The Promise of a Savior

Isaiah 16:1–14 ESV

1 Send the lamb to the ruler of the land, from Sela, by way of the desert, to the mount of the daughter of Zion. 2 Like fleeing birds, like a scattered nest, so are the daughters of Moab at the fords of the Arnon. 3 “Give counsel; grant justice; make your shade like night at the height of noon; shelter the outcasts; do not reveal the fugitive; 4 let the outcasts of Moab sojourn among you; be a shelter to them from the destroyer. When the oppressor is no more, and destruction has ceased, and he who tramples underfoot has vanished from the land, 5 then a throne will be established in steadfast love, and on it will sit in faithfulness in the tent of David one who judges and seeks justice and is swift to do righteousness.” 6 We have heard of the pride of Moab— how proud he is!— of his arrogance, his pride, and his insolence; in his idle boasting he is not right. 7 Therefore let Moab wail for Moab, let everyone wail. Mourn, utterly stricken, for the raisin cakes of Kir-hareseth. 8 For the fields of Heshbon languish, and the vine of Sibmah; the lords of the nations have struck down its branches, which reached to Jazer and strayed to the desert; its shoots spread abroad and passed over the sea. 9 Therefore I weep with the weeping of Jazer for the vine of Sibmah; I drench you with my tears, O Heshbon and Elealeh; for over your summer fruit and your harvest the shout has ceased. 10 And joy and gladness are taken away from the fruitful field, and in the vineyards no songs are sung, no cheers are raised; no treader treads out wine in the presses; I have put an end to the shouting. 11 Therefore my inner parts moan like a lyre for Moab, and my inmost self for Kir-hareseth. 12 And when Moab presents himself, when he wearies himself on the high place, when he comes to his sanctuary to pray, he will not prevail. 13 This is the word that the Lord spoke concerning Moab in the past. 14 But now the Lord has spoken, saying, “In three years, like the years of a hired worker, the glory of Moab will be brought into contempt, in spite of all his great multitude, and those who remain will be very few and feeble.”

Introduction

This morning is our first Sunday of Advent, which means we will take a break from our 1 & 2 Samuel series. As the elders we decided to call this Advent series “What Child is This?”.

Because during the next 4 weeks we will be trying to look at what the Bible has to say about this child we will be celebrating on December 25th.

But for those of you who might not be familiar with the season of Advent, the church has historically reserved the 4 Sundays before Christmas to prepare our hearts for the coming of our savior.

Advent means “coming”, so when we talk about advent we are talking about a season of waiting and preparation. This morning, I want to open up with a quote from Fleming Rutledge who says:

“In the church, this is the season of Advent. It’s superficially understood as a time to get ready for Christmas, but in truth it’s the season for contemplating the judgment of God. Advent is the season that, when properly understood, does not flinch from the darkness that stalks us all in this world. Advent begins in the dark and moves toward the light—but the season should not move too quickly or too glibly, lest we fail to acknowledge the depth of the darkness. As our Lord Jesus tells us, unless we see the light of God clearly, what we call light is actually darkness: “how great is that darkness!” (Matt. 6:23). Advent bids us take a fearless inventory of the darkness: the darkness without and the darkness within.” ― Fleming Rutledge, Advent: The Once and Future Coming of Jesus Christ

As you’ve noticed, the world is officially in the Christmas spirit. Starbucks already has their red cups, Michael Buble, Mariah Carey, and Wham! have come out of their cave and are assaulting our ears everywhere we go. There are lights and decorations everywhere we go.

So the world is already in Christmas mode. The World is ready to celebrate Christmas, the problem is that a whole lot of people don’t know what we’re celebrating.

When we lived in Malaysia, a Muslim country, you would not believe how big the Christmas season is. The malls are decked out with amazing trees, lights and everything Christmas. Which was really shocking initially, until we realized that in our culture it’s equally as easy to celebrate a Christ-less Christmas.

If we are not careful during this season, we can be distracted by all the lights colors and smells of Christmas and be swept up by our culture and completely miss why Christmas was necessary in the first place.

