(Isaiah 16:1-14)
1 Send the tribute lamb to the ruler of the land,
From Sela by way of the wilderness to the mountain of the daughter of Zion.
2 Then, like fluttering birds or scattered nestlings,
The daughters of Moab will be at the crossing places of the Arnon.
3 “Give us advice, make a decision;
Cast your shadow like night at high noon;
Hide the outcasts, do not betray the fugitive.
4 Let the outcasts of Moab stay with you;
Be a hiding place to them from the destroyer.”
For the oppressor has come to an end, destruction has ceased,
Oppressors have been removed from the land.
5 A throne will be established in faithfulness,
And a judge will sit on it in trustworthiness in the tent of David;
Moreover, he will seek justice,
And be prompt in righteousness.
6 We have heard of the pride of Moab, an excessive pride;
Even of his arrogance, pride, and fury;
His idle boasts are false.
7 Therefore Moab will wail; everyone of Moab will wail.
You will moan for the raisin cakes of Kir-hareseth
As those who are utterly stricken.
8 For the fields of Heshbon have withered, the vines of Sibmah as well;
The lords of the nations have trampled down its choice clusters
Which reached as far as Jazer and wandered to the deserts;
Its tendrils spread themselves out and passed over the sea.
9 Therefore I will weep bitterly for Jazer, for the vine of Sibmah;
I will drench you with my tears, Heshbon and Elealeh;
For the shouting over your summer fruits and your harvest has fallen away.
10 Gladness and joy are taken away from the fruitful field;
In the vineyards also there will be no cries of joy or jubilant shouting,
No treader treads out wine in the presses,
For I have made the shouting to cease.
11 Therefore my inner being sounds like a harp for Moab.
And my heart for Kir-hareseth.
12 So it will come about when Moab presents himself,
When he tires himself upon his high place
And comes to his sanctuary to pray,
That he will not prevail.
13 This is the word which the Lord spoke earlier concerning Moab. 14 But now the Lord has spoken, saying, “Within three years, as a hired worker would count them, the glory of Moab will become contemptible along with all his great population, and his remnant will be very small and impotent.”
TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:
From Sela by way of the wilderness to the mountain of the daughter of Zion.
2 Then, like fluttering birds or scattered nestlings,
The daughters of Moab will be at the crossing places of the Arnon.
3 “Give us advice, make a decision;
Cast your shadow like night at high noon;
Hide the outcasts, do not betray the fugitive.
4 Let the outcasts of Moab stay with you;
Be a hiding place to them from the destroyer.”
For the oppressor has come to an end, destruction has ceased,
Oppressors have been removed from the land.
5 A throne will be established in faithfulness,
And a judge will sit on it in trustworthiness in the tent of David;
Moreover, he will seek justice,
And be prompt in righteousness.
6 We have heard of the pride of Moab, an excessive pride;
Even of his arrogance, pride, and fury;
His idle boasts are false.
7 Therefore Moab will wail; everyone of Moab will wail.
You will moan for the raisin cakes of Kir-hareseth
As those who are utterly stricken.
8 For the fields of Heshbon have withered, the vines of Sibmah as well;
The lords of the nations have trampled down its choice clusters
Which reached as far as Jazer and wandered to the deserts;
Its tendrils spread themselves out and passed over the sea.
9 Therefore I will weep bitterly for Jazer, for the vine of Sibmah;
I will drench you with my tears, Heshbon and Elealeh;
For the shouting over your summer fruits and your harvest has fallen away.
10 Gladness and joy are taken away from the fruitful field;
In the vineyards also there will be no cries of joy or jubilant shouting,
No treader treads out wine in the presses,
For I have made the shouting to cease.
11 Therefore my inner being sounds like a harp for Moab.
And my heart for Kir-hareseth.
12 So it will come about when Moab presents himself,
When he tires himself upon his high place
And comes to his sanctuary to pray,
That he will not prevail.
13 This is the word which the Lord spoke earlier concerning Moab. 14 But now the Lord has spoken, saying, “Within three years, as a hired worker would count them, the glory of Moab will become contemptible along with all his great population, and his remnant will be very small and impotent.”
TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:
We can see that God loves everyone and desires that all come to know Him, and He gives everyone fair opportunity to make this decision. But if someone decides to deny the Lord and worship, serve and pray to other gods or just do things their own way, they will be judged and punished. God will not compromise who He is, otherwise He would not be fair AND just.
At the same time, God loves everyone so much that He came to earth to die on a cross to pay for everyone's sins. For everyone, of all time!!! So as verses 1-4 says, for whoever seeks the Lord, we should share the gospel message. And when they become a fellow believer, accept them into our church with open arms because they are part of God's family. As brothers and sisters in Christ, we are to love and help each other!
Sadly, things in this world are not fair, but God is fair; and so we should treat everyone fairly. This certainly does not mean befriending or taking sides with criminals, or aiding and abetting criminal activity. While we are to love even the criminals and not deny them a chance to hear the gospel message and be spiritually saved, we are to be fair and just to help and serve our brothers and sisters in Christ, as well as the weak and vulnerable! As the Lord reaches down to us with His love and fairness, we are to then reach out to others with His love and fairness.
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