Isaiah 21:11-17

Sunday Morning Bible Study

June 20, 1999

Introduction

We are still in the section of Isaiah known as the "burdens". These are heavy prophecies, they deal with serious things. There are three "burdens" in this chapter, we’ve already looked at one of them.

:11-12 Burden for Edom

:11 The burden of Dumah. He calleth to me out of Seir

Dumah – a tribe and region of Ishmael in Arabia (Ge 25:14 1Ch 1:30) which covers the area of Edom. Some translations just say "Edom". See map.

Seir – a principal mountain in Edom, often used interchangeably with Edom. See map.

:11 Watchman, what of the night?

watchman – Isaiah

what of the night – the people of Edom are asking when the "night" is going to be over. With all the conflicts and wars going on between Egypt and Assyria, Edom, along with Judah, was part of the area caught in the middle.

It’s kind of like when the kids in the back seat keep asking, "Are we there yet?"

:12 The morning cometh, and also the night

Two possible ways of looking at this:

1. Your morning is coming, but there’s another night around the corner. There may be a temporary reprieve to you from the hard times, but more hard times are on their way.

2. Morning comes for the Jews, but there’s more night for the Edomites.

Lesson

The night is almost over.

1 Th 5:1-11 But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you. {2} For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. {3} For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. {4} But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. {5} Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness. {6} Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober. {7} For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night. {8} But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation. {9} For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, {10} Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him. {11} Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do.

In a sense, we too are living in a time of "darkness", as the night. Paul says that night time is when people either sleep or get drunk. But we who follow Jesus aren’t supposed to be comfortable with the darkness around us. We are people who belong in the light, in the daytime.

The "day" comes in one of two ways. It may come with Jesus returning to the earth. It may come when your life is over on this earth.

For those of us who have chosen to follow Jesus, we need to be encouraged that the time of "darkness" is almost over. There will be a time soon when there will be no more sin, pain, or suffering.

For some of you, perhaps you’ve grown a little too accustomed to the darkness around you. Don’t be caught by surprise when the day comes.

:12 if ye will inquire, inquire ye:

If you want to keep asking, then ask. If you want to know, then ask.

:12 return, come.

return – I believe this is a reference to returning to God, what we call repentance. The idea might be, "If you want to keep asking me questions, then turn away from your idols and turn back to God, and come ask me as much as you want".

Lesson

Turn around.

Getting things right with God involves the action of turning around. We call this "repentance". It means that if your life is headed south, straight toward sin, that you turn the car around and head north, away from sin.

Illustration

Chuck Colson told the following story in an address at Reformed Theological Seminary in Jackson, Mississippi:

I love the illustration about a man named Jack Eckerd. A few years ago I was on the Bill Buckley television program, talking about restitution (one of my favorite subjects) and criminal justice. Bill Buckley agreed with me. A few days later I got a call from Jack Eckerd, a businessman from Florida, the founder of the Eckerd Drug chain, the second largest drug chain in America. He saw me on television and asked me to come to Florida. He agreed Florida had a criminal justice crisis, would I come down and do something about it? And we did. We got the attorney general of the state, the president of the senate; we got on Jack Eckerd's Lear jet; we went around the State of Florida advocating criminal justice reforms, and everywhere we would go Jack Eckerd would introduce me to the crowds and say, "This is Chuck Colson, my friend; I met him on Bill Buckley's television program. He's born again, I'm not. I wish I were." And then he'd sit down. We'd get on the airplane and I'd tell him about Jesus. We'd get off at the next stop, he'd repeat it, we'd do the same thing again, and I'd talk to him about Jesus. When we left I gave him some of R. C. Sproul's books and I gave him C. S. Lewis's Mere Christianity, which had such an impact on me. I sent him my books. About a year went by and I kept pestering Jack Eckerd. And eventually one day he read some things including the story of Watergate and the Resurrection out of my book, Loving God, and decided that Jesus was, in fact, resurrected from the dead. He called me up to tell me he believed that, and I asked him some other things. When he got through telling me what he believed I said, "You're born again!" He said, "No, I'm not, I haven't felt anything." I said, "Yes, you are! Pray with me right now." After we prayed he said, "I am? Marvelous!" The first thing he did was to walk into one of his drugstores and walked down through the book shelves and he saw Playboy and Penthouse. And he'd seen it there many times before, but it never bothered him before. Now he saw them with new eyes. He'd become a Christian.

