Isaiah 16
Isaiah 16 intersects a warning to Moab, the sorrow they will face in the future, and a brief glimpse of the hope of deliverance. Among Isaiah’s prophecies, this chapter specifically mentions the Moabite people, showing the attitude they took in the midst of hardship and what message God gives them.
1verseSend the lambs for the ruler of the land from Selah to the wilderness, to the mountain of the daughter of Zion.
2verseFor it will be that as wandering birds, as a scattered nest, so will the daughters of Moab be at the fords of the Arnon.
3verseGive counsel! Execute justice! Make your shade like the night in the middle of the noonday! Hide the outcasts! Don’t betray the fugitive!
4verseLet my outcasts dwell with you! As for Moab, be a hiding place for him from the face of the destroyer. For the extortionist is brought to nothing. Destruction ceases. The oppressors are consumed out of the land.
5verseA throne will be established in loving kindness. One will sit on it in truth, in the tent of David, judging, seeking justice, and swift to do righteousness.
6verseWe have heard of the pride of Moab, that he is very proud; even of his arrogance, his pride, and his wrath. His boastings are nothing.
7verseTherefore Moab will wail for Moab. Everyone will wail. You will mourn for the raisin cakes of Kir Hareseth, utterly stricken.
8verseFor the fields of Heshbon languish with the vine of Sibmah. The lords of the nations have broken down its choice branches, which reached even to Jazer, which wandered into the wilderness. Its shoots were spread abroad. They passed over the sea.
9verseTherefore I will weep with the weeping of Jazer for the vine of Sibmah. I will water you with my tears, Heshbon, and Elealeh: for on your summer fruits and on your harvest the battle shout has fallen.
10verseGladness is taken away, and joy out of the fruitful field; and in the vineyards there will be no singing, neither joyful noise. Nobody will tread out wine in the presses. I have made the shouting stop.
11verseTherefore my heart sounds like a harp for Moab, and my inward parts for Kir Heres.
12verseIt will happen that when Moab presents himself, when he wearies himself on the high place, and comes to his sanctuary to pray, that he will not prevail.
13verseThis is the word that the LORD spoke concerning Moab in time past.
14verseBut now the LORD has spoken, saying, “Within three years, as a worker bound by contract would count them, the glory of Moab shall be brought into contempt, with all his great multitude; and the remnant will be very small and feeble.”
Explanation of Structure and Flow
Verses 1–5: The scene depicts Moabites asking for help from Jerusalem (Zion) and seeking reconciliation. The prophet mentions that they will be shown mercy and that a righteous ruler will appear.
Verses 6–12: Soon afterward, however, he points out Moab’s pride and deceitful ways, warning that sorrow and destruction will follow as a result. The chapter poetically portrays how the Moabites and the places they relied on will be laid waste.
Verses 13–14: In the final portion, it adds that God will certainly carry out this judgment and that it will be fulfilled in the near future.
Main Message
- We can see that Moab’s pride and self-reliance led them away from God’s will.
- Yet God also presents the possibility that even such a nation can receive mercy.
- The prophecy about the “righteous king,” which appears briefly, hints at ultimate restoration and hope.
Points for Reflection
- In the face of hardship and destruction, we can reflect again on whom we are relying on.
- We can also meditate on how important it is to have attitudes of justice, mercy, and humility toward God’s will.
Try Applying It to Yourself
- Take a moment to reflect on whether there are signs of pride and self-reliance in my life.
- Realize that it’s an important question in my life today to see whether I have an attitude that shows mercy to those in need of help around me—and where I place my ultimate hope.
