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Overview

Isaiah 16 is a continuation of Isaiah 15. The vision presents a burden, an oracle—a judgment against Moab. 

Isaiah 16:1

Send the lamb to the ruler of the land, from Sela, by way of the desert, to the mount of the daughter of Zion.

I did poorly at Geography (I think) during my elementary years. I knew all of this was supposed to connect somehow, but my pre-adolescent brain was too myopic. I have come to learn that understanding the Bible, especially the Old Testament, requires some knowledge of geography. 

Moab was a neighbor of Judah. It was a very small nation. It is curious why God puts such a specific focus on this tiny blip of a people. Assyria, I get. Babylon absolutely. But Moab? Because of reasons outside the scope of this devotional, Moab is required to pay tribute to Judah. But they aren’t. They are resisting. Isaiah reminds them to pay up. He is reminding them that God’s judgment often comes through the instrument, the hammer of His people. 

Isaiah 16:3-4a

“Give counsel; grant justice; make your shade like night at the height of noon; shelter the outcasts; do not reveal the fugitive; let the outcasts of Moab sojourn among you; be a shelter to them from the destroyer.”

Isaiah is telling the leaders of Judah to care for the outcasts of Moab. For those who truly want to surrender and humble themselves before the judgment of God, Judah should be a shelter for the weak, the vulnerable, the refugee. 

The church must take seriously their responsibility to care for the outcast, the marginalized, the outsider. It is not always easy to figure out how best to do that, but God cares for the “widow and the orphan” and therefore, so should we. 

Isaiah 16:6-7a

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. Therefore let Moab wail for Moab, let everyone wail. 

Pride. It is the destroyer of nations. It is the destroyer of souls. Some would say it is the first sin ever committed. The prideful will be brought low. But always remember, even in the judgment of the prideful, God is love. The justice and love of God work in sync. 

My friends, listen to God. His voice, though heavy at times, promises to heal the humble soul.