ
a flagpole on a hill with no flag,
a signpost on a roadside with the sign torn off.â
18 But GODâs not finished. Heâs waiting around to be gracious to you.
Heâs gathering strength to show mercy to you.
GOD takes the time to do everything rightâeverything.
Those who wait around for him are the lucky ones.
2. Threat: noun: 1. A statement of what will be done to hurt or punish someone. 2. A sign or cause of possible harm or unpleasantness.
Hmmmm…I feel most threatened by reaching out and doing community. Yet I feel threatened if I don`t reach out. The threat of possible punishment either way can be paralyzing
3. For me fleeing is hiding. I have been known to call myself the hermitess. I prefer being alone, loner, introvert. I flee to bathrooms, my bed, even conversing only on line can be fleeing.
4. Eeeks….yeah…..I should be hoping for the devil to flee, not me to flee.
5. Settle down: Settling down for me would probably mean hiding out. Being a hermitess. So no, I need to be moving towards people, not away from them.
6. God is definitely saying: stop being a hermitess. Reach out, the pain will be worth it. Isaiah 30: 18 Ă am waiting around to be gracious to youâ The perceived threat is not as bad as you think.
Oh Lord, please help…..
1. NIV, MSG, KJV
Isaiah 30:15-18
The Message (MSG)
God Takes the Time to Do Everything Right
15-17 GOD, the Master, The Holy of Israel,
has this solemn counsel:
âYour salvation requires you to turn back to me
and stop your silly efforts to save yourselves.
Your strength will come from settling down
in complete dependence on meâ
The very thing
youâve been unwilling to do.
Youâve said, âNothing doing! Weâll rush off on horseback!â
Youâll rush off, all right! Just not far enough!
Youâve said, âWeâll ride off on fast horses!â
Do you think your pursuers ride old nags?
Think again: A thousand of you will scatter before one attacker.
Before a mere five youâll all run off.
Thereâll be nothing left of youâ
a flagpole on a hill with no flag,
a signpost on a roadside with the sign torn off.â
18 But GODâs not finished. Heâs waiting around to be gracious to you.
Heâs gathering strength to show mercy to you.
GOD takes the time to do everything rightâeverything.
Those who wait around for him are the lucky ones.
2. Threat: an expression of intention to inflict evil, injury, or damage; one that threatens; an indication of something impendingâŚ..When I read this definition, it makes me think only of Satan and how he comes to kill, steal and destroy. Although he has no power against us, he is always there with the intention of inflicting evil, injury and damage to those of us who love the Lord. I feel like in my life that Satan often uses discouragement and distractions which threaten Godâs plan and purpose for my life.
3. For me fleeing is allowing that doubt and discouragement to creep into my thoughts and before I know it Iâm allowing myself to get distracted by things that are unimportant so that I can flee from the things that I know God has called me to. I think to a certain degree I am in a fleeing mode daily.
4. Oh my goodness, thatâs so amazing! These words I read in 1 Peter 5:8-10 just jumped off the page at me âThe Devil is poised to pounceâ which is exactly what I was describing. It also talks about God getting the last word and to keep a firm grip on the faith. It promises that we will win the battle just like the passage in Isaiah. The passage in 1 Peter talks about that God will have you back on your feet and the passage in James tells us that the only way to get on our feet is to get on our knees before the Master.
5. James 4:7 â So let God work his will in you. Yell a loud no to the Devil and watch him scamper. Say a quiet yes to God and heâll be there in no time.
6. I feel like through this message that God is telling me that there is no need to feel threatened by the Devil and that I just have to say no to the doubt and discouragement that come from the Devil and just say yes to God because He will be right beside me and He will give me all that I need. I donât need to âDOâ his will but rather let Him work his will in me.
1. NIV, ESV, CEV, NLT
Isaiah 30:15-18. NLT
This is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel, says: âOnly in returning to me and resting in me will you be saved. In quietness and confidence is your strength. But you would have none of it. You said, âNo, we will get our help from Egypt. They will give us swift horses for riding into battle.â But the only swiftness you are going to see is the swiftness of your enemies chasing you! One of them will chase a thousand of you. Five of them will make all of you flee. You will be left like a lonely flagpole on a hill or a tattered banner on a distant mountaintop.â So the Lord must wait for you to come to him
so he can show you his love and compassion. For the Lord is a faithful God. Blessed are those who wait for his help.
2. THREAT – A statement of an intention to inflict pain, injury, damage, or other hostile action on someone in retribution for something done or not done. (Oxford Dictionary)
+ Sometimes, the damage a threat leaves behind is irreparable…or at least it will take a great deal of time to heal that damage. As a survivor of abuse, my greatest threat growing up was by a person that I was supposed to be able to feel safe in their arms. Alas, that wasnât the case, because they were a threat to my mental and physical wellbeing.
In this particular season Iâm finally working at not letting those feelings of pain destroy me. Iâm not certain that Iâm doing a very good job, in fact, Iâm downright struggling. But Iâm doing it with the Lordâs help. I sought Him out and He found me at my rock bottom. He met me where I was and He hasnât let go of my hand since.
3. Fleeing looks a great deal like MY life 18 months ago. I wanted to run from my problems, not face what had been goading me deep down inside all of these years. I wanted to escape and never think of them again.
Iâve since learnt that when I want to flee, instead of fleeing to harming myself by a number of means, I instead run to God. I beg Him to meet me where I am, and as He did 18 months ago, ask Him to hold my hand and wait for Him to rescue me. If Iâve learnt anything recently, itâs that I cannot save myself on my own.
4. Compare or contrast the Isaiah text (30:15-18) to 1 Peter 5:8-10 and James 4:7.
Salvation comes from God alone. He has saved us, and so we can trust him and be peacefully confident that he will provide us with the strength to face ALL our difficulties. Acting hastily â fleeing â will only delay the plans God has for us. The moment we try to flee from reality, that is the moment that Satan attacks. He hounds us when we are most vulnerable, when we are alone, weak, or feeling helpless but we must remain aware and surround ourselves with Godly people,with God’s Word, in times of need more than ever, so that Satan will be the one doing the fleeing, and not ourselves.
Isaiah and 1 Peter both speak of TRUSTING God. Trusting that God WILL come through and that He will meet us in those dark places, thatâs all about abiding in Him and not fleeing from the situation that puts us in defence mode. The Lord is faithful, He will restore us to full health, He will strengthen and support us through hard times, you need only to TRUST Him and Heâll deliver us from evil.
I believe that James 4:7 reiterates to us what we read in Isaiah and what we later learn in 1 Peter, that with Godâs help, we CAN and WILL be free of the enemy. This verse proves to us that the enemy will be the one to flee us, and not the other way around. When you submit yourself to believe in Godâs power and are willing to follow Him, that enemy doesnât stand a chance against can say to a mountain MOVE, and it moves.
5. My translation uses the phrase âresting in Meâ, I completely understand how exhausting it is to try to fix matters on my own. I am more than ready to settle down and depend solely on Him paving my path ahead.
6. I didnât realise until right now just how much I am still attempting to flee from my past. Yes, the Lord delivered me from the dark pit and He has shown me that perfection is not a necessity but Iâm still fighting Him. Iâm still being impatient and instead of waiting on HIS next step for me, Iâm trying to make my own way again.
I believe God is sending me a wakeup call of all wakeup calls. I donât need to flee from the enemy. Our glorious God has already defeated him and will always be there to help me wade through lifeâs little (or sometimes big) problems. Completely DEPENDING on God is what I was born to do.
1. Isaiah 30:15-18
Complete Jewish Bible (CJB)
15 For this is what Adonai Elohim,â¨the Holy One of Israâel, says:â¨âReturning and resting is what will save you;â¨calmness and confidence will make you strong ââ¨but you want none of this!â¨16 âNo!â you say, âWe will flee on horseback!ââ¨Therefore you will surely flee.â¨And, âWe will ride on swift ones!ââ¨So your pursuers will be swift.â¨17 A thousand will flee at the threat of one,â¨you all will flee at the threat of five,â¨until you are left isolated,â¨like a flagstaff on a mountaintop,â¨like a banner on a hill.â
18 Yet Adonai is just waiting to show you favor,â¨he will have pity on you from on high;â¨for Adonai is a God of justice;â¨happy are all who wait for him!
Also read The Message, and ESV
2. threat |THret|
noun
1 a statement of an intention to inflict pain, injury, damage, or other hostile action on someone in retribution for something done or not done: members of her family have received death threats .
⢠Law a menace of bodily harm, such as may restrain a person’s freedom of action.
2 a person or thing likely to cause damage or danger: hurricane damage poses a major threat to many coastal communities.
⢠[ in sing. ] the possibility of trouble, danger, or ruin: the company faces the threat of bankruptcy | thousands of railroad jobs came under threat .
ORIGIN Old English thrÄat âoppression,â of Germanic origin; related to Dutch verdrieten âgrieve,âGerman verdriessen âirritate.â
How this definition âhits meâ is a flood of memories from my life until now. A life of much suffering. Of unprovoked hatred and damage to my heart. Recently (a month ago) I prayed with my pastor, then privately, on my knees, sobbing, I forgave all the people who had ever harmed or threatened me. Afterward, the Lord showed me how he was present when I was being abused, and how He used each threat in my life to discipline me as His child, to shape and to train my heart to always seek His protection, provision, and Person. I have very few memories of people in my life being âsafeâ other than Jesus. As I walk into the future, I am resting in Him and trust Him to care for me no matter what.
3.Fleeing looks like: Get up and run for your life!! Which I have literally done. Some who threatened me called themselves, âChristian.â This was most harmful because it was the Church I originally fled to for safety.Currently, I am not feeling a need to flee. God encouraged me to sign up for a Bible study on the book of Hebrews, and He is using His Word to encourage me. I have also met wonderful mature Christians through this same Bible study as well as my new fellowship led by a true Spirit-filled shepherd/pastor.
4. WOW! I DID NOT read I Peter or James before now!! What great encouragement!
Returning and resting of which Isaiah writes requires us to do as James admonishes, to: âQuit dabbling in sin. Purify your inner life. Quit playing the field. Hit bottom, and cry your eyes out. The fun and games are over. Get serious, really serious. Get down on your knees before the Master; itâs the only way youâll get on your feet.â James 4:10b.TM. Both James and Peter alert us to the work of the devil, exhort us to hold fast to Jesus; while Isaiah and I Peter assure us of Godâs desire to show us His mercy and to give us His peace. To give us Himself, Jehovah Shalom, Our Prince of Peace.
5.We need more margin in our lives so we can take time to settle down. We cram our lives full of activities. Yes, recently the Lord exhorted me to settle down by beginning the day on my knees in prayer followed by reading His Word. Not legalistically, but coming to the âThrone of Graceâ as the place I begin to experience His grace because the world does not know of it. It helps my heart to better deal with the stuff life throws at me. I have made a thousand excuses for doing this first because I approached it as a duty: now, I am settling myself down with my favorite morning brew and doing the thing because I love Him.
6. This assignment was encouraging to me. It reminds me that He does love me and that I am not alone nor have I been alone all the years before. I can finish well in Him.
I love the portion of James that says the only way to get on our feet is to first get on our knees! And Peter closing his passage with, âGod get the last word. Oh yes He does!â
Thank you Beth for reminding us in Charlotte two years ago to HOLD FAST. That good word is still resonating in my soul. I thought of that teaching time again as I completed
this lesson.
What a beautiful response… You are not alone- Tisha in texas
1. NIV, NKJV, MSG
Isaiah 30:15-18
New King James Version (NKJV)
15 For thus says the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel:
âIn returning and rest you shall be saved;
In quietness and confidence shall be your strength.â
But you would not,
16 And you said, âNo, for we will flee on horsesââ
Therefore you shall flee!
And, âWe will ride on swift horsesââ
Therefore those who pursue you shall be swift!
17 One thousand shall flee at the threat of one,
At the threat of five you shall flee,
Till you are left as a pole on top of a mountain
And as a banner on a hill.
God Will Be Gracious
18 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.
2. Threat-
a. a declaration of the intention to inflict harm, pain, or misery
b. an indication of imminent harm, danger, or pain
c. a person or thing that is regarded as dangerous or likely to inflict pain or misery
I feel most threatened in this season by my concern with homeschooling and knowing that I am doing it ârightâ. I struggle with feeling like I am failing them so I should just put them in public school.
3. I have days of wanting to flee but I âstand firmâ knowing that if I take it one day at a time with my Lord as my guide, we will make it to completion! Complete fleeing would be putting them in public school, daily fleeing is âchecking outâ, having a tv day and then having to get back on track.
4.
In Isaiah it says “For thus says the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel:âIn returning and rest you shall be saved;
In quietness and confidence shall be your strength.â but we flee and the Lord waits.
1 Peter 5:8-10 reminds us to stand firm in Him also and that He is our restoration. He is the same now as He was then. It’s like we don’t believe Him or if we do believe Him we don’t live like it. Resist the devil and cling to the Lord! It’s as simple and yet as complicated as that.
5-6. As I think on the 3 passages and my life right now, it is such a good reminder that I canât let the devil in one little bit for if he can inch the door open he will barge in and try to take over. I must stand firm.
I also was moved by the part that believers throughout the world are suffering too. We all think that we must appear polished, put together and that is just so wrong. We know that each one is suffering but we wallow in our own suffering and/or donât share about our suffering with others or acknowledge their suffering. Sharing how we made it through a tough time with someone is such an encouragement to them. Praying with them and not judging them is Christ-like and we (I) need to practice His actions and attitudes more so His glory can be seen.
1. I read this passage in the New International Version (NIV), The English Standard Version (ESV), and The Message. ESV was my favorite.
2. Threat: Painful pressure, oppression, compulsion; vexation, torment; affliction, distress, misery; danger, peril (Oxford English Dictionary, 2013).
This hits me because it shows all the different aspects of difficulty that I could possibly endure. I think that the main word in this definition is painful. No matter the form that the word takes on, pain will be part of it. I feel threatened in this season in many ways. I feel threatened by my struggle with people-pleasing and insecurity. I feel threatened by the fear that I must battle daily, which is often tied to relational things. I fear conflict, I fear having no friends, and I fear not being loved and valued by others. As a young, single college student I also feel very threatened by the fact that almost all of my close friends are either engaged or in serious relationships. I feel fear of being single my whole life when I strongly desire marriage and motherhood. My father is also unemployed and I am paying for school myself and I fear financial struggle as well.