So the season of Advent is a season of waiting and preparation for the coming of the Savior. But the question is, do we actually need a savior?

Today we will look at a passage that helps us remember why it is that we need a savior. It is only when we understand our need and inability to save ourselves, that we lift our eyes from ourselves and look for a Savior.

If I do my job correctly this morning, my hope is that we would walk away from here remembering that we indeed need a savior. And that for those of us who already know Jesus, this truth makes a claim on the way we live our lives and interact with the world around us.

Context

For this morning, I decide to pick a passage most of us are not familiar with, but that has a message that we find throughout all of Scripture. The message of hope for a broken world. A message that reminds us, that all of history is marching towards the promise of a Savior.

But for passage to make any sense, I need to give you some context.

First, I want to give you the literary and historical context of the text. If you’re not familiar with the Book of Isaiah, it is simultaneously one of the most wonderful yet complex books in the Bible. But what is the context of Isaiah?

As you guys know, we’ve been studying the the books of 1 and 2 Samuel, last week, we left off on 2 Samuel 10, David is finally King and God has made a covenant with him. He promised David that he would build him a house, a lineage. And that one day out of his offspring there will be a son who will establish a throne forever.

God promised David that from his offspring would come a great King that would care for his people. But then Solomon comes around, and though he was a prosperous man who did a lot of good, he would ultimately end up worshiping foreign gods. After Solomon’s death, things continue to go downhill, and the land is split into a northern kingdom (Israel) and a southern Kingdom (Judah), and the cycle of sin and unfaithfulness would continue.

God, “like a loving father, sent prophet after prophet to calls his people back and warn them of impending judgment” (Confronting Jesus, Ch1).

By the time Isaiah comes around, the hammer is about to fall. God is warning his people that the Assyrians are coming to invade them. So Isaiah’s message can be summarized into 2 main points:

If Israel continues to be unfaithful to God, they will find only judgment and suffering at the hands of other nations.

But because God loves his people, there is always a promise of Hope. God intends to fulfill his covenants with Israel despite their faithlessness.

In the chapters prior to this passage, Isaiah has warned the people of Israel that because of their unfaithfulness, God will allow the people of Assyria to invade them. This will obviously be difficult, but it will bring about a purification.

You see, God in his mercy, will often allow his people to go through fire, not to hurt them, but in order to purify them.

That brings us to Chapter 16 which is part of a collection of prophecies about the nations that surround Israel. In these poems, God denounces their pride and injustice and tells them of how they too will suffer because of their pride and enmity against God.

These chapters are warnings about the things to come. They are grim and dark, but they all come laced with hope. In them, God warns them of the danger of living life away from him, but also makes an invitation to surrender to him.

The problem is that the recipients of these prophecies, are blinded to their need of a savior. Comfort and the things of this world have distracted them from their need for God. And that my friends is a very dangerous place to be.

So this is the context of today’s text. Let’s read…

1. As rebels we are in desperate need of a Savior. (v.1-2)

Isaiah 16:1-2 “Send the lamb to the ruler of the land, from Sela, by way of the desert, to the mount of the daughter of Zion. Like fleeing birds, like a scattered nest, so are the daughters of Moab at the fords of the Arnon.”

So, this chapter in particular is speaking to the people of Moab, but who were the moabites? And why is Isaiah asking them to send a lamb to the king of Zion?

Well, the people of Moab were the descendants of Lot, Abraham’s cousin. The moabites had historically been an enemy of Israel, but as you may remember from a couple of weeks ago, when Rick taught from 2 Sam 8, David conquers the Moabites who then became servants of Israel and started paying tribute to the king of Israel.

This unfortunately would come to an end in 2 Kings 3, when King Ahab dies and the people of Moab rebel against his successor and refuse to pay him tribute. This move on their part signifies a rejection, not only of the King of Judah but of the God of Judah.

By refusing to pay tribute to Judah, the Moabites effectively separated themselves from God himself. These are the people Isaiah is warning in this text.

