The Book Of Isaiah. Day 96, A Prophecy Against Tyre, Part One

Chapter 23 contains a prophecy against Tyre, a city that lay north of Israel, a city that was a major maritime power in the days of Isaiah. It was the most important Phoenician city in that era. As Isaiah predicts, it will be conquered. It will be conquered first by Assyria, then by Babylon, then by Greece. The prophecy against Tyre is quite long and it will take us several days to study it.

Tyre was a symbol of great commerce in its day. It was a symbol of grandeur and prosperity. It was also a city whose citizens did not acknowledge God as Lord, for they were idolaters. You may recall that the wicked Queen Jezebel was a Phoenician and that she influenced her husband, King Ahab of Israel, to forsake the Lord entirely for the worship of Baal. She was the daughter of a king of Sidon; Sidon and Tyre are often mentioned together in the Bible because they were both major Phoenician cities, with Sidon being the oldest. Later in this chapter we will find Sidon being referenced as the "mother" of Tyre. 

"A prophecy against Tyre: Wail, you ships of Tarshish! For Tyre is destroyed and left without house or harbor. From the land of Cyprus word has come to them." (Isaiah 23:1) Isaiah foresees the destruction of this great commercial seaport city. The lands that trade with Tyre, such as Cyprus, wail at the news that the seaport has been destroyed. Isaiah predicts a time when there will be no harbor from which or to which ships can travel. 

"Be silent, you people of the island and you merchants of Sidon, whom the seafarers have enriched. On the great waters came the grain of the Shihor; the harvest of the Nile was the revenue of Tyre, and she became the marketplace of the nations." (Isaiah 23:2-3) Shihor and the Nile are both references to the goods of Egypt which were brought into the ports of Tyre. Shihor is believed to have been a river of Egypt or a branch of the Nile. Where will the Egyptians sell their goods now? How will their fortunes fare without the great seaport of Tyre?

When destruction comes upon Tyre, Isaiah foresees Sidon "disowning" that city as if Sidon did not give birth to it. He sees the people of Sidon taking a step back and distancing themselves from the city which has been met with such a sad and shocking fate. "Be ashamed, Sidon, and you fortress of the sea, for the sea has spoken: 'I have neither been in labor nor given birth; I have neither reared sons nor brought up daughters.'" (Isaiah 23:4) 

It's a strange but somewhat common human reaction for people to distance themselves from those who have experienced great calamity, as if this prevents them from meeting with sad circumstances as well. I recall my mother saying, after the death of my father, that it seemed like all of her still-married friends were suddenly keeping their distance from her as if they thought widowhood was contagious. Sometimes people will stand back from those who have gone through a tragedy, even when the tragedy wasn't anything they brought upon themselves. People are even more likely to distance themselves from those who have done something to cause their misfortunes. The people of Sidon probably thought the people of Tyre had "offended the gods" and brought tragedy upon themselves, or perhaps they thought the people of Tyre did a poor job of defending the city. The people of Sidon likely blamed the citizens of Tyre for their misfortune and for bringing misfortune upon others who would no longer be able to use this much-needed seaport.

The truth is that the people of Tyre did bring calamity upon themselves by living in idolatry, pride, greed, excess, and immorality. Isaiah is going to make it very clear as we move on through this chapter that the fall of Tyre is the judgment of God, saying that this was the plan of God to humble the Tyrians.

The Book Of Isaiah. Day 95, A Prophecy Against Jerusalem, Part Seven

We are concluding Chapter 22 today with a prophecy that is twofold, as we discussed yesterday. In Isaiah's day it involved a man named Eliakim who would be promoted to overseer of the king's household. But this prophecy also involves a future day when the Messiah will reign over the earth.

The Lord stated His intention to remove Shebna as the king's top official and to replace him with Eliakim. The Lord said He would place upon Eliakim's shoulder the key to the house of David. We discussed the ancient custom of wearing the keyring pinned to the shoulder of the robe. The man who wore the keyring had authority over all that belonged to the king. He could lock or unlock doors that no one else except his master could lock or unlock.

The same is true of the Lord Jesus Christ. He will be given a position of top authority. He will be able to lock or unlock things that no one else except God the Father can lock or unlock. 

The Lord Jesus Christ, in the revelations He made to the Apostle John, took this passage of Isaiah and applied it to Himself, saying: "These are the words of Him who is holy and true, who holds the key of David. What He opens no one can shut, and what He shuts no one can open." (Revelation 3:7)

When the Lord spoke of how He would depose Shebna from his position and put Eliakim in his place, He said that Shebna would die in a foreign land and that the tomb he carved out for himself and his progeny would not be used by them. In contrast, the position of Eliakim will be firmly established. "I will drive him like a peg into a firm place; he will become a seat of honor for the house of his father. All the glory of his family will hang on him: its offspring and offshoots---all its lesser vessels, from the bowls to all the jars." (Isaiah 22:23-24) 

In ancient times people often hung cooking pots and jars on pegs. This is a picture of the family of Eliakim being able to look to him as an example of godly leadership. The same cannot be said for the untrustworthy and prideful Shebna. About him the Lord says this: "'In that day,' declares the Lord Almighty, the peg driven into the firm place will give way; it will be sheared off and will fall, and the load hanging on it will be cut down.'" (Isaiah 22:25) As we discussed earlier in the week, Shebna was concerned with magnifying and exalting himself; therefore, he will be removed and another will take his place---Eliakim who is concerned with magnifying and exalting the Lord.

When we push the Lord aside and exalt ourselves, He must humble us. But when we honor Him, he honors us. 

The Book Of Isaiah. Day 94, A Prophecy Against Jerusalem, Part Six

At the end of Chapter 22 we find Isaiah making predictions about two different men. In yesterday's study his prophecy was about Shebna, a top official of King Hezekiah. This was a negative prophecy, for Shebna was a man filled with pride. Today's prophecy is a positive one that regards another top official of King Hezekiah: a man named Eliakim.

In yesterday's text we found the Lord stating that Shebna would be removed from his position. Today's text picks up where that left off by beginning with the words "in that day". The Lord is going to promote someone else to Shebna's position after He deposes Shebna.

"In that day I will summon My servant, Eliakim son of Hilkiah. I will clothe him with your robe and fashion your sash around him and hand your authority over to him. He will be a father to those who live in Jerusalem and to the people of Judah." (Isaiah 22:20-21) 

In the book of 2 Kings and later in the book of Isaiah we find Eliakim the son of Hilkiah referred to as "the palace administrator". The Bible provides no details to us about how Shebna was deposed and how he ended up dying in a foreign land (as the Lord said he would in yesterday's passage) or why Eliakim was given all the king's trust and all the political authority that had once belonged to Shebna. We can safely conclude that Eliakim was a more godly and trustworthy man than Shebna and that he was more worthy of being in the king's inner circle. The fact that he will "be a father" to the people indicates that he set a good, godly, and wise example for them to follow. Whereas yesterday we learned that Shebna was mainly concerned with magnifying and exalting himself, Eliakim was mainly concerned with magnifying and exalting the Lord. 

This next segment is believed by many scholars to be a twofold prophecy, and I agree. They state that it concerns Eliakim---the man who was given authority over King Hezekiah's household---and that it concerns the Messiah who will be given authority over everything that belongs to the Lord.

"I will place on his shoulder the key to the house of David; what he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open." (Isaiah 22:22) It was the custom for the man in charge of the king's palace to pin a keyring to the shoulder of his robe. The key (or keys) attached to the keyring opened every door that belonged to the king: all the doors in king's palace and all the doors in the king's storehouses. Anyone who saw the keyring pinned to the man's garment would immediately know he held a high position of trust and authority in the kingdom. Only this man could open and close the doors of the king. If he unlocked a door, no one else could lock it back. If he locked a door, no one else could open it.

When the Lord says that He will place on Eliakim's shoulder the key to the house of David, He is saying that He will see to it that Eliakim is elevated to this high position in the king's household. Since the king is descended from David, the Lord refers to the palace (and everything associated with it) as the house of David.

But an even greater promise is being made here than that which is being made to the man named Eliakim. In our next study session we will find the Lord Jesus Christ applying this prophecy to Himself in a passage from the book of Revelation. We will take a look at how God the Father plans to place on the shoulder of God the Son the keys to the kingdom: the eternal kingdom.

The Book Of Isaiah. Day 93, A Prophecy Against Jerusalem, Part Five

This final portion of Chapter 22 names some specific people as part of the Lord's prophecy regarding the city of Jerusalem. Today's segment involves a man named Shebna. 

Isaiah's message from the Lord regarding Shebna is not good. "This is what the Lord, the Lord Almighty, says: 'Go, say to this steward, to Shebna the palace administrator: What are you doing here and who gave you permission to cut out a grave for yourself here, hewing your grave on the height and chiseling your resting place in the rock?'" (Isaiah 22:15-16)

A large portion of Isaiah's ministry took place during the reign of King Hezekiah of Judah. In 2 Kings 18 we were told that Shebna was one of King Hezekiah's top officials and that Shebna was among the men King Hezekiah sent to the gates of Jerusalem to speak to the field commander of the Assyrian army. (We will be taking a fresh look at that incident later in the book of Isaiah.) Although Shebna must have been a man the king trusted and held in high esteem, it appears from Isaiah's words above that Shebna enjoyed making a big deal of himself. He was hewing out a tomb in the rock---a tomb fit for a king---in which to someday be buried in the land of Judah. It also appears as if Shebna was either performing this work without the permission of the king or that he was in the habit of going ahead and doing whatever he pleased, taking advantage of the kindness of the godly king Hezekiah who did not reprove him for his audacity.

