Daily Devotions
Isaiah
"Manasseh shall devour Ephraim"
Text: Isaiah 9:21
THE CONFLICT AMONGST BRETHREN
The two houses of Israel would be battling each other furiously. The wickedness in their hearts caused them to be blind to the fact that they were from the same family.
“And he shall snatch on the right hand
And be hungry;
He shall devour on the left hand
And not be satisfied;
Every man shall eat the flesh of his own arm.
Manasseh shall devour Ephraim, and Ephraim Manasseh;
Together they shall be against Judah.
For all this His anger is not turned away,
But His hand is stretched out still.”
Isaiah 9:20-21
1. Joseph had two sons.
a) Manasseh
b) Ephraim
c) They were promoted to the status of “sons of Jacob”.
d) They were part of the Twelve Tribes of Israel.
2. But the day would come when:
a) Manasseh would devour Ephraim.
b) And Ephraim would devour Manasseh.
c) They would no longer see each other as brothers but as enemies.
3 The conflict would extend further.
a) Israel, the Northern Kingdom would attack Judah.
b) Though they began as the children of Israel, they saw each other as an enemy
to be defeated.
4. The plight of the people.
a) The people would steal food anyway they can.
b) But they would never feel that they have enough.
c) War brings about a hunger that is never fully satisfied for food would be scarce.
d) To eat one’s arm is not to be taken literally.
i) It is a figure of speech.
ii) It describes the desperate sense of hunger that the people would feel
because of the war that they waged against each other.
5. The anger of the LORD.
a) That anger remained.
b) The people showed no remorse even though they were destroying each other.
c) The LORD’s hand was still stretched out against Israel and Judah
for their wickedness.