Wednesday, February 12, 2014

Isaiah 17:2

Copyright Ó 2014 J. Neely
Isaiah 17:2ues

2 The cities [`iyr] of Aroer [`Arow`er] are forsaken [`azab]: they shall be for flocks [`eder], which shall lie down [rabats], and none shall make them afraid [charad].  KJV-Interlinear

2 "The cities of Aroer are forsaken; They will be for flocks to lie down in, And there will be no one to frighten them.  NASB

The cities of Aroer are not specifically identified, but the word, Aroer, means ‘forever’ and that is significant here, in that the region will be deserted of evil people, forever.  Where once they presumably were thriving cities as was Damascus, and since they are associated with Damascus in this prophecy of doom, then we can reasonably conclude that they were an anti-God and anti-truth society.

Where there are some who look to God, there is always a remnant remaining.  But here there is no one.

Cities have homes and businesses and streets and people and traffic and such.  But here the cities have no activity.  They are empty of people and empty of human activity.

Only the animals who are not burdened by the issues of humanity, are grazing and laying in rest with not so much as a care in the world.

And that is the contrast.

Flocks, ‘eder,’ does not refer to domestic animals per se, but it refers to groups of animals, or arrangements of animals of a similar type.

The community of people has been replaced with the community of animals with many types arranged by their respective species.  Kind of like if you were on a safari and saw many kinds of animals, each group arranged together with their own kind.

And that is the destiny of evil.  To be wiped out, to leave behind no evidence of its existence, and to be replaced with animals, who are not as smart as people, and yet the animals remain and the people are gone.

Our principle to learn from this is of course to not pursue the things of this world, to not ignore our obligations to God, and to get with a daily study program so that we can grow up spiritually and not be a part of the failure that the rest of the world is pursuing with greater and greater tenacity, only to fail miserably.