Shebna's dreams of grandeur are not to be realized. He thinks he and his descendants will be entombed in their native land but this is not what will happen. Shebna lacks upright character; if this were not the case, the Lord would not have spoken such harsh words against him. Shebna may have been able to fool Hezekiah into thinking he's a godly man but the Lord sees right into his heart. This is why the Lord says to him through Isaiah: "Beware, the Lord is about to take firm hold of you and hurl you away, you mighty man. He will roll you up tightly like a ball and throw you into a large country. There you will die and there the chariots you were so proud of will become a disgrace to your master's house. I will depose you from your office, and you will be ousted from your position." (Isaiah 22:17-19)

The words above indicate that Shebna was in the habit of maintaining a fine fleet of chariots for himself. It was common for kings and for crown princes to travel with an entourage and it may be that chariots always went ahead of Shebna, announcing his approach, and that chariots always followed behind him. All of this pomp will soon be no more. The glory with which Shebna surrounded himself will be taken from him. 

Shebna is never mentioned anywhere else except in the book of 2 Kings and later in the book of Isaiah when Isaiah; both these incidents tell the story of the Assyrian army approaching the gates of Jerusalem. We have no idea what happened to Shebna after that event but there can be no doubt that the Lord did exactly what He said He would do. Shebna did not die on his native soil but in a foreign land, perhaps captured somehow by the forces of Assyria and transported to Assyrian-held territory. However his exile from Judah came about, we know that it did come about, because no word ever spoken by the Lord will ever fail to come true.

As we conclude Chapter 22 in our next study session, we find a message of good news being spoken about a different man.

The Book Of Isaiah. Day 92, A Prophecy Against Jerusalem, Part Four

When we closed yesterday's study we found Isaiah saying of the people of the era of Judah's fall that they would spend their time preparing to defend Jerusalem against the Babylonian army and then, after doing all they could to amass an arsenal and to protect the water sources and to shore up the walls, they would eat, drink, and be merry. Isaiah stated that what the Lord was calling them to do was repent in sackcloth and ashes but he foresaw them refusing to do so. 

Because they would not heed the word of the Lord, the Lord has this message for them through the prophet Isaiah: "The Lord Almighty has revealed this in my hearing: 'Till your dying day this sin will not be atoned for,' says, the Lord, the Lord Almighty.'" (Isaiah 22:14) 

What does this mean? Is the Lord saying He will close His ears to the people's prayers of repentance? No, He is not saying that at all, for the Lord always stands ready and eager to hear prayers of repentance.

The main thing happening here, I think, is that the Lord knows repentance isn't going to take place; therefore, He cannot relent from what He is proposing to do. What we have already learned from Chapter 22 is that the people will not repent. Right up until the end, with the enemy literally at the gates, they are partying hearty, as the saying goes. There may have been a few who repented at the preaching of Isaiah and the other prophets, but the majority never did, which is why the Lord followed through on His threat to allow the nation to be conquered. 

The Lord already knows everything the people will ever do. He can say with certainty that the fall of the nation is going to occur because He can say with certainty that there will be no repentance, revival, and widespread turning back to Him. He can see the future as clearly as if it has already happened. Their sins won't be atoned for because they won't accept the atonement that comes through repentance and through making the Lord the God of their lives.

Another thing is going on here and the key to understanding this is contained in the words "till your dying day". The Lord tells the people that their atonement won't take place, not even until "your dying day". Forsaking idolatry and a life of sin will not take place during the lifetime of the people who will be living in the nation when the enemy attacks, which is why the Lord doesn't turn the enemy away, which is why the enemy is able to conquer the nation and take most of its people captive. The Lord is warning the people that none who were taken captive by the Babylonian army will return to the land. Those people will not set eyes on their own land again. 

When we arrive at the book of Jeremiah we will find the Lord telling Jeremiah that the period of captivity of the people of Judah will last for seventy years. So we know that the thousands upon thousands whom Nebuchadnezzar's troops took hostage to Babylon never again set foot on Judean soil. I am sure that many did repent of their sins in Babylon, after they saw the result of their sins. But, due to the length of time they were held captive in Babylon, they died before the Medo-Persian Empire conquered Babylon and set the captives free.

The Lord hears prayers of repentance and He forgives sins. But sometimes there are natural consequences to our sins that are ongoing. For example, if we are unfaithful to our spouse, we can repent of that and pray to the Lord to forgive us, but that doesn't necessarily mean our spouse will forgive us. They may divorce us instead. Another example would be if we stole from our employer. We can repent of thievery and receive the Lord's forgiveness but our employer may still fire us. Some of the people were sorry for their mistakes after they were taken to Babylon, I am sure. And the Lord, I am sure, accepted their repentance. But that didn't mean anything to the Babylonians; they didn't set the captives free. The period of time allocated for the captivity was what was required for those who rebelled against the Lord to perish in the land of captivity, just as the period of time allocated in the wilderness (in the days of Moses) was what was required for the generation that refused to obey the Lord and go into Canaan to perish. The Lord knows exactly how long a period of difficulty should last and that is why sometimes the natural consequences of our sins don't vanish the instant we repent of them. 

The Book Of Isaiah. Day 91, A Prophecy Against Jerusalem, Part Three

Isaiah has been predicting the fall of Jerusalem, which will occur many years after his death, but upon inspiration of the Lord he visualizes it as if he is standing there viewing it while it happens.

In our last study session Isaiah visualized them repairing breaks in the walls and shoring up the walls, tearing down houses inside the city to use the blocks and brick to reinforce the city walls in an effort to keep the invaders out. He foresaw them taking steps to protect their water sources against siege by the enemy, so they would have water inside the city while the enemy camped around its walls. He foresaw them assembling an arsenal of weapons. But this is not what the Lord wanted them to do! Below we learn what the Lord urged them to do instead.

"The Lord, the Lord Almighty, called you on that day to weep and to wail, to tear out your hair and put on sackcloth." (Isaiah 22:12) In other words, the Lord called on them to be sorry for their sins, to repent of their sins, and to turn back wholeheartedly to Him. If they had done that, no enemy could have conquered them. Powerful as the army of the Neo-Babylonian Empire was, the Lord would have turned it away. The Lord would have either supernaturally defeated it (as He did when the Assyrian army encamped around Jerusalem) or else He would have empowered the heavily outnumbered Judean army to repel the enemy. Many times in the Bible we find the Lord giving victory in battle to His heavily outnumbered people, but He does this when the people are trusting in Him, not when they are living in rebellion against Him. 

In our next segment of text we learn that instead of putting on sackcloth, the people donned their most luxurious garments. Instead of repenting in dust and ashes, the people took on a fatalistic attitude, such as, "There is nothing to be done! We might as well enjoy what time we have left. We will drink. We will feast. We will party like there is no tomorrow." 

Therefore Isaiah says: "But see, there is joy and revelry, slaughtering of cattle and killing of sheep, eating of meat and drinking of wine! 'Let us eat and drink,' you say, 'for tomorrow we die!'" (Isaiah 22:13) Why did they adopt this attitude instead of bowing on their knees to the One who could forgive them and change their fate? Did they think they had sinned too much to be forgiven? If so, they were wrong, because as long as we have breath in our bodies, it is never too late for any of us to be forgiven! The Lord would not have sent His prophets time and time again, urging the people to repent, if He was not willing to accept their repentance. He would far rather have had them repent than to have to send discipline upon them in the form of invasion, siege, and captivity. 

I think it's possible that some of the people thought they had sinned too much to be forgiven but I feel it's far more likely that something else happened. I think the majority of them did not want to repent. I think they did not want to humble themselves before the Lord, submit their hearts and souls to the Lord, and live according to His laws and commandments. This is not an attitude peculiar to the people of ancient Judea; it is an attitude experienced by mankind ever since the Lord created the human race. There is something about mankind's carnal spirit that resists submitting to the Lord, which is why we have to struggle against temptation as long as we live in these mortal bodies. But when we place all our trust in the Lord for salvation, we receive the Holy Spirit to live on the inside of us to strengthen us against the temptations of this world, and the Holy Spirit enables us to live lives that contain more spiritual victories than defeats. 

I think the people preferred to live according to their own wants and, knowing that they didn't want to cast aside their idols and serve the Lord, they said this to themselves: "We will do all we can to set ourselves up for success against Babylon. We will fortify our walls. We will arm ourselves. We will store up provisions. We will protect the water supply. Once we have done all we can do, we have done all we can do, and we will live it up and enjoy what time we have left. When everything that can be done by our own strength has been done, let us eat and drink and make merry. If we die, then at least we will go out on a high note."

