Isaiah 21
PettIsaiah 21:1-17
Chapter 21 The Burdens on The Wilderness of the Sea, on Dumah and on Arabia. We now come to the second five of the ten burdens. And here we pause to note the careful way in which the prophecy has been put together. Like the first of the ten this sixth burden refers to Babylon. But while the first referred to a triumphant Babylon, then humiliated, this time it is a Babylon defeated from the beginning. The third burden spoke of Moab and its search for refuge from Assyria, and ended with the time reference ‘three years as the years of a hireling’ (Isaiah 16:14). The eighth burden speaks of Arabia and a search for refuge from Assyria, and ends similarly, ‘within a year according to the year of a hireling’ (Isaiah 21:16).
In both cases the fewness of those who will be left is emphasised. The fourth burden, although addressed to Syria, majored on Israel, the people of God, their destruction and their final hope. The ninth burden, addressed to the valley of vision, majors on Judah, the people of God, although the concentration is on its destruction. However, hope is always there if they repent. And finally the fifth burden deals with Egypt, the ancient and important country to the south with its great claims about itself, which alone had been the one who sought supremacy over that part of the world until the great threat had come from the north. And this burden will result finally in deliverance.
And the tenth burden deals with Tyre, the great and important country to the north which had from time immemorial ruled the seas, with its similar great claims, and this burden also ends in deliverance. There is clearly some form of pattern here.
Isaiah 21:11-12
The Burden of Dumah (Edom) - (Isaiah 21:11-12). In her fear at the news of the downfall of Babylon Edom cries to the only one who seems to be able to proclaim the future reliably, Isaiah, the prophet of Judah, and his reply is that if she would enquire of Yahweh, she must first turn from her old ways and come to Him.Analysis.a The Burden of Dumah. One calls to me out of Seir (Isaiah 21:11 a)b “Watchman, what of the night? Watchman what of the night?” (Isaiah 21:11 b).b The watchman said, “The morning comes and also the night” (Isaiah 21:12 a).a “If you will enquire, enquire. Turn, come” (Isaiah 21:12 b).In ‘a’ the cry comes to him from Edom for his help, and in the parallel if they would enquire, they must first turn and then come. In ‘b’ he is asked as Yahweh’s watchman what the night will bring, and in the parallel he warns that morning comes and the comes the night.Isaiah 21:11-12‘The Burden of Dumah. One calls to me out of Seir, “Watchman, what of the night?
Watchman what of the night?”. The watchman said, “The morning comes and also the night.
If you will enquire, enquire. Turn, come.”That Dumah here represents a section of Edom (note the similar consonants d-m. There is a play on words) comes out in the mention of Seir. The word dumah means ‘silence’. The idea seems to be that Edom is waiting in silence for what is coming, as she cowers in her stronghold Seir (see Genesis 32:3; Genesis 36:20-21; Genesis 36:30; Numbers 24:18). Here is not a nation to depend on but one that is fearful and waiting with nothing to offer but questions and doubts.In her fear she calls on Yahweh’s watchman (compare Isaiah 21:6; Isaiah 21:8), the only one whom she thinks can offer enlightenment in the circumstances.
She recognises that he alone can prophesy the truth and wants to know what the gathering darkness will bring. This call may have been by a special messenger sent to Jerusalem.
Isaiah’s fame as a prophet was clearly spreading. So with the twilight of judgment that Isaiah 21:4 has in mind she asks Yahweh’s watchman what the night is going to bring. The doom of Babylon threatens all her erstwhile allies. So what is going to happen to them all, and especially to her? She is basically admitting that her own gods can tell her nothing, and that is why she seeks to Yahweh.Isaiah’s reply is that morning comes, but then further night. They are right to be concerned about the night. He knew what it meant to watch both morning and night (Isaiah 21:8). So let Edom also watch and wait.
But she had enquired of Yahweh through His servant. Well, if she really wanted to know Yahweh’s way, if she would find safety, if she would prosper in the future, if she would find confidence and trust, let her turn from her ways and her gods and let her come to Yahweh (‘Turn, come.’) For if she desires to enquire of Yahweh, that is what is required. It is an offer for her to join the people of God. But we discover later that she refuses it, resulting finally in terminal judgment (34; Isaiah 63:1-6). ‘And also the night’ turns out to be final.
