#978 Isaiah 16 Pride and Compassion

 

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.” Isaiah 16 ESV

Isaiah 16

1-5. Send the lamb to the ruler of the land - A symbol of the tribute Moab once paid to the king of the place of true worship.

…4Now Mesha king of Moab was a sheep breeder, and he would render to the king of Israel a hundred thousand lambs and the wool of a hundred thousand rams. 5But after the death of Ahab, the king of Moab rebelled against the king of Israel.6So at that time King Jehoram set out from Samaria and mobilized all Israel.… 2 Kings 3: 4-6

Like a scattered nest - Displaced and lost. They were lost before, in that they knew who the God of Abraham was, but they worshiped other gods. Now they are exiles, unable to believe what their eyes behold, all that they thought was firm is now shaken, torn apart, empty. 

Do not reveal the fugitive - Isaiah is giving a compassionate plea to Jerusalem, that they take in and shelter the lost of Moab. Do not be like those who will rejoice at your demise. Some see this, and it is probable, as something reciprocated in the end times.

Let My outcasts dwell with you, O Moab: This is a sudden and curious change of focus. In Isaiah 16:3, Judah was counseled to receive the outcasts of Moab. Now, Moab is asked to receive the outcasts of Judah. Bultema thinks that Isaiah 16:4-5 is an end-times prophecy of how Moab will be a place of refuge for Jews escaping the fury of the Antichrist after the abomination of desolation.

i. Israel, fleeing from the fury of the Antichrist, will find refuge in places like Moab (Revelation 12:6, 12:13-14). They will be protected from the face of the spoiler until devastation ceases and the oppressors are consumed out of the land.

b. In mercy the throne will be established: In those end times, the throne of the Messiah will be established, and the Messiah Himself will sit on the throne: One will sit on it in truth, in the tabernacle of David. His reign will be wonderful, judging and seeking justice and hastening righteousness.  - Enduring Word

6-14. How proud he is - This has not escaped God' notice, and it is apparently seen by others. We are warned over and over again in Scripture.

…3When the earth and all its dwellers quake, it is I who bear up its pillars. Selah 4I say to the proud, ‘Do not boast,’ and to the wicked, ‘Do not lift up your horn.5Do not lift up your horn against heaven or speak with an outstretched neck.’ ”… Psalm 75: 3-5

15Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16For all that is in the world— the desires of the flesh, the desires of the eyes, and the pride of life— is not from the Father but from the world. 17The world is passing away, along with its desires; but whoever does the will of God remains forever.… 1 John 2: 15-17

…11Such people should consider that what we are in our letters when absent, we will be in our actions when present. 12 We do not dare to classify or compare ourselves with some who commend themselves. When they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they show their ignorance. 13We, however, will not boast beyond our limits, but only within the field of influence that God has assigned to us—a field that reaches even to you.… 2 Corinthians 10: 11-13

…2Remember that these forty years the LORD your God led you all the way in the wilderness, so that He might humble you and test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep His commandments. 3He humbled you, and in your hunger He gave you manna to eat, which neither you nor your fathers had known, so that you might understand that man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.4Your clothing did not wear out and your feet did not swell during these forty years.… Deuteronomy 8: 2-4

…18do not boast over those branches. If you do, remember this: You do not support the root, but the root supports you. 19You will say then, “Branches were broken off so that I could be grafted in. 20That is correct: They were broken off because of unbelief, but you stand by faith. Do not be arrogant, but be afraid.… Romans 11: 18-20

And those who remain will be very few and feeble - It seems to imply even a remnant of Moab.

God announced the time frame for His judgment to be a warning to Moab and an invitation for their humble repentance (it wasn’t unthinkable that this prophecy would get to the Moabites somehow). It was a lesson for God’s people on how the LORD judges the proud. Finally, it assured God’s people that the LORD would deal with other, worse, nations as He also dealt with Israel. - Enduring Word