The Book Of Isaiah. Day 90, A Prophecy Against Jerusalem, Part Two

Isaiah has been shown a vision of the fall of Jerusalem, which will occur approximately one hundred and thirty years after the fall of the northern kingdom of Israel. We studied the first segment of this prophecy yesterday and today we are picking up at verse 5.

"The Lord, the Lord Almighty, has a day of tumult and trampling and terror in the Valley of Vision, a day of battering down walls and of crying out to the mountains." (Isaiah 22:5) Isaiah's words demonstrate that this calamity is from the Lord. We know from history that it was the Neo-Babylonian Empire which conquered Jerusalem and the kingdom of Judah but this could never have happened if the Lord had not allowed it. We will delve further into this subject as we move on through the books of the prophets, for the prophets will make it clear to us that it was for the sins of the people (idolatry and the corresponding descent into lawlessness) that the Lord allowed the nation to fall.

"Elam takes up the quiver, with her charioteers and horses; Kir uncovers the shield. Your choicest valleys are full of chariots, and horsemen are posted at the city gates." (Isaiah 22:6-7) Elam, a neighbor of the nation of Babylon, allied itself with Babylon according to historical sources. Kir is believed to have lain within that general area as well; it was either located within the borders of Babylon or was a neighboring city. Isaiah appears to foresee the soldiers of Elam and Kir taking up their bows and arrows and shields to advance toward Judah with the army of Babylon.

"The Lord stripped away the defenses of Judah, and you looked in that day to the weapons in the Palace of the Forest." (Isaiah 22:8) As the Babylonian army conquers more and more territories on its way toward Jerusalem, the people feel more and more vulnerable. The "Palace of the Forest" is likely the palace Solomon built with the fine cedars of Lebanon. An arsenal of weapons must have been stored there and the people evidently take an inventory of what is available to them for defense of the city.

They take steps to protect their water sources in case of siege and they take steps to strengthen the walls and to repair any breaks in the walls. "You saw that the walls of the City of David were broken through in many places; you stored up water in the Lower Pool. You counted the buildings in Jerusalem and tore down houses to strengthen the wall. You built a reservoir between the two walls for the water of the Old Pool, but you did not look to the One who made it, or have regard for the One who planned it long ago." (Isaiah 22:9-11)

Isaiah speaks of these events in the past tense, as if they have already happened, because he knows they will happen. The Lord has revealed His plans to Isaiah and Isaiah watches these events unfolding in the vision the Lord gave him, so to Isaiah it is as if the events have already taken place.

He states that the people do everything within human power to protect themselves, including protecting a vital source of water, but they do not do everything within their spiritual power: they do not call upon the One who created the water. They do not call upon the One who made them into a nation in the first place. They do not forsake idolatry and sinful living. They do not turn back to the living God in repentance. 

The Lord promised the descendants of Jacob, before He ever brought them into the promised land, that no nation could ever stand before them if they would remain faithful to Him. He also said that they would not be able to stand before their enemies if they forsook Him for idols. Isaiah foresees them looking to idols and looking to the works of human hands to protect themselves from the invader---and all their precautions will be of no use. They have failed to make God the Lord of their lives. As King Solomon said: "Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the guards stand watch in vain." (Psalm 127:1)

The Book Of Isaiah. Day 89, A Prophecy Against Jerusalem, Part One

We have been studying Isaiah's prophecies against nations that were the ancient enemies of Israel and Judah. But Chapter 22 takes a different turn: it contains a prophecy against Jerusalem---the capital city of Judah. Previously we studied prophecies against those who were the enemies of God and of His people. Now we are going to study a prophecy against those who were once the Lord's people but have made themselves His enemies.

"A prophecy against the Valley of Vision: What troubles you now, that you have all gone up on the roofs, you town so full of commotion, you city of tumult and revelry?" (Isaiah 22:1-2a) Although Isaiah uses the term "Valley of Vision", it will become clear as we move through the entire chapter that Jerusalem is the city he has in mind.

Jerusalem was built on a hill, not in a valley, but many scholars believe Isaiah calls it the "Valley of Vision" because the hill of Jerusalem was lower than a hill right beside it and because it was surrounded by valleys. Other scholars think the word "valley" is being used as a symbol for the spiritual condition of the people: they have sunk from the heights (from the right relationship with the Lord) to the depths (into sin and idolatry). 

We know from history that it was the Neo-Babylonian Empire that conquered Jerusalem. But this was not accomplished primarily through battle but through a long siege. This is why Isaiah says next: "Your slain were not killed by the sword, nor did they die in battle." (Isaiah 22:2b) This would not occur until over a hundred years later but Isaiah sees it happening as clearly as if he were standing in Jerusalem when it happened.

Judah's king and many of his officials and his soldiers (likely the royal guardsmen or the "secret service" as we would call them today) will attempt to flee the enemy by escaping from Jerusalem but will be captured. "All your leaders have fled together, they have been captured without using the bow. All you who were caught were taken prisoner together, having fled while the enemy was still far away." (Isaiah 22:3) 

Jeremiah describes this event: "But the Babylonian army pursued them and overtook Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho. They captured him and took him to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon at Riblah in the land of Hamath, where he pronounced sentence on him. There at Riblah the king of Babylon slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes and also killed all the nobles of Judah. Then he put out Zedekiah's eyes and bound him with bronze shackles to take him to Babylon." (Jeremiah 39:5-7)

As this vision passes before Isaiah's eyes, he weeps for the fate of Jerusalem. I believe what he says next is what the Lord says too, for I believe the Lord's heart was broken for Jerusalem as well. "Therefore I said; turn away from me; let me weep bitterly. Do not try to console me over the destruction of my people.'" (Isaiah 22:4) 

The Lord does not want anyone to perish. The Lord does not want to have to bring judgment against anyone. But if He does not discipline the people of Isaiah's nation for their idolatry, they will all be lost. The only way to save them spiritually and to preserve them as a people is to allow the scene Isaiah envisions to play out. After the nation falls to Babylon and so many of its people are taken captive, there will be a time of return to the land and from then on we never again see the people bowing to other gods. They will make mistakes, just as everyone makes mistakes, but they won't worship idols anymore.

The Book Of Isaiah. Day 88, A Prophecy Against Arabia

As we conclude Chapter 21 we find Isaiah issuing a prophecy against Arabia, meaning the general area southeast of Canaan. Exactly why disaster is going to fall upon that region is not outlined for us here but most scholars believe that the disaster was brought about by the forces of the Assyrian army. The reason the Lord allowed the area to fall under the onslaught of the advancing Assyrian Empire may have been due to idolatry, for although many of the people of Arabia were descended from Abraham, like others who were kinsmen of the Israelites they probably fell into idolatry over the centuries.

"A prophecy against Arabia: You caravans of Dedanites, who camp in the thickets of Arabia, bring water for the thirsty; you who live in Tema, bring food for the fugitives. They flee from the sword, from the drawn sword, from the bent bow and from the heat of battle." (Isaiah 21:13-15) Dedan was the son of Abraham's concubine, Keturah, and it is believed that the Dedanites were the descendants of Dedan.

We find the Dedanites fleeing from the Assyrian army and the destruction wrought by that army. The Dedanites were apparently gypsies or traveling tradesmen. At the time Isaiah gives his pronouncement against Arabia, the Assyrian Empire appears to be the main threat against his own nation of Judah. It is already attacking and conquering all of Judah's neighbors, including those whom he references as the Arabians. 

The peoples mentioned in the remainder of today's text were also kinsmen of the Israelites through Abraham. Tema and Kedar were descendants of Ishmael, Abraham's son through Hagar. "This is what the Lord says to me: 'Within one year, as a servant bound by contract would count it, all the splendor of Kedar will come to an end. The survivors of the archers, the warriors of Kedar, will be few.' The Lord, the God of Israel, has spoken." (Isaiah 21:16-17)

Isaiah assures his listeners that this word is from the Lord and that it is certain to come true. Not only is it certain to come true, but it will come true within a specific timeframe. If the prophecy did not come true and if it did not come true when Isaiah said it would, then nothing he said should have been trusted; that was the rule regarding prophets. If a prophet could not accurately predict an event in the near future, then the people were to disregard anything he said about the far future. But the things Isaiah predicted against Israel's and Judah's neighbors did come true exactly as he said they would and by this his people should have known to trust everything he said. They should have obeyed everything the Lord said to them through him.

Isaiah is making predictions that will come true during the lifetime of his listeners. He will also make predictions for a farther off time: when the Messiah would be born. As we move on through the book we will be able to clearly see that the things he said about the Messiah line up perfectly with the advent of the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Book Of Isaiah. Day 87, A Prophecy Against Edom

Our next segment of Chapter 21 is titled "A Prophecy Against Edom". The Edomites were related to the Israelites through Jacob's brother Esau but the Edomites never extended the hand of friendship to them. In fact, they did the opposite. 

When the Lord brought the Israelites out of Egypt, the Edomites refused to allow them to pass through their territory on the way to Canaan. The Israelites assured the Edomites that they would be no bother to them: they would transport their own water and eat their own food as they passed through. Basically, they were saying, "We ask nothing of you but to let us take this path which is the shortest way there. We will clean up after ourselves. We will take care of ourselves. You won't even know we were here." But the Edomites came out in battle array against them and the Israelites were forced to go the long way around. Despite their genetic kinship, the Edomites were never friends of Israel. They are another example of an ancient enemy of Israel about which Isaiah received a prophecy of judgment. 