3. I am very prone to flee whenever I face conflict. I absolutely abhor conflict. I am terrified of fighting with my roommates or making them made at me. I am afraid of hurting other peoplesâ feelings and of having relational issues. I also really struggle with perfectionism and if in any situation I have made a mistake or ruined something I flee very quickly. I am in fleeing mode right now in the midst of my struggle with fear of conflict and with relational fears.
4. Isaiah talks about how God wants Israel to return to him, but they turn away. He waits patiently for them and longs for them, and is willing to save and change them. 1 Peter shows how waiting is worth it. Jesus is my ultimate, only joy and in him alone can I really experience true satisfaction and joy. Trials will come. Life will be hard and I will be threatened. Oh, I will be threatened! But Jesus is more and greater and hoping in him makes those trials seem more bearable. James tells me the reality â I must, must, must submit myself to God. If I resist the Devil amidst temptations he will flee! Oh that I would believe that truth. I believe, Lord. Help my unbelief!
5. I think that many times I am quick to give up. I do not take God at his word. I make excuses and reasons why I canât believe what God is saying to me in these passages. I tell him that my trials are just too hard and I cannot withstand them. I feel like a huge failure so much of the time for that. I think I need to understand that I can always come to Jesus. I am not perfect and I will never be. I will make mistakes. Jesus is always here waiting for me when I do. What is God saying to me specifically through this? Tough question! I think in all honesty I am in one of the most turbulent times of my life. This summer my world was thrown upside down through a series of family circumstances. Being at college has been incredibly difficult. I love it, but I am often exhausted, overworked, and tired. I struggle with relational problems and with perfectionism. Jesus is saying to me today that he can and will conquer that. So many times I do not believe the truth of 1 Peter that Jesus is the greatest joy I can have. Oh Lord, change my heart! Clean me! Help me to believe that truth.
1. NLT, AMP, NIV (and The Message)
NLT
15
This is what the Sovereign Lord,⨠the Holy One of Israel, says:â¨âOnly in returning to me⨠and resting in me will you be saved.â¨In quietness and confidence is your strength.⨠But you would have none of it.
16
You said, âNo, we will get our help from Egypt.⨠They will give us swift horses for riding into battle.ââ¨But the only swiftness you are going to see⨠is the swiftness of your enemies chasing you!
17
One of them will chase a thousand of you.⨠Five of them will make all of you flee.â¨You will be left like a lonely flagpole on a hill⨠or a tattered banner on a distant mountaintop.â
18
So the Lord must wait for you to come to him so he can show you his love and compassion.â¨For the Lord is a faithful God.â¨Blessed are those who wait for his help.
2. Threat is:
1. A statement of an intention to inflict pain, injury, damage, or other hostile action on someone in retribution for something done or not…: “the family has received death threats”
2. A menace of bodily harm, such as may restrain a person’s freedom of action.
Iâm feeling most threatened right now with fear. I have a huge fear of getting my blood pressure taken (strange, I know) and Iâm pregnant so I have to get it checked a lot. I actually donât even have high blood pressure but I get completely stressed out about it and the fear of what if consumes me. I also had really terrible depression after our first daughter was born, partly due to the fact that she had horrible acid reflux and never slept and couldnât be put down without crying for the first nine months. Iâm struggling with all the what ifs for this baby and if I can really handle it again. I guess you could say Iâm afraid of the unknown.
3. I try to flee by refusing to trust the future to God and instead try to control every single thing I can in order to get the desired outcome (strangely, it doesnât work ha!). Definitely in fleeing mode right now.
4. Isaiah talks about fleeing and Peter talks about standing firm against the enemy.
5. I definitely need to settle down. I spend most of my days going, going, going, striving, striving, striving. Apparently He wants me to settle down and rest in Him âş
6. I can see God wants me to just rest and leave my future with Him. If I can just leave all my what ifs and fears with Him then Iâll experience rest and peace. I need to depend on Him rather than what I can do to try and control the outcome I want. My strength will come when I am completely dependent on Him.
1. Read it in NIV, NASB and NLT
Isaiah 30:15-18 (NLT)
15 This is what the Sovereign LORD,
the Holy One of Israel, says:
âOnly in returning to me
and resting in me will you be saved.
In quietness and confidence is your strength.
But you would have none of it.
16 You said, âNo, we will get our help from Egypt.
They will give us swift horses for riding into battle.â
But the only swiftness you are going to see
is the swiftness of your enemies chasing you!
17 One of them will chase a thousand of you.
Five of them will make all of you flee.
You will be left like a lonely flagpole on a hill
or a tattered banner on a distant mountaintop.â
18 So the LORD must wait for you to come to him
so he can show you his love and compassion.
For the LORD is a faithful God.
Blessed are those who wait for his help.
2. Threat â an indication of something impending; an expression of intention to inflict evil, injury or damage; something that threatens
The way I feel threatened right now is the enemyâs attack on my children and grandchildren trying to keep them or turn them from the Lord.
3. Iâve not been a fighter. I tend to flee when I feel threatened or like Iâm failing. Iâve fled two marriages and have , at times, emotionally fled from my current (3rd) one because of feeling emotionally and mentally threatened & harmed. Iâve fled jobs and ministries when Iâve felt I was failing. But in my current threat of the enemy against my family, NO!! I am not wanting to flee!
4. In comparing & contrasting Isaiah 30:15-18, 1 Peter 5:8-10 and James 4:7, Iâm not seeing much contrast but a whole lot of comparisons. I guess I am seeing in contrast in 1 Peter & James versus Isaiah, Iâm being warned to watch out for the enemy and in Isaiah itâs more Iâve purposefully chosen to ignore God, be independent & the enemy has full access.
In comparison, they all speak of being aware of the enemy, but God will help me have absolute victory when I wait on Him, humble myself before Him, trust in His faithfulness. They speak of His love for me and His patience with me.
5. Right now Iâm not really sensing Him telling me to âsettle downâ , although I can certainly stand to be reminded anyway.
6. Iâve loved seeing these parallels in scripture from the verses Iâve studied through this assignment. Father has used His Word to cement in my heart that my prayers are not in vain, He will strengthen me to keep going and He will be faithful to help and answer. In turning to Him and quietness and confidence in Him is my strength!
#1: AMP, NLT, MSG
New Living Transaltion:
This is what the Sovereign LORD,
the Holy One of Israel, says:
âOnly in returning to me
and resting in me will you be saved.
In quietness and confidence is your strength.
But you would have none of it.
16 You said, âNo, we will get our help from Egypt.
They will give us swift horses for riding into battle.â
But the only swiftness you are going to see
is the swiftness of your enemies chasing you!
17 One of them will chase a thousand of you.
Five of them will make all of you flee.
You will be left like a lonely flagpole on a hill
or a tattered banner on a distant mountaintop.â
18 So the LORD must wait for you to come to him
so he can show you his love and compassion.
For the LORD is a faithful God.
Blessed are those who wait for his help.
#2: âThreatâ
1. a declaration of the intention to inflict harm, pain, or misery
2. an indication of imminent harm, danger, or pain
3. a person or thing that is regarded as dangerous or likely to inflict pain or misery
I feel like my biggest threat is the Enemy himself, especially in the area of my mind. It seems that he wants to take my thoughts captive by day and especially at night, filling them with anger, worry, bizarre thoughts, discouragement, hurt ⌠eeking out any hope in Jesus or the Word I am memorizing and studying daily.
#3: âFleeingâ
In my life it often takes the form of âwithdrawingâ⌠from difficult situations, from pain, from responsibility, from ârealityâ ⌠living in my own world and withdrawing from âbattleâ rather than engaging the enemy and seeking victory in and through the hard stuff.
There is a ministry situation I have been involved in (with my husband) long-term that has been and continues to be very discouraging. Iâve kicked, screamed, pushed, etc., over the years but Iâm currently in âfleeâ mode ⌠wanting to just wash my hands of it and walk away. I want to âget on my horseâ and ride the other way rather than continue to stand patiently, allowing God to work in His time and way with the resistant ones.
I am also not at peace with my adult childrenâs choices which conflict with values we and they claim to hold. I just want to avoid them, the situations, the dialogue and just âfleeâ to my own corner and do my own thing. Well, thatâs what I think I want ⌠I really want to be enjoying good fellowship with them. In essence Iâm not willing to patiently allow God to work â if Heâs not going to change them now then Iâll just run off on my own horse and try to make my situation as âcomfortableâ for me as I can (i.e. dull the pain anyway I can.)
#4: I Peter 5:8-10 / James 4:7:
Compare: Both Isaiah & NT passages speak of âthe enemyâ.
And both speak of the importance of âwaitingâ / âstandingâ firm
Contrast: In Isaiah, the enemy is described as the one pursuing us as we flee. When we
refuse to seek/ wait on Godâs help and, instead, insist on running ahead and
handling things our own way, we move ourselves out of Godâs protective care
are directly in the path of an enemy bent on devouring us.
However, in the NT passages God tells us itâs His plan for the ENEMY to be doing
the fleeing / âon the runâ! Instead of running at a frenetic pace to solve our own
problems and fend off the enemy, God planâs for us is to WAIT for Him to act and
in the meantime STAND STILL. Instead of resisting Godâs help and exhausting
ourselves from a needless âchaseâ by the enemy, He invites me to wait on His well-
timed help. This resistance allows God to ârescueâ me before a fight brings about
additional & unnecessary pain in hard situations.
#5: I do! As I was working on this assignment, one of my young adult who lives away called, and as always, my heart sinks into defeat ⌠again. I have 4 adult children who all claim to love God and be pursuing Him yet they are not embracing the thing God has set in place from the beginning ⌠the priority of âleaving and cleavingâ and building a strong God-centered family of their own. They are blissfully bent on taking their cues from the âfad Christian cultureâ and continue to make choices that keep them too busy to spend the time building healthy relationships that will lead to marriage. Every time I talk with one of them it puts my mind in a rant and tears at my heart until it breaks âŚ.again. And it makes me rant at God and my husband and them ⌠I need to settle down and run to Jesus instead letting the enemy pursue me with worry and anger and disappointment and bitterness ⌠again.
#6: I hate to wait, and I feel like Iâve been waiting so long already for God to work in my children in particular and a couple other situations that my heart has been broken over. But I guess it is still not Godâs time and so I need to press into Him even harder to find the strength to wait ⌠because the alternative could not be clearer than the picture painted in Isaiah 30. I can âsettle downâ in my spirit and stand still and wait for His help to come, or I can be relentlessly pursued by the enemy as I run away from God while trying to ârun thingsâ my way. I can be blessed with Godâs peaceful presence in âthe waiting roomâ or I can exhaust myself needlessly running in futile circles ⌠again. Lord, please help me to stop all the silly efforts to stop the pain I feel and instead settle down into your mercy and compassion where I can be blessed and find relief from the pursuit of a relentless enemy.
1. English Standard Version, New Living Translation and New Revised Standard Version. I liked the NLT
Isaiah 30:15 This is what the Sovereign LORD, the Holy One of Israel, says: “Only in returning to Me and resting in Me will you be saved. In quietness and confidence is your strength. But you would have none of it. 16 You said, ‘No, we will get our help from Egypt. They will give us swift horses for riding into battle.’ But the only swiftness you are going to see is the swiftness of your enemies chasing you! 17 One of them will chase a thousand of you. Five of them will make all of you flee. You will be left like a lonely flagpole on a hill or a tattered banner on a distant mountaintop.” 18 So the LORD must wait for you to come to Him so He can show you His love and compassion. For the LORD is a faithful God. Blessed are those who wait for His help.
2.I feel no personal threats but constantly am bombarded with the âthreat to our way of life.â Over this threat I realize I have little power, so I have had to turn my eyes and mind to God, knowing He is in control. And that he loves us, all of us.
3.For me, life is very secure right now. No need to flee, but continue a steady journey of discernment (my word for this year) into Godâs will for my life
4.Isaiah tells the Israelites God wants you to come to him. Your enemies will only be vanquished when you ârest in me.â But the Israelites are a stiff necked people who do not listen. So too Peter echoes Isaiahâs words, âThe enemy will try to devour you, only in God, through your faith will you be made strong and firm.â James is very concise, no long passages, short and sweet: So humble your selves before God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. All three verses state firmly our help comes from the Lord who made heaven and earth.
5.I heard Isaiah 30:15–In quietness and confidence is your strength. Those two words resonated with me. I like the idea of quiet – not chaos, confusion,but stillness
6.Isaiah provides the Old Testament teaching that God is the strength and foundation we need to live. Peter and James simply restate this basic Biblical theme from the other side of the crossâŚNow faith in Jesus stands us on Godâs firm foundation. And this basic tenet is what I work to know, say and live in my life, a very long journey ahead for me. BUT from the Isaiah verses I am dwelling on âquietness and confidence are my strength.â
Thanks for this fun exercise. I have a new free Bible program eSword to use for comparison and study. This was a perfect challenge to get into the program.
1. I read it in NLT, The Message and here is the Amplified 15 For thus said the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel: In returning [to Me] and resting [in Me] you shall be saved; in quietness and in [trusting] confidence shall be your strength. But you would not,
16 And you said, No! We will speed [our own course] on horses! Therefore you will speed [in flight from your enemies]! You said, We will ride upon swift steeds [doing our own way]! Therefore will they who pursue you be swift, [so swift that]
17 One thousand of you will flee at the threat of one of them; at the threat of five you will flee till you are left like a beacon or a flagpole on the top of a mountain, and like a signal on a hill.
18 And therefore the Lord [earnestly] waits [expecting, looking, and longing] to be gracious to you; and therefore He lifts Himself up, that He may have mercy on you and show loving-kindness to you. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) are all those who [earnestly] wait for Him, who expect and look and long for Him [for His victory, His favor, His love, His peace, His joy, and His matchless, unbroken companionship]!
2. Threat:
1. a declaration of an intention or determination to inflict punishment, injury, etc., in retaliation for, or conditionally upon, some action or course; menace: He confessed under the threat of imprisonment.
2.
an indication or warning of probable trouble: The threat of a storm was in the air.
3.
a person or thing that threatens.
I never thought of threat as punishment before. I guess I worry (feel threatened) that things wonât turn out well for me or my kids if I donât do things right. Or pray enough, etc. I also feel threatened by closeness (intimacy) because of past hurts.
