Isaiah 16My Understanding: I believe the Lord Jesus would have me take this passage of scripture, which began in chp 15 of Isaiah as a prophecy against Moab, and he would have me make practical application of its truths to today, in particular to the nation in which I live, the USA, though not exclusively to us. Moab was a son of Lot through an incestuous relationship with one of Lot’s daughters. Evidently Moab and his family entered a part of the country where they intermingled with the people there, and the land became known by Moab’s name, so it appears this was a people who were a mixture of Jews (God’s people) and Gentiles (not God’s), or today this would be a mixture of believers in Jesus Christ (God’s people) and non-believers (those who are not God’s people). This could be a description of most any nation here on the earth. Yet, Moab was, in particular, a very proud nation – prideful, conceited, arrogant, boastful and insolent - and that is why God judged her.
1 Send lambs as tribute
to the ruler of the land,
from Sela, across the desert,
to the mount of the Daughter of Zion.
2 Like fluttering birds
pushed from the nest,
so are the women of Moab
at the fords of the Arnon.
3 “Give us counsel,
render a decision.
Make your shadow like night—
at high noon.
Hide the fugitives,
do not betray the refugees.
4 Let the Moabite fugitives stay with you;
be their shelter from the destroyer.”
The oppressor will come to an end,
and destruction will cease;
the aggressor will vanish from the land.
5 In love a throne will be established;
in faithfulness a man will sit on it—
one from the house of David—
one who in judging seeks justice
and speeds the cause of righteousness.
6 We have heard of Moab’s pride—
her overweening pride and conceit,
her pride and her insolence—
but her boasts are empty.
7 Therefore the Moabites wail,
they wail together for Moab.
Lament and grieve
for the men of Kir Hareseth.
8 The fields of Heshbon wither,
the vines of Sibmah also.
The rulers of the nations
have trampled down the choicest vines,
which once reached Jazer
and spread toward the desert.
Their shoots spread out
and went as far as the sea.
9 So I weep, as Jazer weeps,
for the vines of Sibmah.
O Heshbon, O Elealeh,
I drench you with tears!
The shouts of joy over your ripened fruit
and over your harvests have been stilled.
10 Joy and gladness are taken away from the orchards;
no one sings or shouts in the vineyards;
no one treads out wine at the presses,
for I have put an end to the shouting.
11 My heart laments for Moab like a harp,
my inmost being for Kir Hareseth.
12 When Moab appears at her high place,
she only wears herself out;
when she goes to her shrine to pray,
it is to no avail…
When the Moabites were under the judgment of God, they looked to Judah to offer them counsel, protection and shelter from the destroyer. They also looked to their false gods, which could not save them. Their gods were useless to them to give them any kind of counsel or protection from the enemy. So, instead of turning to the one true God to help them, they turned to man and they turned to what their hands had made, i.e. their gods, to give them comfort and aid and protection from the enemy. The shouts of joy over the harvest had been stilled by God via his divine instruments of judgment. Joy and gladness was taken away from her orchards. God put an end to the rejoicing over the fruit of their labor because of their sins of pride, arrogance, insolence, adultery, idolatry and unbelief.
I live in the USA, so that is the nation and the people I know. I believe the people of the USA, as a nation, are mainly the people God would want me to speak to right now. We, as a nation, are a very prideful nation and people. We are a wealthy nation filled with many riches and material possessions, as well as vast opportunities. Not everyone in the USA is wealthy, but even the poorest in our nation might seem wealthy compared to those of other nations who have so much less than we do. We consider ourselves a Christian nation and a nation which trusts in the one true God. Sometimes I think that lends itself to thinking we are better than other nations, but we are not. We are all sinners in need of a Savior. Yet, I do believe our privileges and opportunities in this nation are often taken for granted, which also lends itself toward pride, arrogance, conceit and even insolence. We, as a nation, may not see our need for God because we are not as needy of a people, overall, as those of other nations.