We unfortunately don’t have time to read chapter 15 together, but if you have time later today, take a look at chapter 15 and you will see that it’s a warning that paints a pretty dark picture of the judgment coming to Moab if they continue to oppose the Lord.

In chapter 15 Isaiah warns them that unless they turn to God, the moabites will find themselves as refugees, going all over with their few possessions under their arms looking for shelter. Verses 3 and 4, as you will see shortly, also speak of the Moabites as refugees or sojourners. This means that, left to themselves, once the Assyrians invade their land, they will find themselves in a very vulnerable position.

You see, whether they know it or not, the people of Moab are lost and in need of help.

I don’t know if you have ever talked to a refugee or an asylum seeker, but if you have, you know of the anxiety and uncertainty they live in. Depending on the charity of others, they are often desperate and ready to do whatever they need in order to find a place of peace and safety.

This is the image the prophet gives us of the moabites. An image of desperate vulnerability and danger.

So chapter 16 starts with a suggestion from the prophet. He says to Moab: Send the lamb to the ruler of the land!

This is a reminder that they used to give tribute to the King of Israel. So Isaiah tells them to do that again, for it is only the King of Israel who can deliver them and give them shelter. He is pointing them to the King who can give them shelter, peace and safety.

In verse 2 Isaiah describes the people of Moab as fleeing birds, like a scattered nest. Other translations translate this phrase as a bird force out of its nest.

What does a bird do when it is forced out of its nest? It finds shelter wherever it can.

Church, this picture of Moab is not speaking only of Moab, but it is describing life in this broken world. You see, this picture is describing how the Moabites will feel once all their wealth and worldly comforts are taken from them.

You see, hardship has a way of revealing where our hopes lay… Comfort though, has a way of blinding us from where our heart truly are.

Since the fall in the garden of Eden, the world is full of those who are like birds forced out of their nest, and so flutter about, finding shelter in things that are only supposed to be temporary. Things that offer no ultimate safety. Like Adam and Eve, we hide under fig leaves and hope they give us the protection only God himself can offer.

We flutter from thing to thing trying to find the safety, hope and significance that can only be found in God.

At times we put our hope in our job and career. Other times we put our hope in our bank account or the things we own. Other times, maybe we find our safety in our relationships. Not only do we place our hope on those things, but we also pay tribute to them.

This is what we call idolatry. Martin Luther said:

Idolatry is not only the adoration of images … but also trust in one’s own righteousness, works, and merits, and putting confidence in riches and power.

Martin Luther

We don’t often like using this language of idolatry, but the reality is that because we are worshipers, and if our worship is not aimed at God, it will always be aimed towards a lesser thing.

Idolatry is anything which cooleth thy desires after Christ.

Oliver Cromwell

The problem is that our idols are stripped naked by suffering and shown for what they truly are when the light of eternity shines on them.

So, God in his mercy will often allow hardship to shake us awake.

So the question is: Where will we find hope if all our wealth and worldly comforts are taken from us? In our time of need, these things that monopolize our thoughts and energy won’t even matter.

The problem is that like the Moabites, we can be unaware of our need for a savior.

The picture the prophet is painting is a grim picture of hopelessness for Moab. The purpose of it is to serve as a warning for the nations not to put their hope in the things of this world.

This new revelation demands a response not only from Moab, but also from the people of God.

Now, I want us to jump around a little bit, because I want us to see Moab’s response to this offer of hope.

II. Pride will keep the rebel from Salvation. (v7-14)

Isaiah 16:6-8“We have heard of the pride of Moab— how proud he is!— of his arrogance, his pride, and his insolence; in his idle boasting he is not right. Therefore let Moab wail for Moab, let everyone wail. Mourn, utterly stricken, for the raisin cakes of Kir-hareseth. For the fields of Heshbon languish, and the vine of Sibmah; the lords of the nations have struck down its branches, which reached to Jazer and strayed to the desert; its shoots spread abroad and passed over the sea.