3. Fleeing usually looks like withdrawl, isolation, being strong, being competent, relying on myself. Escape into sleep, books, magazines.
4. Why do I fear punishment from God? Satan is the one I need to watch out for. God longs to be gracious to me! He longs to show me his love and kindness. 1st Peter 5:10 In his kindness God called you to share in his eternal glory by means of Christ Jesus. So after you have suffered a little while, he will restore, support, and strengthen you, and he will place you on a firm foundation.
It makes me think of the song Still, which we will be singing in church tomorrow. âfind rest my soul, in Christ alone. Know his power, in quietness and trust. When the oceans rise and thunders roar, I will soar with You above the storm. Father, You are King over the flood. I will be still and know You are God!â By Rueben Morgan
5. I definitely need to hear âsettle downâ! Stop being anxious about everything. Stop striving. Rest.. Cast my burdens on him, for he cares for me!
Isaiah 30:15-18
Amplified Bible (AMP)
15 For thus said the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel: In returning [to Me] and resting [in Me] you shall be saved; in quietness and in [trusting] confidence shall be your strength. But you would not,
16 And you said, No! We will speed [our own course] on horses! Therefore you will speed [in flight from your enemies]! You said, We will ride upon swift steeds [doing our own way]! Therefore will they who pursue you be swift, [so swift that]
17 One thousand of you will flee at the threat of one of them; at the threat of five you will flee till you are left like a beacon or a flagpole on the top of a mountain, and like a signal on a hill.
18 And therefore the Lord [earnestly] waits [expecting, looking, and longing] to be gracious to you; and therefore He lifts Himself up, that He may have mercy on you and show loving-kindness to you. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) are all those who [earnestly] wait for Him, who expect and look and long for Him [for His victory, His favor, His love, His peace, His joy, and His matchless, unbroken companionship]!
Fleeing is always my first reaction, then I go back to the Word and know He is working all things out for His glory. His matchless unbroken companionship is an awesome thought. His love is always with me, I don’t have to flee from anything or feel threatened.
1) NIV, NET, Message (posted here)
15-17 God, the Master, The Holy of Israel,
has this solemn counsel:
âYour salvation requires you to turn back to me
and stop your silly efforts to save yourselves.
Your strength will come from settling down
in complete dependence on meâ
The very thing
youâve been unwilling to do.
Youâve said, âNothing doing! Weâll rush off on horseback!â
Youâll rush off, all right! Just not far enough!
Youâve said, âWeâll ride off on fast horses!â
Do you think your pursuers ride old nags?
Think again: A thousand of you will scatter before one attacker.
Before a mere five youâll all run off.
Thereâll be nothing left of youâ
a flagpole on a hill with no flag,
a signpost on a roadside with the sign torn off.â
18 But Godâs not finished. Heâs waiting around to be gracious to you.
Heâs gathering strength to show mercy to you.
God takes the time to do everything rightâeverything.
Those who wait around for him are the lucky ones.
2) A statement of an intention to inflict pain, injury, damage, or other hostile action on someone in retribution for something done or not…: “the family has received death threats”
threats are intentional in wanting to hurt me. Yikes. I do feel threatened by the enemy right now, wanting to keep family members crippled and maimed, in bondage, unable to live out their destiny as lights of the world. I do feel threatened by angry people who may not intentionally hurt me, but they do in their flashes of anger and the words are swords that penetrate quickly to deep parts. Then I am left to do the work of renouncing the lies and replacing them with truth so I can live on in faith. I just wish they knew the work they caused for me with their rash words.
3. If I don’t press in to God, I tend to flee to a good movie, a to-do list that makes me feel productive, or sugar. These are “and stop your silly efforts to save yourselves” from my problems. I can only press into God if I don’t want to end up looking like “a signpost on a roadside with the sign torn off.”
4. The devil wants me to flee from the Lord. Rather, I want the devil to flee from me because I am settled in with the Lord. I love how God doesn’t ask me to fight with prowess and guns and such. He asks me to fight by wearing armor and standing. How simple. Here is asks me to settle down. God always does the harder work in all the partnership efforts.
5. I need God’s Word FIRST each morning, so more effort, a break, or a momentary treat for my mouth. I need to settle down and let God do the fighting against the enemy.
6. I have already quoted my favorite part, “stop your silly efforts to save yourselves.” I am tired of silly efforts. I can only “effort” in settling down on the inside first, then the outside too. NOTHING works but dependence on God ALONE. Tomorrow, Bible first, not planner.
4.
1. Isaiah 30:15-18
New Living Translation (NLT)
15 This is what the Sovereign LORD,
the Holy One of Israel, says:
âOnly in returning to me
and resting in me will you be saved.
In quietness and confidence is your strength.
But you would have none of it.
16 You said, âNo, we will get our help from Egypt.
They will give us swift horses for riding into battle.â
But the only swiftness you are going to see
is the swiftness of your enemies chasing you!
17 One of them will chase a thousand of you.
Five of them will make all of you flee.
You will be left like a lonely flagpole on a hill
or a tattered banner on a distant mountaintop.â
Blessings for the LORDâs People
18 So the LORD must wait for you to come to him
so he can show you his love and compassion.
For the LORD is a faithful God.
Blessed are those who wait for his help.
NIV
Message
2. threat â a warning, that one may do harm
The word warning hits me because it is a flashing red light saying, âWatch out! What is about to happen will not be good.â The threat I am facing is that my schedule is about to become extra busy. If I let it, it will take over all parts of my life. I must be intentional to keep boundaries that help me stay healthy and connected to God and my loved ones.
3. Fleeing â Thatâs a good question. Initially I would say that I donât flee, but I think it does happen in the form of avoidance or of giving in to the all-consuming schedule.
4. God gives us a firm foundation. He restores, supports, and strengthens us. We donât need to act oblivious to or frightened of challenges. Face them with Godâs strength. I love James 4:7. Itâs such a beautiful image to think of humbling ourselves before God and by doing so, we are disarming the enemy.
5. Yes. I loved hearing the words, âIn quietness and confidence is your strength.â
6. God is telling me to serve as He calls me to serve. He is with me. I have nothing to fear. Praise be to Him!
#1. NLT, AMP, NET
15) For this is what the master, the Lord, the Holy One of Israel says: If you repented and patiently waited for me, you would be delivered; if you calmly trusted in me you would find strength, but you were unwilling.
16) You say, ‘No, we will flee on horses,’ so you will indeed flee. You say, ‘We will ride on fast horses,’ so your pursuers will be fast.
17) One thousand will scurry at the battle cry of one enemy soldier; at the battle cry of five enemy soldiers you will all run away, until the remaining few are as isolated as a flagpole on a mountaintop or a signal flag on a hill.
18) For this reason the Lord is ready to show you mercy; he sits on his throne, ready to have compassion on you. Indeed, The Lord is a just God, all who wait for him in faith will be blessed. NET
#2. Threat: an expression of intention to inflict evil, injury, or damage; an indication of something impending.
“An indication of something impending” is what hits me the most. I seem to always have an underlying fear that something is going to happen to me and I’ll leave my children without a mother. I am a stay at home mom to two small children and one school age child and my fear, although irrational and out of my control, can paralyze me if I let it.
#3. Fleeing – I think I tend to “flee” by trying to do everything myself, especially when dealing with my husband and children. Instead of asking for help, I do everything and then lash out at others because I’m tired and overworked. Am I in fleeing mode now? It varies day to day.
#4. Isaiah and 1 Peter both say that The Lord waits patiently for us and wants to restore us to Him. In 1 Peter we are told to be on the alert for the lion wants to devour us and in Isaiah it talks about the enemy being faster than we are. Both of these tie into James because we are told that if we trust The Lord and resist the enemy, God will save us. Hallelujah!
#5. Yes, I need to settle down and trust The Lord to take care of things instead of trying to do everything myself.
#6. The thing that jumped out at me the most was verse 15 – if I would just be calm and wait patiently, God would give me the strength I need in my sleep deprivation, exhaustion, worry, etc… This verse will definitely become one of my scripture memory verses!
I read the passage in NIV, NET and The Message, which spoke to me the loudest.
GOD, the Master, The Holy of Israel,
has this solemn counsel:
âYour salvation requires you to turn back to me
and stop your silly efforts to save yourselves.
Your strength will come from settling down
in complete dependence on meâ
The very thing
youâve been unwilling to do.
Youâve said, âNothing doing! Weâll rush off on horseback!â
Youâll rush off, all right! Just not far enough!
Youâve said, âWeâll ride off on fast horses!â
Do you think your pursuers ride old nags?
Think again: A thousand of you will scatter before one attacker.
Before a mere five youâll all run off.
Thereâll be nothing left of youâ
a flagpole on a hill with no flag,
a signpost on a roadside with the sign torn off.â
18 But GODâs not finished. Heâs waiting around to be gracious to you.
Heâs gathering strength to show mercy to you.
GOD takes the time to do everything rightâeverything.
Those who wait around for him are the lucky ones.
Threat: an indication or warning of probable trouble. Presently, I am most threatened by anxiety and physical symptoms of stress that began after my Mom died in February, 2012.
In my life, right now fleeing looks like busy-ness and sometimes the busy-ness is not my choiceâŚ..itâs everything that comes with being the mom and wife of two active kids and a very hard-working husband. My outward circumstances donât lead me to much âsitting stillâ time.
The verses in 1 Peter encourage me! The Message says that the Lord will have me âput together and back on my feet for good.â It also tells me the my God has the last word!! I do hear âsettle downâ loud and clear. Sometimes it seems like my grief (and subsequent anxiety) will last forever, but I know in my heart that they wonât and that God is using this time with me for His, and my own, good.
1âŚNIV, NKJV and MSGâŚ
ISA 30:15-18 (MSG) God, the Master, The Holy of Israel, has this solemn counsel; âYour salvation requires you to turn back to me and stop your silly efforts to save yourselves. Your strength will come from settling down in complete dependence on me-The very thing youâve been unwilling to do. Youâve said, âNothing doing! Weâll rush off on horseback!â Youâll rush off, all right! Just not far enough! Youâve said, âWeâll ride on fast horses!â Do you think your pursuers ride old nags? Think again: a thousand of you will scatter before one attacker. Before a mere five youâll all run off. Thereâll be nothing left of you â a flagpole on a hill with no flag, a signpost on a roadside with the sign torn off.â But Godâs not finished. Heâs waiting around to be gracious to you. Heâs gathering strength to show mercy to you. God takes the time to do everything right â everything. Those who wait around for him are the lucky ones.
2. Threat: (Websterâs New World Dictionary) an expression of an intention to hurt, destroy, punish, etc. An indication of, or a source of, imminent danger.
A threat brings lack of peace, and disharmony to me in a senseâŚit seems the world in which I know it is being shaken, and my heart and mind go into a protective mode. The most threat I have experienced this season has been with relationships in my family, and I know that only God can repair and restore that which has been taken away in trust.
3. Fleeing can mean withdrawal to a quiet place from the one, or the situation in which, I feel a need to flee, and talk to God about what is on my heart. In fleeing, I lift prayers up to God trusting He knows what I need and will provide the answers to prayers⌠His way and in His timing. My dependence is on Him alone and Godâs outcome is the only one I desire. In time, He brings me peace as I travail. Isa 26:3 You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You because he trusts in You.
4. The Word says God longs to be gracious, and will wait until you return to Him to seek His face. (Isaiah) Heâs ready to meet you with His merciful kindness, and has only the best plans for our eternal salvation and glorious gathering with Him! Just as faith can bring your soul to heaven, God desires to bring heaven to our souls. The enemy would love nothing more than for people to believe otherwise (1 Peter) The purpose of the enemy is to destroy that which God is building, which is the tabernacle within our hearts. The enemy yearns to catch us unaware of his little schemes and then place a person in a state of bondage, despair, and defeat. As it says in the MSG, âHe gets the last Word!â The work of Jesus Christ is finished which makes the work of the enemyâŚwell, dead, lifeless, and extinct! Call it what you may, but the fact is the work of the enemy is powerlessâŚand the work on the cross is Powerful! Big difference⌠and when we place our trust in the One who is all Powerful, peace resumes and Godâs will prevails! Hallelujah! Submit to God with every fiber of your being, and with all you know to do, resisting the plans of the enemyâŚit truly is the only way to get the enemy to flee! (James)
5. âSettle downâ spoke great confirmation and peace to me today. One of my favorite Scriptures to prayâŚProverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct your paths. In the trusting, and the leaning, and acknowledging Him, God has shown me time and time again that this means to âsimply trust and settle down!â Heâs got it all under controlâŚand then a sweet smile comes upon my face! Thatâs definitely a win!
6. I love the timing of this assignment. I believe God wanted me to take on this learning experience with joy and remembrance that I am to trust Him in this trial in my life. I ask Him to write this message on my heart as a faith stone, reminding me, as I need it⌠to âsettle downâ and trust in the LordâŚand let that smile stay upon my heart!
1) NIV, ESV, NET, Isaiah 30:15-18
New English Translation (NET)
15 For this is what the master, the LORD, the Holy One of Israel says:
âIf you repented and patiently waited for me, you would be delivered;
if you calmly trusted in me you would find strength,
but you are unwilling.
16 You say, âNo, we will flee on horses,â
so you will indeed flee.
You say, âWe will ride on fast horses,â
so your pursuers will be fast.
17 One thousand will scurry at the battle cry of one enemy soldier;
at the battle cry of five enemy soldiers you will all run away,
until the remaining few are as isolated
as a flagpole on a mountaintop
or a signal flag on a hill.â
18 For this reason the LORD is ready to show you mercy;
he sits on his throne, ready to have compassion on you.
Indeed, the LORD is a just God;
all who wait for him in faith will be blessed.
2) Threat: a person or thing that threatens; Not sure how I feel threatened right now.
3) I donât think this is really what the text is talking about, but right now I am fleeing in a good way. I am fleeing from sweets/treats/desserts namely. I have been in a battle with food for my whole life and right now I am in my exodus time. The Lord is truly bringing me out. However, He has made it clear to me that the area of food mentioned previously is a stronghold within a stronghold. Iâm doing Bethâs âHere and Now, There and Thenâ study on Revelation right now. I was blown away by the portion from chapter one that reads â…who loves us AND HAS FREED us from our sins by His bloodâ. The âhas freedâ part really got me. Then Beth said âyou are holding your chains, your chains are not holding youâ. I have been a different person since then. She also challenged us to give something up for 10 weeks. I guess you know what Iâm giving up. Iâm fleeing sweets/treats/desserts! To God be the glory!!