"A prophecy against Dumah: Someone calls to me from Seir, 'Watchman, what is left of the night? Watchman, what is left of the night?" (Isaiah 21:11) It is not clear why Isaiah refers to Edom by the name of "Dumah". One of the sons of Ishmael was named Dumah but it is unknown whether he ever lived in Edom or whether a city was ever named after him. Some scholars think Dumah was an alternate name for Edom as the pronunciation is quite similar, but we simply don't know the answer. What we do know is that there is really no doubt this prophecy is intended for Edom because it mentions Seir which was the capital of Edom.

Just as in yesterday's study, when Isaiah foresaw a watchman in a tower on a city wall receiving the news that the capital of Babylon had fallen, he foresees a watchman in a tower on the wall of the city of Seir. Someone calls out to the watchman, "What is left of the night?" Or, in other words, "How long is it until morning?"

This is the answer the person receives: "The watchman replies, 'Morning is coming, but also the night. If you would ask, then ask; and come back yet again.'" (Isaiah 21:12) Morning---the literal dawn---will come. But figuratively speaking, night is coming for the nation of Edom. It doesn't matter whether the sun rises and shines on the land or not; the fall of Edom will occur.

Edom entered into a period of decline for quite some time before it was conquered by the Nabateans in around 500 BC. Isaiah lived in the 700s BC, so the fall of Edom is still quite a way in the future. Isaiah isn't the only prophet who foresaw Edom's doom; the prophet Obadiah foresaw the decline of Edom, saying in the voice of the Lord, "See, I will make you small among the nations; I will make you utterly despised." (Obadiah 1:10) If you have time, the first chapter of Obadiah provides more details about the fate of Edom, but to summarize that passage the Lord states that He is going to judge Edom because that nation showed no brotherly love toward the descendants of Jacob. "Because of the violence against your brother Jacob, you will be covered with shame; you will be destroyed forever." (Obadiah 1:10)

Not only were the Edomites unfriendly to the Israelites when they came out of Egypt, but they gloated when other nations conquered the northern kingdom of Israel and the southern kingdom of Judah. "On the day you stood aloof while strangers carried off his wealth and foreigners entered his gates and cast lots for Jerusalem, you were like one of them." (Obadiah 1:11) The Edomites were pleased to see "him" (Jacob) plundered. The Lord says the Edomites were as bad as those who attacked the descendants of Jacob: "You were like one of them." The first chapter of Obadiah goes on to say that the Edomites made a grave mistake when they gloated over the misfortunes of Jacob, when they swooped in after the descendants of Jacob were conquered and looted things that were left behind, when they cut down fugitives fleeing through their territory after disaster struck, when they captured refugees and handed them over to their enemies. Because of this wickedness against their kinsmen, the Lord said, "Your deeds will return upon your own head." 

When Isaiah foresees someone calling to the watchman in the tower, the watchman says a strange thing: "If you would ask, then ask; and come back yet again." The wording is not especially clear but I think what he is saying is: "You may ask your question as many times as you like but you will receive the same answer. Dawn is coming but that changes nothing. Night is coming upon the land of Edom, not a lack of light from the sun but a decline and eventually a fall to an enemy---a fall from which we will never rise. No matter how many times you ask me, I will tell you the same thing, because the Lord has already decided this will be the judgment for Edom's sins and He will not change His mind."

Had the people of Edom repented of their sins against Jacob and of the idolatry which they fell into long ago, the Lord would have changed His mind, but they never did and He knew they never would. This is why He could say with certainty that judgment would fall, because He knew they would not repent. The Lord avenges those who are His and He is announcing His intention, through Isaiah and through other prophets, to avenge the wrongs done to His people by the nation of Edom.

The Book Of Isaiah. Day 86, A Prophecy Against Babylon, Part Four

Today we conclude the vision the Lord gave to Isaiah regarding the fall of the Neo-Babylonian Empire, which would happen within approximately two hundred years, for Judah will last an additional one hundred and thirty years after the fall of Israel, after which the captives from Judah will be held against their will in Babylon for about seventy years until the Medo-Persian army invades Babylon. 

Yesterday Isaiah foresaw lookouts posted on the watchtowers of the cities of the kingdom of Babylon, waiting for news. We talked about how the Medo-Persian army broke through the walls of the capital city of Babylon, flooding into the city and engaging its citizens in battle---a battle in which many Babylonians perished, including their king. Now Isaiah foresees this bad news traveling around the region.

"And the lookout shouted, 'Day after day, my lord, I stand on the watchtower; every night I stay at my post. Look, here comes a man in a chariot with a team of horses. And he gives back the answer: 'Babylon has fallen, has fallen! All the images of its gods lie shattered on the ground!'" (Isaiah 21:8-9) We don't know which city is in view here, although I imagine the vision represents several cities where the same event occurred.

The scene is something like this: The man in the watchtower on the city walls sees a chariot with a team of horses approaching, driving wildly, and he knows there is news. He knows it is probably bad news, similar to how Paul Revere made his ride calling out, "The British are coming!" The watchman shouts down to the driver and asks him what has happened and the driver answers, "Babylon has fallen!" By this the watchman knows the capital city has been overtaken by the enemy.

The gods of Babylon (which are false gods) have not been able to protect those who worship them. These deities can do nothing good or bad for those who make offerings to them. These deities cannot even protect the images that represent them; therefore, Isaiah says, "All the images of its gods lie shattered on the ground!" 

In Isaiah's day the nation of Babylon was not a great world power. It had been in the past but had fallen into decay. But it will rise again soon, overthrowing its oppressor---the Assyrian Empire---and taking over many other nations, including Isaiah's nation of Judah. When the people of Judah are taken captive to the foreign land of Babylon and held for approximately seventy years, they will have the word of Isaiah to study. They will know the prophecy of the downfall of Babylon. They will know that the Medes and the Persians will overthrow Babylon. Isaiah's words will be a comfort to them then and, as he relays the message of the Lord to the people of his own day, he assures them that it is the infallible and unfailing word of God. "My people who are crushed on the threshing floor, I tell you what I have heard from the Lord Almighty, from the God of Israel." (Isaiah 21:10)

Later in our study of the Bible, when we arrive at the book of Revelation, we will see the rise of an empire which is symbolically referred to as "Babylon". It is the corrupt world system of the end times. It is a world system of materialism. It is a world system of false religion. But that empire too will fall, just as ancient Babylon fell. When the Lord gives the Apostle John a vision of the end times, the same cry will go up that went up in ancient times: "Babylon has fallen!" And just as the Lord predicted that ancient Babylon would never be rebuilt, the corrupt empire of the end times will never rise again either. The Lord will put down, once and for all, the rebellion of man. The Lord will put down, once and for all, the workings of Satan and the angels who followed him in revolt against the Lord. Never again will there be wickedness on the earth. The kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ will begin and will last forever. 

The Book Of Isaiah. Day 85, A Prophecy Against Babylon, Part Three

The Lord has been providing Isaiah with a vision of the fall of Babylon. In Isaiah's day the old kingdom of Babylon had largely disintegrated and it was not capable of preventing itself from being overcome by the Assyrian Empire. But the Neo-Babylonian Empire will soon rise and throw off the shackles of Assyria and then will conquer several other nations, including Isaiah's own nation of Judah. 

Isaiah's prophecy against Babylon is still about two hundred years in the future from his day but, during the time when many of his people will sit captive in Babylon, they will remember the promise of the Lord to judge Babylon. They will take comfort in the knowledge that He will judge the nation that invaded them, the nation that burned Jerusalem and the temple, the nation that dragged thousands upon thousands of their people off to a foreign land.

Isaiah continues relaying to us what the Lord revealed to him. "This is what the Lord says to me: 'Go, post a lookout and have him report what he sees. When he sees chariots with teams of horses, riders on donkeys or riders on camels, let him be alert, fully alert.'" (Isaiah 21:7)

In the vision the Lord is giving Isaiah, Isaiah has been watching the fall of Babylon unfold as if he is standing right there when it happens. You'll recall from Friday's study that Isaiah foresaw the reveling that would be going on in Babylon on the night when the Medo-Persian army will breach the walls of the capital city. Isaiah observed King Belshazzar and his officials drunkenly carousing while the enemy was at the gates. In describing what he saw, Isaiah said, "They set the tables, they spread the rugs, they eat, they drink!" 

This is what Isaiah said they should have been doing: "Get up, you officers, oil the shields!" The soldiers should have been preparing to defend their city and their king; instead they were invaded that night and a great number of them fell by the sword, including their king.

Keeping in mind that Isaiah is watching the fall of Babylon as if he is actually there, the Lord is not telling Isaiah himself to post a lookout. Isaiah is going to tell us what the lookouts posted in the watchtowers of the cities of Babylon will see and hear when the nation is being invaded. Isaiah isn't about to see chariots or horses or donkeys or camels invading Judah at this time and he is not the one who is to post a lookout. According to historical sources, the Medo-Persian army did indeed use camels and donkeys as well as horses and chariots. Isaiah, in his vision, foresees this great army and the modes of transportation they will use for war. 

