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Home , Isaiah 16, Jazer, Kir of Moab, Nimrim

Posted September 3, 2020 09–03–2020 14:28–16.14 Study Read :28–16:14. I will print the Net–2 translation. THE LORD WILL JUDGE THE PHILISTINES 28 This oracle came in the year that King died: 29 Don’t be so happy, all you Philistines, just because the club that beat you has been broken! For a viper will grow out of the serpent’s root, and its fruit will be a darting adder. 30 The poor will graze in my pastures; the needy will rest securely. But I will kill your root by famine; it will put to death all your survivors. 31 Wail, O city gate! Cry out, O city! Melt with fear, all you Philistines! For out of the north comes a cloud of smoke, and there are no stragglers in its ranks. 32 How will they respond to the messengers of this nation? Indeed, the Lord has made secure; the oppressed among his people will find safety in her. THE LORD WILL JUDGE 15:1 This is an oracle about Moab: Indeed, in a night it is devastated, of Moab is destroyed! Indeed, in a night it is devastated, is destroyed! 2 They went up to the temple; the people of Dibon went up to the high places to lament. Because of what happened to and Medeba, Moab wails. Every head is shaved bare, every beard is trimmed off. 3 In their streets they wear sackcloth; on their roofs and in their town squares all of them wail; they fall down weeping. 4 The people of and Elealeh cry out; their voices are heard as far away as Jahaz. For this reason Moab’s soldiers shout in distress; their courage wavers. 5 My heart cries out because of Moab’s plight and for the fugitives stretched out as far as Zoar and Eglath Shelishiyah. For they weep as they make their way up the ascent of Luhith; they loudly lament their demise on the road to . 6 For the waters of are gone; the grass is dried up, the vegetation has disappeared, and there are no plants. 7 For this reason what they have made and stored up, they carry over the Stream of the Poplars. 8 Indeed, the cries of distress echo throughout Moabite territory; their wailing can be heard in Eglaim and Beer Elim. 9 Indeed, the waters of Dimon are full of blood! Indeed, I will heap even more trouble on Dimon. A lion will attack the Moabite fugitives and the people left in the land. 16:1 Send rams as tribute to the ruler of the land, from in the wilderness to the hill of Daughter Zion. 2 At the fords of the Arnon the Moabite women are like a bird that flies about when forced from its nest. 3 “Bring a plan, make a decision. Provide some shade in the middle of the day. Hide the fugitives! Do not betray the one who tries to escape. 4 Please let the Moabite fugitives live among you. Hide them from the destroyer!” Certainly the one who applies pressure will cease; the destroyer will come to an end; those who trample will disappear from the earth. 5 Then a trustworthy king will be established; he will rule in a reliable manner, this one from ’s family. He will be sure to make just decisions and will be experienced in executing justice. 6 We have heard about Moab’s pride— their great arrogance— their boasting, pride, and excess. But their boastful claims are empty. 7 So Moab wails over its demise— they all wail! Completely devastated, they moan about what has happened to the raisin cakes of Kir Hareseth. 8 For the fields of Heshbon are dried up, as well as the vines of Sibmah. The rulers of the nations trample all over its vines, which reach Jazer and spread to the wilderness; their shoots spread out and cross the sea. 9 So I weep along with Jazer over the vines of Sibmah. I will saturate you with my tears, Heshbon and Elealeh, for the conquering invaders shout triumphantly over your fruit and crops. 10 Joy and happiness disappear from the orchards, and in the vineyards no one rejoices or shouts; no one treads out juice in the wine vats— I have brought the joyful shouts to an end. 11 So my heart constantly sighs for Moab, like the strumming of a harp, my inner being sighs for Kir Hareseth. 12 When the Moabites plead with all their might at their high places and enter their temples to pray, their prayers will be ineffective. 13 This is the message the Lord previously announced about Moab. 14 Now the Lord makes this announcement: “Within exactly three years Moab’s splendor will disappear, along with all her many people; there will be only a few insignificant survivors left.”