4) I am terrible at comparing/contrasting. However, the James portion stands out to me the most. Evil will flee from us if we just submit to our God. Let Him fight the battle for us.
5) Yes. I have been so busy doing ministry related stuff that when it comes time for me to listen to my husband talk…I want him to hurry up!! I need to chill and sit and listen to the man. I need to put everything else aside for him.
6) This portion touches me the most: âFor this reason the LORD is ready to show you mercy;
he sits on his throne, ready to have compassion on you. Indeed, the LORD is a just God;
all who wait for him in faith will be blessed.â This humbles me. I like the NIV too that says He rises to show you compassion. I think He just wants me to remember these characteristics of His. I think He wants me to be still more. Oh yeah…and chill:-)
1.ESV, AMP, NLT 15 For thus said the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel: In returning [to Me] and resting [in Me] you shall be saved; in quietness and in [trusting] confidence shall be your strength. But you would not,16 And you said, No! We will speed [our own course] on horses! Therefore you will speed [in flight from your enemies]! You said, We will ride upon swift steeds [doing our own way]! Therefore will they who pursue you be swift, [so swift that]17 One thousand of you will flee at the threat of one of them; at the threat of five you will flee till you are left like a beacon or a flagpole on the top of a mountain, and like a signal on a hill.18 And therefore the Lord [earnestly] waits [expecting, looking, and longing] to be gracious to you; and therefore He lifts Himself up, that He may have mercy on you and show loving-kindness to you. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) are all those who [earnestly] wait for Him, who expect and look and long for Him [for His victory, His favor, His love, His peace, His joy, and His matchless, unbroken companionship]! (AMP)
2. Threat â an expression of intention to inflict evil, injury, or damage; one that threatens (to give signs or warning of, to hang over dangerously, to cause to feel insecure or anxious); an indication of something impending. This definition strikes me because it is not something that has actually happened that is causing all the chaos and unrest, but the âexpression of intentionâ of something happening. I have felt super insecure in my relationship with God lately. That I canât do anything right. That I think negative, ugly thoughts too much. That Iâm not good enough. That I go through âgoodâ periods and then all of the sudden Iâm not studying like I should, not patient with my children like I should be, not loving enough to my husband, not praying enough to God. I am so frustrated with myself. How does this tie in to feeling threatenedâŚ.Satan is telling me Iâm not good enough, God canât love someone as inconsistent and distracted as me, that I am a failure dailyâŚall of these are threats and not actually true. Lord help me to believe you, not Satan.
3. Fleeing to me looks like giving up, shutting down. Telling myself negative things and believing them because they are confirmed by my feelings. I still pray and study, but I feel deflated. This is the mode I am in now, and I canât seem to shake it.
4. God does not want us to flee. God wants us to resist Satan, to stand in His strength and trust Him. Donât flee. Stand, resist, and Satan will be the one who flees! He doesnât say it will be easy at the time, but He will take of us. Trust.
5. Settle down. Be quiet, rest, trust, wait. Yes please.
6. I need to realize that not trusting, not resting, not waiting is also not resisting Satan. I need to settle down my mind and the negative thoughts and actively resist Satan in my thoughts and my prayers. I need to believe God in all that He says to me in His word, and not believe Satanâs lies. He gets too much joy out of my guiltâŚI need to stop giving him that pleasure. I like the AMP version because it says we flee on our own course riding our horses doing it our own way. I have not been successful in fighting these negative thoughts on my own. Now is the time to believe God in all aspects and wait on Him to ârestore, confirm, strengthen, and establishâ me. Thank you Lord for your tender mercy, you are too good to me.
1. I read NIV, The Amplified & The Message
The Message version really spoke to me.
Isaiah 30-15-18
God Takes the Time to Do Everything Right
15-17God, the Master, The Holy of Israel, has this solemn counsel: “Your salvation requires you to turn back to me and stop your silly efforts to save yourselves. Your strength will come from settling down in complete dependence on meâ The very thing you’ve been unwilling to do. You’ve said, ‘Nothing doing! We’ll rush off on horseback!’ You’ll rush off, all right! Just not far enough! You’ve said, ‘We’ll ride off on fast horses!’ Do you think your pursuers ride old nags? Think again: A thousand of you will scatter before one attacker. Before a mere five you’ll all run off. There’ll be nothing left of youâ a flagpole on a hill with no flag, a signpost on a roadside with the sign torn off.”
18But God’s not finished. He’s waiting around to be gracious to you. He’s gathering strength to show mercy to you. God takes the time to do everything rightâeverything. Those who wait around for him are the lucky ones.
2.
threat
noun
1.
a declaration of an intention or determination to inflict punishment, injury, etc., in retaliation for, orconditionally upon, some action or course; menace: He confessed under the threat of imprisonment.
2.
an indication or warning of probable trouble: The threat of a storm was in the air.
3.
a person or thing that threatens.
I am in transition. I live in a new state, far from home, friends and familiarity. This feels threatening to my individuality and independence. I feel alone, even though I am married with three sons and, all is well. As a stay at home mom I am really feeling a sense of loss and loneliness.
3. For me âfleeingâ is escaping into my vices (spending too much money, disengaging in doing my âhealthyâ stuff. I avoid almost anything in order to drown out whatever it is I should do. I am DEFINITELY in fleeing mode right now.
4. WOW! I loved reading I Peter 5:7-8 and James 4:7. Isaiah admonishes us and reaches out to us to rest. Peter and James are so edifying and all three books are direct in how they deliver the command âto restâ âto settle downâ and find God.
5. I do hear God saying settle down. I have this time to rest from my familiarity and to settle myself, my family and my life down and find Him.
6. I think I got this in #5. This homework was incredibly timely!!!
1. ESV, NIV(2011), NLT
Isaiah 30:15-18 NLT
(15) This is what the Sovereign LORD, the Holy One of Israel, says: “Only in returning to Me and resting in Me will you be saved. In quietness and confidence is your strength. But you would have none of it.
(16) You said, ‘No, we will get our help from Egypt. They will give us swift horses for riding into battle.’ But the only swiftness you are going to see is the swiftness of your enemies chasing you!
(17) One of them will chase a thousand of you. Five of them will make all of you flee. You will be left like a lonely flagpole on a hill or a tattered banner on a distant mountaintop.”
(18) So the LORD must wait for you to come to Him so He can show you His love and compassion. For the LORD is a faithful God. Blessed are those who wait for His help.
2. Threat
THREAT, n. thret. A menace; denunciation of ill; declaration of an intention or determination to inflict punishment, loss or pain on another.
There is no terror, Cassius, in your threats. (Webster)
How I see it â a threat is someone telling you that they want to do harm to you. What I am most worried about right now is the future of the United States and what will happen when we go bankrupt.
3. Fleeing for me is withdrawal into seclusion. Play another game of solitaire, web surf a bit more. Donât know that I can do anything about the threat mentioned above so in a way I am maintaining sanity until something changes.
4. If the primary threat is coming from the devil â then we should and must resist and count such suffering as godly persecution. God allowed ungodly people to win elections even though godly people prayed so â either He doesnât answer prayer (which I reject) or He has a bigger plan and purpose â such as the end of the ages is fast approaching and the world is getting ready for the emergence of the antichrist.
5. Settle down? Iâve got it throttled back about as much as I can in light of what is about to happen. I grieve for what is going to happen to America and can only hope Jesus returns soon for His bride.
6. Final thoughts â God is sovereign and will carry out His plans on His timetable as pertains to the end time events. I just never thought I would see so much evil and perverseness before the rapture.
1. NIV, The Message, NASB, NET; for verse 15, the NIV hit me the most significantly, but overall, The Message helped give me a clearer picture of the passage that was the most blatant:
God, the Master, The Holy of Israel,
has this solemn counsel:
âYour salvation requires you to turn back to me
and stop your silly efforts to save yourselves.
Your strength will come from settling down
in complete dependence on meâ
The very thing
youâve been unwilling to do.
Youâve said, âNothing doing! Weâll rush off on horseback!â
Youâll rush off, all right! Just not far enough!
Youâve said, âWeâll ride off on fast horses!â
Do you think your pursuers ride old nags?
Think again: A thousand of you will scatter before one attacker.
Before a mere five youâll all run off.
Thereâll be nothing left of youâ
a flagpole on a hill with no flag,
a signpost on a roadside with the sign torn off.â
18
But Godâs not finished. Heâs waiting around to be gracious to you.
Heâs gathering strength to show mercy to you.
God takes the time to do everything rightâeverything.
Those who wait around for him are the lucky ones.
2. THREAT: an expression or intention to inflict evil, injury or damage;
an indication of something impending
3. On Wednesday night this week, I met with my pastor’s wife, to have some fun girl time that ended up being a treasured time of her ministering to me. After explaining to her the season I’m in with our four year old little boy who is prone to run away, slam and lock doors at the first indication of correction, I am soul sore over his heart. Do you know what verse the Lord brought to mind for her to pray and speak over me? Isaiah 30:15, “In repentance and rest is your salvation; in quietness and trust is your strength.” And then a couple of days later, I saw your tweet and this post. I HAD to do this homework! And when I came to the third question of fleeing, I stopped in my tracks. Truth be told, there have been a number of times in recent weeks, particularly this week, where I feel completely at the end of myself, nearly insane and losing my mind, and on the brink of a meltdown staying at home with my children. And the tempting, recurring thought: “I want to run away from this! I need a break; I want to run and escape; it’s too much.” The similarity between me and my son is not lost on me at the moment, I just don’t know how to take it all in. He and I both want to flee from the hard stuff. It seems to us in the moment the easier and less painful option…though it’s really not.
4. Similarities: They’re about submitting and relying on God, trusting Him to help and come through. They mention God’s generosity and goodness and desire to help (He loves us!). There are pursuers, an enemy, who wants to destroy us. In all the verses we are called to stand firm, to settle down in dependence, to resist the enemy. There is a promise that God will come through. I love the MSG version of James 4:7 to yell a loud ‘no’ to the enemy and a quiet ‘yes’ to God…goes similarly with ‘in quietness and trust…’. There is a choice in whether or not we flee or stand firm; if we resist the enemy or let ourselves nap; if we’re unwilling to settle down or to trust. Each of the verses give encouragement/admonishment to stand firm/resist the enemy/settle down and trust a good God.
5. “Settling down in complete dependence on Me…in quietness and trust is your strength.” Just in the same ways we’re trying to teach our son not to run, to trust and depend on us that we have his very best interest at heart, I need this reminder to trust my own Father and not run/flee from the difficulties. This momma stuff is hard and my heart hurts. And I can’t do it on my own, running away/finding something to escape to is not the answer. I need to entrust my son to God and know that He’s working in Brennan’s heart. I also need to stand and fight on Brennan’s behalf and not flee (in any sense of the word) from the hard battle for his heart. Practically, I’m still not all sure what this looks like, but I start with a prayer asking God to forgive me for so easily wanting to give up and throw in the towel and run the other direction. I confess too many utterances this week under my breath of wanting a way out or visions of the grass being greener on the other side. Jesus, please forgive me. Help us all to turn to you, to trust and depend upon you, and to stand firm and in your strength in the battles. Give us renewed hope that you are not finished, that you DO have the final word, and that you a gracious God with great plans.
6. (see above)
1. MSG, NKJ,
This is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel, says: “In repentence and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength, but you would have none of it. You said, “No, we will flee on horses.” Therefore you will flee!You said, “We will ride off on swift horses.” Therefore your pursuers will be swift! A thousand will flee at the threat of one; at the threat of five you will all flee away, till you are left like a flagstaff on a mountaintop, like a banner on a hill.” Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you; therefore he will rise up to show you compassion. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him! NIV
2. The word threat most often creates fear in me. Not being a competetive girl I am quick to stand down when threatened… which is such a paradox as I am certainly outspoken, opinionated and have served as an event coordinator… (read BOSSY) yet when I’m threatened.. I feel so small.
3. I might be in fleeing mode under the right circumstances. I back away when I feel like I could get hurt, when being vulnerable just costs too much. Which brings me to what the Lord has been talking to me about lately… James reminds us to be single minded and the Lord has just convicted me about how double minded I can be when I set out to do His good work and then, when receiving negative feedback or discouragement, I turn back and regroup/lick my wounds/declare “WHOA, I’ll never do THAT again.” I’ve been identifying this as being double minded and I can’t tell you how it’s slapped me upside the head. I’m so grateful that in His strength I can be stronger. Amen? Because I am telling you I really struggle with discouragement and staying the course in a few areas which I believe God brought me into.
4. Isn’t it wonderful how scripture supports itself? These additional verses reach out and pat the back of Isaiah 30:15-18.
5. God gave me these verses in Isaiah when my husband and I separated (we are back together:) and I was just wracking my brain trying to figure out what I could say to him (hubby), what The Lord would have me say that would make a positive difference in our situation. He told me to be quiet, to let Him fight for me. To just be still! Those are hard words for someone like me who likes to be busy, in control and is impatient. That’s why they were the perfect words for me I believe đ
6. He helps me identify the threat, and believe that He is the One who fights for me and these truths help me to be still. Being still is so much easier when you really can trust He’s got this! It doesn’t all depend on me!
1. NIV, NKJV, AMP
Isaiah 30:15-18
New King James Version (NKJV)
15 For thus says the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel:
âIn returning and rest you shall be saved;
In quietness and confidence shall be your strength.â
But you would not,
16 And you said, âNo, for we will flee on horsesââ
Therefore you shall flee!
And, âWe will ride on swift horsesââ
Therefore those who pursue you shall be swift!
17 One thousand shall flee at the threat of one,
At the threat of five you shall flee,
Till you are left as a pole on top of a mountain
And as a banner on a hill.
God Will Be Gracious
18 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
2. Threat-sign of danger
Financial threat, very difficult time in our finances at this time. Really watching our budget.
3. Right now, fleeing looks and feels like trying not to think about it, almost ignoring the problem because it feels overwhelming and too much to deal with. Trying to figure out how to âfixâ it wanting a suddenly, a miracle breakthrough for our finances. But, continuing to be as wise as possible. Even considering moving away to try to make it better.
4. To trust God fully, to wait for Him. Not rush ahead.
5. Yes, I do, because I continually think I should be âdoingâ something.
6. I need to learn to rest in Him. To trust Him for everything. I do, but I still want to âhelpâ, that is my biggest struggle.
