Isaiah – Page 18 – Be Still…

Isaiah 20:1-6 – Listen to God

I have a new respect for Isaiah having read today’s passage. I know I’ve read this before, but for some reason the idea of walking around naked for three years is applaudable. Having endured harsh Midwest winters, I can’t imagine walking around naked and shoeless year-round. But there is a definite message we should be taking here. It’s not about being naked, it’s about how Isaiah listened to God.

God said disrobe. Isaiah did. We don’t see Isaiah questioning, bargaining, avoiding or trying to talk God out of it. “Then the Lord said, “My servant Isaiah has been walking around naked and barefoot for the last three years. This is a sign—a symbol of the terrible troubles I will bring upon Egypt and Ethiopia.” We shouldn’t be surprised that God’s request was on purpose. God wanted to use Isaiah’s uncomfortable situation to make a point. Isaiah never questioned God. He just obeyed.

Isaiah 19:1-25 – Know the Lord

Read Isaiah 19:1-25

Egypt is where the Israelites were enslaved and called home for about 400 years. That was until God called Moses to lead his people away from their bondage toward the Promised Land. All these years later, Egypt remained strong and wise. But in today’s reading, we see how God is intervening to confuse them.

By speaking these words, God was warning Judah to think twice about making an alliance with Egypt against Assyria. “Their best counsel to the king of Egypt is stupid and wrong. Will they still boast to Pharaoh of their wisdom? Will they dare brag about all their wise ancestors? Where are your wise counselors, Pharaoh? Let them tell you what God plans, what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies is going to do to Egypt.” God has also been reassuring Judah that Assyria will not be their foe. Assyria is going to bring destruction to God’s people in Israel.

Isaiah 18:1-7 – Ethiopia Gets Some Attention

Read Isaiah 18:1-7

What do we learn about Ethiopians here? That they are a tall, soft-skinned people feared for their conquests and destruction. Apparently, they were going to get in the mix and be destroyed by Assyria as well. This warning was for them as they were setting up alliances to be ready for an Assyrian attack.

But the Lord’s message is: “Even before you begin your attack, while your plans are ripening like grapes, the Lord will cut off your new growth with pruning shears. He will snip off and discard your spreading branches. Your mighty army will be left dead in the fields for the mountain vultures and wild animals.” It doesn’t appear that Ethiopia is even going to get to play in this battle. They are going to be shut down before the “games” begin.

Isaiah 17:1-14 – Doomed by Association

Read Isaiah 17:1-14

You’ll note that Isaiah’s vision from God today is directed to Damascus, the capital of Syria. However, much of the oracle points to Israel. You may recall that Syria and Israel had made an alliance. In essence, Damascus was doomed by their association. Would God have otherwise demolished that city to rubble? “All that remains of Syria will share the fate of Israel’s departed glory,” declares the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.”

This is not the first time we hear about how Israel will be punished for their disobedience. There are new word pictures to help describe the desolation and the remnant who will remain. We have probably all seen what’s left of a field, on a tree, or on a vine after being harvested. If there is fruit left, it’s out of reach and often rots on the vine. Israel (and Damascus) will be left unrecognizable and barren. “It will be desolate, like the fields in the valley of Rephaim after the harvest.”

Isaiah 15:1-16:14 – Moab’s Fate

Read Isaiah 15:1-16:14

Moab was a region to the east of the Dead Sea. I understand that the inhabitants there had a relative connection to the Israelites. Generations ago, Lot, the nephew of Abraham, had an incestuous relationship with his daughter. The result of that relationship was a son named Moab. There had been plenty of power plays with the Israelites over the years as their territories were in close proximity.

We see that God is still caring for his own to some degree by calling out a prophecy of what the fate is for that side of the family. It doesn’t look good. There will be some Moabites who will be knocking on the doors of Israelites seeking refuge. We see that kind of behavior today. Groups of immigrants moving to other countries happens frequently as they seek asylum in other cultures.