Daily Devotions
Isaiah
"My people have gone into captivity"
Text: Isaiah 5:13
THE WARNING OF CAPTIVITY
The language of prophecy needs to be carefully understood. The nation of Judah had not yet gone into captivity in the days of Isaiah. But the future of Judah was described as if the nation had gone into captivity. The warning must be heeded! If the nation continued in their trajectory, they would certainly end up in captivity!
“Therefore my people have gone into captivity,
Because they have no knowledge;
Their honourable men are famished,
And their multitude dried up with thirst.
Therefore Sheol has enlarged itself
And opened its mouth beyond measure;
Their glory and their multitude and their pomp,
And he who is jubilant, shall descend into it.”
Isaiah 5:13-14
1. Why did the nation of Judah pursue a path that would lead to captivity?
a) The problem is that of ignorance.
i) There was no knowledge of God.
ii) There was ignorance of the danger from foreign enemies.
iii) There was no knowledge of what was good and proper
for the nation to survive.
b) The honourable men:
i) The princes.
ii) The judges.
iii) The prominent and successful people.
iv) They were spiritually famished (starved).
v) The nation was dying of spiritual thirst!
vi) The nation was headed towards captivity and destruction,
but they were ignorant of this grim reality.
2. Sheol
a) This is a word that refers to “the grave”.
b) Many would die and be swallowed up by the grave opening its mouth!
3. Who are the people who would die in their foolish ignorance?
a) The people who believe that they are “jubilant”.
b) They love their “glory” and their “pomp”.
i) When war comes, they would be made captives.
ii) Many would die in war.
iii) Others would die in captivity.
4. The word of warning.
a) Prophecy was used by the LORD to forewarn the nation.
b) If they heeded His word, the disaster forewarned may be averted.
c) If the word of the LORD was ignored, then many would perish
and the nation would go into captivity.