In this passage we see 3 things:

We see the end of Moab. (vv.13-14)

We see the reason behind their end. (vv.6-7)

We see how God feels about it. (vv.9-11)

First we see how things end for Moab in verses 13-14.

The Lord says that the glory of Moab will be brought into contempt. This speaks of the destruction and humiliation of Moab. It speaks of Moab as a vine that has been trampled and destroyed. A nation that is wailing and defeated, of which only a feeble few will remain.

We see a nation crying out to their false god but is not heard. It’s a sad picture of defeat and hopelessness. A life far from God and his kingdom.

The question is why? To understand why, we have to turn to verses 6 and 7 where the prophet says:

Isaiah 16:6-7 “We have heard of the pride of Moab— how proud he is!— of his arrogance, his pride, and his insolence; in his idle boasting he is not right. Therefore let Moab wail for Moab, let everyone wail. Mourn, utterly stricken, for the raisin cakes of Kir-hareseth.”

Pride is the reason of the fall of Moab. You see, as Warren Weirsbe said:

It was “Because they wanted Judah’s help, but they did not want Judah’s God.”

It was pride that kept them from submitting to God. They were in a terrible and hopeless situation. They were in need of a savior, but they wanted to be delivered in their own terms.

The Moabites were a proud people who rejected the Lord and would one day pay the consequences.

Now, how does God feel about this? How does he feel about the Moabites rebellion and ultimate defeat? Does he enjoy it? Does he scoff at their foolishness?

No… Look at verses 9-11 with me:

Isaiah 16:9-11 “Therefore I weep with the weeping of Jazer for the vine of Sibmah; I drench you with my tears, O Heshbon and Elealeh; for over your summer fruit and your harvest the shout has ceased. And joy and gladness are taken away from the fruitful field, and in the vineyards no songs are sung, no cheers are raised; no treader treads out wine in the presses; I have put an end to the shouting. Therefore my inner parts moan like a lyre for Moab, and my inmost self for Kir-hareseth.”

God says he weeps and his inner parts moan like a lyre for Moab. Do you see this? God does not delight in the fall of those who proudly reject him.

Let me ask you this morning: How about you dear brother and sister? Do you delight in the fall of the proud unbeliever around you? Or maybe, do you resent a proud unbeliever co-worker or friend?

Do you maybe have a proud unbelieving family member that is hostile towards you or even your faith? Maybe they recently tested you around the turkey this past week…

Do you hope for the fall of the unbeliever who disagrees with you politically? Do you look down on them?

You see, the believer cannot afford to do that. You see the people of Israel may have been tempted to rejoice in the fall and humiliation of Moab, their enemy. But they weren’t allowed to. Why?

First, because that is not the attitude God is modeling in this text. His heart is not boastful but gentle and sorrowful.

Secondly, because Israel knows that they are no better than the Moabites. They know that they were chosen by God because of God’s love, not because of anything impressive in their part.

And lastly, because as we will see shortly, God calls them welcome the outcast, the proud Moabite in their time of need.

Let’s read verses 3 and 4.

III. The people of God are called to welcome the weak. (v.3-4)

Isaiah 16:3-4 ““Give counsel; grant justice; make your shade like night at the height of noon; shelter the outcasts; do not reveal the fugitive; let the outcasts of Moab sojourn among you; be a shelter to them from the destroyer. When the oppressor is no more, and destruction has ceased, and he who tramples underfoot has vanished from the land,”

Verses 3-4 could be summarized as God giving the people of Judah 2 imperatives:

1.Give counsel;Grant justice. Which can be translated as “Make up your mind and decide”.

2.Welcome the outcast and sojourner.

The call here is for the people of God to decide to be a place that welcomes the proud Moabite in their time of need.

Church, the world is a desert, full of sojourners, some of which will undoubtedly be proud moabites that are hostile towards the people of God... And yet, the church needs to be a place that is ready to welcome the spiritual sojourner and shelter them.

