The Lord’s Outcasts
By Pastor Matt Black
08 July
2007
Lord's Day Evening
Isaiah 16:1-14
Introduction: Open your Bibles to the book of Isaiah 16. The title of tonight’s message is “The Lord’s Outcasts”. The way we are going to do this tonight is I am going to:
· Give you a survey of this chapter, so that when we read it, you’ll have the chapter in context so it makes sense.
· Then we will read the chapter
· Then I will go a bit more detailed into the text
· We will make applications along the way.
Before we begin, let’s pray.
The principle we are going to learn tonight is one of security. The safest place to be in the world today is in full obedience to God’s will. We come to this passage in Isaiah 16, and we find a group of people. Some of these people have been cast out of Israel. There are some believers who are wandering, and the question is—has God forgotten about these people? No way!
There are also some who later on are cast out of Moab through the same Assyrian invasion. God tells them ahead of time that their only hope is to seek the Lord. God, even in judgment has a remnant, not only in Israel, but also in Moab!
We need to remember that the God of the whole earth is a Redeemer not just for Israel, but for anyone who will trust in Him. Early on in the time of the Judges before Saul became King God saw fit to save a Moabitess names Ruth, and she was the Great-Grandmother to David. So God is all about saving people from every nation. The Psalms are filled with these kinds of praises.
Psalm 67:4, “O let the nations be glad and sing for joy: for thou shalt judge the people righteously, and govern the nations upon earth. Selah.”
Psalm 97:1, “The LORD reigneth; let the earth rejoice; let the multitude of isles be glad thereof.”
Psalm 138:4, “All the kings of the earth shall praise thee, O LORD, when they hear the words of thy mouth.”
So in Isaiah 15 and 16, there is a great judgment that is going to take place in Moab. Moab is proud and stubborn (16:6). The Moabites were totally self-sufficient and self-dependent, or so they thought! They realize in chapter 16 that when the Lord of all the earth sends the Assyrian army to devastate them, they have only one place to flee to.
Beautiful Land
The name Moab means “beautiful land”. So, one of the things that Isaiah draws attention in Moab are the beautiful grape vines that are stretched out for miles –really around a 50 to 60 mile radius all the way from the capital of Moab in the south Kir or Kirharesh—all the way 60 miles far north to Jazer and all the way West to the Dead Sea. You can see on the hand out the area that was filled with grape vines. By the way, the pictures you have don’t do justice to the beauty of the plains of Moab. These are taken mostly in the capital city of Kir, which is today Karak in the country of Jordan.
“Lords of the Heathen”
What happens is God brings what verse 8 calls “the lords of the heathen”, referring to the Assyrian armies, into Moab and uproot the major grape vines in Moab. We see this in verse 8, Isaiah says “the lords of the heathen have broken down the principal plants thereof”
Ironically, the pride that Moab had was due to the wonderful provision of the Lord. They through sacrificing babies and animals to their false god Chemosh. Chemosh is the Moabite version of the false fire god Molech. These people thought that they would only have fruitful vines in Moab if they pleased their false deity. How sad! If only they would turn from all of that to the true and living God!
Isaiah’s Love for the Moabites
As we talked about before Isaiah has a great love for the Moabites. He says in the previous chapter “my heart shall cry out for Moab” (15:5), and he says similar things in this chapter. He says in 16:11, “my bowels shall sound like an harp for Moab”—He feels broken inwardly for all this destruction, and he is not only a preacher of judgment, but of love and mercy.
The only hope the Moabites have is to trust in the coming Messiah who will rule over those who trust in Him. The key verse is chapter 16 and verse 5. Isaiah says there’s coming a day when the oppressors cease and all of this war will be over, and when that day comes the Messiah will come to the earth and begin bringing people near to Himself. So Isaiah says to the Moabites, protect my people if they come to you, because when your day of judgment comes, they will protect you, and you will both be trusting in the Redeemer! Look at verses 4-5, “Let mine outcasts dwell with thee, Moab; be thou a covert to them from the face of the spoiler: for the extortioner is at an end, the spoiler ceaseth, the oppressors are consumed out of the land. 5 And 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.”
