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Journal Entries

Isaiah 16:1-14

1/28/2025

 
Isaiah 16
English Standard Version

16 Send the lamb to the ruler of the land,
from Sela, by way of the desert,
    to the mount of the daughter of Zion.
2 Like fleeing birds,
    like a scattered nest,
so are the daughters of Moab
    at the fords of the Arnon.

3 “Give counsel;
    grant justice;
make your shade like night
    at the height of noon;
shelter the outcasts;
    do not reveal the fugitive;
4 let the outcasts of Moab
    sojourn among you;
be a shelter to them
    from the destroyer.
When the oppressor is no more,
    and destruction has ceased,
and he who tramples underfoot has vanished from the land,
5 then a throne will be established in steadfast love,
    and on it will sit in faithfulness
    in the tent of David
one who judges and seeks justice
    and is swift to do righteousness.”

6 We have heard of the pride of Moab--
    how proud he is!--
of his arrogance, his pride, and his insolence;
    in his idle boasting he is not right.
7 Therefore let Moab wail for Moab,
    let everyone wail.
Mourn, utterly stricken,
    for the raisin cakes of Kir-hareseth.

8 For the fields of Heshbon languish,
    and the vine of Sibmah;
the lords of the nations
    have struck down its branches,
which reached to Jazer
    and strayed to the desert;
its shoots spread abroad
    and passed over the sea.
9 Therefore I weep with the weeping of Jazer
    for the vine of Sibmah;
I drench you with my tears,
    O Heshbon and Elealeh;
for over your summer fruit and your harvest
    the shout has ceased.
10 And joy and gladness are taken away from the fruitful field,
and in the vineyards no songs are sung,
    no cheers are raised;
no treader treads out wine in the presses;
    I have put an end to the shouting.
11 Therefore my inner parts moan like a lyre for Moab,
    and my inmost self for Kir-hareseth.

12 And when Moab presents himself, when he wearies himself on the high place, when he comes to his sanctuary to pray, he will not prevail.

​13 This is the word that the LORD spoke concerning Moab in the past.
 14 But now the LORD has spoken, saying, “In three years, like the years of a hired worker, the glory of Moab will be brought into contempt, in spite of all his great multitude, and those who remain will be very few and feeble.”

This is a continuation of the oracle against Moab.  Isaiah tells them they should give their flocks as peace overing to the kings of other lands so that they may run there to take refuge and so that the flocks would not impede the speed of their flight.  They who were unmerciful when their neighbors were in need will now be the ones crying out for refuge and mercy as refugees.  Will the people of God respond in the way they had been treated or the way in which they wanted to be treated? God reminds Israel not to mistreat the foreigner or sojourner among them, even if they are from Moab who has had a history of mistreating His people.  One day, Messiah will come, and He will be the one to take care of executing justice as He sees fit.  They are to leave room for the wrath of God and let the LORD be the one to avenge them--they were not to avenge themselves.   That is what meekness is all about.

There was someone called "The Pride of Moab" that was either their king or a mighty warrior (or maybe their king was a mighty warrior) that everyone put their trust and hope in, but this person would not be able to save or defend his people.  Contrast this with the LORD who should be the pride of His people because with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, He is able to save and defend His people.  He is a mighty warrior gird for battle, ready to command His heavenly host and to make war from heaven making heaven and earth come to the defense of His people.  In some ways, I think Isaiah is shaming the lack of faith of the Israelites by showing them that they were just like the Moabites putting their faith in people that could never save them--only the LORD can do that.  Therefore, the people of Moab will wail and mourn because when it is all said and over with, the only thing that will make them realize they trusted in the wrong thing will be to show them that those things could never save them.  However, this is still gracious of the LORD to teach them this lesson and give a chance to those who remain to put their trust in Him.  Would they learn and take that opportunity or continue to reject Him?

With all that said, the LORD and Isaiah both weep over Moab.  Neither of them wants to see Moab destroyed.  We have a bit of the answer of if the Moabites will learn their lesson and turn to the LORD because the LORD says they will go back to their high places to try to pray to their false gods and they will not get any answer from them.  They will not turn to the LORD, even with all of this.  The LORD gives a definite time for the prophecy to be fulfilled, but He adds that not all of the Moabites will be destroyed.  Some will remain, though they will be week and feeble, never to rise to be the mighty people they once were.  Eventually they would be completely forgotten by history as they were assimilated into other peoples or conquered by other peoples and lost their identity.

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    Daniel Westfall

    I will mostly use this space for recording my "journal" from my daily devotions as I hope to encourage others to read the Bible along with me and to leave a legacy for others.

    Occasionally, I'll also post some true blog/opinion pieces focused on what the Bible has to say about current events or the importance of a particular spiritual discipline, or something more topic-related to orthodoxy (right belief) or orthopraxy (right living).  You can also find those blogs over at Faith and Culture.

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  • Home
  • What We Believe
    • Statement of Faith
    • HCF's Church Covenant
    • The New City Catechism
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  • Publications
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  • Gospel Foundations
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    • Volume 3: Longing For a King
    • Volume 4: The Coming Rescue
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    • Volume 6: The Kingdom On Earth
  • Mathematics Tutoring
  • Bible Study Tools
    • The Bible App
    • Blue Letter Bible
    • Audio Bibles-BibleGateway.com
    • Daily Reading Plans-BibleGateway.com
    • Bible Overview
    • Notes on the History of Salvation in the Old Testament from the ESV Study Bible: Preparing the Way for Christ
    • How to Interpret the Bible
  • Links and Resources
    • Songs We Sing at HCF
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  • For the HCF Elders
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