Isaiah 15:1-16:14 Message Concerning Moab

by Larry Ferrell | March 16, 2018
From Philistia to the west of Judah we now pass to Moab in the east, beyond the Dead Sea. The general background is the same, although this time no specific date is given. According to Assyrian records Moab was another nation which was invited to join the revolt in 715 BC. The implication of this oracle is that it did, and suffered the same fate as Philistia. The three years of verse 14 probably refers to the length of the revolt, from its inception until it was finally crushed by Sargon.

The lament (15:1-9): There is a crescendo of horror in this lament, from wailing (vv. 1-4) to flight (vv. 5-8) to death (v.9). Verse 9 is clearly climatic. Here the place name Dibon, which first occurs in verse2, is changed to Dimon to echo dam, the Hebrew word for blood. This is the ultimate horror, to which the wailing and the flight are despairing, futile responses: bloody slaughter from which there is no escape. Those who manage to evade the sword will be devoured by wild beasts. Running away will prove, in the end to be as futile as remaining. The tone of this lament is a lot different from that of 14:3-23, an important reminder that it is possible to rejoice at God’s victory over evil without taking pleasure in the death of any individual or nation. Moab was a nation with close ancestral ties with Israel. In this lament, delivered by Isaiah as the Lord’s mouthpiece, we see God executing judgment with tears in his eyes. It should remind us sharply that there is no conflict between loving people and warning them of judgment to come; the one is a necessary consequence of the other.

The appeal (16:1-5): The appeal itself is in verses 3-5; the preceding two verses give the background to it. The gifts of verse 1 are intended to encourage a favorable response, and are presumably sent by the fugitives of 15:9 or their representatives. The helpless women of verse 2 epitomize the defenseless, panic-stricken state of the refugees as a whole. The long range background is hinted at by the reference to the house of David in verse 5, at the very climax of the appeal. By seeking shelter in the house of David these Moabite refugees acknowledge that their only hope is in Israel’s God, who’s chosen king rules in Zion. That hope has both an immediate and long-term aspect. What they hope for immediately is shelter from the oppressor who is presently ravaging their homeland (vv. 3-4a). What they hope for in the long term (presumably for their descendants) is a share in the ideal situation to emerge in the future when an ideal king reigns in Judah (vv. 4b-5). This appeal then has a messianic ring to it, and what the Moabites do here anticipates what people of all nations will finally do, as foreseen in chapter 2:2-4.

The reflection (16:6-11): In verses 6-7 Isaiah speaks on behalf of all his countrymen (we have heard); in verses 8-11 he speaks for himself alone (I weep, 9a). Verses 6-7 are a reflection on the pride of Moab; verses 8-11 are a lament over her because of the ruin to which she has come. Just how Moab’s famed pride and arrogance was expressed we don’t know. She certainly was not in a position to dominate other nations as some could. Perhaps her pride was tied up with her agricultural wealth, as verses 8-11 suggest. In any case verse 6 is a reminder that the spirit of Babel is not confined to the giants of this world. Moab was just as infected with it as Assyria and Babylon, and it is this for which she is judged. In a moment Moab has plunged from the heights of proud boasting to the depths of utter destitution. It’s a lesson from history, a foretaste of that terrible day of the Lord which will finally come upon all the proud (2:12-21). All nations will find security only as they align themselves, at last, with the God who rules in Zion. The same principle of course, still holds true today. The saints will reign with Christ! How foolish then for us, as His people, to seek security in the things the world worships as its gods.

Isaiah 15:1-16:14 Reflection Questions:
What were Moab’s close ancestral ties with Israel?
What are some of the things the world worships as its gods?
What are you putting your security in? What are you proud of?
What does Jesus say about the proud?

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Philippians 3:12 Following the Living Christ

by Larry Ferrell | March 30, 2018
Our study of Philippians has already brought us to two verses that were an expression of Paul’s great and lifelong desire to know Jesus Christ (3:10). Paul lived this desire. But as he wrote these words Paul must have realized that there would be some among the readers at Philippi, as there are today also, who would dismiss them as something that no Christian could possibly be expected to accomplish. They would admit that the ideal was a good one, but they would call it totally unpractical. Paul does not allow this kind of thinking to continue. He immediately adds that although even he has not realized the goal in its entirety, he is still trying; and we must understand him to imply that his readers should be trying also (Phil. 3:12). Paul’s confession is not only a statement of the demands of Christian discipleship; it is also an announcement of the principles by which this calling should be realized.