I have this picture in my mind…holding a little child who tries their best to kick, fight, and scream for you to let them down out of your arms, but you are holding them…their legs, their arms, covering their mouth and saying, “Calm down, rest, be quiet, I am not going to hurt you, You can stop fighting against me.” And finally the child has no strength left and rests. The child comes to the place where it desires to do what it sees is right and commits to following in the right path and trusts you. The child is broken like a horse is. It settles down.
1.
For this is what the master, the LORD, the Holy One of Israel says:
âIf you repented and patiently waited for me, you would be delivered;
if you calmly trusted in me you would find strength,
but you are unwilling.
16 You say, âNo, we will flee on horses,â
so you will indeed flee.
You say, âWe will ride on fast horses,â
so your pursuers will be fast.
17 One thousand will scurry at the battle cry of one enemy soldier;
at the battle cry of five enemy soldiers you will all run away,
until the remaining few are as isolated
as a flagpole on a mountaintop
or a signal flag on a hill.â
18 For this reason the LORD is ready to show you mercy;
he sits on his throne, ready to have compassion on you.
Indeed, the LORD is a just God;
all who wait for him in faith will be blessed. (NET)
Read ESV, NET, and NLT versionsâŚ
2. Threat = noun
a declaration of an intention or determination to inflict punishment, injury, etc., in retaliation for, orconditionally upon, some action or course; menace: He confessed under the threat of imprisonment
an indication or warning of probable trouble: The threat of a storm was in the air.
a person or thing that threatens.
3. Fleeing for me looks like âgiving upâ/âchecking outâ of parentingâŚ. Saying it is too hard for me and I am too much of a âloserâ. I having been fleeing often (usually for moments or hours or days) a lot recently. God has been showing me that I need to stop fleeingâŚ. and start resisting/standing. If I remember that God will encourage me, strengthen me, establish meâŚ.he is waiting to have compassion on me⌠then I will indeed be able to stand. ď
4. James⌠Comparing Isaiah to James, in James the devil flees⌠wow. That is what I want!!! And so I am to be encouraged to submit to God AND resist the Devil⌠and HE will flee instead of me. 1 Peter⌠again the encourage to resist the devil⌠and be reminded that God will indeed strengthen and restore me. I am to remember that others are also suffering (thus avoid the lie of isolation the lie that I am the only one)
5. Actually I need to hear âStop fleeingâ more than âsettle downâ. God has been showing me for weeks that I need to âstand firmâ instead of crumbling like a deck of cards (or fleeing).
6. God has been so gracious to bring yet ANOTHER reminder to me that if I just TURN to him, DEPEND on him, I will indeed be able to resist fleeingâŚ. Lord, thank you! Thank you for your word, thank you for speaking through Beth, thank you for her obedience⌠I needed this tonight and I did not even know it. I am praying that I meditate on these so that the next time I desire to flee, I turn to him instead.
1. Is. 30:15-18 NKJV â For thus says the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel: âIn returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and confidence shall be your strength.â But you would not,and you said, âNo, for we will flee on horsesâ â therefore you shall flee! And, âWe will ride on swift horsesâ â therefore those who pursue you shall be swift! One thousand shall flee at the threat of one, at the threat of five you shall flee, till you are left as a pole on top of a mountain and as a banner on a hill. 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.
2. Threat â menace; denunciation of ill; declaration of an intention or determination to inflict punishment, loss or pain on another.
I feel threatened by evil in this world and the battles that my family and the Body of Christ are fighting right now and will face in the future.
3. Fleeing to me can be turning to entertainment, food or anything else that will take my mind off the threat.
4. I see Isaiah 30 as what we normally do when threatened. âLetâs get the fastest horses and get outa here!â James 4:7 is the short and sweet answer to our problem. I Peter 5 is a more expanded version to me where we should be ready for the adversary and know that whatever happens God will use in our lives!
5. âSettle downâ reminds me of when my horse is fearful and he starts stepping in place. Then I say, âEasy, easyâ and pat him on the neck and he trusts me and settles down. In the same way, I need to remember that God asks me to trust Him and receive that âpeace that passes all understandingâ when I am fearful!
6. Be ready for whatever may come but trust in God (and not depend on myself)!
1. NIV84, NET, Amp.
15 For thus said the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel: In returning [to Me] and resting [in Me] you shall be saved; in quietness and in [trusting] confidence shall be your strength. But you would not,
16 And you said, No! We will speed [our own course] on horses! Therefore you will speed [in flight from your enemies]! You said, We will ride upon swift steeds [doing our own way]! Therefore will they who pursue you be swift, [so swift that]
17 One thousand of you will flee at the threat of one of them; at the threat of five you will flee till you are left like a beacon or a flagpole on the top of a mountain, and like a signal on a hill.
18 And therefore the Lord [earnestly] waits [expecting, looking, and longing] to be gracious to you; and therefore He lifts Himself up, that He may have mercy on you and show loving-kindness to you. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) are all those who [earnestly] wait for Him, who expect and look and long for Him [for His victory, His favor, His love, His peace, His joy, and His matchless, unbroken companionship]!
Amplified Bible
2. Definition of THREAT
1: an expression of intention to inflict evil, injury, or damage
2: one that threatens
3: an indication of something impending
Inflict evil: that hits hard. There is one who wishes to inflict evil and I must not let myself be lulled into thinking that is not real.
I feel most threatened now that by the idea that I am wrong. That, and that I am failing because I cannot control some things and some people. And this makes me feel afraid.
3. I flee my life by withdrawing from life and escaping, usually by reading or spending time on the computer. Yes, I am fleeing. Now. My fleeing brought me here, thankfully!
5. Yes, I do need to hear the words, âSettle down.â I need to realize that God is in charge, and thank God that it is so.
6. I think God is saying: Have faith and trust. You donât have to control everything, fix it or make it better.
1. NLT, ERV, NET
I liked the ERV (Easy-to-Read) Version
15 The Lord God, the Holy One of Israel, says, âIf you come back to me you will be saved. Only by remaining calm and trusting in me can you be strong.â
But you donât want to do that. 16 You say, âNo, we need fast horses for battle.â That is trueâyou will need fast horses, but only to run away because your enemy will be faster than your horses. 17 One enemy soldier will make threats, and a thousand of your men will run away. And when five of them make threats, all of you will run away. The only thing that will be left of your army will be a flagpole on a hill.
18 So the Lord is waiting to show his mercy to you. He wants to rise and comfort you. The Lord is the God who does the right thing, so he will bless everyone who waits for his help.
2. Threat-a statement of an intention to inflict pain, injury, damage, or other hostile action on someone in retribution for something done or not done.
It hits me hard being in the wake of recoverying from a great deal of inflicted pain, damage and injury. I feel most threatened to never be able to get free and healed of the damage done to me…I feel like I am trying so hard to heal and am exhausted and wishing so much for God’s help.
3. Fleeing for me looks like self preservation and the preservation of my little boy. I sense another type of fleeing that I just don’t know how to handle…I feel as if I am fleeing God in an attempt to protect my heart from further disappointment and more deferred hope…I just don’t have the strength to keep hoping. I do feel in flee mode.
4. I feel like the Isaiah passage is more of our fleeing from God, trying to do things our own way or take matters into our own hands where as the other two passages are more of actions we can take that will cause Satan to have to flee from us. I feel like in Isaiah God is saying coming to Him is the only safe place…fleeing away from Him and handling it ourselves will ensure Satan catching up with us.
5. Settle down to me is saying calm down, regain focus, stop panicing…fear and impatience is getting the best of me.
6. This is speaking volumes to me…I have a heart so broken and so much fear of never getting beyond a lifetime of hurt…I want to love and trust God with everything that is in me but I look at a life of so much suffering and pain and am struggling so hard with how to believe God loves me and how to trust someone who has allowed such pain into my life for so long…I keep trying so hard to please God and then lately I have finally, out of fear of more disappointment, started fleeing I feel…like I just have to protect my heart…
I feel like God is saying to stop fleeing and come back and trust Him…I don’t know if anything I’ve said makes any sense but thanks for letting us in on these questions.
1. My 3 versions were: NET, NASB, and ESV
For this is what the master, the Lord , the Holy One of Israel says: âIf you repented and patiently waited for me, you would be delivered; if you calmly trusted in me you would find strength, but you are unwilling. You say, âNo, we will flee on horses,â so you will indeed flee. You say, âWe will ride on fast horses,â so your pursuers will be fast. One thousand will scurry at the battle cry of one enemy soldier; at the battle cry of five enemy soldiers you will all run away, until the remaining few are as isolated as a flagpole on a mountaintop or a signal flag on a hill.â For this reason the Lord is ready to show you mercy; he sits on his throne, ready to have compassion on you. Indeed, the Lord is a just God; all who wait for him in faith will be blessed. (Isaiah 30:15-18 NET)
2. Threat- a declaration of an intention or determination to inflict punishment, injury, etc., in retaliation for, or conditionally upon, some action or course; MENACE
– Right now, our impending move is the biggest threat my family and I are facing. Due to some very poor decisions, we have to move by February 15th. We haven’t found another house yet and I’m not sure where the security and pet deposits will come from.
3. For me, fleeing is freaking out. I don’t really run from problems…I drive myself crazy trying to find solutions (the less pain the better) and then ask God to bless my choices. I am trying to learn to look at stressful or trying situations from a different perspective instead of allowing my emotions and flawed belief system to propel me forward. And if, by divine intervention, I manage to keep my cool, I can usually count on someone in my inner circle to be the devil on my shoulder tempting me to grab hold of the reins instead of “walking by faith and not by sight”. That’s why I love the James verse: RESIST, RESIST, RESIST.
– Right now, it’s strange. I know I should be freaking out, but I’m oddly at peace and I’m not sure what to make of it. I was up early this morning because I have a sick little one with Strep throat, so I sat down to work on this assignment and have some prayer time. At that time, the date we had to move was Feb. 5th. When I was finished with that, I ran my daughter up to the Urgent Care for antibiotics (I have to mention my near panic attack at the thought of all the germs floating around), then came home to take a scalding shower to disinfect. About an hour after I got home, my landlord came over and asked me how things were going with the search for a home. Long story short, he gave us a 10 day extension…THANK YOU LORD!! We do not deserve it!
4. To compare and contrast the verses, I sort of blended them together:
If you try to go it alone without The Lord, you will be running from one problem after another, alienating and isolating yourself until you’re alone like a flagstaff on a mountaintop, wide open for the roaring lion to devour once you’ve worn yourself out…Submit to God and resist the devil, then HE will run from YOU!
5. Yes, I need to hear SETTLE DOWN a lot! My mind tends to go to the worst possible scenario and sends me scrambling for any way to avoid it.
6. The biggest thing I’m getting from this passage is to trust God. I know that seems really simple, but, right now there aren’t a lot of people i do trust, so its big for my very human heart. I’m learning that I don’t have to follow my instincts and emotions…I know from past experience that He has my back, this situation is no different! If I turn to Him and stick with Him, I’m less likely to wind up with a “kick me” sign on my back the enemy is more than willing to take advantage of.
I do not know of any Bible study on Isaiah and for the last few months, I have been studying this book slowly, but trying to make it through. It just is amazing that you have picked this particular passage out. I use the NKJ and regular KJ, and a Dake’s Bible sometimes.
Instead of trusting God the people fled.
In our brokeness, in our wilderness of life we fail in areas of our lives to share the gospel with others and lead them to Christ sometimes, we fail to trust Him in areas of failure, fear, our feelings of defeat, despair and feeling hopeless. We fail in to trust Him to provide, protect, and to forgive us. We keep going in a circle, in the dry desert, empty and accomplishing nothing that builds the His Kingdom. We don’t see or hear the cry of those who are hurting; we are like dried up weeds. But when God comes and we settle down. He strengthens us, gives us springs of water, and we walk with Him on that Highway of Holiness and never go astray. We rejoice with singing and praise for Him.
1. NIV, MSG, NASB
Isaiah 30:15-18 (NASB)
15 For thus the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel, has said,
âIn repentance and rest you will be saved,
In quietness and trust is your strength.â
But you were not willing,
16 And you said, âNo, for we will flee on horses,â
Therefore you shall flee!
âAnd we will ride on swift horses,â
Therefore those who pursue you shall be swift.
17 One thousand will flee at the threat of one man;
You will flee at the threat of five,
Until you are left as a flag on a mountain top
And as a signal on a hill.
18 Therefore the Lord longs to be gracious to you,
And therefore He waits on high to have compassion on you.
For the Lord is a God of justice;
How blessed are all those who long for Him.
2. Definition of THREAT
(1) an expression of intention to inflict evil, injury, or damage
(2) one that threatens
(3) an indication of something impending
I found each of the 3 definitions relevant to what I have been walking through for the past 3 years. I have lived through 1 and 3 and because of that I am at the point where there is an indication of something pending. It is scary, painful and frustrating.
3. For me fleeing is withdrawing from a person or situation. I may not physically withdraw, but I tend to just back off from being too vocal or from doing too much that would put me on display. I basically shrink into the shadows. I have been in fleeing mode for 3 years now. I would say 4, but I spent the first year completing what I was doing when the trouble started, in spite of the desire to just back away and flee. However, I really felt like God God was leading me to step aside after the work I was doing was over. I wouldn’t have survived this wilderness like experience if I was not certain He was with me.
4. The text in Isaiah gives a a demonstration of God’s children running from human enemies instead of turning to Him for help. It indicates that running and trying to save themselves is futile. If they had turned to God, repented, quieted themselves and put their confidence in Him they would have been saved from their enemies. In James 4:7 and 1 Peter 5:8-10 we are reminded of who our enemy is and also clear instructions on how to get him to flee from us. Our strength and deliverance comes through submitting to God. We are to stand firm in the faith and God will intervene for us.
5. I have been hearing the words “settle down” and still need to hear them because I find myself becoming restless and scared when I focus on the fact that when I thought I was obeying God, pursuing peace, things got so much worse. 1 Peter 5:10 is precious to me, for it reminds me that even when we are doing the right thing we may suffer for it, but the suffering is only for a while. God will deliver if I simply settle down, wait and trust Him completely.
