#980 Isaiah 18 Cush

 

Ah, land of whirring wings

that is beyond the rivers of Cush,

2 which sends ambassadors by the sea,

in vessels of papyrus on the waters!

Go, you swift messengers,

to a nation tall and smooth,

to a people feared near and far,

a nation mighty and conquering,

whose land the rivers divide.

3 All you inhabitants of the world,

you who dwell on the earth,

when a signal is raised on the mountains, look!

When a trumpet is blown, hear!

4 For thus the Lord said to me:

“I will quietly look from my dwelling

like clear heat in sunshine,

like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest.”

5 For before the harvest, when the blossom is over,

and the flower becomes a ripening grape,

he cuts off the shoots with pruning hooks,

and the spreading branches he lops off and clears away.

6 They shall all of them be left

to the birds of prey of the mountains

and to the beasts of the earth.

And the birds of prey will summer on them,

and all the beasts of the earth will winter on them.

7 At that time tribute will be brought to the Lord of hosts

from a people tall and smooth,

from a people feared near and far,

a nation mighty and conquering,

whose land the rivers divide,

to Mount Zion, the place of the name of the Lord of hosts. Isaiah 18 ESV

Isaiah 18 Cush

1-2. Cush - This is the Hebrew name for Ethiopia.

“In 715 B.C. an Ethiopian named Shabako gained control of Egypt as founder of the twenty-fifth dynasty. Ethiopian domination continued until 633 B.C. when a native Egyptian regained the throne.” (Wolf)

ii. “The term designates a much larger area than present-day Ethiopia – an area including the Sudan and Somalia.” (Grogan)

Ah, land of whirring wings - Some translate this as "shadowed with buzzing wings", and this does give a good picture of the swarming of locusts, clouds of which can seem to eclipse the sun. 

Which sends ambassadors by the sea - They were probably coming to make an alliance with Judah against Assyria. 

Go, swift messengers - The ambassadors telling Judah to make alliance with them and Egypt, but God had already told the kings of Judah not to return to Egypt. 

Whose land the rivers divide - The Nile and it's tributaries divide up the land of Cush. The eastern border then would include Somalia, so it would come up to the Red Sea, Arabian Sea and Indian Ocean, a large empire. 

3-6. All you inhabitants of the world - Look and listen, God is telling Judah not to make the alliance because he plans to take care of this Himself. He sends one angel, and that leaves 185,000 Assyrian soldiers baking in the heat, food for the vultures and ravens. We have a much more sure word of prophecy, and Judah, along with the rest of humanity can look, hear, and know God's providence.

7. At that time tribute will be brought to the Lord of Hosts - In the end, they see that God does what He says, and accomplishes the seemingly impossible without their help. These tall, fierce, smooth skinned, warrior people of Ethiopia, will come and pay homage to the only true God. We know of one for sure, who asked to have the 53rd chapter of this book explained to him.

Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Get up and go south to the desert road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” 27So he started out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian eunuch, a court official in charge of the entire treasury of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians. He had gone to Jerusalem to worship, 28and on his return was sitting in his chariot reading Isaiah the prophet.…

…29The Spirit said to Philip, “Go over to that chariot and stay by it.” 30So Philip ran up and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet. “Do you understand what you are reading? Philip asked. 31“How can I,” he said, “unless someone guides me?” And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.…

…32The eunuch was reading this passage of Scripture: “He was led like a sheep to the slaughter, and as a lamb before the shearer is silent, so He did not open His mouth. 33In His humiliation He was deprived of justice. Who can recount His descendants? For His life was removed from the earth.” 34“Tell me,” said the eunuch, “who is the prophet talking about, himself or someone else?”…

…35Then Philip began with this very Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus. 36 As they traveled along the road and came to some water, the eunuch said, “Look, here is water! What is there to prevent me from being baptized?”…

…38And he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and Philip baptized him. 39 When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord carried Philip away, and the eunuch saw him no more, but went on his way rejoicing. 40But Philip appeared at Azotus and traveled through that region, preaching the gospel in all the towns until he came to Caesarea.… Acts 8: 26-40

5“Lord,” said Thomas, “we do not know where You are going, so how can we know the way?” 6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. 7If you had known Me, you would know My Father as well. From now on you do know Him and have seen Him.”… John 14: 5-7