Isaiah 16:3
3 Take [bow'] counsel [`etsah], execute [`asah] judgment [paliylah]; make [shiyth] thy shadow [tsel] as the night [layil] in the
midst [tavek] of the noonday [tsohar]; hide [cathar] the outcasts
[nadach]; bewray [galah] not him that wandereth [nadad]. KJV-Interlinear
3 "Give us advice, make a
decision; Cast your shadow like night at high noon; Hide the outcasts, do not
betray the fugitive. NASB
Counsel, judgment,
shadow, hide, and betray are all courses of action that are being requested for
the people of God. When the Tribulation
begins, Satan will unleash horrific evils against Gods people, Jews and
Christians alike and will attempt to destroy Israel such that there will be no
one and nothing for God to rescue as promised.
At the mid-point of the Tribulation, the abomination of abominations
will occur, setting off a horrific series of atrocities.
When this abomination
in the newly dedicated Temple, occurs, wherein the anti-christ will set himself
up to be greater than God, the people of Jerusalem and Israel are warned to
run, to flee, to get out and go to the mountains immediately.
One of their destinations
will be the region of Moab.
And so here we see the
counsel of God to those who live in Moab, to take in, to hide, to protect the
Jews that are fleeing from the wrath of the anti-christ.
For, the kindness and protection
offered to the Jews, will be returned in kind by God to those who provide that
protection.
And so we have here
that counsel and request. That despite
the horrific lives that have been led by those in Moab, they can still redeem
themselves, by obeying Gods request and following through some very tough times
that they will face as a result of their kindness.
But, in verse six we
will see that those requests will be generally ignored and thus terrible judgment
will ensue against the people of Moab.
Take counsel is a
request and a warning. Listen and take
heed. God is offering a way out if you
will listen and do as asked.
Execute judgment, means
to use common sense and do what is fair and right.
Make a night shadow as
night in the middle of the noonday, is a phrase that describes the relief that
one who is traveling in the desert, finds, when they come upon a huge rock or
grove of trees that offer their shade for a cool relief from the heat of the desert
sun.
A shadow as in the
night, means a deep and dark shadow for maximum relief from the extreme
pressures and burdens of the noon sun.
This represents the protection of the fleeing Jews from the intense
pursuit and searches of the forces of the anti-christ. Later these searches, having little or no effect
will culminate in the Armageddon war, which is designed to exterminate all
people, in order to insure that all Jews will be killed.
Hide the outcasts, is a
request to hide those who are fleeing from persecution.
And finally, the bewray
not him that wandereth, means do not reveal those who are in hiding, but keep
them concealed and protected from their pursuers.
Moab is scheduled for
destruction. They are scheduled for
destruction because of their lifestyle pursuit of evil.
They have but one way
out of this destruction, and that is to turn to the Lord. One way to accomplish that, is to begin their
daily bible study, but obviously given the short time at hand, it may not be
possible to accomplish anything spiritually.
However, there is going to be a time when the Jewish people will need
help, and if given that help, then that kindness will be returned by God.
Needless to say, God is
well able to protect His own, but often times God gives us all the opportunity
to participate in His plan, in order to prove our faithfulness and obedience and
commitment to Him.
When the abomination occurs
at the mid-point of the Tribulation, there will be only three-and-a-half years
remaining in history. For those in
hiding that will be like an eternity. But
for those who are active in the evils of the world, that will be a very short
time.
The end is certain, the
last great battle is certain, the second-advent is certain, and these things
will all culminate in the last year of the Tribulation. Therefore, people can turn to God through
Christ, and receive deliverance at the hand of God, or they can ignore it all,
and suffer the consequences that we studied in the last chapter.
One more final
thought. Given this request, and the
fact that there will be some who will actually hide and protect the Jewish
refugees, then the anti-christ will likely take his revenge out on all of the people
of Moab, thus the horrific destructions that have already been described in the
previous chapter.
