28 In the year that King Ahaz died came this oracle:
29 Rejoice not, O Philistia, all of you,
that the rod that struck you is broken,
for from the serpent’s root will come forth an adder,
and its fruit will be a flying fiery serpent.
30 And the firstborn of the poor will graze,
and the needy lie down in safety;
but I will kill your root with famine,
and your remnant it will slay.
31 Wail, O gate; cry out, O city;
melt in fear, O Philistia, all of you!
For smoke comes out of the north,
and there is no straggler in his ranks.
32 What will one answer the messengers of the nation?
“ The Lord has founded Zion,
and in her the afflicted of his people find refuge.”
15 An oracle concerning Moab.
Because Ar of Moab is laid waste in a night,
Moab is undone;
because Kir of Moab is laid waste in a night,
Moab is undone.
2 He has gone up to the temple,1 and to Dibon,
to the high places2 to weep;
over Nebo and over Medeba
Moab wails.
On every head is baldness;
every beard is shorn;
3 in the streets they wear sackcloth;
on the housetops and in the squares
everyone wails and melts in tears.
4 Heshbon and Elealeh cry out;
their voice is heard as far as Jahaz;
therefore the armed men of Moab cry aloud;
his soul trembles.
5 My heart cries out for Moab;
her fugitives flee to Zoar,
to Eglath-shelishiyah.
For at the ascent of Luhith
they go up weeping;
on the road to Horonaim
they raise a cry of destruction;
6 the waters of Nimrim
are a desolation;
the grass is withered, the vegetation fails,
the greenery is no more.
7 Therefore the abundance they have gained
and what they have laid up
they carry away
over the Brook of the Willows.
8 For a cry has gone
around the land of Moab;
her wailing reaches to Eglaim;
her wailing reaches to Beer-elim.
9 For the waters of Dibon3 are full of blood;
for I will bring upon Dibon even more,
a lion for those of Moab who escape,
for the remnant of the land.
16 Send the lamb to the ruler of the land,
from Sela, by way of the desert,
to the mount of the daughter of Zion.
2 Like fleeing birds,
like a scattered nest,
so are the daughters of Moab
at the fords of the Arnon.
3 “ Give counsel;
grant justice;
make your shade like night
at the height of noon;
shelter the outcasts;
do not reveal the fugitive;
4 let the outcasts of Moab
sojourn among you;
be a shelter to them4
from the destroyer.
When the oppressor is no more,
and destruction has ceased,
and he who tramples underfoot has vanished from the land,
5 then a throne will be established in steadfast love,
and on it will sit in faithfulness
in the tent of David
one who judges and seeks justice
and is swift to do righteousness.”
6 We have heard of the pride of Moab—
how proud he is!—
of his arrogance, his pride, and his insolence;
in his idle boasting he is not right.
7 Therefore let Moab wail for Moab,
let everyone wail.
Mourn, utterly stricken,
for the raisin cakes of Kir-hareseth.
8 For the fields of Heshbon languish,
and the vine of Sibmah;
the lords of the nations
have struck down its branches,
which reached to Jazer
and strayed to the desert;
its shoots spread abroad
and passed over the sea.
9 Therefore I weep with the weeping of Jazer
for the vine of Sibmah;
I drench you with my tears,
O Heshbon and Elealeh;
for over your summer fruit and your harvest
the shout has ceased.
10 And joy and gladness are taken away from the fruitful field,
and in the vineyards no songs are sung,
no cheers are raised;
no treader treads out wine in the presses;
I have put an end to the shouting.
11 Therefore my inner parts moan like a lyre for Moab,
and my inmost self for Kir-hareseth.
12 And when Moab presents himself, when he wearies himself on the high place, when he comes to his sanctuary to pray, he will not prevail.
13 This is the word that the Lord spoke concerning Moab in the past. 14 But now the Lord has spoken, saying, “In three years, like the years of a hired worker, the glory of Moab will be brought into contempt, in spite of all his great multitude, and those who remain will be very few and feeble.”
Section Overview: Difficult Neighbors
One of the characteristics of Isaiah’s message is his switching from the universal to the local, and vice versa. Here in this next section we move from a panorama to a close-up. The great Mesopotamian superpowers are replaced by smaller neighboring states whose hostility to Judah and Israel stretched far back into history. Philistia and Moab had opposed the settlement of God’s people in the Promised Land in different ways and appear here and elsewhere as opponents of God’s purposes.
The selection of these two peoples, however, is not random—there are good reasons for their placement here in the oracles against the nations. First, as we shall see, there is evidence for their attempts to form common cause with Judah against Assyria. Second, the pride that marks Babylon is also seen in them, especially Moab.
There is also an important link with chapters 1–12 in the mention of the death of Ahaz (14:28), who disgraced the Davidic house and stood for the way of unbelief (7:9). By contrast, we see a reminder of David himself, who dealt with the Philistine threat and brought Moab into his kingdom, serving as pointer to his descendant Immanuel, who will reign in righteousness (16:5).
The first part of this section, the brief oracle on Philistia (14:28–32), is linked with the death of Ahaz and its implications for the Davidic house. The complacency of Philistia is evident, though there is no reason for their complacency, as their only hope lies ultimately in Zion. The longer oracle against Moab (15:1–16:14) focuses particularly on its pride; once again its only hope lies in the Davidic king.
Both passages are poetic and sometimes cryptic, although the general sense is clear enough. The poetry penetrates behind the outward reality, showing these peoples for what they are but also pointing to hope in Yahweh, who has chosen Zion.
Section Outline
II.A. The First Series (13:1–20:6) . . .
2. Difficult Neighbors: Philistia and Moab (14:28–16:14)
a. The Significance of Ahaz’s Death (14:28)
b. No Cause for Complacency (14:29–31)
c. Only One Security (14:32)
d. Moab Filled with Mourning (15:1–4)
e. The Judge Grieves (15:5–9)
f. Can Zion Help Us? (16:1–4a)
g. The Future Davidic King (16:4b–5)
h. Help Proudly Refused (16:6–12)
i. Judgment Is Near (16:13–14)
Response
The combining of the near and far, already mentioned, gives much of the power to this section. These oracles are spoken to people whose distant horizons are filled with the menace of Assyria but whose near horizons are full of difficult neighbors. This is so today: problems of terrorism, political uncertainty, and economic turmoil fill the news, but daily life is dominated by more immediate concerns such as family, employment, and health. Then, as now, the prophet’s answer is trust in God; if we do not trust in him, there is no security. The words to Ahaz in 7:9 regarding standing firm in faith are vital.
This section is also important in its picture of God. Here we have no remote tyrant who stands aloof from suffering. The God who judges is also the God who weeps and longs for humanity to repent and live. There is a striking parallel in Matthew 23:37–38, in which Jesus foretells the destruction of Jerusalem. He has pronounced the city’s doom in the “seven woes” (Matt. 23:1–36) but now weeps over it and longs to gather the people as a mother hen protects her chicks.
The theme of the Davidic king continues, especially in Isaiah 16:5 but also in the reminder that it was David who subdued the Philistines and brought Moab into his kingdom. These were genuine glimpses of the kingdom to come. Chapters 36–37 will show a true son of David standing up to another Goliath.42Isaiah 14:28–16:14
Isaiah 17:1–18:7