Chapter 18
1 Woe to the land of whirring wings along the rivers of Cush, 2 which
sends envoys by sea in papyrus boats over the water. Go, swift messengers,
to a people tall and smooth-skinned, to a people feared far and wide,
an aggressive nation of strange speech, whose land is divided by rivers.
3 All you people of the world, you who live on the earth, when a banner
is raised on the mountains, you will see it, and when a trumpet sounds,
you will hear it.4 This is what the LORD says to me: “I will remain quiet
and will look on from my dwelling place, like shimmering heat in the sunshine,
like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest.”5 For, before the harvest,
when the blossom is gone and the flower becomes a ripening grape, he
will cut off the shoots with pruning knives, and cut down and take away
the spreading branches. 6 They will all be left to the mountain birds of
prey and to the wild animals; the birds will feed on them all summer, the
wild animals all winter.7 At that time gifts will be brought to the LORD
Almighty from a people tall and smooth-skinned, from a people feared far
and wide, an aggressive nation of strange speech, whose land is divided
by rivers —the gifts will be brought to Mount Zion, the place of the Name
of the LORD Almighty.
1 Woe to the land of whirring wings along the rivers of Cush, 2 which
sends envoys by sea in papyrus boats over the water. Go, swift messengers,
to a people tall and smooth-skinned, to a people feared far and wide,
an aggressive nation of strange speech, whose land is divided by rivers.
3 All you people of the world, you who live on the earth, when a banner
is raised on the mountains, you will see it, and when a trumpet sounds,
you will hear it.4 This is what the LORD says to me: “I will remain quiet
and will look on from my dwelling place, like shimmering heat in the sunshine,
like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest.”5 For, before the harvest,
when the blossom is gone and the flower becomes a ripening grape, he
will cut off the shoots with pruning knives, and cut down and take away
the spreading branches. 6 They will all be left to the mountain birds of
prey and to the wild animals; the birds will feed on them all summer, the
wild animals all winter.7 At that time gifts will be brought to the LORD
Almighty from a people tall and smooth-skinned, from a people feared far
and wide, an aggressive nation of strange speech, whose land is divided
by rivers —the gifts will be brought to Mount Zion, the place of the Name
of the LORD Almighty.
Personal Notes
During 715 BC, envoys of Cush (Ethiopia) tried to persuade Jerusalem
to align with them against Assyria. Isaiah fiercely opposed it
and proclaimed to the messengers that God is in control of history.
When time comes, God will intervene directly and cause Assyrian
to crumble so that Cush will know God. Sometimes we are eager to do something on our own, regardless of what others think or feel. We may not even consider how our actions would appear to God. God sees and knows us. He is aware of our actions, but he remains quiet and still.
Why God allows us to pursue our plans?
Currently, I have lots of plans for ministry, family, and the future. There are some plans I feel that it may not be pleasing to God and beneficial to others for getting to know Jesus Christ. Why does God allow us to ponder or pursue our plans even though our plans are not really his desires.
I see that throughout history, despite how wicked people are, God always has a way to redeem the situation for His glory. The one who fears and serves God are blessed and the wicked ones are destroyed by His judgement.
Today, I am to be still and know that God is in control. I am quieting down my heart to listen and discern what God is telling me. The world is changing quickly and it is a challenging world to live in, but God's love and faithfulness remains. God is sovereign and powerful over all the forces and influences in this world.
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