Monday - Scripture Lesson

Isaiah Listens to God for Preparation for Battle
Rev. Lynwood F. Mundy
Isaiah 22:8–11

21:6–10a. God told Isaiah to have someone be on the lookout for the battle between Babylon and Assyria. The watchman was to look for anyone who would come his way to report on the battle (vv. 6–7). The watchman looked day after day till finally, someone came with the message that Babylon had fallen and its gods lay shattered on the ground (v. 9). The emotional impact of this message on the people of Judah, who were hoping Babylon’s revolt would be successful, would be stunning. They had hoped that the alliance Hezekiah made with Babylon would break the Assyrian domination. But it was not to be. Sennacherib pushed Marduk-apal-iddina out of Babylon and as stated earlier, the Assyrian king eventually destroyed the city in 689 b.c. Babylon’s fall seemed like the last straw. Now no one could stop the Assyrian Empire. So Judah felt crushed emotionally like grain on the threshing floor (cf. Jer. 51:33).

21:10b. Isaiah reiterated that his message was from God. He was only telling what he had heard from the Lord Almighty (cf. comments on 1:9). Judah must not rely on the Babylonians to save them. This man from the Desert by the Sea (Marduk-apal-iddina) would not be successful.

8. Edom (21:11–12)

21:11–12. This brief oracle seems to be against Edom because of the reference to Seir (21:11). Seir is an alternate name for Edom because the mountains of Seir were given as a possession to Esau and his descendants (Josh. 24:4). The name Dumah may be a wordplay on “Edom” since Dumah means silence or stillness (cf. NIV marg.) and the watchman in the oracle saw no activity. More likely, however, Dumah is a transliteration of Udumu or Udumai, the Akkadian designation for Edom. Both Tiglath-Pileser (in 734) and Sargon (in 711) mentioned taking tribute from Udumu. Was there any chance Edom’s political situation would change? The answer was no, not immediately. Even though [the] morning was coming, another night would follow. It did not look as if the situation would change soon.

NIV New International Version

marg. margin, marginal reading

 Martin, John A. “Isaiah.” The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures. Ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck. Vol. 1. Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985. 1068–1069. Print.