Well, we're in the second major section of the book of Isaiah. The section runs from chapter 13 to chapter 24 or chapter 27 depending upon who you're reading. And this section announces the ultimate day of the Lord at the end of time and God's judgments on Gentile nations primarily in the time of Isaiah and in the time shortly following Isaiah. And at the time Isaiah was writing, remember, Assyria was still in power. Chapter 13 and most of chapter 14, Isaiah wrote of the judgment of God on all men on the last day and of God's judgment on the earthly nation of Babylon in the 6th century B.C. Now remember, Isaiah is writing about God's judgment on Babylon a hundred years before Babylon ever becomes the world empire. Now, Isaiah's calling, remember, was fourfold, to reveal things about the promised Messiah, to assure the faithful of the glorious victory that God would bring. Third, that a day of the Lord, a day of judgment on the world would come one day. And four, that during this time God would come in judgment against wicked nations on the earth. And we see in Isaiah the sovereignty and providence of God plainly in evidence. And I don't know that it could be any plainer than what we just read in Psalm 22, where God is writing about the things that would occur in Calvary in Jerusalem that day, a thousand years later in the Psalm of David. But we see God's providence. We see His sovereignty. Chapter 13, verse 17, God says, I'm going to stir up the Medes against Babylon. In Jeremiah, God says in 25 verse 9, He says, I'll send Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, against Judah. These messages of judgment against these nations that we're going to look at in a map in a second, around Israel and Judah, they're messages about these other nations, but they're messages and warnings to Judah. And it should have caused them to understand that God would bring severe punishment upon them, Judah, which they had brought on themselves by their refusal to serve and obey God. And we've seen, and we're going to see it more now tonight and next week, every tyrannical rule comes to an end. One by one, they all fall. And again, at the end will be a day of judgment. We know how the world ends. A day of judgment on all wickedness and all wicked kingdoms. And we saw this kind of pictured in the fall of the king of Babylon back in chapters 13 and 14. And Isaiah has been warning against and preaching against one particular sin all through this first 14 chapters. What is it? Sin is pride. Pride. And we're going to see it again tonight. It was the pride of Assyria, the proud king of Assyria. It was the proud kings in Israel and Aram. And tonight it's going to be the pride in these other nations. And Isaiah does this to give them and now to give us. We have a mirror to show us where pride leads. See, pride leads to the idea that we don't need God. That's where pride ultimately leads. We begin to become and believe we are self-sufficient. And so we see this earthly kingdom of Babylon, not yet in power, standing as a symbol of all prideful earthly kingdoms, all of which will come to this dreadful end on the day Christ returns. And we've seen Isaiah contrast the wicked earthly kings and kingdoms with what and with whom? With the righteous, humble ruler that's going to come, the Messiah. He says in chapter 9, the government will rest on His shoulders. He will be called Mighty God. And His kingdom and His throne are eternal. Now take a look in Isaiah 10-12. And we have this little sentence. Isaiah is telling Ahaz, don't be going to Assyria for help. Trust in the Lord. Assyria was invading this whole area of Philistia and Israel and Samaria and Judah and Aram. And they were all afraid. And they wanted to form alliances. We'll see that again tonight. Isaiah says, trust in the Lord. What did he do? Ahaz went and made an alliance with Assyria. Here's what he says, 10-12, So it will be, when the Lord has completed all his work on Mount Zion and on Jerusalem, he will say, I will punish the fruit of the arrogant heart of the king of Assyria and the pomp of his haughtiness. And then after that we read about God using Assyria as the axe to judge Israel, and even to come against Judah, although without complete success. And then in 1424, we come to our passage tonight, the Lord of hosts has sworn, saying, Just as I have intended, so it has happened. Now think about those words. And just as I have planned it, so it will stand. This is a sovereign God. To break Assyria in my land. I will trample him on my mountains." Now this is the most powerful nation on the earth at the time that Isaiah is writing. Then his yoke will be removed from them and his burden removed from their shoulder. This is the plan devised against the whole earth. And this is the hand that is stretched out against all the nations. And we've seen the hand of God stretched out both in mercy and in judgment. For the Lord of hosts has planned, and who can frustrate it? Do you see the sovereignty of God here? See who rules all things. And as for His stretched out hand, His hand of judgment, who can turn it back? Now Isaiah doesn't say it here specifically, But Assyria's fall will bring in the empire of Babylon, the very nation whose destruction Isaiah has been prophesying