Isaiah 18 - God's Quiet Judgment

Ah, land of whirring wings that is beyond the rivers of Cush, 2 which sends ambassadors by the sea, in vessels of papyrus on the waters! Go, you swift messengers, to a nation tall and smooth, to a people feared near and far, a nation mighty and conquering, whose land the rivers divide. 3 All you inhabitants of the world, you who dwell on the earth, when a signal is raised on the mountains, look! When a trumpet is blown, hear! 4 For thus the Lord said to me: “I will quietly look from my dwelling like clear heat in sunshine, like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest.” 5 For before the harvest, when the blossom is over, and the flower becomes a ripening grape, he cuts off the shoots with pruning hooks, and the spreading branches he lops off and clears away. 6 They shall all of them be left to the birds of prey of the mountains and to the beasts of the earth. And the birds of prey will summer on them, and all the beasts of the earth will winter on them. 7 At that time tribute will be brought to the Lord of hosts from a people tall and smooth, from a people feared near and far, a nation mighty and conquering, whose land the rivers divide, to Mount Zion, the place of the name of the Lord of hosts.

Target Date: Sunday, 2 June 2024

Thoughts on the Passage:

Summon your power, O God, the power, O God, by which you have worked for us. 29 Because of your temple at Jerusalem kings shall bear gifts to you. 30 Rebuke the beasts that dwell among the reeds, the herd of bulls with the calves of the peoples. Trample underfoot those who lust after tribute; scatter the peoples who delight in war. 31 Nobles shall come from Egypt; Cush shall hasten to stretch out her hands to God. - Psalm 68:28-31

Sermon Text:

This has been a challenging week in the Bible studies we have had.

On Wednesday, we looked at possibly the most difficult part of 1 Corinthians to understand.

And this morning, we will look at the 18th chapter of Isaiah.

There are certainly times when I can sympathize with the Ethiopian Eunuch in the book of Acts, chapter 8.

He was reading the scroll of Isaiah when Philip ran along beside him and asked “Do you understand what you are reading?”

And he said, “How can I, unless someone guides me?”

Fortunately, like we discussed last Wednesday, we have an overarching principle: let Scripture interpret Scripture.

And when people forget that basic rule, all kinds of difficulties arise.

There are some who read passages like this and see “land of whirring wings” and think of helicopters.

And then they see “across the waters” and they find in this somehow a prophecy of the end times, with the United States taking center stage.

Certainly you may be forgiven for thinking this: eschatological systems, beliefs about the end times, have a way of coloring our interpretation of so much of Scripture.

And we have to guard against those errors.

Let me be clear up front:

This is certainly NOT about the Unites States, no matter how important we may think we are to world history.

We are just another in the parade of nations: the Franks, the Zulu, the Vandals, the Dutch, the Prussians, the British – each of whom made a word of history in their time, but are somewhat irrelevant now.

And the only word the Bible has for our unbelieving friends, family, and neighbors is this:

Repent and believe on the gospel Lord Jesus Christ.

That is all.

There is no promise to save our nation;

Nothing God OWES us for all our good works.

The filthy rags of our “national” efforts mean NOTHING before our holy God.

Which brings us to what this passage IS about.

In the first three verses of this chapter, we see three commands:

Go, you swift messengers.

And then to all the nations (tribes) of the world: Look! And hear!

I would suggest to you that this entire chapter is a description of the advance of the gospel.

And it is set in the great truth of God’s divine sovereignty.

It begins in verse 2: Go, you swift messengers, to a nation tall and smooth…

The poetry in the first verse is there to show HOW FAR the lands are that will be sent the good news.

Not “among the rivers of Cush [Ethiopia]”, but BEYOND them.

As we might think today: the other side of the world.

And what is the message of these messengers to all the world?

When a signal is raised on the mountains, look! When a trumpet is blown, hear!

The message is that there is coming a moment when the great God of all creation will do something GREAT for you!

If you read ahead to the next 2 chapters, this is what the Holy Spirit describes through Isaiah for Egypt and Cush – His love for them.

