Isaiah 18
COMMENTARY:
: 2 “Which sends ambassadors by sea, Even in vessels of reed on the waters, saying, “Go, swift messengers, to a nation tall and smooth of skin, To a people terrible from their beginning onward, A nation powerful and treading down, Whose land the rivers divide.” The New King James Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982).
DEVOTION: God is a god of judgement and His decision as to when judgment will occur is often puzzling and hard to discern. In this chapter Isaiah is informing the Ethiopians that God would judge and in His timeframe. They could send messengers around the world and only when God said it was time for the overthrow of kingdoms would it occur.
We may attempt to overthrow difficulties in our life by sending memos to the senators or representatives, to judges or officials but God is ultimately in control. While expressing ourselves and speaking out against unjust activities is a freedom and privilege that we must exercise, do we just depend on that or upon God? As you speak or write in opposition to various issues take time to also pray and seek God’s time for the results. He does know the plans and times He has established.
CHALLENGE: Take time to pray for our Government officials and other individuals in decision making positions. God will move in the perfect time. (Dr. Brian Miller)
: 4 For so the LORD said unto me, I will take my rest, and I will consider in my dwelling place like a clear heat upon herbs, and like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest. (6703 “clear” [tsach] means radiant, beaming, dazzling, sunny, bright, white, or glowing.)
DEVOTION: Our God is omnipresent. Our God is omniscient. Our God is Almighty. That only begins to describe the God of the Bible. HE created the universe with just HIS Word. All three persons of the Godhead created the world.
Man is a created being that was created in the likeness of God. He is made up of three parts: body, soul and spirit. Mankind has the ability to think. Mankind has the ability to plan. Mankind is supposed to be dependent on the LORD for guidance but with the fall in the Garden of Eden that guidance requires personal choice. Most don’t want to follow the LORD. The LORD is observing what is happening on this earth. HE permits sin. HE never causes people to sin, they make that personal choice on their own.
Here we have a message to an African nation of ancient history. The LORD informs the messages from Cush or Ethiopia to return to their land. HE is in control of the situation. HE is going to defeat the Assyrians in HIS own time. God is in control of the weather. HE is in control of what happens to HIS people.
The middle verses of this chapter deal with the defeat of the Assyrians. HE wants the world to watch. HE will be quiet for a while but the harvest is coming. HE is watching from heaven.
God is silent like radiant heat on plants. God is silent like dew in the morning. Both are necessary for the harvest of a plant. The timing of the harvest has to be just right. Not too early and not too late.
Silence doesn’t mean inactivity. We are presently living in a time period before a harvest. There is a judgment come to this world. The Assyrians were defeated when 185,000 of them died in one night. God is still in control. HIS timing is always perfect even in judgment.
CHALLENGE: Study the attributes of God and get a greater understanding of HIS power. Then learn to turn to HIM alone for help.
: 6 They shall be left together to the fowls of the mountains, and to the beasts of the earth: and the fowls shall summer on them, and all the beasts of the earth shall winter on them. (929 “beasts” [bahemah] means cattle, livestock, wild beasts, a kind of animal that lives on land from the size of a hare up to the size of an ox or hors or perhaps larger, often domesticated animals, such as livestock.)
DEVOTION: Nations came and went during this time period. We find that the Israelites were not faithful to the LORD and HE allowed them to be captured by the Assyrians for a while as part of HIS judgment on them for their disobedience to HIM. However, the nations that go against Israel will be judged by the LORD after a time period of their use to HIM regarding helping the Children of Israel to seek HIS help to deliver them from their oppression.
The LORD loves HIS chosen people but they continue to disobey HIM and HE has to send judgment with the promise of relief in the future. It is sad that we have to have HIS chastening before we realize all the blessing we have.
As with Israel, so with us, is the fact that we always want more from the LORD but HE knows if HE gives more than we as Israel will want more than again.
Contentment seems to be hard to find for even the people of God.
After judgment and repentance comes restoration of HIS people. HE continues to work with them and us, in spite of, the fact that we continually seem to be prone to wander from HIS blessings and challenges HE allows in our lives.
