Monday, November 12, 2012

Isaiah 7:22


Copyright Ó 2012 J. Neely
Isaiah 7:22

22 And it shall come to pass, for the abundance [rob] of milk [chalab] that they shall give [`asah] he shall eat ['akal] butter: [chem'ah] for butter [chem'ah] and honey [dabash] shall every one eat ['akal] that is left [yathar] in [qereb] the land. ['erets] KJV-Interlinear

22 and it will happen that because of the abundance of the milk produced he will eat curds, for everyone that is left within the land will eat curds and honey. NASB

The description of desolation is continued.  And though it is not apparent from the text, the context of this chapter is one of desolation.

What has happened thus far in this prophecy, is that the land is invaded by an enemy that is so numerous, that the land is decimated of all of its wealth and most of its population.  The enemy leaves it in ruins.

But there are survivors, even when there should not have been any survivors.  With a much smaller population and with fewer means of commerce, which is to say there are fewer herds of cattle and flocks of sheep, but the land is still there.  Though not cultivated because of the population that no longer exists, then those cattle and sheep can wander further and eat in abundance, thus producing more milk and thus butter.

Bees, when once confined to controlled hives, will be free to build hives nearly anywhere, which means more honey, even though one has to go out to find the hives and the honey.

So, even in disaster there is some semblance of blessing for those who remain and survive.

In past generations this would have been a blessing of survival, or the hope of some sort of survival. 

In the future Tribulation, when the world is totally devastated, there will still be survivors. And even though they are much fewer in number, they have more room and space for squeaking out a survival for themselves. 

In disaster there is still hope and even a little bit of a treat or pleasure for ones sustenance.  This verse applies to food or diet, but can also indicate other pleasures or luxury items, even if they are small in portion.

Even in our current day, when people are losing their jobs or homes or health, or whatever, nearly everyone has something that they have that could easily be classified as luxury items.  They still have clothes, they still eat out, they still go to movies, they still have cell phones, and so forth.

So, in even the worst of conditions, if you look really hard at your own life, you still have blessings, even if you do not want to recognize them as such.

Often times people do not realize their blessings until they lose them.  Whether they are things or people in your life, or even the opportunity to study doctrine, you should cherish them all and what you have now, because one day, you might not have them.

And in disaster, when things are lost for good, then it is doubly difficult to regain or replace them, and even then those replacements may not be any better or even a bit worse than what you had, but simply refused to appreciate.

The worldly implications here are concerned with your loved ones, your things, your life in general. The spiritual implications here are concerned with your entire existence and eternal destiny.  Therefore value what you have and your opportunities now, because one day you may lose them.