“And he said, Hear ye now, O house of David; Is it a small thing for you to weary men,
but will ye weary my God also?”
(Isaiah 7:13)
Is it really possible to weary a God who is Almighty… one who never “slumbers or sleeps?” (Ps. 21:3-4). According to the prophet Isaiah it is. In much the same way as a child who continually chooses to behave contrary to instruction tries a parent’s patience and eventually wears them down, so God is wearied by continual disobedience and unbelief in his people.
Our text here is directed at the house of Judah (“house of David”) in particular. But its message is pertinent to the nation of Israel at large, as well as to every individual who is adopted into God’s family.
Israel experienced countless miracles of God firsthand. Under the leadership of Moses, they were redeemed out of slavery in Egypt. They were rescued from certain death with the miraculous crossing of the Red Sea. They were tenderly cared for with daily manna from heaven and water from a rock. In their conquest for the promised land, they saw the walls of Jericho fall by the hand of God. And they saw him answer mightily at the showdown between the 450 false prophets of Baal and Elijah’s God at the top of Mount Carmel.
And yet they continued to blatantly rebel, building altars to false gods throughout the land to sacrifice not only animals on but their own children as well. Israel wearied God with their perpetual pagan practices despite his repeated warnings. At long last he had had enough, so he sent destruction and desolation to them all. He allowed the Assyrian army to conquer and destroy Israel, then later the Babylonians did the same to Judah.
This extensive narrative of how God deals with his people is the primary theme of the entire Old Testament. Considering how he judged his special chosen people Israel, how can we ignore the way we weary him with our own continued disobedience and unbelief?
We weary him with our hypocritical service (Isa. 1:14), our unbelief (Isa. 7:13), our iniquities (Isa. 43:24), our evil words (Mal. 2:17). As Thomas Hall said, “Sin is the great makebate between God and his people.”[1]
When a child of God persists in sinning, it turns God’s mercy and goodness into his wrath and fury (Isa. 64:5). Sin is in direct opposition to his holiness (Ps. 5:5) and dishonors all his attributes. Sinners deny his omniscience, as if he does not see what they do; his omnipotence, as if he were unable to punish them; his justice, as if he would never call them to account, etc.
Certainly, God loves his own. But when they willfully choose a life of perpetual sin and rebellion, he eventually grows weary of their disobedience and unbelief to the point where, as 1 Corinthians 5:5 warns, he may allow Satan to destroy their body “that his spirit may be saved in the day of death.” Let us take heed to walk in the light of his will and favor that we not be found as the nation of Israel, a people who wearies God.
Contemplations:
- We ought to consider how sin is odious to us, both by way of caution and humiliation; caution against the admission of sin and humiliation because of the commission of it.
- When I am sinning, I must remember that such sin is against my God, who has made me, who has kept me, who has bought me, and who owns me in his covenant grace.
- Should I sin against him who only ever demonstrated goodness to me? Is this how I repay the kindness of my friend, to sin against God my Savior and closest companion?
- Choosing to sin and causing God to grow weary of us should wound us to our heart (Jer. 3:25), for every sin is a breach of covenant. This truth should keep us from sin, for he is the Lord our God. Otherwise, we must ask ourselves, “Why call ye me Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?” (Luke 6:46).
- God will never be mocked but will most assuredly avenge the breach of his covenant (Lev. 26:25).
Further References for Isaiah 7:13:
Isa. 1:14; Eph. 4:30; Prov. 1:26; Psalm 5:5
[1] Thomas Hall, An Exposition by Way of Supplement, on the Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, Seventh, Eighth and Ninth Chapters of the Prophecy of Amos (London: 1661), 380.