in chapters 13 and 14 to this point. But you see, it's God, not Babylon, who will destroy Assyria. What's so vivid in this passage that we're looking at tonight is the hand of God in earthly things. verse 24 look at it just as I have planned so it will stand to break Assyria in my land now look these things all happened We're looking at prophecies that have all been fulfilled as we go through these next ten chapters. And this reference almost certainly refers to the fall of Sennacherib. The breaking of Assyria in my land refers to its breaking in Judah, in Judea, not necessarily its final fall. Now, although Isaiah doesn't give any insight as to when or how this would eventually happen, remember there was a miraculous killing of how many Assyrian troops in 701 BC at Jerusalem? How many were there? Angel of the Lord stood up and slew 185,000 Assyrian troops. And that fulfills this prediction here. And the Assyrian yoke that God had removed was the burden of foreign domination and heavy taxation that Assyria had imposed upon Judah as part of its deal when Ahaz went to Assyria for help. If you're going to go to the pagan nation for your assistance, you're going to come under their bondage, and that's what happened here. People who are not people of faith don't know God's plans. Why not? Why don't people who are not people of faith know God's plans? They won't read this book. And if they did read this book, what? And even if they understood, they wouldn't believe. This is most of the world. This was most of the world then. This is most of the world when Christ came. This is most of the world now. I don't know that it's as much of a percentage of the world today as it was in those days. But knowledge of God's purposes is important for us. They give insight into what God is doing, why He's doing it. And so Isaiah here is sharing with the people of Judah. Imagine if we had somebody who could come in here and tell us everything that's going to happen for the next hundred years. That's what Isaiah was. Not everything, but an awful lot of important things. The fall of ten nations, as we're reading through here now. And the whole point of this is what? Why is Isaiah doing this? What does he want to see happen as a result of him telling these things about God and God fulfilling them? What does he want to see happen? He wants to see who repent. That's right. He wants Judah to repent, but he also, we're going to see, even wants Moab to repent. He wants people to repent. And he wants people to learn to not depend on the ungodly things of the world, but to trust in God for assistance. and trust in His providence and His decrees. Now, we don't know His decrees. His decrees are largely secret. But His word is right here for us. So we see Isaiah repeat the same messages, the same message really over and over again. Folks, God's message to us is not complicated, is it? It really boils down to it. So you say, well, maybe we should just move on to Jeremiah. Well, no, let's look and see what God has for us here. His message is very simple. He calls on us to trust in Him, not in the world or in the things of the world. And He promises blessings for those who do trust in Him and disaster for those who don't. All the way back to Leviticus, chapter 26. And He had promised, even by then, that one would be sent who would finally accomplish everything written in His words. And we read of a man who went to a cross was put in a grave came out of the grave and was walking on a road to Emmaus and he meets two of what had been his disciples and he began to show them how he everything written about him in the law and the prophets had been fulfilled and how he had been the fulfillment We have an application here right away with regard to Assyria. No one can avoid the issue of trust. You know, we have to make a determination in our minds and resolve to trust, either believe what God has said and what he will do, or in pride, people make their own plans and trust in their own things. When arrogant people especially those who profess to be believers, reject God's plans and try to raise themselves up as ruler of their own lives. We try to take over for God, and we want to be careful about that. We have to trust in God. That's been the message. God's judgment on Assyria here. We're going to see it again in later chapters as an example of the way the divine hand governs all nations and executes his purpose. Do we understand God has eternal purpose for everything? He has a purpose in all of this. Now, oftentimes, particularly when difficulties come, when trials come, we don't see how God's purposes are served. It's quite normal for any fallen human, even a believer in Christ, even a devout believer in Christ. But believe me, he always has a purpose. Well, then we go to a point where King Ahaz dies. This is 715, maybe 716 BC. And in the year that King Ahaz died, another oracle came. Now, Ahaz, remember, we're going to review him for just a second here. Despite Isaiah's warnings, he sought this alliance with Assyria to ward off the threat from whom? Who were the two nations he was wanting to ward off the threat from when we began Isaiah? Israel and Aram, or Syria. And when they came into Judah, he caved and he sought help not from God, but from Assyria. Now