He went back to his office. He called in his president. He said, "Take Playboy and Penthouse out of my stores. The president said, "You can't mean that, Mr. Eckerd. We make three million dollars a year on those books." He said, "Take 'em out of my stores." And in 1,700 stores across America, by one man's decision, those magazines and smut were removed from the shelves because a man had given his life to Christ. I called Jack Eckerd up. I said, "I want to use that story. Did you do that because of your commitment to Christ?" He said, "Why else would I give away three million dollars? The Lord wouldn't let me off the hook."

Isn't that marvelous? God wouldn't let me off the hook. I don't know any theologian who has better defined the Lordship of Christ than that.

You will find that the process of turning around doesn’t start with you cleaning up your life before you come to Jesus. You will find that the process of turning around starts when your heart turns to Him. Then you’ll start seeing things in a whole new light. Then you’ll have the power to turn from the things that destroy you.

For some of you, you once turned around, then after awhile you turned back to your sin. Jesus is patient. Even if you have to turn to Him 1,000 times, turn to Him. He’s waiting.

:13-17 Burden for Arabia

:13 The burden upon Arabia.

This is a prophecy that the land of Arabia would be defeated within a year.

:13 In the forest in Arabia shall ye lodge, O ye travelling companies of Dedanim.

forest – thickets of underbrush.

Dedanim – people from Dedan, in northern Arabia. See map. These were some of the people that would have been put to flight by the invading armies of Assyria.

:14 inhabitants of the land of Tema …prevented with their bread

Tema – an oasis in the Arabian area, south of Dedan. See map.

prevented with their bread – "prevented" is King James for "come before". They were ready for the fleeing refugees with food for them. They didn’t have to wait for someone to convince them to help. They were the first to arrive with help.

Lesson

Take care of the needy.

Luke 10:25-37 And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? {26} He said unto him, What is written in the law? how readest thou? {27} And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself. {28} And he said unto him, Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live. {29} But he, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbour?

Just to be on the safe side, the guy wants to know just exactly who qualifies to be his neighbor. That’s just like us, always looking to see just how far we can go and still get away with something.

{30} And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. {31} And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. {32} And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side.

The priest and the Levite, both the epitome of religious people, ignored the man and refused to help. God isn’t looking for us to be religious, He’s looking for us to be loving.

{33} But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him,

The Jews hated the half-breed Samaritans. They absolutely loathed them. We aren’t told that the robbers’ victim was Jewish, but wouldn’t it be ironic if he was? Here was someone who was the object of disgust and hatred, but that doesn’t keep him back from doing something about this man’s problems. The Samaritan doesn’t say to himself, "I can’t help this guy, because when he realizes I’m a Samaritan, he won’t like me". He just helps the guy.

The Samaritan wasn’t some special guy who specialized in helping wounded people. He wasn’t necessarily going around looking for wounded people to help. He just found the man on his own journey. We don’t have to always go hunting for people to minister. Often they’re the people right in the middle of our path.

{34} And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. {35} And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee. {36} Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves? {37} And he said, He that showed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise.

Just like the Good Samaritan, just like the inhabitants of Tema, we ought to be willing to help those in need.

:15 For they fled from the swords

they fled – The Dedanites, fleeing from the Assyrians.

I’m sure the inhabitants of Tema were made more than a little "uncomfortable" by the fleeing Dedanites. But they realized the Dedanites weren’t the enemy.

Lesson

Keep in mind who the real enemy is.

Too often we get sidetracked into thinking that some person we’re experiencing conflict or stress with is the real enemy.

(2 Tim 2:24-26 NLT) The Lord's servants must not quarrel but must be kind to everyone. They must be able to teach effectively and be patient with difficult people. {25} They should gently teach those who oppose the truth. Perhaps God will change those people's hearts, and they will believe the truth. {26} Then they will come to their senses and escape from the Devil's trap. For they have been held captive by him to do whatever he wants.

Satan is the real enemy. He has trapped many people. They need your help.

:16 Within a year, according to the years of an hireling, and all the glory of Kedar shall fail:

the years of an hireling – (see Is. 16:14) a hireling was an indentured servant, with a contract to work as a slave for a period of time. You can bet that the "year of a hireling" would not be one day more than a year. This prophecy would be fulfilled within a year, no more. (Arabia was conquered by Sargon in 715 BC)

Kedar – a powerful tribe of Arabia to the north of Dedan and Tema. See map.

I’m sure there were folks in Dedan and Tema who were counting on the fabulous people of Kedar to always be there for them. They had nothing to worry about because the folks up in Kedar could handle anything! Wrong.

Lesson

Things change.

There are things that we place great confidence. They can all change.