6. This assignment was rather timely for me. I have been getting restless and tired. In its simplicity, it has encouraged my aching soul. The scriptures are some I have become very familiar with. Isaiah 30:15 is stuck up in my office with my affirmation, that by God’s grace I will (rest in Him, be quiet and confident in Him). Yet I do feel threatened and I may be quiet on the outside, but inside of me is raging. The scriptures in this assignment reminds me that God sees right through me. He knows I’ve been planning my own defense if the threat becomes a reality. I’m returning to God for my deliverance and in repentance I cry out, “I trust You Lord!”
NIV NLT KJV
For 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.
16 But ye said, No; for we will flee upon horses; therefore shall ye flee: and, We will ride upon the swift; therefore shall they that pursue you be swift.
17 One thousand shall flee at the rebuke of one; at the rebuke of five shall ye flee: till ye be left as a beacon upon the top of a mountain, and as an ensign on an hill.
18 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 all they that wait for him. KJV
Threat-noun 1. a declaration of an intention or determination to inflict punishment, injury,etc., in retaliation for, or conditionally upon, some action or course; menace:
2., an indication or warning of probable trouble:
3., a person or thing that threatens.
I feel threatened by the unknown. I’m a person who doesn’t mind knowing the end of a story before I finish the movie or book. It makes me feel safer to now the outcome good or bad. The situation I’m in now, could go a lot of different ways. All of which I know God would give me grace to handle. I’m just having trouble handling not knowing which way it is going to go.
I flee by ignoring. Mostly to people who have said or done something that hurt me, or I just didn’t like what they did.
I’m not very good at this sort of thing, but something I see similar between the Isa text and the 1 Peter text, is the similarity of waiting(Isa) and suffering affliction(1 Peter). I have felt the greatest affliction in my life has been the waiting. He says in verse 15 of Isa 30 the words returning, rest and quietness, and then in verse 18 wait. Those things produce salvation, strength and blessings. In 1 Peter 5:10 suffering perfects, establishes, strengthens, and settles or quiets us. Through suffering affliction we learn to wait on God’s timing, and trust that His way is best. We become the best version of ourselves and although the way is hard we are the most blessed in the wait.
Isaiah Assignment
1. I read the passage in NASB, Holman Christian Standard Bible , and The Message
Isaiah 30:15-18
Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
15 For the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel, has said:
âYou will be delivered by returning and resting;
your strength will lie in quiet confidence.
But you are not willing.â
16 You say, âNo!
We will escape on horsesââ
therefore you will escape!â
and, âWe will ride on fast horsesââ
but those who pursue you will be faster.
17 One thousand will flee at the threat of one,
at the threat of five you will flee,
until you alone remain
like a solitary pole on a mountaintop
or a banner on a hill.
18 Therefore the LORD is waiting to show you mercy,
and is rising up to show you compassion,
for the LORD is a just God.
All who wait patiently for Him are happy.
2. Definition of threat:
A statement of an intention to inflict pain, injury, damage, or other hostile action on someone in retribution for something done or not…: “the family has received death threats” Or A menace of bodily harm, such as may restrain a person’s freedom of action.
During this season, we are enduring a real threat from our neighbors who are suing us. We are in the middle of the lawsuit, but the threat is still hanging over us as we wait for the outcome.
3. Fleeing in my life tends to look like âwithdrawal.â I usually stop communicating with friends and shut down with my husband. At this point in my life, I am definitely fighting the desire to flee. There are definitely days that I do not care to be me, and I donât want to be living my life. I feel a bit trapped at times with no visible solutions or way out. This makes me want to flee!
4. The Isaiah passage was incredibly powerful. It was just a great reminder that God is with us in the trials and difficult times. When my instinct is to flee, God says ârestâ with Him. Hmm⌠that is not easy, but this passage promises that the Lord is waiting to show me mercy and compassion. The I Peter 5:8 -10 passage reminds us that the devil is on the prowl looking for those he can devour. Once again, our God says âstand firmâ and âresistâ and God will personally restore us, establish us, and strengthen us during the trials. James 4:7 also commands us to submit to God and resist the devil, and he will flee from you. I found it really encouraging that God promises that the devil will flee from me if I submit to God. This is in contrast to me fleeing from my trials (in the Isaiah passage) and ending up âa solitary pole on a mountaintop.â
What great news! We have complete victory resting in Godâs grace and standing firm.
5. I loved the Isaiah passage and the command to âsettle downâ, or wait patiently. Yes, I need to sit quietly and wait for the Lordâs rescue and His strength and not rest in my own or plan my escapeâş
6. The thing that really stuck out to me was that God is telling me to âsettle down,â âwait patiently,â and âstop your silly efforts to save yourself.â As difficult as my life might be, or the the trials I may be enduring, God wants me to rest in complete dependence on Him. I am promised His grace and strength and His infinite mercy. God does everything right! I can trust Him.
NIV, KJV, NASB
For thus the Lord [p]GOD, the Holy One of Israel, has said,
âIn [q]repentance and rest you will be saved,
In quietness and trust is your strength.â
But you were not willing,
16 And you said, âNo, for we will flee on horses,â
Therefore you shall flee!
âAnd we will ride on swift horses,â
Therefore those who pursue you shall be swift.
17 One thousand will flee at the threat of one man;
You will flee at the threat of five,
Until you are left as a [r]flag on a mountain top
And as a signal on a hill.
God Is Gracious and Just
18 Therefore the LORD [s]longs to be gracious to you,
And therefore He [t]waits on high to have compassion on you.
For the LORD is a God of justice;
How blessed are all those who [u]long for Him.
threat
[thret] Show IPA
noun
1.
a declaration of an intention or determination to inflict punishment, injury, etc., in retaliation for, orconditionally upon, some action or course; menace: He confessed under the threat of imprisonment.
2.
an indication or warning of probable trouble: The threat of a storm was in the air.
3.
a person or thing that threatens.
A threat appears in some ways to resemble our own sin, whether in thought or deed. I have struggled with being a threat to myself for about 2 years in a battle with suicidal thoughts and actions. Until recently when an overdose almost took my life. God opened my eyes momentarily to the horrors of hell, just in time to call paramedics and providentially saved my life. Until that moment and a few following, in which I was led to Hebrews 10:26-27, I really was arrogant in my sin and believed I would still go to heaven despite taking my life.
Praise God Iâm no longer fleeing, but holding on to Him! Before this, fleeing had always looked like suicide. How dark and lonely for so long. I am so humbled to know I have a Savior that reached out so far for me.
Compare Isaiah with James 4:7 and 1 Peter 5: 8-10
Repent, turn back to Christ and allow Him to fight your battles for you. Stop trying to fight daily battles alone.
Therefore the LORD [s]longs to be gracious to you (vs 18 in Isaiah passage)
Spoke volumes to me tonight as I had already prayed for peace. As I mentioned earlier, God allowed me to see hell momentarily. I am not exaggerating, this was from a distance and all I do remember is the horror of it and how vast it was. I do struggle now with fear, and I know that is not of God. I know He only allowed that for a moment to save my life. Thank you for the homework.
1. NIV, Message, NLT
Isaiah 30:15-18
New Living Translation (NLT)
15 This is what the Sovereign LORD,
the Holy One of Israel, says:
âOnly in returning to me
and resting in me will you be saved.
In quietness and confidence is your strength.
But you would have none of it.
16 You said, âNo, we will get our help from Egypt.
They will give us swift horses for riding into battle.â
But the only swiftness you are going to see
is the swiftness of your enemies chasing you!
17 One of them will chase a thousand of you.
Five of them will make all of you flee.
You will be left like a lonely flagpole on a hill
or a tattered banner on a distant mountaintop.â
18 So the LORD must wait for you to come to him
so he can show you his love and compassion.
For the LORD is a faithful God.
Blessed are those who wait for his help.
2. threat- an expression of intention to inflict evil, injury, or damage
My biggest threat right now is feeling unsure of a decision to remarry. He is a good man and we have dated for many years. The threat comes from wondering if I can live with someone again after being on my own for so long.
3. Fleeing in my life looks like pushing someone away. I wish I could actually flee to a quiet place to reflect, but raising a teenager doesnât allow time for that.
4. We should submit ourselves to God in all circumstances, and he will be faithful to us.
5. Yes, I do not âsettle downâ well. There is lots of uncertainty in my life right now, and I find myself trying to control things, instead of âsettling down in complete dependenceâ.
6. I think God is saying, just rely on him, and stop trying to control all the details. I donât think I have been seeking Him enough and he wants me to put my faith in Him.
1. NIV, Message, NCV
This is what The Lord God, the Holy One of Israel says: “If you come back to me and trust me, you will be saved. If you will be calm and trust me, you will be strong.” But you don’t want to do that. You say, “No, we need horses to run away on.” So you will run away on horses. You say, “We will ride away on fast horses.” So those that chase you will be fast. One enemy will make threats, and a thousand of your men will run away. Five enemies will make threats, and all of you will run from them. You will be left alone like a flagpole on a hilltop like a banner on a hill. The Lord wants to show mercy to you. He wants to rise and comfort you. The Lord is a fair God, and everyone who waits for his help will be happy. – NCV
2. Threat is a declaration of an intent or determination to inflict punishment, injury,etc., in retaliation for or conditionally upon, some action or course; menace. It is an indication or warning of probable trouble.
No doubt, the biggest threat to me is a recent announcement that my job is moving to Tulsa., which will leave me without a job.
3. In my situation, fleeing means frantically looking for any job without any sense of direction. I’ve only known about this for three days so it is amazing timing for this assignment.
4. My enemy is the Devil, and he is the one fanning my fears about how the bills will be paid. I just need to be wise to what is happening here and trust the Lord.
5. I need to stop trying to figure out how it will all go. I worked through Beth’s Believing God series in September. Since then I’ve been praying to be on the razor’s edge of His will, and there’s no way to do that without trust. After the job announcement came out I can just imagine the Lord saying, “You’re welcome.”
6. There is comfort in the Lord if I’ll wait for his direction. I believe He is also reassuring me that He will bring me to work that fits with His purpose for me and that makes me happy. Thank you, Lord. And thank you, LPM.
1.) I read the NLT, NIV, and NKJV translations. I chose the New Living Translation for this passage.
Isaiah 30:15-18
New Living Translation (NLT)
15 This is what the Sovereign LORD,
the Holy One of Israel, says:
âOnly in returning to me
and resting in me will you be saved.
In quietness and confidence is your strength.
But you would have none of it.
16 You said, âNo, we will get our help from Egypt.
They will give us swift horses for riding into battle.â
But the only swiftness you are going to see
is the swiftness of your enemies chasing you!
17 One of them will chase a thousand of you.
Five of them will make all of you flee.
You will be left like a lonely flagpole on a hill
or a tattered banner on a distant mountaintop.â
Blessings for the LORDâs People
18 So the LORD must wait for you to come to him
so he can show you his love and compassion.
For the LORD is a faithful God.
Blessed are those who wait for his help.
2. Threat: a declaration of the intention to inflict harm, pain, or misery, an indication of imminent harm, danger, or pain. A person or thing that is regarded as dangerous or likely to inflict pain or misery.
My threat this season for me has been negative thoughts of worry, doubt and anxiety about my relationship and salvation with the Lord. I have been in the battle to renew my mind with the word of god each day. Every morning Iâm hoping I have overcome only to find that the battle has begun again and the enemy attacks me with doubt and faulty logic, Iâm finding that the only way to win this war is to give it over to God and not try to reason everything going on to try and cope with the stress of this battlefield of the mind. If we donât give it to God we become our own worst enemy.
3. I usually flee from conflict in my life, I have a hard time standing up for myself and I hate when people are mad at me. I always want to do the right thing and can get paralyzed or intimidated if I make a decision that is not popular. I have based the perception of myself on what my parents think of me and close family. If what they think or others think is negative, I run away or flee. In other words I stop talking to them in shame of disappointing them.
4. the Isaiah verse compares with the peter and James verse because they both talk about resisting the devil which the word resist in Latin resistere: to stand still, oppose, from re-+ sister to stand firm. Interestingly when the lord means to ârestâ in him or to stand still, quietness and to humble oneself to the Lord means your actually resisting the devil. So when we âleanâ on Jesus, rest on him, and just stand still, we are resisting the enemy! How sweet is that! We need to âleanâ and ârestâ on the Lord more often.
5.I do need to ‘settle down’! I worry frantically trying to figure everything in my life with Christ out. Iâm addicted to reason and have issues with trying to make my faith perfect only to realize while frantically trying to âlight my own fireâ I come under attack of the enemy with negative thoughts on my faith and with faulty logic. Iâm in need for the WORD OF GOD to renew my mind, by not settling down and resting in him Iâm fretting which only causes problems mentally, emotionally and spiritually.
6.The discernment I have gathered over the past two days on this subject, is to learn to âtrust in the lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding but in all your ways acknowledge him and he shall direct your paths.” I have not âleanedâ on him for all things and in all ways, out of fear of getting hurt or disappointing him. Out of selfish, carnal reasons I have tried to âcontrolâ our relationship, only letting him get so far, when he has wanted me to give it all to him. I have lived the past 2 years in worry, anxiety and fear of trying to âkeep my salvationâ and doing works in the flesh thinking that will make up for not giving him full reign in my life. But, thatâs not how the lord works, he not only wants full reign, a lot of times he puts me through dark periods where I have no choice but to rely on him step by step. Its hard to come face to face with the dark parts of myself and my true intentions for why I seek him. I see that I have dishonored him and disrespected him with trying to do it myself and doubting him and thatâs my greatest fear! It is leaving him or losing him because of my insecurity and carnal resentments. So I know for my own peace and I think ours, he wants us to surrender. Please pray for me and I will pray for you to make progress “leaning” on him day by day and filling our thoughts with good ones of him who loves us. Submitting to the Lord, resisting the enemy and he will flee from us. Praise our Lord Jesus Christ for revelations, may he give us the strength to obey him.
1. NIV ESV The Message KJV
15-17 God, the Master, The Holy of Israel,
has this solemn counsel:
âYour salvation requires you to turn back to me
and stop your silly efforts to save yourselves.
Your strength will come from settling down
in complete dependence on meâ
The very thing
youâve been unwilling to do.
Youâve said, âNothing doing! Weâll rush off on horseback!â
Youâll rush off, all right! Just not far enough!
Youâve said, âWeâll ride off on fast horses!â
Do you think your pursuers ride old nags?
Think again: A thousand of you will scatter before one attacker.
Before a mere five youâll all run off.