COMMENTS: THE BURDEN AGAINST PHILISTIA (14:28-32) The second burden relates to 'all you Philistines'. The Philistines occupied a group of city states on the southern Mediterranean coast of Palestine (the name 'Palestine' is just an anglicised corruption of 'Philistine'). They had no all-encompassing government, and so it is appropriate that Isaiah addresses this burden simply to 'all you Philistines'.

The language used is cryptic, illustrating yet again that intentional obscurity of declaration is a common feature of prophecy. For the most important message is contained in verse 32, a reassurance that Zion is God's choice and his creation. v. 28: For the second time Isaiah dates a prophecy by relating it to the death of a king. In 6:1 his inaugural vision is said to have come in the year of 's death. Now the death of Uzziah's son, Ahaz, in 716/715 B.C. gives the relevant date. It is possible to understand that the message came while Ahaz was still alive, so that comparison with what is recorded in 2 Chronicles 28:18 may be relevant. v. 29: The important question facing any expositor is the identification of the 'rod' (‘club’ in Net–2) mentioned in this verse. There is no agreement on which historical event is meant in this verse. The crucial factor relates to who is the ruler ('rod') that struck the Philistines but then himself was broken.

The complete power of this 'snake' was not altogether broken, and from its root will still come a viper that is able to sting the Philistines. Perhaps they made overtures to Judah under Ahaz or the new king , only to find that the seeming broken rod was still able to create great harm for them. The concepts of 'rod' and 'snake' are borrowed from Exodus 4:2-3 and 7:10-12. v. 30: Having made clear that more trouble is in store for the Philistines, the message goes on to contrast the position of Judah and Philistia. The humble in Judah will be secure, while the very root of the Philistines will be destroyed so that there will be no 'remnant'. The Philistines are last mentioned in the Bible in the early post- exilic period (Zech. 9:6). v. 31: The message is directed to the gates and cities of the Philistines. They are to become utterly dispirited in the face of Assyrian attack. This is a summary of the invading army (cf. the longer description already given in 5:26-30). As it moves around 'the fertile crescent' and makes its approach from the north the troops will create a dust storm that looks like a cloud. v. 32: There is an implied overture to Judah behind the opening question in this verse. Perhaps under the guise of coming to bring a message of consolation on the death of Ahaz, the Philistine representatives raised the matter of a possible coalition to stand against . The language implies a Gentile nation made the approach.

The answer is that Judah's welfare is with the Lord alone, for he has chosen Zion and there his people will find refuge (see Ps. 132:13-15). Diplomacy will never save; only finding refuge under the wings of the Lord will provide safety (for the idiom see Ruth 2:12; Pss. 17:8; 36:7; 57:1; 61:4; 91:4).

THE ORACLE AGAINST MOAB (15:1-16:14) Moab features prominently in the writings of the prophets (in addition to Isa. 15:1-16:14 and 25:10, see Amos 2:1-3; Jer. 48:1-47; Ezek. 25:8-11; Zeph. 2:8-11). At times both Moab and seem to be used as symbolic of all of God's enemies (for Edom see Isa. 34:5-17). The Edomites were descendants of Esau, while the Moabites (and the Ammonites) were descendants of 's nephew Lot (see Gen. 19:36-38).

The had obeyed the divine direction to leave both of these groups alone as they moved around the east of the Dead Sea to arrive in (Deut. 2:1-23). However, the Moabites did not leave and Judah alone, and there was repeated conflict over the centuries, and when the exile took place the Moabites moved into many of the vacant areas (Jer. 48:20-42; 49:1-2).

The amount of geographical information here is greater than anywhere else in Isaiah (but cf. 10:28-34), and many of the places mentioned cannot be accurately located. The most important extra-biblical record concerning the Moabites is the so-called Moabite stone (ninth century B.C.; discovered in 1868) erected by King to celebrate his victory over Israel. v. 1: The burden against Moab commences with a rhyming couplet: For in the night Ar of Moab is destroyed; it is undone. For in the night Kir of Moab is destroyed; it is undone.

