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Isaiah Acts Out the Defeat
1King Sargon of Assyria gave orders for his army commander to capture the city of Ashdod. 2About this same time the Lord had told me, “Isaiah, take off everything, including your sandals!” I did this and went around naked and barefoot 3for three years.
Then the Lord said:
What Isaiah has done is a warning to Egypt and Ethiopia. 4Everyone in these two countries will be led away naked and barefoot by the king of Assyria. Young or old, they will be taken prisoner, and Egypt will be disgraced. 5They will be confused and frustrated, because they depended on Ethiopia and bragged about Egypt. 6When this happens, the people who live along the coast will say, “Look what happened to them! We ran to them for safety, hoping they would protect us from the king of Assyria. But now, there is no escape for us.”
The Fall of Babylonia
1This is a message about a desert beside the sea:
Enemies from a hostile nation
attack like a whirlwind
from the Southern Desert.
2What a horrible vision
was shown to me—
a vision of betrayal
and destruction.
Tell Elam and Media
to surround and attack
the Babylonians.
The Lord has sworn to end
the suffering they caused.
3I'm in terrible pain
like a woman giving birth.
I'm shocked and hurt so much
that I can't hear or see.
4My head spins; I'm horrified!
Early evening, my favorite time,
has become a nightmare.
5In Babylon the high officials
were having a feast.
They were eating and drinking,
when someone shouted,
“Officers, take your places!
Grab your shields.”
6The Lord said to me,
“Send guards
to find out
what's going on.
7When they see cavalry troops
and columns of soldiers
on donkeys and camels,
tell them to be ready!”
8Then a guard said,
“I have stood day and night
on this watchtower, Lord.
9 Now I see column after column
of cavalry troops.”
At once someone shouted,
“Babylon has fallen!
Every idol in the city
lies broken on the ground.”
10Then I said, “My people,
you have suffered terribly,
but I have a message for you
from the Lord All-Powerful,
the God of Israel.”
How Much Longer?
11This is a message about Dumah:
From the country of Seir,
someone shouts to me,
“Guard, how much longer
before daylight?”
12From my guard post, I answered,
“Morning will soon be here,
but night will return.
If you want to know more,
come back later.”
13This is a message for Arabs who live in the barren desert in the region of Dedan:
You must order your caravans
14to bring water for those
who are thirsty.
You people of Tema
must bring food
for the hungry refugees.
15They are worn out and weary
from being chased by enemies
with swords and arrows.
16The Lord said to me:
A year from now the glory of the people of Kedar will all come to an end, just as a worker's contract ends after a year. 17Only a few of their warriors will be left with bows and arrows. This is a promise that I, the Lord God of Israel, have made.
Reflect
Sometimes when I start to think my life is tough, I say to myself, “At least you aren’t an Old Testament prophet.” Yes, I’m joking…mostly. After all, many times prophets had to deliver bad news, such as Samuel telling Saul that the Lord is rejecting him as king. And then there are prophets like Elijah who spent much of the lives fleeing from those who were out to murder them.
In these two chapters, we see the challenges that Isaiah faced as a prophet. First he is told to go around naked and barefoot to act out the prophecies against Egypt and Ethiopia. And he does this for three years.
Then in Chapter 21 he speaks of the emotional toll of being a prophet:
I’m in terrible pain
like a woman giving birth.
I’m shocked and hurt so much
that I can’t hear or see.
My head spins; I’m horrified!
Early evening, my favorite time,
has become a nightmare. (vv 3-4)
Even more than the people who heard his words, Isaiah had an intimate knowledge of the judgments that were coming to Babylon, Assyria, Egypt and the like. He was haunted by the images of the pain and sorrow that was to come.
Reading about Isaiah’s pain, I can’t help but wonder if I’m not taking the spiritual truth of the gospel seriously enough. If I truly believe that every one of us will face God in the final judgment, shouldn’t my head be spinning like Isaiah’s? Shouldn’t I be investing more in other people’s lives and sharing Christ with them?
Perhaps I really should be more like an Old Testament prophet.
Respond
Almighty God, you desire that all turn to you. Your Word tells me about the suffering that will come to those who reject you. Help me to always keep that reality at the forefront of my mind as I interact with the various people in my life. 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.