Although the USA is called a Christian nation and one nation under God, yet, we are a very mixed people of various faiths, religions and no religion at all. And, much of today’s church has blended right in with that mixture and has become just like the people of the world to where it is hardly distinguishable between the church and the world anymore. Instead of turning to God to meet our needs, to give us counsel and/or protection from the enemy, we, as a people in the USA and in the world, will frequently, or often, turn to men, and to the things we have made with our hands, or that others have made with their hands and we have purchased, i.e. to our idols of money, games, TV, movies, the Internet, videos, computers, cell phones, smart phones, sports, recreation, careers, entertainment, food, drink, etc., in order to bring us comfort and protection and/or to give us counsel and direction, sometimes as more of an escape from our problems rather than us facing and dealing with our situations.
There was weeping and wailing going on in Isaiah’s time as recorded in this chapter of Isaiah, because of Moab’s sin, and then because God had to judge her for her sin. The Moabites most likely initially wailed due to the judgment that was upon them, and for the loss of their crops. I don’t know if any of the people of Moab wept over their sins in repentance, because the end of the chapter (not quoted) prophecies more judgment to come within a span of three years. Also, just prior to this is recorded that they went to their idol shrines to pray, instead of calling on Almighty God. Yet, God and Isaiah definitely wept over their sins and they also wept over the judgment that was brought upon them because of their sins. Isaiah described this lament for Moab as “like a harp.” I empathize with the feelings and emotions of Isaiah, as I was weeping and praying last night over my loved ones and over my nation, and I was calling upon God to bring revival and to bring salvation to as many as possible before the great day of his judgment on the earth. It was after that time of prayer with the Lord that he spoke to me with this song, A Still Small Voice.
The same hope for the Moabites is our hope today, as well. This passage promises a time when the oppressor will vanish from the land and will come to his end. Our oppressor is Satan, and he has a day coming when God will finally put him to an end. Jesus Christ conquered him on the cross, and his final end will come one day soon. The throne established in love is speaking here of Jesus Christ, our Messiah, who, although he is God the Son, came to earth and took upon himself human flesh, suffered as we suffer, yet without sin, was crucified on a cross, though he had done no wrong, took upon himself all our sins, having crucified and buried our sins with him, so that we could go free, and then he rose from the dead, triumphing over sin, hell, death and Satan via his resurrection. Because of all that Jesus Christ did for us in taking upon himself the penalty of our sin, through faith in him and in what he did for us, we can be set free from the penalty and control of sin. Amen!
God is calling out to the people of the world and to the people of the USA to hear him, to listen to what he is saying, to repent of sin, to turn to God, to believe in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, to invite him into our lives to cleanse us from our sins, so that we can be free from the control of sin and the penalty of sin and so that we can live for him in perfect union and fellowship with him, and so that we can live with him for eternity in heaven. He is calling to believers in Jesus who have lost their first love or who have become complacent and lukewarm in their relationship with him to return to Him in full obedience and surrender of our wills to his will for our lives. And, he is calling to the non-believers to make that decision to believe in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, committing to him in full surrender, too. He didn’t die on the cross so that we could continue living under the control and bondage to sin. He died to set us free! He didn’t die just so that we could go to heaven one day. He died so that we would live for him and be in fellowship with him while we are still on the earth. So, I pray you will hear his voice calling today and that you will invite him into your lives and make him Lord and Savior, or that you will return to obedience to Him.
A Still Small Voice / An Original Work / May 23, 2011
In a still small voice He calls you.
Won’t you hear and let him in?
He’s still speaking, oh, how gently.
He died to save you from sin.
Softly He speaks to our hearts.
His love and mercy imparts.
Won’t you come to Him today?
Let Him wash your sins away.
In a still small voice He whispers,
Kindly, calling you to Him.
He loves you so much, He’s willing
You not die, but live with Him.
He keeps prodding, gently so,
For His grace you come to know.
He died so that you’d go free;
Live with Him eternally.
In a still small voice He hastens
You to turn your lives to Him,
Humbly walk in obedience,
Making Him your Lord and King!
Turn from your sin, turn to God,
Put your trust in Christ, His Son.
Invite Him into your hearts.
He’ll give you a brand new start.
Song Lyrics @ Public Domain
Song
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