Isaiah 16:1
1 Send [shalach] ye the lamb [kar] to the ruler [mashal] of
the land ['erets] from Sela [Cela`] to the wilderness [midbar],
unto the mount [har] of the daughter [bath] of Zion [Tsiyown]. KJV-Interlinear
1 Send the tribute lamb to the
ruler of the land, From Sela by way of the wilderness to the mountain of the
daughter of Zion. NASB
No matter what your
wrongs might be in life, there is always a way out.
To those who believe
that they have crossed some invisible line and cannot go back, only their own
arrogance and stupidity prevents their recovery. God never prevents anyone from recovery, and certainly
life’s barriers can be overcome, when one makes an effort.
Only for those who
stubbornly refuse to change, is there a no recovery option, because they refuse
to change or even try. Satan is the
perfect example of someone who has lived for who knows how long, and has
refused to change. As smart as he is
supposed to be, he is the dumbest creature ever.
The word for lamb is
plural and refers to fattened sheep ready for the slaughter. They are usually lambs that are submitted for
sacrifice.
The lambs are the tribute
money or a debt that is owing from one person to another. It is generally used in the form of tax, and
herein is in reference to the taxes that were once paid by Moab to David, when
David was king, and then to Judah after the nation of Israel was split. The
payment was in the form of lambs, lots of lambs, tens of thousands of lambs.
David and Judah being
the legitimate line of Christ and chosen people of God, to whom tribute was
owed.
The ruler of the land,
refers to the leader or king of Israel as the nation, to the city of Jerusalem
which represents the city of peace, to the Jews representing the chosen people,
all of whom are descended from Mt. Zion, the dwelling of God, represented by
truth or the doctrine of the scriptures.
From Sela, is a
reference to a city of rock, which is unknown and unidentified as to its
location in Moab, but its meaning is that from the rock of spiritual strength,
which refers to Christ and doctrine in the souls of the people, then tribute
shall be paid in their obligation to the Lord, the true King of Israel. That tribute represented by the lambs of
sacrifice, in the plural, meaning that many such people should be worshipping
the Lord, the one true Lord, and their worship should be likewise pursued in the
plural, meaning their daily study and dedication to their spiritual lives, for
all of the days of their life.
To the wilderness,
refers to the rest of the land, for it is the entire land that is corrupt and
void of all doctrine. And so too, the
world is void of truth.
The mount of the
daughter of Zion, is a reference to the mountain within Jerusalem, for let
there be no mistake that there is but one Zion, one mount, and one Jerusalem,
all of which refer to, and point to, Jesus Christ.
There is no Mecca, no
Baghdad, no Constantinople, no Rome, no Babylon, no other place that is
representative of the source of truth or residence of God.
There is only one God,
one Savior, one Christ (who is the Savior), one doctrine, one spiritual life,
and one faith which brings it all together.
The people of Moab did
not and will not turn to Christ. They will
not pay their obligated tribute, or tax, or gift or whatever you want to call
it. They will not study as mandated, will
not learn and therefore will never have understanding, because understanding
requires learning, which comes from a daily study. And therefore they will never have wisdom, which
it the legitimate discerning between truth and the lies of life. They will never be responsible, for they will
always have excuses as to their irresponsibility.
But they could change
all of that!
The same principle
applies to you and to all believers, and to all peoples everywhere.
Recognize Christ as the
Savior, believe in Him. And then confess
as often as is necessary in order to live your life in fellowship with God. And then pay your tribute.
And what is tribute?
It is your moment by
moment obligation to put Gods information first and foremost in your life and
to stick with it. Certainly we all have
the obligation to be honest, to be generous, to be polite, to be responsible,
to support the teaching of the Word of God, and many more things. But none of
that matters if you have no functioning spiritual life. They all go together, and you cannot
legitimately separate your choices out of the mix.
But, the key here is
that the road to certain ruin for yourself is to get picky or indifferent
toward God, Christ, doctrine and your obligations in life.
And as is pointed out,
this tribute mentioned, which is really a reference to having a legitimate
spiritual life toward Christ, who is the ultimate recipient from the ‘rock,’ spiritually
mature believers, to the ‘rock,’ Christ, with doctrine being the common thread
that links humanity to God.
Pursue these things and
your life, regardless of your circumstances, will be a great life, especially
in heaven.
Ignore these things and
your life will not be so rosy, but far, far worse.
And it is exactly this
indifference that will lead to the terrible things that are coming to the
world, one day.