Assyria is this large power to the northeast. And the price of that alliance was political and religious compromise. Judah became in effect a vassal state, a puppet state of Assyria for a time. And Ahaz remembered some of the things he did. He introduced an Assyrian type altar into the temple. He builds an Assyrian pagan altar in the temple. He used the bronze altar of the temple for divination. And he sacrificed his own sons in the fire. He closes the temple doors eventually. This all flowed from his trusting in worldly things and not in God. And here, the Jewish audience in Judah is being advised about a Philistine plan for an alliance between it and Judah. Remember the Philistines from our Old Testament history. What was the big significant event regarding a Philistine? David and Goliath. Goliath was a Philistine. Many believe that at the time of the death of Ahaz, most believe this, that Philistia was now worried about Assyria. And they came and offered Hezekiah, who became king after Ahaz at a very young age, and they tried to get Hezekiah to join an alliance with them and with Egypt against Assyria. He wants them to repeat what occurred with Aram and Israel. Now, Isaiah is saying to Hezekiah, don't look to Philistia for protection and strength, for it too is going to come under judgment of God. There's no point in joining forces with them. God's coming for them. Now, in 2 Chronicles, and we're not going to turn there, but 2 Chronicles 29-31, we see that when Hezekiah became king, he had brought about with him a great time of revival. reopened the sacrifices. They were so anxious to celebrate the Passover that because the first month of the year had already passed, so he celebrated it on the second month. Passover should be celebrated on the 14th of the first month. But they were so anxious to do that, that that's what they did. Well, Hezekiah instituted many great reforms and he was one of the great kings in Judah. Now, he has his problems at the end of his reign, but there was much good in his reign. But Isaiah wanted to convince him, don't join with the Philistines against Assyria. Trust God and trust His promises. Notice how that message just repeats itself. Do you think God needs to keep drumming that into our head? Don't we just hear it once and understand and follow? See, if we did, He wouldn't give us 66 chapters of this. He knows what we need. He knows what we need, and we need to hear it over and over again. So, Philistia might have made some military sense, but Isaiah's arguing the nation of Judah is only going to find ultimate peace and protection from Assyria or anybody else if it trusts in God. And so, he's speaking here as though he's speaking to Philistia, and in a sense he might be, but he's actually talking to Judah. So he says, don't rejoice, O Philistia, all of you, because the rod that struck you is broken. For the serpent's root, a viper, will come out, and its fruit will be a flying serpent. Now it's not going to surprise you, I don't think, when I tell you. I looked at six different commentators and they gave us six different views as to who the rod was here that had struck them and was broken. So we're not going to figure that out. Here's what we do know. Philistines were hostile neighbors of the Jews. And we know this back to David and Goliath and before. They were the remainder, Calvin says, of those nations whom the Israelites spared when they came into the land and didn't destroy all the peoples of the land. That's what was left. And that may be what's left with the Palestinians today. I don't know that for a fact. But the thing is, no nation seems to want to claim these Palestinians, as they're called. It's true that the land came to be known as Palestine as a name given it by Rome in reference to these Philistines. At any rate, the unbelief and disobedience of the Jews was the reason why the Lord left these nations to be thorns. Now the Philistines and the Jews were enemies. They were enemies. So the idea that they're trying to form an alliance tells you how much they feared Assyria. During Ahazrein, the Philistines were mostly victorious in their battles with Judah. Because Ahaz was punished by God over and over and over again. And if the leader's evil, and this is the lesson for us, if the leader of the nation is evil, the country is going to pay the price. During his reign, the Philistines recovered towns which Uzziah had been king before Ahaz, and he won many victories against the Philistines and recovered many of the towns and territories. Ahaz comes in, the Philistines win them back. Now Hezekiah is this young king. He doesn't have a lot of experience. And so they want to come and get Hezekiah to join with them. Isaiah says, look, don't do it. So this rod that struck you, I'm just going to tell you what I came across. One writer says the rod that struck you is Assyria. One says it's Assyria, but a different king. Another says it refers to David. Others say it refers to Ahaz. Another one says it refers to Uzziah and all of Judah. Well, the point is this. Philistia should not be rejoicing whether an Assyrian king dies or whatever happens because there's going to be other wicked kings who are going to follow. Philistia, don't get confident because whatever danger