The essence here is that God is going to protect all those who trust in His Son—both Israelite and Moabite. They will be wandering around, but God will take care of them!
Listen, earlier I said the main principle we are going to learn tonight is one of security. The safest place to be in the world today is in full obedience to God’s will. That was the case for the believers in Israel, Judah, and yes even Moab. They may have been outcasts, but God says they’re “My outcasts”. You are safe if you are following Jesus. Your eyes may not tell you you’re safe. Your bank account may not tell you that you’re safe, but the safest place—the place of quiet rest is right there with God—near to the heart of God.
So let’s turn to number 480, and just to get our hearts wrapped around this principle, let’s sing a cappella “Near to the Heart of God”.
Near to the Heart of God
There is a place of quiet rest,
Near to the heart of God.
A place where sin cannot molest,
Near to the heart of God.
Refrain
O Jesus, blest Redeemer,
Sent from the heart of God,
Hold us who wait before Thee
Near to the heart of God.
There is a place of comfort sweet,
Near to the heart of God.
A place where we our Savior meet,
Near to the heart of God.
There is a place of full release,
Near to the heart of God.
A place where all is joy and peace,
Near to the heart of God.
You may be in the beautiful plains of Moab or in a beautiful neighborhood in the suburbs, but if you are not living in obedience to God’s will, you are not safe.
On the other hand, some of our brethren are living in Baghdad Iraq, and they are safely in obedience to God’s will. If God wants you in Iraq, then you are totally unsafe here! The plains of Moab looked safe and comfortable. They lived well off the beautiful and delicious grapes. The land was beautiful, but they would not submit to the authority of Judah. So with all that background, let’s stand and read chapter 16, “Send ye the lamb to the ruler of the land from Sela to the wilderness, unto the mount of the daughter of Zion. 2 For it shall be, that, as a wandering bird cast out of the nest, so the daughters of Moab shall be at the fords of Arnon. 3 Take counsel, execute judgment; make thy shadow as the night in the midst of the noonday; hide the outcasts; bewray not him that wandereth. 4 Let mine outcasts dwell with thee, Moab; be thou a covert to them from the face of the spoiler: for the extortioner is at an end, the spoiler ceaseth, the oppressors are consumed out of the land. 5 And 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. 6 ¶ We have heard of the pride of Moab; he is very proud: even of his haughtiness, and his pride, and his wrath: but his lies shall not be so. 7 Therefore shall Moab howl for Moab, every one shall howl: for the foundations of Kirhareseth shall ye mourn; surely they are stricken. 8 For the fields of Heshbon languish, and the vine of Sibmah: the lords of the heathen have broken down the principal plants thereof, they are come even unto Jazer, they wandered through the wilderness: her branches are stretched out, they are gone over the sea. 9 Therefore I will bewail with the weeping of Jazer the vine of Sibmah: I will water thee with my tears, O Heshbon, and Elealeh: for the shouting for thy summer fruits and for thy harvest is fallen. 10 And gladness is taken away, and joy out of the plentiful field; and in the vineyards there shall be no singing, neither shall there be shouting: the treaders shall tread out no wine in their presses; I have made their vintage shouting to cease. 11 Wherefore my bowels shall sound like an harp for Moab, and mine inward parts for Kirharesh. 12 And it shall come to pass, when it is seen that Moab is weary on the high place, that he shall come to his sanctuary to pray; but he shall not prevail. 13 This is the word that the LORD hath spoken concerning Moab since that time. 14 But now the LORD hath spoken, saying, Within three years, as the years of an hireling, and the glory of Moab shall be contemned, with all that great multitude; and the remnant shall be very small and feeble.”
Let’s walk through these verse and see even more that the safest place to be is the very center of God’s will.
