Today’s scripture: Isaiah 18:1-7 (NRSV) (The Message) (KJV) What might God be saying to me?
My thoughts (Jeff Miner):
Today’s passage is regarded as one of the most obscure in the Bible. So if you read today’s passage and found yourself thinking, “I’m completely lost,” you’re in good company! If we’re going to get anything out of today’s passage, first we will have to decipher its historical context. So I Googled “meaning of Isaiah 18,” which took me to several helpful online Bible commentaries. Here’s what seems to be happening.
Near the end of the 8th century BC, the Assyrian Empire was hungry to gobble up territory to its south. That put Judah (the southern portion of Israel that contains Jerusalem) at risk, along with Egypt and Ethiopia. So Judah, Egypt, and Ethiopia became allies, working together to fight off Assyria. In chapter 18, Isaiah utters a prophecy meant to reassure all three allies. In verses 1-2, Isaiah asks that his prophecy be carried all the way to Ethiopia and shared there. The prophecy begins in verse 3. Basically, Isaiah says, “The Assyrian armies will fill the mountains around Jerusalem to conquer it. It’s going to look grim; everybody is going to think Jerusalem is a lost cause.” Isaiah compares the Assyrian plan to take Jerusalem to a crop that is planted and almost ready to bear fruit for harvest (vs. 4). But right before the Assyrian plan comes to fruition, Isaiah predicts God will intervene (vs. 5), save Jerusalem, and leave all the Assyrian soldiers dead on the mountains to be eaten by wild animals (vs. 6). The Ethiopians will be so dazzled by what God does, they will send gifts to the temple in Jerusalem (vs. 7).
With this as background, we can now see that vs. 3 is a plea to Judah, Egypt, and Ethiopia not to freak out, not to act too soon, but rather to wait patiently for God’s signal to be given, even though God’s timing will seem to take forever. In verse 4, Isaiah pictures God sitting in a tent in the heat of the day, waiting quietly for the right time to act.
Viewed this way, Isaiah 18 has something important to say to all of us: Learn to trust God’s timing. Try to sense God’s timing in every tense situation. Don’t act precipitously. Wait on the Lord.
I remember a day three years ago when tornados raced through central Indiana right over our church building, blowing an electrical transformer off a power line that runs along the east end of our church property, starting a brush fire. I walked out to take a look. The transformer, still live, had superheated the bramble bushes to the point they glowed white hot. I stood in amazement for about 30 seconds, then turned to head back into the building to call the fire department. I walked about 50 steps toward the building, then heard a huge explosion. The transformer had exploded. If I hadn’t walked away when I did, I could have easily been hurt or blinded. It was one of those moments where I looked to heaven and said, “Thank you God for prompting me to move when you did — or I could be dead.”
Thought for the day: In any tense situation, ask God to help you sense when to wait and when to move.
We encourage you to include a time of prayer with this reading. If you need a place to get started, consider the suggestions on the How to Pray page.