Isaiah 21:13-17
The Burden Upon Arabia (Isaiah 21:13-17). Arabia is not offered such hope. She is rightly apprehensive, and her troops, which had been involved in the alliance, have returned as fugitives. And she has no future. Within one year disaster will come on them. So much for the alliance in which their hopes had been placed.Analysis.· The burden upon Arabia. You will lodge in the forest in Arabia, O you travelling companions of Dedanites (Isaiah 21:13).· To him who was thirsty, they brought water.
The inhabitants of the land of Temah met the fugitives with their bread (Isaiah 21:14).· For they fled from the sword, from the drawn sword, and from the bent bow, and from the grievousness of war (Isaiah 21:15).· For thus has the Lord said to me, “Within a year, according to the years of a hired servant, and all the glory of Kedar will fail. And the residue of the numbers of the archers, the mighty men of the children of Kedar, will be few.” For the mouth of Yahweh, the God of Israel has spoken it (Isaiah 21:16-17).In ‘a’ he addresses those who were usually caravanners, travelling the trade routes, and warns them that because of what has happened they will have to take refuge in the forest of Arabia, and in the parallel points out that it will be hopeless, for within a year their glory will fail and their numbers will be few, because Yahweh has declared it In ‘b’ the people of Temah bring the fugitives water and bread, and in the parallel it is because they are fugitives from the sword, and from grievous war.Isaiah 21:13-15‘The burden upon Arabia.
You will lodge in the forest in Arabia, O you travelling companions of Dedanites. To him who was thirsty, they brought water. The inhabitants of the land of Temah met the fugitives with their bread. For they fled from the sword, from the drawn sword, and from the bent bow, and from the grievousness of war.’Arabia (or ‘the Arabs’) had been involved in the fighting, and now they fled for their lives. Those who were normally travelling companions (‘caravans’) of Dedanites, fearlessly making their way along the main highways, now hid, ate and slept in the denseness of the thickets in the remote desert scrubland. They dare not come near the regular oases.
Sympathisers brought them water, those from the land of Temah brought them bread, for they were without provisions and in hiding and totally dependent on the generosity of others. It was so different from the proud dream that had earlier been theirs.
Their fate was a warning to all. You cannot trust in alliances with Babylon or with the world.The Dedanites were a north Arabian tribe from near Edom (see Jeremiah 49:8; Ezekiel 25:13). Temah was an oasis city in the desert on the main trade route through Arabia.They were there because they had fled from the drawn sword, the sword drawn ready for battle, and from the bent bow with its arrow fixed ready for the kill, pursued by enemies who were determined on slaughter. But above all they had fled from the grievousness of war. Note the threefold pattern once again, the drawn sword, the bent bow and the grievousness of war indicating the complete nature of their predicament.Isaiah 21:16-17‘For thus has the Lord said to me, “Within a year, according to the years of a hired servant, and all the glory of Kedar will fail. And the residue of the numbers of the archers, the mighty men of the children of Kedar, will be few.
For the mouth of Yahweh, the God of Israel has spoken it.’But punishment would follow exactly within a year and would fall especially on Kedar, a powerful north Arabian tribe (Isaiah 42:11; Isaiah 60:7). It would lose its main resources.
Its archers and its fighting men would be decimated until they were few in number. The alliance had failed them. And all this would be at the word of Yahweh, the God of Israel.We know that Kedar were paying tribute to Assyria in 738 BC and that in 715 BC Sargon II was campaigning against the tribes near Temah and that in around 703 BC Arabs supported the rebellion of Merodach Baladan and were finally subdued by Sennacherib. Thus they were continually involved with Assyria and in alliances against them, to their cost. Now their reward will come on their own heads.‘Within a year, according to the years of a hired servant.’ Compare Isaiah 16:14. Within exactly a year, calculated in accordance with the method used for determining the services of hired servants, it would happen (possibly a 365 day year rather than a twelve moon period year). Their refuge would not save them.