you've been in, it's going to continue. And we know this. Philistia wanted to disrupt. Remember, there's an alliance between Assyria and Judah. And Philistia wants Judah not only to ally with it, it wants him to tell Assyria to get lost. which is going to put them in great peril if they don't trust in God. So he goes on, verse 30, those who are most helpless will eat, the needy will lie down in security, but then these words to Philistia, I will destroy your root with famine and it will kill off your survivors. So the first part of verse 30 refers to the provision and protection for the people of God. But the second part for Philistia, he says, whatever holds promise for the future and whatever exists in the present, they're both doomed. There's doom coming for Philistia. It's an evil country. It's an evil nation. And again, the problem is its rejection of Yahweh. We have to understand something. Though God blessed Israel and gave His law through them and sent the prophets to them, The doors were always open to people from every nation, tribe, and tongue. It's just that the doors didn't get thrown open until Christ came. The kingdom of God is for people from every nation, tribe, and tongue. Who will do what? What was the requirement even when Christ came to come into the kingdom? One requirement. What was it? It's the same one we're reading about. Believe and trust in Him. It's the same truth. You see how simple this really is, to believe in and trust God with our lives. It doesn't matter so much the words we say, although they do matter. What matters is, do our lives demonstrate that we are believing and trusting in Him? The whole Bible is teaching this. So he says, wail, O gate, cry, O city. The gate was the entrance to any city, and so that would be the target through which an enemy would come. And once it was broken through, the city would begin to fall. Now, there's no particular city in view here. It's all the cities in Philistia and Judah. He says smoke comes from the north. That's Assyria. And burning the nation down as they march through from Aram through Samaria and toward Philistia. But the outcomes are going to be different for Philistia and Judah. Why would that be? Why would God spare Judah? Because Christ has to come. Christ is coming through Judah. Judah might be judged along the way. Judah was sent into exile. Judah was his people. But Christ is coming. Well, in verse 32, now we can begin to see how this unfolds. Isaiah offers, presumably to Hezekiah, the reply which he should make to Philistia. The question is, how then will one answer the messengers of the nation? That's the messengers who have come from Philistia. That the Lord has founded Zion and the afflicted of his people will seek refuge in it. We don't need to ally with you, Philistia. Their destinies are not alike. Judah has no need to fear or to seek aid from Philistia. The Lord established Judah, and it is in Him they must seek their refuge. And there's something else here. God made a covenant with these people. If you obey me and serve me, I will bless you. The covenant was made with Israel, with Judah, with the 12 tribes. Covenant wasn't made with Philistia. That's the big difference. But the Gentiles could come in and partake of that covenant. So in light of this certain future for Philistia, Isaiah says to his audience in Judah, how are you going to answer this? What should the leaders of Judah say to Philistia? Does it make any sense to join with that nation to defend against Assyria? Obviously not. And so we have these situations come up in our lives and really the choice for us is normally between are we going to do something wrong or are we going to do what's right whatever it happens to be in the circumstance. Because to do what's right and without sin is to follow God. To do something sinful is to essentially say I'm going to trust in Philistia and make that alliance. That's really how that applies in our lives. Do we choose the path of righteousness? That was 715 BC, this prophecy comes, and just sometime that year Sargon II attacked the Philistine cities of Gath and Ashdod, and within a few years those cities and others, Gaza and Ekron, were under Assyrian domination. It happens very quickly. By the middle of the next century, Babylon came in and was merciless in its destruction in those cities. And in 604 BC, Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, wiped Philistia off the map entirely. And this was a year after they began to take the people of Judah into exile. And so God was right again. This message is as important for us today as it was for Hezekiah. Alliances with unbelief are sure to fail. And only in trusting in God can we be assured of safety. You know, we see martyrs. We don't look at this and say we're going to have great earthly blessing and earthly protection. We have to take an eternal view of this. But trusting in God, we can be sure in the end, in the end, we will have great eternal blessing. Derek Thomas says this, he says, this is a lesson that some ecumenical, meaning different church gatherings, have consistently failed to learn. We cannot have common cause with heretical faiths, even if they profess themselves to be Christians. That would be another way of allying with the