Illustration

I remember as a child, one of my favorite stores was a place called "Gartens". It was kind of a five-and-dime store. They had all kinds of stuff, including a toy department. It was located on Raymond, next to the Alpha Beta grocery store, which had a "Brookdale" ice cream store next to it. When I was a kid, I used to ride my bike with my friends down Raymond Avenue to go to Gartens. I remember the day when Gartens went out of business. They had this big sale to get rid of all their stuff. I remember how exciting it was to get some great deals on little toys. But I remember feeling pretty sad that there would no longer be a "Gartens". It was like a friend had died. The place is now a Salvation Army store. In fact, later, the Brookdale Ice Cream store closed, even the Alpha Beta isn’t an Alpha Beta any more. Things change.

Sometimes the things we trust in are things like the security of a good job, or the fact that the economy is doing so well.

These things change. Companies go under. People are laid off. Economies fail. Just ask your parents or grandparents who lived through the Great Depression. People talk about getting ready for the possible calamity of Y2K this year, but change doesn’t wait for Y2K. I know of more than a few of you who have already experienced layoffs and unexpected changes to your income.

Are you placing your sense of "security" on these things?

Mat 7:24-27 Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: {25} And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. {26} And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: {27} And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.

Storms come. Houses can be demolished. Whether your house stands through the storm all depends on what you’ve built your house upon.

There’s only one thing that will keep you standing in the storms of life, and that’s your relationship with Jesus. Are you listening to what He’s saying? Are you doing what He’s asking?

:17 the residue of the number of archers …

archers – The Arabians were famous for their bowmen. After the war, there would only be a few left.

It’s possible that this may have a kind of future fulfillment as well. Arabia (Dedan) will be a sort of ally with Israel when Russia invades Israel (Eze. 38:13)

:17 for the LORD God of Israel hath spoken it.

You can count on these things happening because God has said it would happen.

Lesson

God keeps His promises.

Illustration

A Father's Promise

In 1989 an 8.2 earthquake almost flattened Armenia, killing over 30,000 people in less than four minutes. In the midst of utter devastation and chaos, a father left his wife securely at home and rushed to the school where his son was supposed to be, only to discover that the building was as flat as a pancake.

After the traumatic initial shock, he remembered the promise he had made to his son: "No matter what, I'll always be there for you!" And tears began to fill his eyes. As he looked at the pile of debris that once was the school, it looked hopeless, but he kept remembering his commitment to his son. He began to concentrate on where he walked his son to class at school each morning. Remembering his son's classroom would be in the back right corner of the building, he rushed there and started digging through the rubble. As he was digging, other forlorn parents arrived, clutching their hearts, saying: "My son!" "My daughter!" Other well meaning parents tried to pull him off of what was left of the school saying: "It's too late!" "They're dead!" "You can't help!" "Go home!" "Come on, face reality, there's nothing you can do!" "You're just going to make things worse!" To each parent he responded with one line: "Are you going to help me now?" And then he proceeded to dig for his son, stone by stone. The fire chief showed up and tried to pull him off of the school's debris saying, "Fires are breaking out, explosions are happening everywhere. You're in danger. We'll take care of it. Go home." To which this loving, caring Armenian father asked, "Are you going to help me now?" The police came and said, "You're angry, distraught and it's over. You're endangering others. Go home. We'll handle it!" To which he replied, "Are you going to help me now?" No one helped. Courageously he proceeded alone because he needed to know for himself: "Is my boy alive or is he dead?"

He dug for eight hours . . . 12 hours . . . 24 hours .. . . 36 hours . . . then, in the 38th hour, he pulled back a boulder and heard his son's voice. He screamed his son's name, "ARMAND!" He heard back, "Dad!?! It's me, Dad! I told the other kids not to worry. I told 'em that if you were alive, you'd save me and when you saved me, they'd be saved. You promised, 'No matter what, I'll always be there for you!' You did it, Dad! . . . "

"What's going on in there? How is it?" the father asked. There are 14 of us left out of 33, Dad. We're scared, hungry, thirsty and thankful you're here. When the building collapsed, it made a wedge, like a triangle, and it saved us." "Come on out, boy!" "No, Dad! Let the other kids out first, 'cause I know you'll get me! No matter what, I know you'll be there for me!"

Sometimes us Dads can tend to break our promises to our kids. But there is One Dad who NEVER breaks His promises. He ALWAYS keeps His word.

Whether they are promises of judgment for those who have resisted Him, or promises of kindness to those who have trusted Him, God always keeps His promises.