This is nothing less than this: For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

In the midst of this section about God’s judgment, we find God’s love, not just for Israel, but for Egypt, for Cush, even for Assyria (in the next chapters).

And we find His promise that THEY will be called to bring their tribute, their worship, to the one true God, leaving behind their idols.

At that time tribute will be brought to the Lord of hosts from a people tall and smooth, from a people feared near and far, a nation mighty and conquering, whose land the rivers divide, to Mount Zion, the place of the name of the Lord of hosts. (v. 7)

The tribute brought to God is not the petty things of this world, silver, gold, cattle, or precious things;

This tribute is the worship from a heart made righteous by the Son of God.

This tribute is described by our Lord to the Samaritan woman:

But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. 24 God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” – John 4:23-24

But why will these foreign peoples be invited to bring their tribute to God?

How will they be compelled to leave behind their idols and come to the true God?

For thus the Lord said to me: “I will quietly look from my dwelling like clear heat in sunshine, like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest.” 5 For before the harvest, when the blossom is over, and the flower becomes a ripening grape, he cuts off the shoots with pruning hooks, and the spreading branches he lops off and clears away. – vv. 4-5

I want you to notice the difference in pacing here.

The first three verses of this chapter are sudden, immediate, even somewhat of an emergency.

Go, SWIFT messengers.

LOOK at the signals!

HEAR the trumpets!

All the world is activity, even turmoil.

Messengers are sped along, like the apostles who were sent out without even a change of clothes or extra food.

And the signals are raised, the trumpets are sounded.

These are sounded because great events are taking place in the world.

God is accomplishing His will, building His kingdom, among ALL the nations.

The moment the nations should have been waiting for is coming: God is opening His kingdom.

But then we are given a glimpse into heaven:

I will quietly look from my dwelling…”

Nothing hurried, nothing loud.

No great cries around.

God does not need to rush, even if all the world thinks He should.

Our great God is not moved to action by the events of this world; the events of this world occur when our God, in His perfect time and in His perfect way, acts.

The picture is like a vineyard owner who, when He has risen, looks out over His vines, contemplates the perfect work of the day, breathes in the clean air, and moves deliberately about His business.

It is unhurried, peaceful even.

And His presence and care is like warmth in the cool of the morning, and as refreshing as a cool cloud in the heat of the day.

The nations may rage; our God does not concern Himself with their timetables or goals.

He is sovereign over everything.

No nation rises without His perfect will;

No nation falls without His perfect will.

He moves quietly, deliberately, pruning His vines to perfection, never making a mistake, never being rushed to His work.

We read about that perfect work of God this morning in Romans 11.

And this passage in Isaiah is talking about the same thing.

On that day that the signal goes up; on that day when the earth quakes – the day of the cross of Jesus Christ, that is the day when God invites these new branches, all He has prepared a place for, to be grafted in to Jesus Christ.

Jesus put it this way:

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. 2 Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. – John 15:1-2

The salvation of our God works quietly, even humbly.

It is like the working of leaven into a loaf of rising bread.

It is the quiet work of salt to add savor.

It is the illumination of light to the room.

It is the spread of the gospel person-to-person. God may use great crusades or great pulpits to bring people to Him,

But most often He brings His beloved lost sheep into a relationship or a conversation with one of His messengers – Christians.

And the message we may promiscuously proclaim to every person:

If you will repent and believe in Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, you can be certain of God’s salvation and His love for you.

God moves quietly in His judgment;

He also moves quietly in His salvation.

He tends His vines, preparing the main stalk to receive another branch grafted in.

Preparing another place for His beloved Son to nourish another wild grape, taming it and making it good fruit.

Did He cut you off from the source of strength and being you had always relied on?

Does family misunderstand your devotion to God?

Do they think you are a fanatic?

Do your friends treat you differently since you became a believer?

Are you finding it harder to fit in with the entertainments you used to enjoy?

Do you find those things which gave you so much pleasure in the past are now hollow and unfulfilling?

Then praise Him because He did so to graft you into the great vine of His Son.