Philistines. Amos's question, Amos 3.3, do two walk together unless they have agreed to do so? So we must be careful about our alliances. That's what this was all about. Well then, we go to an oracle concerning Moab. Now remember, Moab was to the east of the Salt Sea, the Dead Sea. Around the Salt Sea are the five cities of the plain, as they were called, Sodom, Gomorrah, and three others. one of which we're going to see here, Zoar. But here are a number of cities in Moab, in the area to the east of the Salt Sea, or Dead Sea. And I show you that because they're all going to be named here in our passage. The oracle concerning Moab. Surely in a night, Ar of Moab is devastated and ruined. Surely in a night, Kir of Moab is devastated and ruined. Now, the Moabites, who were they? Who remembers who the Moabites were? Who were their ancestors? Abraham's nephew Lot and Lot's oldest daughter gave birth to the Moabites. Lot fled. God took him out of there. And he and the two daughters went up onto the mountain. And he had incestuous relations with them. And out of those relations with the one daughter came the Moabites. And they settled in this territory east of the Dead Sea. You can find that in Genesis 19. Now when Israel came to settle in the Promised Land, the tribe of Reuben, the tribe of Gad, and half of the tribe of Manasseh settled to the east of the Jordan River. So Moab is over there on the same side of the Jordan with two and a half of the tribes of Jacob. And there were several conflicts, military, between Judah or Israel and Moab. And remember, we run into a Moabite in Scripture in the Old Testament. Who's that? There's a Moabite woman we run into. A woman named Ruth. And we have Naomi and her husband. They lived in Moab. They were Jews but lived in Moab. Naomi's husband dies. She takes in Ruth. Ruth goes back to Judah, Israel, with Naomi, meets Boaz, big property owner, and they end up married in Judah. And we learn from that what I keep saying to you. The promises of God have always been for people from every nation, tribe, and tongue. It was never a limitation. Now, yes, Jerusalem was special. Yes, he chose this people and created this people, the Jews, through which to send his word and send his son. But now he says this is an oracle. Moab is going to be devastated. Ar and Kir are two cities. And we have to try and focus ourselves on the theme here. We don't want to get caught up, particularly with prophecy and apocalyptic writing. You've got to be careful about getting caught up in a bunch of details. Same thing with parables. What's the theme? What's he trying to teach us? And so we could sit here and memorize all these cities in Moab, and I don't know that it would do us much good. But I want you to see the area and see these places that he's talking about. Now Kir here is usually identified as the capital of Moab and it's in the district of Ar. We see Ar in Deuteronomy 2.18 and it's a border town. But here's what's going on in Moab. Now these are not people of God. These are pagan idolaters. And verse 2, they've gone up to the temple and to Dimon, even to the high places, to weep. We've got this oracle of their judgment. Moab wails over Nabo and Medeba. These are more cities. Everyone's head is bald and every beard is cut off. So we see in Moab here, Isaiah gives us a picture of extreme weeping and mourning. And the reason he's naming all these places, what would that be? Why is he naming all these places? So that we know what? That no place is spared. This is widespread. We've got weeping, wailing, and shaving of heads. In the streets, they've girded themselves with sackcloth, a sign of mourning. On their housetops, in their squares, everyone is wailing, dissolved in tears. Heshbon and Elialoth also cry out. Their voices heard all the way to Yahaz. Therefore the armed men of Moab cry aloud, his soul trembles within him. So this first section ends with this, Therefore they cry aloud, the armed men, announcing that even the soldiers in the army will be in shock and weeping and wailing over this disaster. Everyone will be totally demoralized and in a hopeless frame of mind. Now remember, we've already seen Philistia as we saw on the other map. It's come under God's judgment. We're going to see Aram come under God's judgment. We've seen Assyria and Babylon, the two big ones. And now we're seeing Moab to the east of the Dead Sea. Now how does God look upon those He judges in this way? Does He take delight in the judgment of the wicked? Verse 5, My heart cries out for Moab. His fugitives are as far as Zoar, and Eglath, Shelechiah. For they go up the ascent of Luhith weeping. Surely on the road to Horonim they raise a cry of distress over their ruins. This description of the grief and mourning in Moab includes depictions that we'll see in verses 6 through 8 of famine and thirst. So whose heart is it that's crying out for Moab? Yeah. My heart. Look at verse 9. You have my heart cries out for Moab. And then in verse 9 we see these words. Surely I will bring added woes upon. He is grieving over what he has to do here because of their unrighteousness. My heart is matched by I will bring. This identifies the mourner here as the Lord speaking through Isaiah. And we really learn something about God here. He grieves