Slices
Prepare
Pause… Become aware of your environment and your breathing. Take note of how you are feeling today. Pray: Lord, I offer myself to you.
Bible passage
A prophecy against Egypt and Cush
20 In the year that the supreme commander, sent by Sargon king of Assyria, came to Ashdod and attacked and captured it – 2 at that time the Lord spoke through Isaiah son of Amoz. He said to him, ‘Take off the sackcloth from your body and the sandals from your feet.’ And he did so, going around stripped and barefoot.
3 Then the Lord said, ‘Just as my servant Isaiah has gone stripped and barefoot for three years, as a sign and portent against Egypt and Cush, 4 so the king of Assyria will lead away stripped and barefoot the Egyptian captives and Cushite exiles, young and old, with buttocks bared – to Egypt’s shame. 5 Those who trusted in Cush and boasted in Egypt will be dismayed and put to shame. 6 In that day the people who live on this coast will say, “See what has happened to those we relied on, those we fled to for help and deliverance from the king of Assyria! How then can we escape?”’
A prophecy against Babylon
21 A prophecy against the Desert by the Sea:
Like whirlwinds sweeping through the southland,
an invader comes from the desert,
from a land of terror.
2 A dire vision has been shown to me:
the traitor betrays, the looter takes loot.
Elam, attack! Media, lay siege!
I will bring to an end all the groaning she caused.
3 At this my body is racked with pain,
pangs seize me, like those of a woman in labour;
I am staggered by what I hear,
I am bewildered by what I see.
4 My heart falters,
fear makes me tremble;
the twilight I longed for
has become a horror to me.
5 They set the tables,
they spread the rugs,
they eat, they drink!
Get up, you officers,
oil the shields!
6 This is what the Lord says to me:
‘Go, post a lookout
and let him report what he sees.
7 When he sees chariots
with teams of horses,
riders on donkeys
or riders on camels,
let him be alert,
fully alert.’
8 And the lookout shouted,
‘Day after day, my lord, I stand on the watchtower;
every night I stay at my post.
9 Look, here comes a man in a chariot
with a team of horses.
And he gives back the answer:
“Babylon has fallen, has fallen!
All the images of its gods
lie shattered on the ground!”’
10 My people who are crushed on the threshing-floor,
I tell you what I have heard
from the Lord Almighty,
from the God of Israel.
A prophecy against Edom
11 A prophecy against Dumah:
Someone calls to me from Seir,
‘Watchman, what is left of the night?
Watchman, what is left of the night?’
12 The watchman replies,
‘Morning is coming, but also the night.
If you would ask, then ask;
and come back yet again.’
A prophecy against Arabia
13 A prophecy against Arabia:
You caravans of Dedanites,
who camp in the thickets of Arabia,
14 bring water for the thirsty;
you who live in Tema,
bring food for the fugitives.
15 They flee from the sword,
from the drawn sword,
from the bent bow
and from the heat of battle.
16 This is what the Lord says to me: ‘Within one year, as a servant bound by contract would count it, all the splendour of Kedar will come to an end. 17 The survivors of the archers, the warriors of Kedar, will be few.’ The Lord, the God of Israel, has spoken.
Explore
In his book Body Keeps the Score, Bessel van der Kolk writes about the impact of trauma on the body. Traumatic events often leave a trail of physical and mental pain in our lives, and he speaks movingly of his therapeutic work among those afflicted. Isaiah, in chapter 20, is asked by the Lord to use his body prophetically. Not by way of speech, or even actions, but in the removal of certain clothing (20:2).
Taking away his sackcloth may have been a sign of vulnerability. John Goldingay suggests that sackcloth was normally worn at home, a kind of comfort wear not appropriate in public spaces. As a sign of poverty, Isaiah was making a point about the spiritual state of the nation. In its removal, this becomes a sign of Israel’s weakness against Assyrian might. For three years, Isaiah wears only his underwear and walks barefoot among the people. God’s judgement is coming on Egypt and Ethiopia; Israel will be exposed to the great superpower of Assyria. Isaiah’s body tells the story of his nation’s parlous state.
In chapter 21, Isaiah reflects on the bigger context of the international situation. There are warnings here for God’s people, yet also assurances of God’s knowledge and vigilance.
Respond
Give thanks for the ministry of reconciliation: in Christ ‘God was reconciling the world to himself … not counting people’s sins against them’ (2 Corinthians 5:19)
Deeper Bible study
We ask, O God, that you make us like the Lord Jesus, who withstood the devil’s attack and entrusted his life into your hands in full confidence of your love.
It’s commonplace for smaller, less well-equipped countries to seek the military protection of larger, better-armed nations, but putting your trust in a currently dominant power (in this case Cush and Egypt) puts you at risk of going down with them if they fail. Then where are you? Stripped of your protection, you are left bereft, naked and vulnerable (20:5). You run from the king of Assyria hoping for solace in the might of the Egyptians – and they prove unreliable. There is no escape. The subtext for Israel is – you’ve rejected trust in God in favour of a flawed human power. Now they’ve gone, what’s left? – nakedness and shoelessness! Paul talks about the renewing of our minds and not conforming to a worldly pattern of thinking that depends on human wisdom.1 The call is to get on board with the continual process of learning to trust God and his Word.
It is staggering and bewildering to see mighty powers come to nothing (21:9). It is painful to watch, but watch and wait we must until Babylon falls (v 8). News of the defeat of Babylon is a word from God to his people who are feeling crushed (v 10). Sometimes that’s all we have to hold on to: a word from God Almighty. The same proclamation is made in Revelation: ‘Fallen is Babylon the Great’.2 No longer can Babylon intoxicate the nations, but the watchman warns us that it isn’t now plain sailing. He tells of morning light to come but not before night is endured. Both must be part of the unfolding picture. It will take time. For Isaiah it was one to three years, for us it is knowing that it is time-limited. But the splendour of opposing forces will ‘come to an end’ (v 16). The Lord God has spoken; none can gainsay it.
How can you encourage others in this waiting period between the present rule of ungodly powers and their demise under God’s hand?
1 Rom 12:1,2 2 Rev 14:8
Bible in a year
Read the Bible in a year: Job 15-17; Psalms 83,84
Pray for Scripture Union
This month marks the eighth anniversary of Guardians of Ancora. Give thanks for those working behind the scenes to keep the app live and active and for the millions of children who have played the game, explored stories from the Bible and encountered Jesus.
Can we count you in?
Each year we host action-packed, faith-filled holidays and missions for hundreds of children, helping them create lasting memories while having the time of their lives! Could you take a break from the day job and volunteer with us?
