The Book of Isaiah

Hebrew Study

Explanation

The chapter opens with practical counsel to Moab. "Send ye the lamb to the ruler of the land": Moab was famous for its flocks, and her king had once paid tribute to Israel in lambs and wool (2 Kings 3:4). The prophet urges her to send that tribute to the ruler in Zion, to submit to Judah's throne and find protection there. Then comes a plea for compassion toward the refugees, "hide the outcasts... Let mine outcasts dwell with thee, Moab; be thou a covert to them from the face of the spoiler."

At the heart of it stands verse 5, a promise that lifts far above Moab's troubles: "in mercy shall the throne be established: and he shall sit upon it in truth in the tabernacle of David, judging, and seeking judgment, and hasting righteousness." Beyond every falling kingdom, God is building one throne that will stand, founded on mercy, occupied by a King who rules in truth and righteousness. It is the throne promised to David, and it points beyond David to David's greater Son.

Gospel Focus

This throne "established in mercy... in the tabernacle of David" is the throne of the Messiah. The angel said of Jesus, "the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David... and of his kingdom there shall be no end" (Luke 1:32-33). God promised to "raise up the tabernacle of David that is fallen" (Amos 9:11), which James declared fulfilled in Christ and His church (Acts 15:16). And notice how this King reigns: in mercy, in truth, "hasting righteousness." That is Jesus exactly, the King who came not to crush but to save, whose throne rests on chesed, steadfast mercy. There is a quiet gospel in verse 1 as well: Moab's safety lay in sending the lamb to the ruler in Zion and bowing to his throne. Our safety lies in the true Lamb and the true King, for the ruler in Zion is Christ, and He is also "the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world" (John 1:29). The way to be safe when kingdoms fall is to come to that throne of mercy and bow to the King who sits on it.

Hebrew Study

Explanation

Why does Moab not simply come and take shelter under Zion's throne? The answer is one word: pride. "We have heard of the pride of Moab; he is very proud." Three times over the verse piles up her arrogance, "his haughtiness, and his pride, and his wrath." Pride will not stoop to send the lamb or bow to another's throne, and so the judgment runs its course. The famous vineyards languish, "the vine of Sibmah," and the joyful shouts of harvest fall silent: "in the vineyards there shall be no singing." Even Moab's false worship fails her: "when it is seen that Moab is weary on the high place... he shall come to his sanctuary to pray; but he shall not prevail." Her god Chemosh cannot answer, because he is no god at all.

And still, through the ruin, runs the grief of God. "I will water thee with my tears, O Heshbon," He says, and "my bowels shall sound like an harp for Moab" (16:9, 11). The judgment does not cancel the compassion; God weeps even as the proud fall.

Gospel Focus

Moab's tragedy is that mercy was offered and pride refused it. A throne of mercy stood open, a shelter for her outcasts was ready, and all she had to do was humble herself and come, but "he is very proud." That is the whole story of the lost in a single line. "God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble" (James 4:6). The door of grace is open, the King reigns in mercy, and the only thing that keeps a soul out is the refusal to bow. See too the emptiness of false refuge: Moab climbs to her high place, comes to her sanctuary, and prays hard, but "he shall not prevail," for a god who is not God cannot save. Sincerity toward the wrong object rescues no one; only the true God in Zion answers prayer. And hear again the heart of God, weeping over the very people He must judge. If that is His heart toward proud, idolatrous Moab, then let no one imagine God is eager to condemn. He holds out a throne of mercy to the end. The one thing He cannot do is force the proud to bow. Humble yourself and come, while the throne of mercy still stands open.

Hebrew Study

Explanation

What had long been spoken concerning Moab is now given a date. "Within three years, as the years of an hireling," that is, counted exactly, the way a hired worker counts the days to his wages, "the glory of Moab shall be contemned." Her proud multitude will be brought low, and only "a small and feeble" remnant will be left. God's word is not vague; it comes with a fixed and certain time, and it will be fulfilled to the letter.

Gospel Focus

God's warnings are precise, and His timing is exact. "Within three years, as the years of an hireling," no more and no less. The God who counts the days of judgment is the same God who has fixed a day of reckoning for all the earth: He "hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness" (Acts 17:31). Moab's three years were a mercy as much as a warning, time to repent, to send the lamb, to bow to the throne of mercy before the appointed hour struck. We live in such a window now. The throne established in mercy still stands, the King still reigns in grace and truth, and the door is still open, but not forever. Do not presume upon the delay. "Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation" (2 Corinthians 6:2). Send the Lamb, bow to the King, and take shelter under the throne of mercy while the years still run.