The introductory 'for' is an important feature of this burden, as it appears eight times in this chapter (vv. 1 2x; 5 2x; 6 2x; 8; 9). NIV omits them all in translation, while NKJV uses 'because' for the first two in this verse and then 'for' in the remaining six. Ar and Kir were probably major Moabite settlements, though precise identification has not yet been made.

Mention of the night seems to indicate the sudden and unexpected nature of the destruction. Calling them 'undone' recalls Isaiah's use of the same word to describe himself when he saw the Lord in his glory (6:5). vs. 2-4: The activities mentioned are typical of descriptions of mourning. The people of Dibon go up to their 'house', i.e. their temple, which is also called the sanctuary (16:12). Heads are shaved, beards are cut (v. 2), sackcloth is worn, and bodies are prostrated (v. 3). Voices are lifted up in despairing cries, while the warriors of Moab find their courage wanes away (v. 4).

5-9 The geographical references continue, with mention of another eight place names. Presumably Zoar is the place at the southern end of the Dead Sea to which Lot fled (Gen. 14:2; 19:23, 30). Dimon, whose waters are full of blood (v. 9), is probably just a deliberate variant of Dibon (v. 2), with a play on the Hebrew word 'blood' (dâm). Such word plays (sounds like) are quite frequent as I have pointed out to you in our study.

In Hosea, Beth-el (house of God) is changed to Beth-aven ('house of vanity', Hosea 4:15; 5:8; 10:5), while the change of the name of the river Abanah to Amanah in the majority of Hebrew manuscripts (2 Kings 5:12) displays exactly the same alteration as here in Dibon to Dimon.

Isaiah expresses his concern for Moab, as her fugitives flee (v. 5). The prophet's spirit finds fuller expression in the lament of Jesus, the great prophet, over (Luke 13:34-35). Isaiah's grief is caused by the sight of the Moabites weeping and lamenting over their destruction. A variety of expressions is used to convey the depth of their distress. They weep, lament, cry out, and wail.

The absence of vegetation may be due to the fact that springs and other sources of water are blocked. They try to carry their wealth with them, and their grief reaches to the limits of their territory, both to the northern point (Eglaim) and to the south (Beer Elim). The waters near Dibon will flow with blood as many Moabites die.

Two of Isaiah's contemporaries use the imagery of the Lord as a lion (Hosea 5:14; Amos 5:18-19). Here the indication is given in verse 9b of the completeness of the judgment. Whether people become refugees or stay in the land there will be no difference in their fate. Death and destruction will be their lot.

AN INVITATION TO MOAB (16:1-5) vs. 1-2: In the crisis facing Moab she is encouraged to pay tribute to the king in Jerusalem. In :4 mention is made of the annual tribute that Mesha of Moab had to pay to king –100,000 lambs and wool of 100,000 rams. The word for 'lamb' used there (Heb. kâr) is a rare one, but the same word appears here in 16:1. The way of safety for Moab is to submit to the rule of the house of David.

Though 'Sela' is treated as a proper name in many translations, it is better to render it simply as 'rock' or 'cliff', as in :28. It can hardly be Sela, the fortified capital of the Edomites, for this prophecy is directed to Moab, not Edom, unless it means that Moabite refugees in Edom are called on to provide tribute. Jerusalem is personified as 'the daughter of Zion'.

The women of Moab are at the southern border of their land ('the fords of Arnon'), utterly helpless like young birds forced to leave their nests. They are trying to get out of their present territory and seek refuge in Edom. v. 3: I believe vs. 3–5 is continuing the address to Moab. It comes within a 'burden' addressed to Moab, and in verse 4 Moab is called upon to help the refugees from Judah. Appeal is made to the people of Moab to respond to Judah's need. A decision is required like that of a judge. Let them provide shade so that the midday becomes like night and the refugees find a hiding place. Moab is asked not to betray them. v. 4: The literal rendering of v. 4 is 'Let my fugitives, Moab, sojourn with you'. The message is the Lord's, and he wants his people to be allowed to have guest rights in Moab, just as Israel allowed foreigners certain privileges. She is commanded to be a hiding place for them in the face of the destroyer ('hiding place' is from the same root as 'hide' in the previous verse).