Judgment is never welcome to those nations that go against God’s people but also is not welcome by God’s people even when they know they have not been living as they should.
CHALLENGE: It would be nice if we could learn from the past and sin less, so that, we can enjoy the blessings of the LORD regularly. Repentance is a daily way of keeping short accounts with the LORD.
: 7 In that time shall the present be bought unto the LORD of hosts of the people scattered and peeled, and from a people terrible from their beginning hitherto; a nation meted out and trodden under foot, whose land the rivers have spoiled, to the place of the name of the LORD of hosts, the mount Zion. (4178 “peeled” [mowrat] means made smooth, bare, be burnished, or be smooth-skinned.)
DEVOTION: As we compare translations of this word, we find that most of the new translations use the word to mean smooth-skinned. This word is used twice in this chapter. It is found in verse two as well.
It is used to describe the people of Ethiopia. The country was much larger than the present day country. It is thought to have included the nations of Sudan and Somalia. The people of this land were considered to be taller than most. This word means that they were individuals who have very little body hair. So we have the impression that all the body hair looked like it was “peeled” off.
In the beginning of the chapter we find this nation to one that is going to help Israel defeat the Assyrians. Again, the LORD wanted them to call on HIM for their help. Looking to other nations was never to be their goal. Having the LORD on their side was always enough. The LORD wanted them to show faith toward HIM but they continued to try to handle their problems with other human beings instead of HIM.
As scholars study this final verse, they see something other than just the defeat of the Assyrian nation. They see a time period in the distant future where this nation will bring gifts to the LORD in the land of Israel. The LORD will be reigning on Mount Zion.
Most believe it is during the time period of the Millennium when this will take place. The LORD has shown throughout HIS Word that HE has a future plan for Israel that has never been accomplished so far in history. This book of Isaiah has many references to a future time period when the Messiah will reign in Jerusalem during a time period of peace and tranquility. Check out all the references to this time period as we continue to read through the book.
We need to realize that God is still in control in our world. There has never been a time period when HE wasn’t in control. Our confidence should always be with HIM. If we follow the example of Israel and look for help from other sources we will be defeated. Our only hope and strength come from the LORD.
CHALLENGE: Dig into what the Word of God says about God’s future plan and ask HIM for guidance in the right way to present it to those who are searching for truth.
DISCIPLINES OF THE FAITH:
BODY
Chastity (Purity in living)
Fasting (Time alone with LORD without eating or drinking)
Sacrifice (Giving up something we want to serve the LORD)
Submission (Willing to listen to others and LORD)
Solitude (Going to a quiet place without anyone)
SOUL
Fellowship (Gathering together around the Word of God)
Frugality (wise use of resources)
Journalizing (Writing down what you have learned from the LORD)
Study and Meditation (Thinking through your study in the Word)
Secrecy (Doing your good deeds without others knowing but God)
SPIRIT
Celebration (Gathering around a special occasion to worship LORD)
Confession (Tell the LORD we are sorry for our sins on a daily basis)
Prayer (Conversation with God on a personal level)
Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)
Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)
DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:
Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)
God the Father (First person of the Godhead)
LORD – Jehovah (Covenant keeping, Personal)verses 4, 7
I will take my restverse 4
I will consider in MY dwelling place
like a clear heat upon herbs
like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest
LORD of hostsverse 7
God the Son (Second person of the Godhead – God/man, Messiah)
God the Holy Spirit (Third person of the Godhead – our comforter)
Trinity (Three persons of the Godhead who are co-equal = ONE God)
Angels (Created before the foundation of the world – Good and Evil)
Man (Created on the sixth twenty-four hour period of creation)
Ethiopiaverse 1
Ambassadorsverse 2
Nation that is scattered and peeledverses 2, 7
people terrible from their beginning
meted out and trodden down
whose land the rivers have spoiled
Inhabitants of the worldverse 3
Dwellers on the earthverse 3
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
Terribleverse 7
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
Restverse 4
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
People scattered and peeledverse 7
Mount Zionverse 7
Church (New Testament people of God)
Last Things (Future Events)
In that timeverse 7
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