It’s a shame when the church looks exactly like us…

Far from scoffing at those who we might perceive as OTHER, we are called to be a place that welcomes them. The spiritual refugee will be hungry and in search of a place of safety. Only the church of Jesus Christ can offer true shelter for those who are lost.

This has been God’s plan for the beginning, for his people to be a blessing to the nations. Earlier, in Isaiah 2, the Lord says this through the prophet Isaiah:

Isaiah 2:2-3 “It shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and shall be lifted up above the hills; and all the nations shall flow to it, and many peoples shall come, and say: “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob, that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths.” For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.”

When the Old Testament speaks of Zion, it is shorthand for the people of God. This includes the church of Jesus Christ today.

You see, it has been God’s plan for the beginning to lift up his house, his people, his church, so that the nations would see it as a lighthouse and flow to it.

Church our world is a dark place, full of people wandering from place to place looking for hope. People who like the Moabites are hopeless but don’t know it. Their wealth, comfort and even their education and their trust on the things of this world blinds them to their need of a Savior.

And it is up to the church of Jesus Christ to bring forth the word of the Lord to the nations. To shine a light in their darkness.

It is our responsibility to point them to the promise we find in verses 4b and 5.

IV. Our hope is found in the promise of a Savior (vv.4b-5)

Isaiah 16:4b-5 “When the oppressor is no more, and destruction has ceased, and he who tramples underfoot has vanished from the land, then a throne will be established in steadfast love, and on it will sit in faithfulness in the tent of David one who judges and seeks justice and is swift to do righteousness.””

Church, I know that all this talk of a dark and broken world filled with those who are lost, doesn’t sound much like Christmas. But that is the background of Christmas. That is precisely what this Advent season is meant to do in our hearts, to remind us of the dark reality of the miserable world we live in, so that we would see how bright the light of Christ’s coming truly is.

You see, this passage reminds us that one day, the oppressor will be no more. One day, this world will cease to be as we know it. One day, the prophet promises, “a throne will be established in steadfast love, and on it will sit in faithfulness in the tent of David on who judges and seeks justice and is swift to do righteousness.”

Now, the people of Judah, the original recipients this prophecy, would have no idea who this coming King was. For all they knew, it would be another king from the line of David… which would ultimately be true. But we, know better.

We get to proclaim to this broken world, dark as it is, that this King has come. He has established a throne in steadfast love, hessed, as we saw last week is a merciful undeserved love for those who seek him.

Isaiah 9:6 “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”

That his King has established his throne, and that one day he will come back. And this is what we eagerly await this season of Advent…

Conclusion

Church, this is the context of advent. This is the dark background of the bight light of Christmas. And in that dark background, God makes a promise that offers hope, not only for the jews, but for all the nations that would submit to his kingship.

So church this promise has different applications to 2 main groups:

First, it offers help to those who like the Moabites have turned their backs on God and are fluttering about life like confused birds trying to find their safety, meaning and purpose in lesser things.

If this is you, if you do not yet know the Lord Jesus Christ, this text gives you a warning of the hopeless place this world is for those who reject the Lord. For those who oppose him, this broken dark world is the closest they will ever be to heaven.

But it is also an invitation for hope and salvation. This is the King himself offering salvation for those who seek him. So let me ask you this morning: What will you do about this?

Will you like the moabites allow your pride to keep you away from salvation, or will you turn to him today? If this is what you want to do, please come talk to us at the end of the service.

But this also has an application for those who have already submitted to God, those who are now part of his people.

Church, this passage makes a demand of us, that we would as the church of Jesus Christ be a safe place for those who are lost and wandering, that with kindness we would point them to Christ, the loving and merciful King.

Church, as the world is fooling itself celebrating a superficial Christmas, one that looks at lesser things like lights, gifts and food and made up things like the Christmas Spirit for hope. Let us be mindful of our responsibility to point them to the true light.

The light that came that Christmas night.

What Child is this? the world might ask, let us make sure we have an answer and point them to the King of Kings that came to this world as a baby 2000 years ago, and that has promised to come back for those who are his!