First, Paul acknowledges that he was called by Christ Jesus. It’s very important to recognize that all discipleship begins with God’s call or, as Paul says, with being taken hold of by Christ Jesus. God’s call must be foremost, for nothing can take place spiritually in a person’s life until this happens. Actually it involves the creation of spiritual life. The call to discipleship must begin with the power of God to make a spiritually dead person alive, for only then are the standards of that calling significant. This is what the new birth means. Before conversion God says that a person is dead in his trespasses and sins. The person is alive physically and intellectually, but he is not alive spiritually. Thus, he cannot respond to spiritual stimuli. While he is in this state the Word of God is a hidden book to him, and the gospel of Jesus Christ is nonsense. Then God touches his life. God’s touch brings life out of death, the life of the spirit, and the person then believes in Jesus Christ and begins to understand the Bible. This is what it means to be taken hold of by God. If you are only pretending, then you must begin where the others have begun. You must begin by acknowledging God’s call to you in Christ Jesus and your need for Him, and you must commit yourself to Him.

The second step in becoming an effective disciple of Jesus Christ is to be aware of the purpose for which He has called you. Paul says, “I press on to take hold of that which Christ Jesus took hold of me” (Phil. 3:12). What is that thing for which the apostle Paul and we as Christians have been taken hold of? The answer is spelled out in Romans 8:28-29. What was God’s purpose in saving you? His purpose was that you might be conformed to the image of Jesus Christ. If you are a Christian, God saved you to make you as holy, pure, gracious, and loving as Jesus. At this point I can almost hear someone saying, “Well, if that’s the case, I’ll just wait for God to do it. I’ll enjoy that holiness in heaven.” But this is not the way Paul means it. Paul had a great sense of the present demands of discipleship. Everything he mentions in this chapter has to do with the Christian’s present conduct. It is the attainment of a kind of life so filled with Christ that those who do not know him will regard it as the life of eternity. Paul is saying that he wishes to be conformed to the image of Jesus Christ now. This should be your desire also. If it’s not, it will become your desire more and more as you begin to realize that this was God’s greatest purpose in calling you to faith in the Lord Jesus.

The first two of these points now lead to a very practical conclusion, for Paul writes that because God has called him and because he has done so for a purpose, he himself must determine to follow after Jesus. This means that God’s calling always puts an obligation on His children. This is personal. Discipleship is always personal. Discipleship can never be conditioned upon God’s plans for some other Christian. Christ’s call is always the personal one to “Follow me.” It’s also true that discipleship is costly. In fact, it costs a person his all. There are always Christians who think that they can be Christ’s disciples piecemeal. They think that they can follow him and inch at a time after first assuring themselves that there is no danger and that following him also conforms to their own plans for themselves and their future. But this is not discipleship at all. Discipleship means abandoning your sin, your past, your own conception of yourself and your plans for your own future, even at times your friends or your family, if that is God’s will for you, and following Jesus. You may be saying. “But isn’t that hard? To give up the things I treasure?” Well, it is true that it is hard sometimes. But it is also true that there is a far greater sense in which we really never give anything up in the service of our Lord. We give things up, but Christ gives us more. And even the things we surrender are so arranged by God that they work for our spiritual well-being.

Perhaps there is something that God has been asking you to lay aside in order that you might be a more effective witness for him. I don’t know what that is. The thing that is a hindrance for one disciple is often entirely different for another. But whatever it is, you know it. At this point in your life, for you it is the touchstone of your discipleship. Will you cast it aside to follow Jesus? If you do, you will grow in your Christian discipleship, and God will bring great blessing into your life and through you also into the lives of others.

Philippians 3:12 Reflection Questions:
Do you see the demands of Christian discipleship unpractical? Have you ever felt that way?
Are you one of God’s children? Has He picked you up and made you His? Or are you just pretending Christianity?
Where are you at in your journey to be conformed to the image of Jesus Christ?

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