As I mentioned in Friday's study, we will talk about the fall of Babylon---and the method used by the Medo-Persian army to gain entrance to the city where Belshazzar drunkenly partied---when we arrive at the book of Daniel, for this happened during the lifetime of Daniel. But when news that the capital city of Babylon has been overtaken reaches other cities of that nation, a great cry of anguish will ensue. In our next study session we will take a look at that portion of Isaiah's vision and we will discuss how it relates to the vision given to the Apostle John in the book of revelation. Isaiah foresaw the fall of the Neo-Babylonian Empire and the Apostle John foresaw the fall of a corrupt financial, political, and religious world system of the end times referred to as "Babylon".

The Book Of Isaiah. Day 84, A Prophecy Against Babylon, Part Two

In the first portion of Chapter 21 we found Isaiah predicting the fall of the Neo-Babylonian Empire at the hands of the Medo-Persian Empire. At the time he makes this prediction, the Assyrian Empire is the most powerful nation in that part of the world, but we know that Babylon rose to great power and conquered Assyria and that Babylon, in turn, was conquered by the Medo-Persian Empire.

When Isaiah is given the "dire vision" of the invasion and fall of Babylon, he feels what will be felt by the citizens of that nation. He says, "At this my body is racked with pain, pangs seize me, like those of a woman in labor; I am staggered by what I hear, I am bewildered by what I see." (Isaiah 21:3)

When we closed yesterday's study we talked about how it should break our hearts when unrepentant people pass out of this world. It should break our hearts to think about the judgment they will face. The thought of anyone leaving this world lost and having to face a holy God without the Redeemer to defend them should make us feel as Isaiah feels. 

The citizens of idolatrous Babylon will tremble in terror when their enemy breaches the walls of the capital city and begins the attack, but this would not have happened to them if they had placed their trust in the one true God. They could have lived in peace as a sovereign nation, I am sure, if they had made Him the Lord of their lives, just as the people of Israel and Judah could have lived in peace if they had not turned to idolatry. The Lord makes it plain in the Scriptures that nations fall because they did not acknowledge Him---because they despised Him and because they persecuted those who loved Him.

Isaiah continues, "My heart falters, fear makes me tremble; the twilight I longed for has become a horror to me." (Isaiah 21:4) Armies in ancient times did not typically attack at night. In those days they lacked the equipment to be able to see what they were doing in the night. That is why the saying became popular: "We attack at dawn!" But even though it was not common to be attacked at night, this is exactly what will happen in Babylon when the army of the Medes and Persians breaches the city walls while King Belshazzar holds a drinking party. That very night King Belshazzar and many others lost their lives trying to defend their city. 

Nighttime doesn't bring any reprieve for those who are lost without the Lord either. The most horror-filled nights of my life were the nights when I struggled with the knowledge that I was lost without the Lord. I spent a number of nights wide awake and almost trembling in fear during the summer of 1992. I could not sleep for fear that I might die before dawn, yet at the same time I was resisting submitting myself to the Lord. 

While Belshazzar and his officials blaspheme the name of the Lord and drink their wine from the golden receptacles that King Nebuchadnezzar's soldiers looted from the Lord's temple at Jerusalem many years earlier, the enemy is creeping into the city. Rather than being alert and on guard, they are trying to numb themselves to this imminent threat. They should have been on their feet, armed and ready, which is why Isaiah says, "They set the tables, they spread the rugs, they eat, they drink! Get up, you officers, oil the shields!" (Isaiah 21:5)

When we arrive at the book of Daniel we will discuss in more detail how the enemy army was able to get into the city before the citizens even knew it. But for now we will close with a reminder that, as believers, we are to be on our feet, armed and ready at all times. We have an enemy and we are commanded to be on our guard against him. "Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour." (1 Peter 5:8) We are not to live in fear of this roaring lion, for greater is He who is in us than he who is in the world (1 John 4:4), but if we are not alert and of sober mind we may suddenly realize that sin has crept into our lives and gained a foothold without us having noticed it. We are to be on guard, daily communing with the Lord and allowing Him to search our hearts to point out any areas in which we are spiritually weak, asking Him to strengthen us in those areas so our enemy doesn't catch us off guard and tempt us into sin.

The Book Of Isaiah. Day 83, A Prophecy Against Babylon, Part One

Isaiah has been making many predictions against ancient nations that were, at times, enemies of Israel and Judah. He has been warning the people of Judah not to ally themselves with other nations against the Assyrian Empire, for the Assyrian Empire will conquer Israel but not Judah. A different nation will conquer Judah: the Neo-Babylonian Empire. In Isaiah's day this would have been difficult to imagine but in about 130 years after he speaks the words of the prophecy this will come true. 

But in time Babylon too will fall. Chapter 21 contains a prophecy against that nation, long before it has done anything against the people of Judah. In fact, in Isaiah's time a king of Judah will think the king of Babylon is his friend.

Babylon is not Judah's friend but an enemy. The Lord will someday judge this enemy though, as He reveals to Isaiah. "A prophecy against the Desert by the Sea: Like whirlwinds sweeping through the southland, an invader comes from the desert, from a land of terror. A dire vision has been shown to me: The traitor betrays, the looter takes loot. Elam, attack! Media, lay siege! I will bring to an end all the groaning she caused." (Isaiah 21:1-2)

The plain upon which Babylon lay was surrounded by various lakes and marshes, plus the Babylonians installed plentiful and intricate systems of irrigation to bring water in from the Euphrates River. Many scholars believe this is why Babylon is called "the Desert by the Sea" because it would have been a barren wasteland if there had not been a number of water sources (called "seas" here) from which to bring in much-needed moisture.

Isaiah speaks of himself when he says, "A dire visions was shown to me", but I believe he is speaking in the words of the Lord when he says, "I will bring to an end all the groaning she caused". The Lord is the one who is going to bring to an end all the groaning she (Babylon) caused His people. 

The Lord will accomplish this by allowing other people to rise to power---people capable of overthrowing Babylon. Elam and Media, which were mentioned in verse 2, lay within what is modern-day Iran. They were major cities of the ancient kingdom of Persia and, as we've mentioned before and as we will study in detail when we arrive at the book of Daniel, the Neo-Babylonian Empire was conquered by the Medo-Persian Empire. This is why the Lord calls for Elam to attack and Media to lay siege; that is exactly what will take place approximately 200 years after the Lord shows Isaiah this vision.

The things shown to Isaiah in the vision given him by the Lord will cause him great distress as he experiences, vicariously, the things the people of Babylon will experience when judgment falls upon them. This passage is quite long and it will take us several days to discuss it thoroughly, so we must leave off here at verse 2 and will pick up with verse 3 in our next study session.

I will close by saying that the judgment of others should always distress us, just as it will distress Isaiah. We should have a heart like the Lord's for our fellow man. We should long to see their day of repentance and redemption, not their day of destruction. We all have sinned against the Lord and are worthy of destruction and it's only by the grace of God that we are offered a means of salvation and a way to escape the judgment.

The Book Of Isaiah. Day 82, An Unusual Sign

Chapter 20 only has six verses and we will be looking at all six today. This chapter is titled "A Prophecy Against Egypt And Cush" and the Lord will ask Isaiah to do something unusual as a sign that the Lord's people are not to ally themselves with Egypt and Cush. 

As our chapter opens the Assyrians have captured a great city of Philistia, called Ashdod. "In the year that the supreme commander, sent by Sargon king of Assyria, came to Ashdod and attacked and captured it---at that time the Lord spoke through Isaiah son of Amoz." (Isaiah 20:1-2a) 

Ashdod was one of the top five largest cities in Philistia. You may recall that earlier in the book of Isaiah we found Isaiah delivering a prophecy against the Philistines, who were ancient enemies of the people of Israel. Although the descendants of Jacob were probably not sorry to see the Philistines defeated in a battle, the fact that Ashdod had fallen meant that the Assyrians were continuing to advance toward them. The news that Ashdod had fallen would have been quite alarming. 

In the year that this news comes, the Lord tells Isaiah to do something unusual. "He said to him, 'Take off the sackcloth from your body and the sandals from your feet.' And he did so, going around stripped and barefoot." (Isaiah 20:2b) Prophets tended to wear rough clothing, like sackcloth, to signify sorrow over the sad spiritual condition of their nation. It was also a sign of humility. Isaiah is to humble himself even further by removing the garment of a prophet and by removing the sandals from his feet as he walks throughout the land proclaiming the message of the Lord.

Some versions of the Bible use the word "naked" when describing how Isaiah walked throughout the land. Many scholars dispute that translation since the Bible does not encourage immodesty. It would have been a shame and disgrace for a child of God to appear in public unclothed and this is why so many scholars believe that all Isaiah was asked to do was remove his outer garment and to walk around wearing the long undergarment. 