Several expressions denoting malicious enemies are used: 'destroyer', 'oppressor', 'aggressor'. We presume the attacker is Assyria. However, the latter part of the verse brings re-assurance to Judah. The aggressor's time is limited, and destruction will come to an end. v. 5 In the midst of the message to Moab comes an assurance of divine grace. God's steadfast love is going to establish a throne, and on it will sit one from David's house. The earthly throne was a counterpart of the heavenly throne (Isa. 6:1), and Isaiah has already given the message that a divine child will come to sit on David's throne (Isa. 9:7).

Just as David himself is said to have ruled in justice and righteousness for all his people (2 Sam. 8:1), so the coming king spoken of here will be a faithful ruler who seeks to dispense justice without any delay. Any Moabite must have puzzled over this message, but, as pointed out earlier, the real recipient of these oracles was Judah.

LAMENTATION FOR MOAB (16:6-12) v. 6: The cluster of synonymous terms emphasizes Moab's arrogance: 'pride' (appears twice in the same verse), ‘arrogance’, ‘insolence’, and 'boastfulness'. Though only a small nation, Moab exalted herself in her own eyes, but what she said was only empty talk, mere bragging. That talk had reached Judah, and so Isaiah says, 'we have heard'. vs. 7-8: The picture is of Moab wailing on account of her own desolation. The MT says that 'Moab wails for Moab', an expression that denotes mutual expression of grief. They groan for the men of Kir Hareset, who are indeed 'stricken'. Invasion often resulted in devastation to crops and vineyards.

In Moab the rich areas around Heshbon (see on 15:4) and Sibmah ( said it was 500 paces from Heshbon) wither away, while the vines that stretched from Jazer in the north to the desert in the south and west to the Dead Sea are destroyed. vs. 9-10: The one weeping in these verbs has to be the Lord himself, for he is the one who has caused the cessation in the joy of harvest (see the final clause of verse 10). There is no more harvesting or wine making, both things associated normally with joy on the part of reapers and winemakers. There is stillness over the whole land, for the Lord has brought about this situation. It is his doing.

The absence of shouting is marked, and these verses repeat the same Hebrew noun for 'shouting' in successive verses. The parallel passage in Jeremiah even uses this same noun three times in the one verse (Jer. 48:33), a fact that English versions find difficulty in translating adequately. God expresses his grief over Moab, as he brings destruction on it (note the repeated 'I' in verses 9-10, and the double use of ‘my’ in verse 11). vs. 11-12: The third and final sentence in this section also begins with ‘when’/'therefore'. As God looks over the fate of Moab he is deeply moved with grief. The divine pity is likened to the sorrowful sound of a harp. The Moabites may well have been very religious, going to their high places to pray, but these prayer sessions are of no avail.

Prayer at their sanctuary does not produce any results, as is made clear at the end of v. 12. Those worshipping at the high place will find no results flow to them. The Moabite God was Chemosh, who was worshipped by some of Solomon's wives (see 1 Kings 11:7). vs. 13-14: The final verses in the chapter give further confirmation that this message was indeed one from the Lord. The message has a precision about it. Within the space of three years, just as a hired laborer looks to the end of his contract, so Moab's glory will come to a certain end.

The addition of this message at the conclusion of the burden against Moab is not only to indicate a time frame, but to inculcate urgency in responding to the Lord's denunciation of Moab's pride. The judgment is going to result in the large population of Moab being reduced to a small remnant.

REFLECTION QUESTION: I find the picture of God weeping over Moab a reminder of his great love. He weeps over those he brings into judgment. This happens now and will happen again at the final judgment. God will sorrow over those in hell. As someone once said, “Hell is not filled with people God hated. It is filled with people who hated God. I suggest you write :9 at the beginning of Luke 15, that great chapter on the lost sheep, coin, and son. Remember: There is joy in heaven when even one sinner repents. We find ourselves feeling joy at times when we think someone is getting what they deserve. God does not rejoice when he must execute judgment, he weeps.