over the plight of these fugitives. He grieves over the stricken lands, the waters, the futile efforts these people will have to salvage anything, and the destruction that's to come upon them. He has a compassion about Him that we can't begin to imagine. These verses are a long list of things that touch the heart of God, who grieves even as He smites them. We should never think he's unaware of what we're going through, or that he doesn't care. The grief of the judge of all the earth is one of the two big truths we have here. And the other is the sin of pride is what brings this judgment of God. So the second part, verses 5, 6, 7, 8, describes these refugees escaping to the southern borders of Moab. Here come, presumably, the Assyrians. Isaiah expresses his own heartfelt lamentation, but really he's expressing God's. He depicts these people as refugees heading down the road, passing by dried-up streams, fields with nothing there. They pass through the desert without food or water. Therefore, they get to this ravine of poplars, as the NIV calls it. And things are hopeless unless, what? They call upon the Lord. Let's read the passage, "...for the waters of Nimrim are desolate. Surely the grass is withered," this is verse 6, "...the tender grass died out. There is no green thing. Therefore, the abundance which they have acquired and stored up, they carry off over the brook of Erebim," or the ravine of the poplars in the NIV. for the cry of distress has gone around the territory of Moab, its wail as far as Eglaim and its wailing even to Be'er Elim. And then we see that death has been wrought upon Moab by the hands of its enemies. Look at verse 9. For the waters of Dimon are full of blood. Surely I will bring added woes upon Dimon, a lion upon the fugitives of Moab, and upon the remnant of the land. And then God's declaration that His judgment will be total. Well, the scene then shifts to what one writer describes as a cabinet meeting of the Moabite officials, with Isaiah eavesdropping sort of on that meeting. And at some point here, and we see it begin in chapter 16, verse 1, somebody, maybe a counselor to the king of Moab, kind of interrupts this lament and says, hey, we need to send a tribute or a gift to the ruler of the land, referring to Israel. 16-1, send the tribute lamb to the ruler of the land for Salah by the way of the wilderness to the mountain of the daughter of Zion. Now we've had Philistia coming and wanting an alliance with Judah. Now we've got Moab coming and they want Judah to provide them with asylum from this attack that's coming presumably from Assyria. Moab was a land of many sheep. And sheep would be the way they would pay other countries, would be what they would use in trade. So as a means of payment or tribute here. I mean, they're not holding any cards. They've got some sheep to deal with that might be able to gain them some favor. What they want is asylum and protection. They're fleeing. We've got this refugee picture coming out of Moab. Assyria is coming down from the north, and they're fleeing to the south, and they're heading to the south of the Dead Sea, and from there they will cross over then into Judah, if Judah will receive them. So they're going down through that area, and it's desert, and it's even worse because it's a famine. So the refugees are at that southern tip of Moab. Some have already crossed to Edom, but they're going to need to send these sheep, these lambs over if they want to cross into Zion or Judah. And the envoys here have to go across the desert to the south of Judah, across the Dead Sea, to reach Zion. So that's the picture we have here. And we've got this meeting going on of the rulers saying we better send them something so they'll help us escape and provide asylum for us. Well, verse 2, Then like fleeing birds or scattered nestlings, the daughters of Moab will be at the fords of Arnon. Now that's over on the sea. So we see these women in flight. We see this on our TVs now. particularly Syria, but also in many countries where Christians are having to flee Muslim persecution. And so we read in verses three and four, give us advice, make a decision, cast your shadow like night at high noon, hide the outcasts, do not betray the fugitive, let the outcasts of Moab stay with you, be a hiding place to them from the destroyer, for the extortioner has come to an end, destruction has ceased, oppressors have completely disappeared. from the land. So as the Moabites seek protection and refuge in the middle of the distress, Isaiah is going to have an interesting response to them. He provides a reminder to these refugees that God is watching, that He is the one who's the protector of those who call upon Him and serve Him and worship Him. And so the answer from Judah to this request for asylum from Moab begins here at the end of verse 4. Verse five, a throne will be established in loving kindness and a judge will sit on it in faithfulness in the tent of David. Moreover, he will seek justice and be prompt in righteousness. What's he doing? What's he telling them? He's giving them the gospel. He tells them to turn to Yahweh and ultimately to his promised Messiah. He is the one and only hope for them and for all humanity. Verse 5, Isaiah describes how God is going to enthrone