People will stop and stare at him as he does this, which is what the Lord intends, because Isaiah's appearance is to be a sign to everyone. "Then the Lord said, 'Just as My servant Isaiah has gone stripped and barefoot for three years, as a sign and portent against Egypt and Cush, so the king of Assyria will lead away stripped and barefoot the captives and Cushite exiles, young and old, with buttocks bared---to Egypt's shame.'" (Isaiah 20:3-4) 

The text above lends credence to the theory of some scholars that Isaiah actually was naked, but that is still not necessarily so, for conquerors had a habit of cutting off the undergarment robes of their captives just below the buttocks in order to humiliate them. An example of this occurred when some of David's men were poorly treated by King Hanun of the Ammonites. David sent an envoy to the king as a gesture of goodwill but Hanun ordered his soldiers to cut off the men's garments at the buttocks and to shave half their beards off. (This passage can be found in 2 Samuel 10.) It's possible that Isaiah wore his undergarment shortened, or that he wore only his undergarment, or that he was unclothed. 

Whatever actually happened here in regard to how much or how little Isaiah is wearing, the purpose is to provide a visual aid to go along with the prophecy he is delivering. "Those who trusted in Cush and boasted in Egypt will be dismayed and put to shame. In that day the people who live on the coast will say, 'See what has happened to those we relied on, those we fled to for help and deliverance from the king of Assyria! How then can we escape?'" (Isaiah 20:5-6)

In Chapter 19, when we studied Isaiah's prophecy against Egypt, we found him ending on a hopeful note: someday there will be a widescale turning to the Lord in Egypt. But that doesn't mean Isaiah's nation of Judah should ally itself with Egypt and with Egypt's Cushite king against Assyria. Assyria will conquer Egypt and will take captive many Egyptians and Cushites. At this time in history the Egyptians and Cushites are idolatrous heathens and the Lord's people are not to place their trust in pagans but in the Lord. The Lord is Judah's strength; all other help will fail.

The Book Of Isaiah. Day 81, A Prophecy Against Egypt, Part Five

Yesterday's study ended on a hopeful note, with Isaiah predicting that the people of Egypt would turn to the Lord. This prediction was somewhat fulfilled in ancient times when many in Egypt heard and believed the gospel message. But a lot of scholars believe that the majority of Isaiah's prediction is yet to come true.

We will pick back up with the verse we ended with yesterday and move on from there. "In that day there will be an altar to the Lord in the heart of Egypt, and a monitor to the Lord at its border. It will be a sign and witness to the Lord Almighty in the land of Egypt." (Isaiah 19:19-20a) As we discussed yesterday, a temple to the Lord was built in Alexandria during the Ptolemy (Greek) Dynasty of Egypt. But a number of scholars believe that there will be a day when a vast percentage of the people will turn to the Lord and worship Him in the way the descendants of Jacob worship Him.

"When they cry out to the Lord because of their oppressors, He will send them a savior and defender, and he will rescue them." (Isaiah 19:20b) Some identify this savior and defender as the rulers of the Persian Empire and Greek Empire, during whose eras Egypt enjoyed freedom from her former oppressors such as Assyria and Babylon, and during which era the Egyptians, Judeans, and Assyrians were at peace with each other. In a larger sense, the Lord has also sent them a Savior and Defender in Christ, and some students of prophecy interpret verse 20b to be a reference to how there will be a turning to Christianity in Egypt in the last days.

"So the Lord will make Himself known to the Egyptians, and in that day they will acknowledge the Lord. They will worship with sacrifices and grain offerings; they will make vows to the Lord and keep them. The Lord will strike Egypt with a plague; He will strike them and heal them. They will turn to the Lord, and He will respond to their pleas to heal them." (Isaiah 19:21-22) Whatever is meant by these two verses, we know that the Lord's ultimate goal in bringing hardship to anyone is that they would repent. He does not want to destroy anyone; He wants people to turn to Him and be saved. Likewise, when He allows hardship in the lives of those who already belong to Him, it is to accomplish a purpose in our lives. It is to help us, not to hurt us. As Job said in his time of distress: "For He wounds, but He also binds up; He injures, but His hands also heal." (Job 5:18)

"In that day there will be a highway from Egypt to Assyria. The Assyrians will go to Egypt and the Egyptians to Assyria. The Egyptians and Assyrians will worship together. In that day Israel will be the third, along with Egypt and Assyria, a blessing on the earth. The Lord Almighty will bless them, saying, 'Blessed be Egypt My people, Assyria My handiwork, and Israel My inheritance.'" (Isaiah 19:23-25) This is something no one of Isaiah's day could have imagined! They could imagine an alliance with Egypt against Assyria but no one in Israel or in Judah could imagine any sort of fellowship with the Assyrians who threatened their very existence at the time.

Some of this was fulfilled during the Persian and Greek Empires, as we've already mentioned, when these nations were at peace with one another. But we still don't, today, see the Israelites and the descendants of the Assyrians and Egyptians worshiping the Lord together at the same altar. This part remains to be fulfilled, but isn't it a beautiful prophecy? Those whose ancestors bowed to false gods will bow to the one true God. Those whose ancestors hated and persecuted the Israelites will someday worship the one true God with the Jewish people. 

The Book Of Isaiah. Day 80, A Prophecy Against Egypt, Part Four

Isaiah has been predicting collapse for ancient Egypt. This is going to take place in the form of governmental failings, drought that will affect agriculture and the fishing industry and the trading of goods, civil unrest within the nation, and invasion and subjugation by other empires.

Now he says: "In that day the Egyptians will become weaklings. They will shudder with fear at the uplifted hand that the Lord Almighty raises against them. And the land of Judah will bring terror to the Egyptians; everyone to whom Judah is mentioned will be terrified, because of what the Lord Almighty is planning against them." (Isaiah 19:16-17)

The interpretation of verses 16-17 is unclear. Judah itself would be conquered in a little over one hundred years after Isaiah gave this message and it is difficult to see how, during Isaiah's time or afterwards, the Egyptians would have shuddered in fear at the mention of the name of Judah. Most scholars appear to believe these verses predict a time that has not yet come to pass and I tend to agree with that assessment. 

Whenever the Bible uses the term "in that day" it is often a reference to the end times or to the eternal kingdom of the Messiah. We can see that verse 16 may have been fulfilled in antiquity, when the Lord allowed great disasters to befall Egypt, but verse 16 seems so closely connected to verse 17 (including the use of the word "and" between the two verses) that this may indicate a future event. The "fear" and the "terror" Egypt will experience at that time may indicate a reverent fear of Judah's God and a widescale turning to Him.

In our own day only about ten percent of Egyptians are Christian and there are so few Jews that a percentage cannot even really be calculated, so it seems clear that Isaiah's prediction has not yet fully come true. This next segment may have been partially fulfilled in antiquity but most of it remains to be fulfilled as well.

"In that day five cities in Egypt will speak the language of Canaan and swear allegiance to the Lord Almighty. One of them will be called the City of the Sun. In that day there will be an altar to the Lord in the heart of Egypt, and a monument to the Lord at its border." (Isaiah 19:18-19) What does Isaiah mean when he says five cities of Egypt will speak the language of the land of Canaan? Does he mean they will speak the language of the descendants of Jacob, to whom the Lord gave the land of Canaan? Scholars are divided in their opinion of this prophecy and some scholars don't offer an opinion on it at all.

An altar to the Lord was indeed built during the time when the Greeks were Pharaohs of Egypt. A Jewish high priest named Onias built a temple, including an altar, in Alexandria when Ptolemy VI was king of Egypt. During that time there were a number of converts to Christianity in Egypt. However, there is reason to believe that Isaiah's prediction will be fulfilled in bigger ways in times to come. 

When we continue our study of this chapter in our next session, we will discuss how some of Isaiah's prophecy in Chapter 19 may have been partially fulfilled in the time of Alexander the Great and thereafter. But we will also discuss the fact that not all of Isaiah's prophecy fits into history, leading us to believe that much of it regards a time still to come.

The Book Of Isaiah. Day 79, A Prophecy Against Egypt, Part Three

Isaiah is predicting the downfall of ancient Egypt. As we learned in our last study session, invaders will come, drought will come, the fishing industry will fail, and the crops will fail.

Ancient Egypt has already been on the decline for some time by Isaiah's day, which is why the nation was taken over by the Cushites. The pharaohs of Egypt in Isaiah's lifetime are Cushites, not Egyptians. But even though these people were able to subjugate the Egyptians, their leaders will not be able to defend Egypt against Assyria or against Babylon after that or against Persia after that. Their leaders won't be able to prevent civil unrest or the civil wars that will come not long after Isaiah's lifetime. Their leaders won't be able to do anything about the lack of rain, the lack of crops, the lack of fish, and the lack of flax and other materials that will be affected by the drought.

The prophet says: "The officials of Zoan are nothing but fools; the wise counselors of Pharaoh give senseless advice. How can you say to Pharaoh, 'I am one of the wise men, a disciple of the ancient kings?'" (Isaiah 19:11) 

The central government will break down in the face of adversity. There will be disagreements over what to do and over whose advice to follow. None of the advice will be good since none of it comes from the Lord. The "wise men" of the cultures surrounding Judah and Israel were men who sought counsel by various means of pagan divination. They called upon idols, upon the dead, and upon unseen spiritual forces of wickedness. They practiced the occult and at times could perform signs and wonders through demonic influences, such as the magicians of Pharaoh did in the days of Moses. Nothing told to these "wise men" by fallen angels (demons) will be of any use. Neither will any interpretations from any fortune-telling methods they may use. At best, such things are nothing but fraudulent charades; at worst, they are messages from Satan and his minions. Either way, no one can thwart the plans of God, and whatever He purposes is what is going to happen.

