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Damascus Will Be Punished
1 This is a message about Damascus:
Damascus is doomed!
It will end up in ruins.
2The villages around Aroer
will be deserted,
with only sheep living there
and no one to bother them.
3Israel will lose its fortresses.
The kingdom of Damascus
will be destroyed;
its survivors will suffer
the same fate as Israel.
The Lord All-Powerful
has promised this.
Sin and Suffering
4When that time comes,
the glorious nation of Israel
will be brought down;
its prosperous people
will be skin and bones.
5Israel will be like wheat fields
in Rephaim Valley
picked clean of grain.
6It will be like an olive tree
beaten with a stick,
leaving two or three olives
or maybe four or five
on the highest
or most fruitful branches.
The Lord God of Israel
has promised this.
7At that time the people will turn and trust their Creator, the holy God of Israel. 8They have built altars and places for burning incense to their goddess Asherah, and they have set up sacred poles for her. But they will stop worshiping at these places.
9Israel captured powerful cities and chased out the people who lived there. But these cities will lie in ruins, covered over with weeds and underbrush.
10Israel, you have forgotten
the God who saves you,
the one who is the mighty rock
where you find protection.
You plant the finest flowers
to honor a foreign god.
11The plants may sprout
and blossom
that very same morning,
but it will do you no good,
because you will suffer
endless agony.
God Defends His People
12The nations are a noisy,
thunderous sea.
13But even if they roar
like a fearsome flood,
God will give the command
to turn them back.
They will be like dust,
or like a tumbleweed
blowing across the hills
in a windstorm.
14In the evening
their attack is fierce,
but by morning
they are destroyed.
This is what happens to those
who raid and rob us.
Ethiopia Will Be Punished
1 Downstream from Ethiopia
lies the country of Egypt,
swarming with insects.
2Egypt sends messengers
up the Nile River
on ships made of reeds.
Send them fast to Ethiopia,
whose people are tall
and have smooth skin.
Their land is divided by rivers;
they are strong and brutal,
feared all over the world.
3Everyone on this earth,
listen with care!
A signal will be given
on the mountains,
and you will hear a trumpet.
4The Lord said to me,
“I will calmly look down
from my home above—
as calmly as the sun at noon
or clouds in the heat
of harvest season.”
5Before the blossoms
can turn into grapes,
God will cut off the sprouts
and hack off the branches.
6Ethiopians will be food
for mountain vultures
during the summer
and for wild animals
during the winter.
7Those Ethiopians are tall and their skin is smooth. They are feared all over the world, because they are strong and brutal. But at that time they will come from their land divided by rivers, and they will bring gifts to the Lord All-Powerful, who is worshiped on Mount Zion.
Reflect
Have you ever forgotten God?
If we’re honest with ourselves, we all must answer this question in the affirmative. When things are going well, it’s easy to get distracted by this life. We may spend our days jumping from one activity to another, forgetting to pray, to engage with the Bible, even to worship.
Israel was guilty of this offense as well. They built altars and sacred poles. They burned incense and did other things to honor foreign gods. They looked for security in armies and walls, rather than turning to their Lord.
Isaiah warns that Israel will soon be punished for forgetting God. Their prosperity will evaporate; the fields will be picked clean of grain.
The coming troubles will also accomplish two purposes in Israel. First they will serve as a pruning. Verse 6 compares Israel to an olive tree, where only the top or most fruitful branches are left.
Second, when the cities are brought down, the people will again turn to their Creator. They will remember that he is their protector and the only one in whom they should place their trust.
Unfortunately, it often takes some trouble or tragic event to bring our focus back on our spiritual lives. The loss of a job, a serious illness or the passing of a loved one can cause the distractions of this world to fall away and turn our focus back to our Lord.
But it doesn’t just have to be that way. We don’t have to wait for the bad times to turn back. Our loving God is always there, waiting for us to remember him. Make it a priority to connect with him today!
Respond
Gracious Lord, you are indeed the God who saves. Please forgive me for the times when I get so wrapped up in my busy life that I neglect spending time with you. Help me today to always put you first. Amen.
Pam Caudill
Dr. Pamela Caudill, a Nebraska-based researcher and psychologist, writes and speaks about life transformation and spiritual growth. As the Center for Bible Engagement's Senior Researcher, Pam conducts studies on scripture engagement, church health, and life transformation. A frequent conference speaker, Pam is the author of Managing Your Family’s High Tech Habits and Better Relationships, Better Life, in addition to dozens of academic journal articles and white papers.