a ruler in Judah who is completely different from the oppressive king who's trampling over Moab right now. Look at it. A throne will be established in loving-kindness. Who could that be? That can only be Christ. And He's telling them to trust in the promises of God. The very same promise that we're trusting in. Now yes, it's already been fulfilled as we believe in what's yet to come. The implications of this message to the Moabites have application for everyone who hears the Prophet's words. For everyone has to decide. Is he going to live trusting in God and His promises? Or is he going to trust in himself? Now look, nobody wants to end up a refugee like these Moabites. Look what he's offering them. He doesn't have a hiding place for a few weeks or months for them. He has eternity he's offering them. What do you think Moab did? Moab rejected the invitation to come to Yahweh. Not that, they say. They don't want to serve Him. And they end up guilty of the same sin as we've seen in Assyria, Israel, and Judah. Verse 6, we have heard, we as Judah, have heard of the pride of Moab, an excessive pride. Even of his arrogance, pride, and fury, his idle boasts are false. And because of his pride, therefore Moab will wail. Every one of Moab will wail. You will moan for the raisin cakes of Kir Haraseth as those who are utterly stricken. No raisin cakes because the vines are destroyed. The fields of Heshbon have withered, the vines of Sibmah as well. The lords of the nations have trampled down its choice clusters. which reached as far as Yozere and wandered to the deserts, its tendrils themselves spread out and passed over the sea." Isaiah again declares the certainty of God's complete and total judgment throughout the whole land of Moab. You see this, no vines means no raisin cakes, and raisin cakes were some called a delicacy. So Isaiah is back to repeating some of the themes of his original lament back in chapter 15 in order to strengthen his argument for trusting in the ruler of Judah, trusting in God, so that they can avoid the suffering he describes in these verses. If we behave like the Moabites, if we behave like the Philistines, if we behave like the Assyrians or the Babylonians, if our hearts think like they do, we will end up with the same destiny as they. If we look at chapter 16, in the first four verses, a request for asylum from Moab, the divine answer of the messianic assurance in verse 5, and then Moab's pride leading to its rejection of Yahweh, and therefore there will be wailing because Moab will be judged. Therefore, here's God again, I will weep bitterly for Yazir. For the vine of Sibmah I will drench you with my tears, O Heshbon and Elialeh. For the shouting over your summer fruits and your harvest has fallen away. God and his messenger Isaiah truly lamenting the destruction of these neighboring people of Moab. God will weep. Why? He says, because I have made the shouting to cease. You can see this in verses 9 and 10 more clearly than anywhere else. Verse 9, therefore I will weep, and he continues the thought in verse 10, for I have made the shouting to cease. And so this theme of weeping and mourning and grief continues to the end of the oracle, and yet Ezekiel 18.23, God takes no pleasure in the condemnation of the wicked. Therefore, my heart intones like a harp for Moab, and my inward feelings for Kir Harasheth. This speaks of the depth of the grief, even the agony of God, at the fall of those who reject him. And it's not because he's offended, it's because of their plight. God is far more loving than we can possibly imagine. So then the Moabites, it will come about when Moab presents himself, when he wearies himself upon his high place and comes to his sanctuary to pray, that he will not prevail. Pretty simple message, isn't it? There's only one hope for any of us. There's only one hope for humanity. And that hope is the God we serve. The last two verses, he leaves the poem in its narrative. This is the word which the Lord spoke earlier concerning Moab. But now the Lord speaks. Within three years, as a hired man would count them, the glory of Moab will be degraded along with his great population, and his remnant will be very small and impotent. So this indicates at least two separate messages on two separate occasions, not far apart. And they confirm that this awful devastation is going to happen within three years. And what does that do? That does give them some time to reconsider. Well, we've all had plenty of time to consider, and we've had the benefit of all of this Word of God. He wants us to hear this message over and over again. I think we're all had best be convinced of that after this many weeks in Isaiah and seeing this message over and over and over again. Trust in me for I will do as I have said. Well, Lord, we thank you for your promises. We thank you for your faithfulness. We thank you, Lord, that you've opened our eyes to know you and to believe in you. And we pray, Lord, that you will stir us to not only worship and obedience of you, but that you would make us effective witnesses and help us to declare this truth so as to bring others according to your plan and your purposes and your will into your kingdom. for Your glory and for Your blessed Son, in whose name we pray, Amen.