Isaiah 16:14
14 But now the LORD [Yahovah] hath spoken [dabar], saying
['amar], Within three [shalowsh] years [shaneh (in pl. only),], as the years [shaneh (in pl. only),] of
an hireling [sakiyr], and the glory [kabowd] of Moab [Mow'ab] shall be
contemned [qalah], with all that great [rab] multitude [hamown]; and the
remnant [sha'ar] shall be very [ma`at] small [miz`ar] and feeble [lo'] [kabbiyr]. KJV-Interlinear
14 But now the Lord speaks,
saying, "Within three years, as a hired man would count them, the glory of
Moab will be degraded along with all his great population, and his remnant will
be very small and impotent." NASB
But now, is a phrase
that indicates a transition from the future, which has been referenced, to the
present, which is now going to be referenced.
In all generations, there are prophecies that refer to the future to which
unfortunately, too many people pay little attention. So, God gives all of us all something to
think about so that life and things in general will be more meaningful and
personal.
Perhaps then, we or
anyone, will begin to take the scriptures more seriously, and not look at them
as just a compilation of useless stories.
Within three years, is
a time frame that a hired person will look to which specifies exactly what and
when and where he will work. The time is
specified as to the seasons or the days or the hours that will be worked. And as a hired man, that time is not
uncertain, but certain. He knows that on
certain days for certain months during certain seasons, he will have the work
promised. So this is not a general
statement of about three years, but a specified period of time which is exactly
three years.
And within that three
year period, the glory of Moab will be no more.
Contemned, means losing
its esteem, losing its reputation, to become despised. And as for those who remain, the remnant,
they will be few in number. There will be
few cities, few people, few of almost everything, after the destruction that is
coming, that will remove their former glory and boasting.
As these prophecies
were given in the year that Ahaz died, then at the end of the third year of
Hezekiah, when Samaria was to fall, then so to, when the Assyrians swept
through the region, they also took Moab and destroyed it, but not completely.
And so it happened.
Moab was warned to turn
to the Lord. They were warned to pay
tribute to the King of Judah, which was a reference to the Lord Jesus Christ
but using payments of actual sheep, representing their acknowledgement of the
scriptures and the Lord as the one and only God and Savior.
But they did none of
these things.
They did not turn to
the Lord. They did not pay tribute, which
also means they did not change their daily habits of following their false
gods, to dedicating their lives to the study of the one true God.
They in effect
disregarded all of the advice and warnings, and so their indifference was met
with the repercussions of that apathy.
Namely they were
punished, not by God but by the very elements of their own contemporary world. God merely permitted their punishment, and
not because God is mean, but because they rejected God, so God graciously
allowed them to reap from the things they looked to, namely the world. And the world turned against them.
And that is the real
issue that we all face during our lives in this world.
God has given us the scriptures
and instructions for learning His will, and understanding our obligations in
life toward Him, toward people in general, toward family and certainly toward
ourselves and our role in life. Most
people reject these roles or they do not even acknowledge them, but instead
invent their own roles and rules for life.
And so, when people reject
God or are not interested in the scriptures, then by default they embrace
things from the many alternate belief systems that exist in the world. Some pursue religion, some pursue secular
ideals, some pursue whatever happens to be convenient or advantageous to them. Most are driven by how they are perceived by
others, so they pursue pretense in one form or another.
Whether you are driven
by lust or by being a victim, is irrelevant.
Disregard of God and the scriptures will get you only trouble for
yourself. What you wish for is never
going to be better, when God is excluded.
And if you destroy what
you have, you will be more than sorry later on.
This last prophecy
applied to Moab nearly three thousand years ago. The prophecies against Moab and others, also apply
to yet future times.
The principles of both
apply to all peoples in every generation.
But unfortunately the prophecies of the future, will occur because
people will not listen, will not learn, and will repeat the same mistakes that
were made in the past. Only, the future
holds even greater destruction, while your own current life, which is all that
you have, will or could, suffer greatly now.
And it all comes right
down to your attitude toward God, Christ, doctrine, and your spiritual life. The only question is, when will you learn, or
will you learn?