Thereâll be nothing left of youâ
a flagpole on a hill with no flag,
a signpost on a roadside with the sign torn off.â
18 But Godâs not finished. Heâs waiting around to be gracious to you.
Heâs gathering strength to show mercy to you.
God takes the time to do everything rightâeverything.
Those who wait around for him are the lucky ones.
2.threat-an expression of intention to inflict evil, injury or damage/ an indication of something impending/ a declaration of a determination to inflict punishment, injury for retaliation for or conditionally upon some action or course/ warning of probable trouble
an expression of intention … a menance … retaliation for so perfectly describes the unforgiveness I struggle with and the fear of socializing I so struggle with what caused the treatment, the words what was the intention if not to inflict injury or damage to me, or to retaliate … seems I can’t let go… or as The Word says I can’t trust God…
3.withdraw, stay home, …
4. all 3 speak of fleeing but Isaiah is speaking of fleeing from trusting God Peter & James fleeing from the devil Isaiah & Peter speak of using faith as my strength to resist & stop my silly efforts James by submitting to God & resisting
&in Peter AFTER God will restore, confirm, strengthen & establish me & in Isaiah But God’s not finished”
5. Oh my do I need to hear settle down I just keep on stirring it up … what happen … what happen … what continues to happen ….
6. fleeing stirring up it’s the devil’s temptation to do so. So just settle down & trust God to work it out!!
1. Isaiah 30:15-18
New American Standard Bible (NASB)
15 For thus the Lord [a]God, the Holy One of Israel, has said,
âIn [b]repentance and rest you will be saved,â¨In quietness and trust is your strength.ââ¨But you were not willing,
16
And you said, âNo, for we will flee on horses,ââ¨Therefore you shall flee!â¨âAnd we will ride on swift horses,ââ¨Therefore those who pursue you shall be swift.
17
One thousand will flee at the threat of one man;â¨You will flee at the threat of five,â¨Until you are left as a [c]flag on a mountain topâ¨And as a signal on a hill.
God Is Gracious and Just
18
Therefore the Lord [d]longs to be gracious to you,â¨And therefore He [e]waits on high to have compassion on you.â¨For the Lord is a God of justice;â¨How blessed are all those who [f]long for Him.
2. Definition of THREAT
1
: an expression of intention to inflict evil, injury, or damage
2
: one that threatens
3
: an indication of something impending
What is threatening me in this season? An indication of something impending. I am most afraid of âsomething impending.â Some days, I am most afraid of being put to the test. So painful and so ironic is the reality that as I am learning dependency on the Lord, I am most afraid of Him. Disappointing Him, misrepresenting Him, speaking of Him and doing the ânot Him,â falling back into a pit of self-dependence, manipulation, paralyzed by fear, being asked to lay yet another Isaac down. I have nothing in this season to cause such fear; but I am afraid of the seasons to come; it is ridiculous. I am so keenly aware of spiritual warfare and the Enemyâs malice; the true threat; yet I feel so worn, so weary, an unlikely and wounded warrior in His army. I am more afraid of âthe something impending (a threat)â than I am of actually being IN the actual difficult season because I have been through tragedy and He has proven faithful. It is like I am afraid that because the Lord carried me through ABC, so the next DEF is going to be even harder because he got me through ABC and, if I were a good servant, I would be stronger and would be gearing up for DEF and oh, Lord, what about GHI and JKL and MNOâŚand on and on. And when will I ever be strong enough to handle all of that! Some days I am exhausted with the thought of it and nothing but blessings have even come my way that day! Sometimes, I feel strong and secure and my heart imprint of Him carrying me through ABC makes me feel ready for DEF and other times I panic thinking, âNO, no DEF..I just canât, I just canât.â
3. So, some days, I flee. Not all daysâŚjust the ones were I feel like I failed Him; my family, myself, my colleagues, my patients. I flee by doing mindless things or engaging in self-pityâŚlike watching bridal TV too long after my children are in bed (even though my bridal days are over!). And, yes, even chocolate is a âfleeâ spree for me. I have been âfastingâ from chocolate because I am aware that I am using small things that seem trivial, but are really âfleeâ factors, so, this is easy for me to see. The fleeing. I plan birthday parties for my children, shopâŚthings that in themselves seem harmless, but sometimes, they are modes of escape. I also find myself getting easily agitated and impatient if that makes sense. That is an expression of âfleeingâ for me too. âI just canât handle this.â The self-pity, the fleeing.
4. Comparing the text to 1 Peter 5:8-10 (NCV) and James 4:7 (MSG), what strikes me is the âactionâ plan of the two texts to resist the threat (the Enemy) while, in contrast, the Isaiah text is more passive. The verses speak of a power-packed âNO!,â while the Isaiah text speaks of rest, quietness and trust. The emphatic tone in the Isaiah text (the action) is negative, really running away from the Lord while the action in the other two texts is against the Enemy. What speaks to me, a person who feels like a failure if I am not âstanding strong,â is that more rest, quiet and trust in His power to stand, not mine (the passive), is equally powerful as the proactive armor-bearing warfare spoken of by Peter and James.
5. Perhaps different modes of battle for different seasons, different days. Perhaps some âaction plansâ could be detrimental (like the Isaiah text); perhaps action isnât always what the Lord is looking for. I could use a lot more rest, quiet time and peace.
6. Perhaps there is power in standing still; perhaps that is âstanding firmâ too if the Lord is trying to protect you.
NJKV) Is.30:15-18. Also looked at the versions NIV and ASV
15 For thus says the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel: “In returning and rest you shall be saved; In quietness and confidence shall be your strength.” But you would not, 15 This is what the Sovereign LORD, the Holy One of Israel, says: “In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength, but you would have none of it.
16 And you said, “No, for we will flee on horses”– Therefore you shall flee! And, “We will ride on swift horses”– Therefore those who pursue you shall be swift! 16 You said, ‘No, we will flee on horses.’ Therefore you will flee! You said, ‘We will ride off on swift horses.’ Therefore your pursuers will be swift!
17 One thousand shall flee at the threat of one, At the threat of five you shall flee, Till you are left as a pole on top of a mountain And as a banner on a hill. 17 A thousand will flee at the threat of one; at the threat of five you will all flee away, till you are left like a flagstaff on a mountaintop, like a banner on a hill.”
18 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. Â
Threat- an indication or warning of probable trouble. 2. A declaration of an intention or determination to inflict punishment. 3. Â A person or thing that threatens.
What is made clear to me is to not panic and be still.  Our job is to not panic and God will do the rest. He can’t bless us till we settle our nerves and become completely dependent upon His strength then  we can receive His blessing of peace, which to our friends and family, we may seem we’re not taking the situation seriously.  In the end, God always receives the glory.Â
1.I read NIV(â84), ESV and NLT. NLT spoke the most blatantly to me: This is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel, says: âOnly in returning to me and resting in me will you be saved. In quietness and confidence is your strength. But you would have none of it. You said, âNo, we will get our help from Egypt. They will give us swift horses for riding into battle.â But the only swiftness you are going to see is the swiftness of your enemies chasing you! One of them will chase a thousand of you. Five of them will make all of you flee. You will be left like a lonely flagpole on a hill or a tattered banner on a distant mountaintop.â So the Lord must wait for you to come to him so he can show you his love and compassion. For the Lord is a faithful God. Blessed are those who wait for his help.
2.Threat: A statement of an intention to inflict pain, injury, damage, or other hostile action on someone in retribution for something done or not…: “the family has received death threats”
Also, a menace of bodily harm, such as may restrain a person’s freedom of action.
This hits me as true. The thing most threatening to me right now is myself. I feel that I am not mentally, physically, or spiritually fit for what God calls me to do and has gifted me to do.
3.To me, fleeing means to run away from something. I am most prone to flee from responsibility (Iâm a teenager for crying out loud). Iâm in fleeing mode right now, I donât want to change in order to not be a threat to myself, but I know I need to in order to be the person God wants me to be.
4.It seems that the theme of this is fleeing from our threats. In the Isaiah verses itâs about how we shouldnât flee, rather we can only be blessed by returning to the Lord, the faithful God. In these two verses it tells us what it looks like to not flee. We do this by being self-controlled and alert (the very things Iâm fleeing fromâŚ). Then the devil, that wicked lion, will flee from us instead.
5. Haha, yes. I do⌠I need to stop avoiding what I know I need to do. I need to start being alert instead of preoccupying myself with other things. I need to just settle down into Godâs presence and into the responsibility I have not to be an unproductive Christian.
6.Iâm very glad I decided to do this. I need to settle down. Just stop being uncontrolled in how I spend my time, itâs useless to try fighting a battle without God. As the NLT puts it, âyou will be left like a lonely flagpole on a hill or a tattered banner on a distant mountaintop.â I need to wait, study, and prepare for what God wants me to do with my life, âBlessed are those who wait on His help.â Itâs going to be hard, but wasn’t it always hard for Godâs people to go into battle with their âsuper weaponâ as God, an invisible Power?
1. NIV, HCS,
AMP
For thus said the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel: In returning [to Me] and resting [in Me] you shall be saved; in quietness and in [trusting] confidence shall be your strength. But you would not,
16 And you said, No! We will speed [our own course] on horses! Therefore you will speed [in flight from your enemies]! You said, We will ride upon swift steeds [doing our own way]! Therefore will they who pursue you be swift, [so swift that]
17 One thousand of you will flee at the threat of one of them; at the threat of five you will flee till you are left like a beacon or a flagpole on the top of a mountain, and like a signal on a hill.
18 And therefore the Lord [earnestly] waits [expecting, looking, and longing] to be gracious to you; and therefore He lifts Himself up, that He may have mercy on you and show loving-kindness to you. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) are all those who [earnestly] wait for Him, who expect and look and long for Him [for His victory, His favor, His love, His peace, His joy, and His matchless, unbroken companionship]!
2.
Most threatened by matters concerning my children. It can be anything from health, school, and interpersonal skills to family relationships. I am extremely sensitive (overly) to anything that resembles things that I have struggled with that I was exposed to or acquired at a young age (such as insecurity, fear, anger, etc..)
3. Fleeing in my life is truly âfight or flightâ, actually now more flight than fight. In the past I have lashed out against perceived threats. Iâve let my feelings and thoughts be heard loud and clear. However as God began the work of restoring the broken places of my life he is worked on quieting my mind and mouth. I have truly found peace in quietness (that is after the wresting match between my tongue and jaw is over ;)). The more I have leaned into trusting God and thanking him I do not have to respond to everything (Proverbs 12:16) the more peace I have. HOWEVER I now many times find myself just fleeing, moving on away (running) from threats. My tendency now is towards isolation. I put up walls for protection and safety.
4.
It is about submission. It is about a true faith that works that I hold on to no matter how freaked out I am, only because I believe and compelled by Godâs goodness, grace and love to do so. I submit not out of weakness or ignorance I submit because my whole experience bears witness to Godâs love. I can trust him He has come through for me, He will come through for me, He is coming through for me. He works all things for my good. He is gentle with those that have young and that is me! I have young and I believe he knows my weakness and I submit. Sometimes (often) it looks really ugly, or awkward and many times it may feel uncomfortable but each time I have submitted on the front end, I have found peace and in it I have found strength for another day, another hour another evening.
5. Yes I do need to hear to settle down!
âI can work any problem. God gave me a brain and the ability to think from many angles and there is not a circumstance, problem, situation I cannot figure out. AND if there is then obviously there is something wrong with me and I have messed up so bad that I have exceeded Godâs grace and love.â Thatâs exactly why I need to hear â SETTLE DOWN!!
6. Continue to wait. Do not get distracted as you do and try to find ways to just be busy to generate your own peace. Be busy waiting in God. What does that look like? Blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) are all those who [earnestly] wait for Him, who expect and look and long for Him [for His victory, His favor, His love, His peace, His joy, and His matchless, unbroken companionship]!
To expect Him to show up where I do not expect him, where it appears impossible. To look for him everyday in the day to day routine. To long for him. To long to speak to HIM, to long be quiet in his presence, to long to just sit and rest in His light.
1.NIV, NLT, Message — I chose NLT
Isaiah 30:15-18
New Living Translation (NLT)
15 This is what the Sovereign LORD,
the Holy One of Israel, says:
âOnly in returning to me
and resting in me will you be saved.
In quietness and confidence is your strength.
But you would have none of it.
16 You said, âNo, we will get our help from Egypt.
They will give us swift horses for riding into battle.â
But the only swiftness you are going to see
is the swiftness of your enemies chasing you!
17 One of them will chase a thousand of you.
Five of them will make all of you flee.
You will be left like a lonely flagpole on a hill
or a tattered banner on a distant mountaintop.â
Blessings for the LORDâs People
18 So the LORD must wait for you to come to him
so he can show you his love and compassion.
For the LORD is a faithful God.
Blessed are those who wait for his help.
2. Definition of Threat: noun: a suggestion that something unpleasant or violent will happen, especially if a particular action or order is not followed
The word âthreatâ hit me mildly at first. I can relate to the part of the definitionthat describes something âunpleasantâ, but I canât relate to the possibility of âviolenceâ. But, as I continue to read the instructions and see the word âinsecurityâ, I am quickly reminded that I am feeling mildly threatened albeit insecure in my workplace. I have perceived that I have two bosses. One is a âboard of directorsâ. The other boss is a hired financial manager who has been granted quite a bit of authority and decision-making power over our organization. Recently, I discovered that itâs true that a person cannot serve two masters. I am feeling insecure about which person or entity is my boss. Who has ultimate control and authority over my employment such as approving wage increase, etc.?
3. I am not prone to actually flee as a response, but I am mightily tempted. An impulse that is keen to ârunning away from homeâ comes over me. Usually when I feel a huge sense of injustice being inflicted upon me â unwarranted criticism is a fine example. Once the haze fades, I realize that what I am dealing with is another case of âtoo much prideâ.
4. Comparing the Isaiah passage to the 1 Peter passage, I see a call to âstand firm, stay strongâ instead of fleeing from the enemy. The passage from James tells us that it will be the enemy (the devil) who will flee from us when we resist him. (yes, AMEN!)
5. âSettle downâ â at this moment, while doing this assignment, no, I donât feel called to âsettle downâ in that sense that this lesson is pointing. But, I think itâs because I am feeling much more settled down tonight versus how I felt on Tuesday night. I will spare you the details, but my unrest stemmed from the issue that I described that was âthreatening my peace and sense of securityâ.