Satan and the fallen angels who rebelled against God along with him cannot read the mind of God or of man. They don't know exactly when or how the Lord is going to bring things to pass. They can't predict with one hundred percent accuracy what man is going to do either. Even if the forces of darkness want to help the land of Egypt, their knowledge and power are limited. Satan is not the Lord's counterpart, for he is a created entity, and he cannot know the mind of the Lord and he is not powerful like the Lord. "Where are your wise men now? Let them show you and make known what the Lord Almighty has planned against Egypt." (Isaiah 19:12)

"The officials of Zoan have become fools, the leaders of Memphis are deceived; the cornerstones of her peoples have led Egypt astray. The Lord has poured into them a spirit of dizziness; they make Egypt stagger in all that she does, as a drunkard staggers around in his vomit. There is nothing Egypt can do---head or tail, palm branch or reed." (Isaiah 19:13-15) Zoan and Memphis were the capitals of Upper Egypt and Lower Egypt. These cities were where a person would go when seeking the most learned and wise of counselors. But no one will be found who can avert the coming disaster. In fact, not only was their ungodly advice bad to begin with, but the Lord will frustrate their advice further so that it's even worse than it normally is.

The Lord is not forcing the leaders or the citizens of Egypt to be ignorant and confused. He's simply not doing anything to prevent them from making poor decisions. He's not protecting them from making poor decisions from the sinful desires of their hearts or from the foolishness of fortune-tellers. They strayed from the truth long ago and preferred to serve idols rather than the living God. He is going to let them have their way and do their own thing---and the result of that will be the dissolution of their government and the fall of their nation.

It is the Lord who gives wise counsel. It is the Lord who directs our steps along the right paths. When we follow our carnal human heart or when we follow the foolish counsel of ungodly men and women, we are bound to make mistakes and we will have to face the consequences of those mistakes. I'm not saying it's possible to lose our salvation but that when we make ungodly decisions we make life unpleasant for ourselves and for our loved ones. Some mistakes can have far-ranging consequences, not only for ourselves but for our descendants. While it's true that we cannot live completely sinless lives as long as we live in the flesh in this fallen world, it's also true that we can certainly avoid some very costly mistakes if we will submit all of our plans to the Lord, pray for His guidance, and obey whatever He tells us.

The Book Of Isaiah. Day 78, A Prophecy Against Egypt, Part Two

Isaiah has a word from the Lord against the idolatrous land of Egypt. In yesterday's study we learned that several nations were going to subjugate the land of Egypt and that there would be civil unrest within the nation, causing it to break apart into a number of factions. Today's text begins with words about a natural disaster that's coming: drought.

"The waters of the river will dry up, and the riverbed will be parched and dry." (Isaiah 19:5) The reference to "the river" can only be a reference to the Nile River, upon which Egypt was utterly dependent. The farming communities along the Nile could not raise their crops without the annual flooding of the Nile and without being able to irrigate their fields from the Nile.

Subsidiary waterways will run low too and many of the animals that live in the water will perish and decay. "The canals will stink; the streams of Egypt will dwindle and dry up. The reeds and rushes will wither, also the plants along the Nile, at the mouth of the river. Every sown field along the Nile will become parched, will blow away and be no more. The fishermen will groan and lament, all who cast hooks into the Nile; those who throw nets on the water will pine away." (Isaiah 19:6-8)

This is a disaster for the farming industry and for the fishing industry. It's a disaster for the trade industry too. Not only will there be no crops or fish to eat or sell or trade, but the people will lack the materials to make some of the fine goods they normally sold for money to buy necessities. "Those who work with combed flax will despair, the weavers of fine linen will lose hope. The workers in cloth will be dejected, and all the wage earners will be sick at heart." (Isaiah 19:9-10)

Egypt has been on the decline for quite some time by Isaiah's day. It has problems within and without---and those problems are going to get worse, as Isaiah predicts. Not one of Egypt's pantheon of gods will be of any help. Neither will any of Egypt's sorcerers, wise men, or leaders. In our next study session we will see how futile is the help of idols or man. The only way Egypt would have been helped is if its people had forsaken their idols and turned to the Lord.

The Book Of Isaiah. Day 77, A Prophecy Against Egypt, Part One

I'm sorry for not having a Bible study post on Wednesday. I normally do a post Sunday through Friday but several things happened yesterday that threw my whole day's schedule off course and I ran out of time to properly work on the study and to give it the attention it deserves.

Today we are beginning Chapter 19 which is titled "A Prophecy Against Egypt". Egypt was perhaps the most idolatrous nation on the earth during Old Testament times---or at least the Egyptians had the largest pantheon of false gods---and Egypt was an ancient enemy of the descendants of Jacob. There are times in the Old Testament when we will see the people of Judah and Israel being on friendly terms with Egypt but there were certainly times they were persecuted by Egypt. The Lord is going to judge ancient Egypt for its idolatry and cruelty. 

"A prophecy against Egypt: See, the Lord rides on a swift cloud and is coming to Egypt. The idols of Egypt tremble before Him, and the hearts of the Egyptians melt with fear." (Isaiah 19:1) No idol can stand against the living God. The Lord is the only God and all idols (and the false deities they represent) are useless. The Egyptians can bow to their idols as often as they want but the idols cannot do a thing. 

Not only will there be troubles from outside the nation, such as the growing threat of the Assyrian Empire which will in time subjugate Egypt, but Egypt itself is on the decline in Isaiah's day. There are many troubles inside the nation and these troubles will turn people against each other.

The Lord says, "I will stir up Egyptian against Egyptian---brother will fight against brother, neighbor against neighbor, city against city, kingdom against kingdom." (Isaiah 19:2) Civil unrest and civil war ensued within Egypt not long after Isaiah's lifetime and the kingdom of Egypt split into many factions.

In Isaiah's day the people of Egypt were concerned about Assyria, and rightly so. But Assyria wasn't the only nation to subdue them in Old Testament times; they ended up under the authority of Babylon and Persia as well. When the Lord speaks of placing them under a "cruel master" in our final segment for today, He is likely not speaking of only one master (nation/regime) but of several masters in a row who subdued the nation. 

"The Egyptians will lose heart, and I will bring their plans to nothing; they will consult the idols and the spirits of the dead, the mediums and the spiritists. I will hand the Egyptians over to the power of a cruel master, and a fierce king will rule over them,' declares the Lord Almighty." (Isaiah 19:3-4)

The ancient Egyptians preferred to bow their knees to anyone other than the Lord. If they had honored Him and allowed Him to be their master, they would never have been mastered by anyone on earth. The same can be said of ancient Israel and ancient Judah; if they had made the Lord the King of their hearts, no other king would ever have ruled over them. 

The same can be said for us as well. If we make God the Lord of our lives and the King of our hearts, sin won't have mastery over us. We won't live perfect lives as long as we inhabit mortal bodies in this fallen world but no child of God needs to live a defeated life. No child of God needs to live a hopeless life. No child of God needs to live a joyless life. If we are in the bondage of defeat and hopelessness and joylessness, this is not God's will for us and He did not shackle us with such chains---we have placed ourselves in such shackles.

Believe me, I've been guilty of this time and time again. Our text applies to me as much as it applies to anyone. I've needlessly trapped myself over and over in cycles of bad thinking. The Lord wants to set us free from such things. Living in negativity shouldn't be the constant state of the child of God. His children have the right to walk in the freedom of His love and care, just as a small child goes through his day without cares because he knows his loving parents are watching over him. A small child shouldn't have to worry about anything because that is his parents' job; in this same way it is the Lord's job to look after us. I am trying to hand my cares over to the Lord because I am weary of carrying them. This is what He wants all of us to do, for His beautiful promise to us is that we can cast all of our cares on Him because He cares for us. (1 Peter 5:7)

The Book Of Isaiah. Day 76, A Prophecy Regarding Cush, Part Three

The Cushite king of Egypt will want to make an alliance with King Hezekiah of Judah against the growing threat of the Assyrian Empire. But time and time again in the book of Isaiah we will find the prophet warning Hezekiah to trust no one but the Lord. As long as the people of Judah look to the Lord for help and are faithful to Him, no nation can conquer them. The Lord promised the children of Israel, before He brought them into the land of Canaan and gave it to them, that no nation would ever be able to stand before them if they would remain faithful to Him.

Not only should the people of Judah not make alliances with heathen nations or pay "protection money" to other nations, but someday other nations will bring their gifts to the land of the descendants of Jacob. "At that time gifts will be brought to the Lord Almighty from a people tall and smooth-skinned, from a people feared far and wide, an aggressive nation of strange speech, whose land is divided by rivers---the gifts will be brought to Mount Zion, the place of the Name of the Lord Almighty." (Isaiah 18:7)

Previously in our chapter we found the Cushite people (Ethiopians/Nubians) referred to as "tall" and "smooth-skinned". They were taller and longer-limbed, generally speaking, than the Jewish people. They shaved their faces, unlike the Jewish people. Also they were "feared far and wide" because they were a very powerful nation in Isaiah's day. They were not able to keep Assyria from conquering Egypt but Assyria did not, according to anything I can find, decide to invade and conquer Cush. 

