September 28, Isaiah 21
For thus the Lord said to me; “Go set a
watchman; let him announce what he sees."
- Isaiah 21:6
Guard duty is a necessary task when some
danger or adversary threatens a group of
people. People have to sleep; the journey or
mission can't go on when everyone is sleep
deprived. So someone has to be awake and
alert through the night, watching for any sign of
approaching danger. From cowboys camping on
the open rangeland of the old West to soldiers
on guard at a military base through the night,
watchmen play an important role, providing
security. When your sleep is disturbed by a
severe weather warning, we may be irritated by
the interruption, but we are really thankful for
those who monitor the weather conditions
through the night when dangerous storms are
possible.
God appointed Isaiah as a watchman. In his
role as a prophet, Isaiah saw and heard future
events as God revealed them to him. He in turn
issued the warnings to the threatened groups.
Some warnings were for God's people in Israel
and Judah. Other warnings were about what
was going to happen in the neighboring nations
and how it would affect God's people.
Quite often, the prophet's announcements were
not welcome news to the ones he addressed.
When warnings were issued along with a call to
repentance, it was not uncommon for people to
ignore the warning and continue in their sinful
behavior. When the threat became reality, the
people affected would cry out, but it was too
late. The disaster and destruction that
overwhelmed them could have been averted,
but they refused to listen.
The three oracles or burdens Isaiah shared in
Chapter 21 were not about Israel or Judah. But
these announcements about three neighboring
nations did affect the people of Israel and
Judah. Babylon, Dumah (probably Edom) and
Arabia were all destined to fall to the Assyrians.
Isaiah was in anguish at the news of what was
about to happen. No neighbor could help when
the Assyrians came for them.
It was discouraging news, but Isaiah faithfully
reported it to the people it concerned. He was
vigilant in his role as a watchman, seeing what
others could not see. He paid attention to the
painful message and reported it to people who
did not welcome the news. This fall of Babylon
was not the one that would end the Jews'
captivity more than 150 years after the time of
Isaiah. Babylon fell to Assyria during Isaiah’s
lifetime before Babylon would become a world
power. The Edomites would want to know when
the darkness would end. Isaiah told them that
the light would return, but not for them. And
Arabia would fall and fugitives would scatter and flee, dependent on the kindness of others for their bread and water.
The message to Israel and Judah in all that
international news was pointed and clear: No
ally or savior would come from the neighboring
nations to rescue them from the Assyrians.
Their only hope was in God's intervention. If the
Lord did not stop the Assyrian invaders, they
would not be stopped. God would spare
Jerusalem in Judah by his miraculous
intervention. But he would deliver Israel,
idolatrous and unrepentant, to the Assyrians to
be destroyed.
When a faithful preacher of God's word or our
own personal Bible study sounds a warning we
need to hear, what is our attitude and
response? We may not like the warning any
better than we like the weather radio’s blaring
alarm. But we need to be thankful for the
message from God that tells what we need to
hear.
Let's resolve to keep our eyes and ears open
and our hearts soft and receptive to God's
warnings. To ignore the warnings and suffer the
consequences of our disobedience is a very
foolish course for us to take. God graciously
puts faithful watchmen in our path to warn us
and call us to repentance. Will we be wise? Will
we be warned?
Copyright © 2023 by Michael B. McElroy. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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