Day 76: Isaiah 13- Holding To The Heavenly Headline-There Is Hope!

The oracle concerning Babylon which Isaiah the son of Amoz  saw. 2 On a bare hill raise a signal; cry aloud to them; wave the hand for them to enter the gates of the nobles. 3 I myself have commanded my consecrated ones and have summoned my mighty men to execute my anger, my proudly exulting ones.
4 The sound of a tumult is on the mountains as of a great multitude! The sound of an uproar of kingdoms, of nations gathering together! The Lord of hosts is mustering a host for battle. 5 They come from a distant land, from the end of the heavens,
the Lord and the weapons of his indignation, to destroy the whole land. 6 Wail, for the day of the Lord is near; as destruction from the Almighty it will come!
7 Therefore all hands will be feeble, and every human heart will melt. 8 They will be dismayed: pangs and agony will seize them; they will be in anguish like a woman in labor. They will look aghast at one another; their faces will be aflame. 9 Behold, the day of the Lord comes, cruel, with wrath and fierce anger, to make the land a desolation and to destroy its sinners from it.
10 For the stars of the heavens and their constellations will not give their light;
the sun will be dark at its rising, and the moon will not shed its light. 11 I will punish the world for its evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; I will put an end to the pomp of the arrogant, and lay low the pompous pride of the ruthless. 12 I will make people more rare than fine gold, and mankind than the gold of Ophir.
13 Therefore I will make the heavens tremble, and the earth will be shaken out of its place, at the wrath of the Lord of hosts in the day of his fierce anger. 14 And like a hunted gazelle, or like sheep with none to gather them, each will turn to his own people, and each will flee to his own land. 15 Whoever is found will be thrust through, and whoever is caught will fall by the sword.
16 Their infants will be dashed in pieces before their eyes; their houses will be plundered and their wives ravished. 17 Behold, I am stirring up the Medes against them, who have no regard for silver and do not delight in gold. 18 Their bows will slaughter the young men; they will have no mercy on the fruit of the womb; their eyes will not pity children.
19 And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the splendor and pomp of the Chaldeans, will be like Sodom and Gomorrah when God overthrew them. 20 It will never be inhabited or lived in for all generations; no Arab will pitch his tent there; no shepherds will make their flocks lie down there. 21 But wild animals will lie down there, and their houses will be full of howling creatures; there ostriches will dwell, and there wild goats will dance. 22 Hyenas will cry in its towers, and jackals in the pleasant palaces; its time is close at hand and its days will not be prolonged.
 
Meditation
Headlines can lead to heartache or hopefulness. Recently our world has experienced more of the former but today’s chapter, though dense with judgment, is a headline of hope for those whose trust is in the Lord.
 
“On a bare hill raise a signal…” cries the prophet. The headline, the message, is that judgment is coming on the enemies of God’s people, namely the nation of Babylon in this historical context. God has summoned mighty men (3) for destruction of His enemies, (6) punishment of the proud and evil, (11) to overthrow earthly glory (19).
 
“Signal” is a word used most recently in Isaiah as the headline for the hope of the promise of God to be fulfilled through Immanuel (11:10, 12). In Psalm 60:4 and Exodus 17:15-16 the word means banner and the headline reads, “victory and belovedness” for the people of God. In Numbers 21:8 the word is part of the hope and salvation for Israel as they sought to survive the fiery serpents.
 
“The signal” is one headline meaning two different things, both judgment on evil and the enemies of God and hope and security for those who belong to God. Jesus is lifted up as the ultimate signal (John 3:14-16) and whether you believe in Him determines how the headline will read.
 
You will check many headlines today in an effort to stay up on the news. Do not lose sight of the heavenly headline of hope, the signal of the Father’s love who came that whoever believes in Jesus will never die. There is salvation for those who believe!
 
Richly Dwelling
-What headlines are grabbing your attention right now? Why?
 
-Do you understand how the heavenly headline, God’s signal of salvation, can be both good news and bad news at the same time, depending on whether you believe in God’s provision of salvation?
 
-Do you believe? If so, whom do you know who does not believe? You literally have the opportunity to change the headline for someone, from bad news to good news, when you share the gospel with someone who needs to hear it.  Go make headlines!
 
Key Verse
On a bare hill raise a signal; cry aloud to them; wave the hand for them to enter the gates of the nobles.