Today’s passage: Isaiah 21
Helpful thoughts:
- The “Wilderness of the Sea” was a name for a region in the Babylonian empire.
- Judah, before being defeated by Babylon, had been an ally with the nation. This is why there would be weeping and anguish as it is depicted in verses 3 and 4.
- Therefore, verses 1-10 are very similar in meaning to the previous chapter. Neither Egypt or Babylon were the answer for Judah. They needed to trust in God, not foreign nations.
- Verses 11-12 picture the people of Edom (Along the trade routes between warring nations) asking when the time of turmoil will end, yet with no answer.
- Verses 13-17 prophesy a southern campaign of Dedanites versus the people of Kedar (Descendants of Ishmael). The people of the Arabian peninsula are to be prepared to care for those who are being pushed further south.
- The contents of verses 11-17 should be considered separate prophecies from verses 1-10
Questions to consider:
- What would the intended audience of these messages (The people of Judah) be reminded of after hearing/reading these prophecies? Who is over Babylon? Does God even consider the less powerful, more historically obscure desert nations?
- What do we learn about God when we consider his attention to and knowledge of all these people groups and events and times and how each nation affects all the others (Past, present and future)?
- What other things are going to take place in the future because the “LORD, the God of Israel, has spoken”? What can we look forward to with all confidence and eager expectation?