Today in God’s Word

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.