The prophecy against Moab continues from chapter 15. There are words of advice to the nation from the Lord.

1. They are to pay tribute to Judah (vs. 1-5)

The idea behind sending the lamb to the ruler of the land is that Moab should resume their bringing of tribute to Jerusalem, thereby submitting them to God again. This kind of tribute is described in 2 Kings 3:4-5, where Mesha, King of Moab, who once paid tribute to Israel, stopped doing so when King Ahab of Israel died. Here, Isaiah counsels Moab to resume this payment of tribute. Isaiah paints a powerful picture of the helpless, confused state of Moab under the hand of God’s judgment. They are like a wandering bird thrown out of the nest, confused, weak, and vulnerable. Their only recourse is to submit themselves to Jerusalem and its King again.

Isaiah wanted Judah to be a place of refuge and protection for Moab under judgment. This is exactly what the church should be, when people are under the strong hand of the Lord in the world. We should be a place that will hide the outcasts and receive him who escapes, never to betray them.

This is a sudden and curious change of focus. In Isaiah 16:3, Judah was counselled to receive the outcasts of Moab. Now, Moab is asked to receive the outcasts of Judah. It seems that Isaiah 16:4-5 is an end-times prophecy of how Moab will be a place of refuge for Jews escaping the fury of the Antichrist after the abomination of desolation. Israel, fleeing from the fury of the Antichrist, will find refuge in places like Moab (Revelation 12:6, 12:13-14). In those end times, the throne of the Messiah will be established, and the Messiah Himself will sit on the throne.

2. The Moabites are punished because of their pride (vs. 6-8)

It is significant that Moab’s sin was pride, because they were a fairly small and insignificant nation. We can easily understand how the empires of Babylon or Assyria might fall through pride, but we may be slower to see pride in smaller things. But the small can be just as consumed with pride as the great! This pride is also referred to in the prophecy of judgment found in Jeremiah 48:1-13. Whenever pride is not broken by humility, it will have to be broken by justice.

3. Isaiah felt compassion for Moab (vs. 9-11)

As Isaiah prophesied of the judgment coming upon Moab, he wasn’t happy. He was not pleased that judgment was coming upon a rival nation. Isaiah would not even let others be happy at a time like this. Isaiah knows that Moab is looking in the wrong places for answers. This was the same attitude Jesus had when He wept for Jerusalem. See Matthew 23:37-39. When Jesus saw the desolation to come upon the city that rejected Him, He did not rejoice. Jesus also knew that in the midst of their calamity, they would turn to themselves instead of the Lord.

4. Their idols cannot help them (vs. 12)

The false gods of Moab are unable to help; and the God of Israel, the only true God, can and will make good what he has spoken. Moab will turn to her impotent, false god, Chemosh, instead of to the one true God. The people of Moab will find their prayers to this false god empty; their god is impotent.

5. The time of trouble will come within three years (vs. 13-14)

God gives Moab a timescale. The disaster will leave few survivors. Why did God announce the time frame for His judgment? It was a warning to Moab and an invitation for their humble repentance. It was a lesson for God’s people on how the Lord judges the proud. Finally, it assured God’s people that the Lord would deal with other, worse, nations as He also dealt with Israel.

Categories: Isaiah