Whenever the Bible says something like "at that time" or "in that day" it is often a reference to the end times or to the church age. We can clearly see when we arrive at the New Testament that Isaiah's prophecy regarding the Ethiopians began coming true in the book of Acts when an Ethiopian convert to Judaism became a believer in Christ after speaking with the Apostle Philip. This convert went back to Ethiopia with his testimony of how the Lord Jesus Christ saved him.

The prophecy regarding Ethiopia has continued to come true as the primary religion of Ethiopia has become Christianity. I believe the prophecy will continue to come true in the end times as more and more people of that land (and of many other nations) turn to Christ in the church age and in the last days. And certainly, in the eternal kingdom of Christ when He sits on the throne of David at Jerusalem and reigns over the world from there, all the people of all the nations of the earth will bring gifts to Mount Zion, thus completely fulfilling the words of Isaiah which we have studied today.

This concludes Chapter 18, which was a prophecy about Cush rather than a prophecy against Cush. In contrast to what Isaiah said about Cush, Chapter 19 will involve a prophecy against Egypt and its idolatry. However, there will be a future message of hope for Egypt when the hearts of its people turn to the Lord.

The Book Of Isaiah, Day 75, A Prophecy Regarding Cush, Part Two

Chapter 18 deals with a prophecy regarding Cush (rendered as Kush in most extra-Biblical sources), which is in control of Egypt in Isaiah's day. Unlike some of the other prophecies we've already studied, this one isn't exactly a prophecy against a nation; rather, it's a warning for Judah not to ally itself with Cush against the Assyrian Empire. The Lord is going to deliver Judah from Assyria and He won't need anyone's help to do it.

The Cushite king will attempt to come to Judah's aid, and there's no doubt he provides a distraction when Sennacherib of Assyria has to pause his intended assault on Judah when he hears that the Cushite over Egypt, King Tirhakah, was marching out with his forces to fight against him. But it is the Lord who provides a miraculous deliverance for Jerusalem when Sennacherib returns with his army intending to lay siege to Jerusalem. 

During the lifetime of the prophet Isaiah and of King Hezekiah, who will feature largely in the book of Isaiah, the 25th Dynasty of Egypt is ruled by Cushite pharaohs, not by Egyptian pharaohs. Egypt had subjugated the region of Cush long ago, a region which corresponds partly to Ethiopia today but which encompassed a much larger swath of territory, but Egypt went on the decline after the Bronze Age. There was much internal disintegration and unrest in Egypt, causing Cush to be able to rebel against being subject to Egypt and to be able to launch a successful invasion of Egypt, after which a long succession of Cushite kings sat on the throne. But by Isaiah's day the Assyrian Empire was out to conquer everything around it, including Egypt, Judah, Israel, and many others in the region.

It makes sense that Egypt would want to ally itself with Judah against Assyria; the king of Egypt's forces were not great enough to face the Assyrian army. It also makes sense that Judah would want to accept a proposed alliance from the Cushite king of Egypt, especially after the northern kingdom of Israel fell to Assyria's forces. But Judah is to be still and know that God is God, to quote from Psalm 46. Judah's deliverance is from the Lord, not from man.

The Lord will act on Judah's behalf at the right time and in the right way. With this in mind, we begin today's text. "All you people of the world, you who live on the earth, when a banner is raised on the mountains, you will see it, and when a trumpet sounds, you will hear it." (Isaiah 18:3) The Assyrians will march out with their flags held high and with the sound of their war trumpets but the people of Judah are not to panic. The Lord isn't in a panic! We find Him calm, cool, collected, and in control in this next segment.

Isaiah says of his message from the Lord: "This is what the Lord says to me: 'I will remain quiet and I will look on from My dwelling place, like shimmering heat in the sunshine, like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest.'" (Isaiah 18:4) There is a sense of waiting stillness in this verse, like the humid and insect-buzzing stillness of a hot day in late summer. It may appear as if nothing is happening, but the Lord is poised to strike the enemy at just the right moment. 

"For, before the harvest, when the blossom is gone and the flower becomes a ripening grape, He will cut off the shoots with pruning knives, and cut down and take away the spreading branches. They will all be left to the mountain birds of prey and to the wild animals; the birds will feed on them all summer, the wild animals all winter." (Isaiah 18:5-6) When the enemy is literally at the gates of Jerusalem, and when it appears all hope is lost and there is no escape, the Lord will come through for the kingdom of Judah in such a way that no one can claim that anyone but the Lord wrought deliverance. In 2 Kings 19 we find Him striking down 185,000 Assyrian soldiers encamped outside Jerusalem. The people of Jerusalem didn't have to lift a finger against the enemy; when they arose the next morning all these Assyrian soldiers were lying dead in the fields, which fulfills the prophecy from our verses above which says, "They will all be left to the mountain birds of prey and to the wild animals". The thousands of dead bodies of the Assyrian soldiers are what the birds and animals of prey will feed on. 

What happens next? "Sennacherib king of Assyria broke camp and withdrew. He returned to Nineveh and stayed there. One day, while he was worshiping in the temple of his god Nisrok, his sons Adrammelek and Sharezer killed him with the sword." (2 Kings 19:36-37a) The nation of Judah outlasted the nation of Israel by approximately 130 years and was never conquered by Assyria. If the spiritual revival which occurred during the reign of King Hezekiah had persisted, Judah never would have fallen, but nevertheless we see the Lord's divine deliverance from the most fearsome nation in the world in that era. The people of Judah did not need the help of Cush/Egypt or anyone else. All they needed was the Lord, who set the stage for Jerusalem's deliverance in such a way that no one could claim Jerusalem was saved by anyone except Him, which led to the people's increased faith in the Lord.

The Book Of Isaiah. Day 74, A Prophecy Regarding Cush, Part One

In some translations of the Bible, including the NIV which we use for our study, Chapter 18 is titled "A Prophecy Against Cush". But the chapter isn't really issuing words of judgment against Cush; rather, it is instructing the Lord's people not to make an alliance with Cush against Assyria.

Ancient Cush corresponds to modern-day Ethiopia, although the territory belonging to ancient Cush encompassed much more land than that which currently makes up the country of Ethiopia. In Isaiah's day the nation was one of the most powerful and advanced in the world and it had taken control of Egypt. Egypt's king at the time was not an Egyptian but an Ethiopian, or Cushite as they were referred to in the Bible. 

At this time Assyria is on the rise and is becoming enough of a major world power to threaten all the nations around it. It would have made sense, from a human point of view, for the people of Judah to ally themselves with the people of Cush against the Assyrian Empire. But Judah is to place all of her trust in the Lord. The people of Judah are not to even consider an alliance with the Cushite king of Egypt, for Egypt will be conquered by Assyria. Cush itself will not fall to Assyria, from what I was able to gather from my background study, but since Cush could not protect Egypt (which it occupied), it could not help Judah either.

"Woe to the land of whirring wings along the rivers of Cush, which sends envoys by sea in papyrus boats over the water." (Isaiah 18:1-2a) King Piankhi, the Ethiopian who was reigning over Egypt during Isaiah's lifetime when King Hezekiah was on the throne of Judah, sent an envoy to the king of Judah to propose an alliance with him against Assyria. But as we will see as we move on through the book of Isaiah, Isaiah will warn Hezekiah against making alliances with other nations.

"Go, swift messengers, to a people tall and smooth-skinned, to a people feared far and wide, an aggressive nation of strange speech, whose land is divided by rivers." (Isaiah 18:2b) This text is interpreted by many well-respected scholars to be the Lord's instructions to King Hezekiah to quickly send word back to the Cushite king that he must turn down the offer of an alliance. 

The people "tall and smooth-skinned" of "strange (foreign) speech" is a description of how the Ethiopians and also the Egyptians. There was a custom in Egypt where the men (or at least men of prominence) would shave their faces and even their entire bodies; they did not wear beards like the Israelites. The Cushite king over Egypt may have adopted Egyptian customs, deciding to make himself "smooth-skinned". You may recall from our study of Genesis that Joseph, the son of Jacob, shaved himself before going to meet with Pharaoh and I believe he continued to keep himself clean shaven during the remainder of his life as a top official in Egypt. When his family traveled to Egypt during the famine they did not recognize Joseph because his appearance was like that of an Egyptian. I believe the Cushite king would have made himself look like an Egyptian pharaoh to show respect for the people's customs and to aid their acceptance of him. 

Chapter 18 is not a long chapter but is somewhat complicated and detailed from a historical point of view. We are going to need to break it down into two or three separate sessions. But as we continue on in our next study segment, there is no doubt that the Lord is warning the people of Judah not to enter an alliance with the Cushites, no matter how attractive this option may appear, especially after Assyria invades and conquers the northern kingdom of Israel.