Daily Devotions
Isaiah
"I was dismayed when I saw it"
Text: Isaiah 21:3
GREAT DISTRESS FELT
News of the threat of war is always distressful. There is so much suffering to be endured. Hardly anyone is spared from great suffering.
“Therefore my loins are filled with pain;
Pangs have taken hold of me, like the pangs of a woman in labour.
I was distressed when I heard it;
I was dismayed when I saw it.
My heart wavered, fearfulness frightened me;
The night for which I longed He turned into fear for me.
Prepare the table,
Set a watchman in the tower,
Eat and drink.
Arise, you princes,
Anoint the shield!”
Isaiah 21:3-5
1. Personal anxiety was felt.
a) Isaiah admitted to feeling great pain (“pangs”).
b) He confessed that he felt like a woman in labour.
c) Humble admission of how he felt when he heard a message from the LORD.
i) Distress
ii) Dismay
2. Isaiah was not a fearful person.
a) He was not afraid of meeting with wicked kings.
b) He was not afraid of any amount of hard work given to him.
3. But great fear was felt this time round.
a) His heart wavered.
b) His feelings were mixed with great fear and foreboding.
c) He had longed to hear the LORD’s word in a night vision.
d) But this time round, the vision (knowledge) given caused him to fear greatly.
4. An urgent call had to be given to the princes of Judah.
a) They must be prepared to discuss the problem of Babylon rising up in power.
b) Defenses must also be set up.
i) Watchmen are to be appointed.
ii) The shields of war are to be oiled and readied for battle.
c) The princes must be prepared to take on major roles in the defense of the nation of Judah.