6. Itâs wonderful to be reminded even more tonight to rest in the Lord, to know that he waits for me to settle down, that heâs gathering his strength even while Iâm ready to flee or punch someone or both. Not sure if this is worth sharing here, but I was tickled to read the âdaily verseâ on Wednesday morning, sent by a friend from Ezra 7:28 ERV. âGod showed his faithful love to me in front of the king, his advisors, and the kingâs important officials. The LORD my God was with me, and that gave me courage.â Oh ya ⌠Praise God.
1. NKJV, ESV, Net Bible
15 For this is what the master, the Lord, the Holy One of Israel says: âIf you repented and patiently waited for me, you would be delivered; if you calmly trusted in me you would find strength,but you are unwilling.
30:16 You say, âNo, we will flee on horses,â so you will indeed flee. You say, âWe will ride on fast horses,â so your pursuers will be fast.
30:17 One thousand will scurry at the battle cry of one enemy soldier; at the battle cry of five enemy soldiers you will all run away, until the remaining few are as isolated as a flagpole on a mountaintop or a signal flag on a hill.â
30:18 For this reason the Lord is ready to show you mercy; he sits on his throne, ready to have compassion on you. Indeed, the Lord is a just God; all who wait for him in faith will be blessed. NET Bible (https://net.bible.org/#!bible/Isaiah+30)
2. Threat: “an expression of intention to inflict evil, injury or damage” (Websters online dictionary). I am threatened by feelings of insecurity that are from the devil.
3. Fleeing – I flee when I run away from God and his steadfast love and provision and try to do things in my own way and timing. Fleeing is, in a sense, turning my back on God and not trusting Him to do what He said he will do. I am not in a fleeing mode right now. I am, however, in a “standby” mode which is just as bad.
4. The verses affirm that we need to hold fast to Christ and resist the devil. God will allow us to go through suffering, but he is always there and will give us the strength to go through the test. We will see His glory revealed as he strengthens us, thereby causing the devil to flee from us.
5. I like the Message interpretation. Yes, I need to settle down. I need to settle down and depend and rely completely on God. He is my Savior, my protecter and my comforter. I can place my trust fully in Him. Boy—-that was a revelation. As a single woman, I never felt I had this. I now have such a sense of security.
6. I now have peace and assurance that I am not walking through this world alone, fending for myself while seeking God. God is there—has always been there and will always be there. He will go before me, stand beside me, and protect me from all sides against the devil. I need to stop listening to the devil and put all of my focus on God and His presence and provision. God is telling me “trust Me, lean on Me, let Me fulfill My promise to you. I won’t let you down.”
1. NIV; NASB;
NKJV – 15 For thus says the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel: âIn returning and rest you shall be saved; In quietness and confidence shall be your strength.â But you would not, 16 And you said, âNo, for we will flee on horsesââ Therefore you shall flee! And, âWe will ride on swift horsesââ Therefore those who pursue you shall be swift! 17 One thousand shall flee at the threat of one, At the threat of five you shall flee, Till you are left as a pole on top of a mountain And as a banner on a hill. 18 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.
2. Merriam Webster Definition â âThreatâ – noun
1) an expression of intention to inflict evil, injury or damage
2) an indication of something impending
3) a person or thing that threatens.
This âhitsâ me in the area of financial uncertainty. There are so many changes happening within our familyâs circumstances and finances right now. I find myself feeling a sense of panic when thinking of how I am going to cover all the bases in the coming months. Every new need sends me back to my knees before God asking (begging?) for him to provide. I know He will but I canât seem to stop the catch in my throat or the flutter in my chest when confronted with a need *I* canât see a way around.
3. Fleeing for me is full mental withdrawal from the situation. A complete check out. Lights on, no one home, zombie wife/mother type of thing. At its worst, I can interact with people and go through the motions of daily chores, but at the end of the day have had no real connection with anyone or anything. Seeking to hide in my own inner reality versus dealing with the ones that face me. I donât think that I am currently fleeing inwardly, but rather fleeing towards my beloved savior. Seeking Him. Seeking His Word. Seeking for His Holy Presence to manifest daily, as the ârealityâ of my life. For Him to be new and alive and more real to me than anything else, every day.
4. God waits for us to âreturnâ to him in âquietness and strengthâ so that he may show us mercy and be glorified in our lives. (Isaiah 30:15-18 NKJV) The world is trying to âjarâ us out of the peace of Godâs presence, but we must be âsteadfast in our faithâ so that we are âperfected, established, strengthened and settledâ by Him. (1 Peter 5:8-10 NKJV). By resisting the world and its lures and submitting all things to God. (James 4:7 NKJV).
5. Yes, I need to hear this message. I have been fighting âpanicâ from feeling threatened by not knowing what is to come, and Iâm sure my bombarding prayers to God for mercy have been âunsettled.â My spirit, mind and emotions have all been âunsettled.â The only why of it is fear and unbelief.
6. I am reminded of the children of Israel in the desert after God delivered them from Egypt. Here God had completed huge miraculous acts to bring them out of bondage and preserve them. Then they cried out for food, fearing they would starve in the desert. I can look at them and think, why would God go through all of that with Mosses, Pharaoh and Egypt, only to starve the people? He simply could have done nothing and they would have perished or remained in bondage, but after such supreme acts, for God to let the people starve is just ludicrous.
My current fear has been quite literally, âHow am I going to feed my family?â God is showing me that He has not rescued me from bondage, restored my faith, my marriage and our family, only for us to starve. How ridiculous a thought and while I believe God can be funny, I donât think he is ever ridiculous. This is my call to faith over fear. Thank you Beth. May God Bless You Abundantly.
1.AMP – NIV – NET: “This is what the master, the LORD, the Holy One of Israel says: “If you repented and patiently waited for me, you would be delivered; if you calmly trusted in me you would find strength, but you are unwilling. You say, ‘No, i will flee on a horse,’ so you will indeed flee. You say, ‘I will ride on a fast horse’, so your pursuers will be fast. One thousand will scurry at the battle cry of one enemy soldier; at the battle cry of five enemy soldiers you will all run away, until the remaining few are as isolated as a flagpole on a mountaintop or a signal flag on a hill.” For this reason the LORD is ready to show you mercy; he sits on his throne, ready to have compassion on you. Indeed, the LORD is a just God; all who wait for him in faith will be blessed.
2 – threat: “source of danger; warning of the unpleasant; declaration of intention to harm; person who inspires fear/dread”
– hits me with feeling irritated at my “milling around” this sort of Graveyard of Threat, and i loathe it, really. I’m ‘threatened’ by the Word that says i’ll be treated like Him and He was rejected by those He loved, by those wearing the Word on their forehead and speaking His beautiful words. No different for Luther or a bunch of others and the whole idea twists my gut in absolute dread of hearing and seeing Rejection on the same faces today. And there’s just no way around it: when it comes, either hide or face it. Of course not ALL a Christian’s experience is this, not even most, but it’s a promised fact that persecution comes, and in the u.s.a it tends to come from within the ‘church’. I’ve felt it before (i trust God’s reasons) and it takes my breath. Shocks me cold. Suspect Jesus felt it to a ‘place’ i would not survive.
3 – I bolt when there’s a threat of rejection. If the air hints of such an odor, I disappear. I justify my exit by saying, “Well, if i didn’t want someone around i would like it if THEY left.”
– fleeing now? likely
4 – well, clearly God says, “Don’t you dare run.” I hear God, “Not only ‘don’t run’, but ‘Don’t sit there cowering obediently. On your feet. Stand there with what you can muster. LET your legs feel like warm noodles, cry if you must. But do not RUN.” The AMP 1 Pete part has the word “immoveable”. I like that, no confusion. And God is so nice about it all, saying, “Kel, your sister Sally over here in egypt is going thru the same deal. She knows what that feels like – all our family knows. Pray for ’em as you hope they are for you. Pray they pray for you! Maybe that’s what they’re praying!” The 1 peter verses are very encouraging from God once i looked at them awhile. He intended it so i think.
5 – Either “settle down,” or, “come out from under the bed.” People give me the shivers. And it’s not the boldly truthful ones, they’re a good, safe pain. It’s the insincere or Say One Way And Do Another; and no one wants to think this exists in our own sphere of human beans. I don’t. They’re just creepy, to me.
6 – I hear “Kellie, you have the fear of religious man about you. That’ll have to go, you know. You thought it was okay with Me for you to run and hide, saying, ‘The Holy Spirit is quenched, I will join Him. I will leave.’ But now you see, in My Word that you love, that I want you to stand, (courteously) immoveable. Just stand there and wait for Me to deliver. I promised I would and I will. It’s been your unwillingness, not your inability that’s kept you under. And while you’re standing there, be knowing that all our family is standing as you do, all over My very own planet that I invented, own, and run. Think of it as it is in truth, you’re standing up as one of a host of heavily armed soldiers arrayed across my glory filled earth (Glory!). This agony you fear, it’s not personal against you, but against Me. So take this ‘suffering for a little while’, in a quiet trustfulness in Me, and I’ll show you to be strong, as I’ve always done. It will come that I will ground you, and you will experience groundedness. I will settle you, and you will feel settledness. I Am God.”
I don’t know what’ll happen next, but i hope i don’t even LOOK at my horse. That lightning-fast horse of familiarity that can have me in the next galaxy in less than 2 seconds. Yet, God’s will be done.
Prayed for the Dallas weekend. He loves being there, as usual.
1. I read ESV, The Message and NIV. Here is the NIV version:
Isaiah 30:15–18
15 This is what the Sovereign LORD, the Holy One of Israel, says:
âIn repentance and rest is your salvation,
in quietness and trust is your strength,
but you would have none of it.
16 You said, âNo, we will flee on horses.â
Therefore you will flee!
You said, âWe will ride off on swift horses.â
Therefore your pursuers will be swift!
17 A thousand will flee
at the threat of one;
at the threat of five
you will all flee away,
till you are left
like a flagstaff on a mountaintop,
like a banner on a hill.â
18 Yet the LORD longs to be gracious to you;
he rises to show you compassion.
For the LORD is a God of justice.
Blessed are all who wait for him!
2. threat
[thret] Show
⢠a declaration of an intention or determination to inflict punishment, injury, etc., in retaliation for, or conditionally upon, some action or course; menace: He confessed under the threat of imprisonment.
⢠an indication or warning of probable trouble: The threat of a storm was in the air.
Because I have felt spiritually dry for a season, there is a vague feeling of threat that if others knew I hadnât spent a lot of time with the Lord or hadnât been in the Word as much as usual, that their opinion of me would go down and/or that my ministry would be in jeopardy.
3. Fleeing looks like reading, to me. For me reading otherâs people stories can be an escape so I donât have to be aware of a sense of sadness and inadequacy in my own story.
4. 1 Peter 5:8-10
8 Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 9 Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings.
10 And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.
James 4:7 NIV
7 Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
In these verses, instead of fleeing, there is a picture of resting and submitting to God. Itâs the same picture at the beginning of the Isaiah passageârepentance and rest, quietness and trust. Sitting in Godâs presenceâthe answer to the restlessness in us and the reason we try to flee.
5. I need to âsettle downâ in Godâs love rather than running to escape some of the emotions that weigh on my heart.
6. Even though it may often look like I take time for rest, it is not always resting in Godâs presence. I know He is calling me to spending more time with Him, reminding me that He is compassionate and gracious.
Judy Louisville, KY
1.) NIV, HCSB,
Isaiah 30:15-18
Amplified Bible (AMP)
15 For thus said the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel: In returning [to Me] and resting [in Me] you shall be saved; in quietness and in [trusting] confidence shall be your strength. But you would not,
16 And you said, No! We will speed [our own course] on horses! Therefore you will speed [in flight from your enemies]! You said, We will ride upon swift steeds [doing our own way]! Therefore will they who pursue you be swift, [so swift that]
17 One thousand of you will flee at the threat of one of them; at the threat of five you will flee till you are left like a beacon or a flagpole on the top of a mountain, and like a signal on a hill.
18 And therefore the Lord [earnestly] waits [expecting, looking, and longing] to be gracious to you; and therefore He lifts Himself up, that He may have mercy on you and show loving-kindness to you. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) are all those who [earnestly] wait for Him, who expect and look and long for Him [for His victory, His favor, His love, His peace, His joy, and His matchless, unbroken companionship]!
2.) threat [thret] Show IPA
noun
1.
a declaration of an intention or determination to inflict punishment, injury, etc., in retaliation for, or conditionally upon, some action or course; menace: He confessed under the threat of imprisonment.
2.
an indication or warning of probable trouble: The threat of a storm was in the air.
3.
a person or thing that threatens.
verb (used with object), verb (used without object)
4.
Archaic. to threaten.
I have a person in my life that always resorts to threats when he doesn’t get his way. It is his tool of choice in his box of manipulation tools. It is not just with me, but everyone in his life.
3.)I guess I flee by AVOIDING things that I know will lead to arguments. For example: I will not discuss politics with that manipulator in my life. It always leads to a disagreement. So I avoid politics with EVERYONE. As a result I know who our president is…and honestly that is it! or maybe I flee by putting other things off til a more convenient time? idk
6.)Fleeing looks like Standing firm in the faith against the devil and his schemes. Then he will flee from me!
1. ESV, NET, NLT. “For this is what the master, the Lord, the Holy One of Israel says: âIf you repented and patiently waited for me, you would be delivered; if you calmly trusted in me you would find strength, but you are unwilling. You say, âNo, we will flee on horses,â so you will indeed flee. You say, âWe will ride on fast horses,â so your pursuers will be fast. One thousand will scurry at the battle cry of one enemy soldier; at the battle cry of five enemy soldiers you will all run away, until the remaining few are as isolated as a flagpole on a mountaintop or a signal flag on a hill.â For this reason the Lord is ready to show you mercy; he sits on his throne, ready to have compassion on you. Indeed, the Lord is a just God; all who wait for him in faith will be blessed.” Isaiah 30:15-18 NET
2. Threat: a declaration of an intention or determination to inflict punishment, injury, etc., in retaliation for, or conditionally upon, some action or course; menace: He confessed under the threat of imprisonment.
3. I try to “fix” the situation by doing “right” things. I will spaz and will lose self control with my voice.
4. Rather than losing my cool and fleeing, I can calmly trust Him, stand firm, and the devil will flee from me.
5. Next time I feel my frustration level rising, I need to settle down, calmly trust, stand firm, long enough to listen for His voice, so that I may have a gentle and quieted spirit.