May 9, 2026, Isaiah 21:1-16
May 9, 2026, Isaiah 21:1-16
21 The oracle concerning the wilderness of the sea.
As whirlwinds in the Negeb
sweep on,
it comes from the
wilderness,
from a terrible land.
2 A stern vision is told to me;
the traitor betrays,
and the destroyer
destroys.
Go up, O Elam;
lay siege, O Media;
all the sighing she has caused
I bring to an end.
3 Therefore my loins are filled with anguish;
pangs have seized me,
like the pangs of a woman
in labor;
I am bowed down so that I cannot hear;
I am dismayed so that I
cannot see.
4 My heart staggers; horror has appalled me;
the twilight I longed for
has been turned for me
into trembling.
5 They prepare the table,
they spread the rugs,
they eat, they drink.
Arise, O princes;
oil the shield!
6 For thus the Lord said to me:
“Go, set a watchman;
let him announce what he
sees.
7 When he sees riders, horsemen in pairs,
riders on donkeys, riders
on camels,
let him listen diligently,
very diligently.”
8 Then he who saw cried out:
“Upon a watchtower I stand, O Lord,
continually by day,
and at my post I am stationed
whole nights.
9 And behold, here come riders,
horsemen in pairs!”
And he answered,
“Fallen, fallen is
Babylon;
and all the carved images of her gods
he has shattered to the
ground.”
10 O my threshed and winnowed one,
what I have heard from
the Lord of hosts,
the God of Israel, I
announce to you.
11 The oracle concerning Dumah.
One is calling to me
from Seir,
“Watchman, what time of
the night?
Watchman, what time of the
night?”
12 The watchman says:
“Morning comes, and also the night.
If you will
inquire, inquire;
come back again.”
13 The oracle concerning Arabia.
In the thickets
in Arabia you will lodge,
O caravans
of Dedanites.
14 To the thirsty bring water;
meet the fugitive with
bread,
O inhabitants of the land
of Tema.
15 For they have fled from the swords,
from the drawn sword,
from the bent bow,
and from the press of
battle.
16 For thus the Lord said to me, “Within a
year, according to the years of a hired worker, all the glory
of Kedar will come to an end. 17 And the
remainder of the archers of the mighty men of the sons of Kedar will be
few, for the Lord, the
God of Israel, has spoken.”
Isaiah 21:1-16 contains three distinct prophecies
(oracles) predicting the downfall of various nations, beginning with the
sudden, violent fall of Babylon to the Elamites and Medes. Isaiah describes
this vision as deeply troubling and terrifying, featuring a watchman waiting in
suspense for news of Babylon's collapse.
If you are currently in a "night" season (a
period of waiting or suffering), what does it mean for you that "morning
is coming, but also the night"?
How do you maintain hope when progress feels slow or
cyclical?
Robin Adams
Comments
Post a Comment