Verse 1, “Send ye the lamb:” This was a lamb to pay a tax. He says send this lamb that was the equivalent of paying a tax, “to the ruler of the land”. The ruler of the land is either Hezekiah who is king at this time, or it is simply referring to the Lord as the ruler of the whole earth. The word “land” can be translated either land, or can refer to the entire earth. There is a sense in which both is true. By sending taxes to Hezekiah, they were doing God’s will and were ultimately submitting not simply to Hezekiah’s rule, but to the Lord’s rule. Now this was not just some easy payment, it was over a hundred and eighty mile trek. They were to send the lamb as verse 1 says “from Sela [PETRA] to the wilderness [about 180 miles on foot!], unto the mount of the daughter of Zion [Jerusalem].” So if you have your map, look at the capital city of Kirharesh, and they were to go south to Sela which is modern Petra in Jordan—Petra means rock, and it is appropriately named because in Petra these people had their houses built right into the rocks. Anyway, Petra is at the southern part of the Dead Sea near Zoar. They were to go down around the Dead Sea and then all the way up to Jerusalem which is called the “mount of the daughter of Zion”.
Moab had already been sending lambs as a tax to Israel under King Ahab, but we read in 2 Kings 3:5, “But it came to pass, when Ahab was dead, that the king of Moab rebelled against the king of Israel.”
Now the Lord says, don’t be subject to Israel who rebelled and divided the kingdom, instead recognize where the Son of God is going to do His greatest work on the cross and be raised from the dead. Go to Jerusalem and bring the lamb. Do it now, because there’s coming a time when you’re going to be wandering without a home!
That’s what he says in verse 2, “For it shall be, that, as a wandering bird cast out of the nest, so the daughters of Moab shall be at the fords of Arnon”.
Illustration: On the fourth of July, I sat on the bench in my front yard, and there was a wandering bird who had no nest. I fed it carefully with a syringe. I tried to care for it. But those who forsake the Lord have no one to care for them. The idea here is that when their beautiful country is destroyed, they have no where to go, but to leave their country. They are like a wandering bird cast out of the nest. They are outcasts. This is speaking of a time according to verse 14, that will be exactly 3 years from this prophecy. The people of Moab will not have a home.[1]
Application: Now of course whether it be the people of Noah’s day or the people of Moab, or the people of the United States of America, as long as there is prosperity, people don’t care if God’s Word is true. They don’t care about it as long as all their needs are taken care of. The people of Noah’s Day never believed that there would be a world wide flood judgment. The people of Moab thought they were well taken care of in their fertile plains. I want to emphasize our theme here again tonight. The safest place is in the center of God’s will. A fruited plain, or an army tanker will not protect you if you are outside of God’s will. As we said last week, “An horse is a vain thing for safety: neither shall he deliver any by his great strength” (Psalm 33:17). The safest place for you is to be in obedience to God’s revealed will in the Word of God.
Verse 3 we have Moab asking Judah to make a decision to protect them, “Take counsel, execute judgment [MAKE A DECISION]; make thy shadow as the night in the midst of the noonday; hide the outcasts; bewray [BETRAY] not him that wandereth.” Moab is asking to be hidden by the people of God. They would have to forsake their wicked ways of Molech worship. They would have to forsake their dependence on their land. Some will come to know the Lord, finally when the Lord judges with the Assyrians. We find out in verse 14, that “the glory of Moab shall be contemned, with all that great multitude; and the remnant shall be very small and feeble.” They are going to be judged for forsaking the Lord, but some small and feeble will come to know the Lord through all of it. We need to remember 1 Corinthians 1:26ff, “For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: 27 But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; 28 And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: 29 That no flesh should glory in his presence. 30 But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: 31 That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.”
In verse 4 God says , “Let mine outcasts dwell with thee, Moab; be thou a covert to them from the face of the spoiler: for the extortioner is at an end, the spoiler ceaseth, the oppressors are consumed out of the land.” At this time, it was three years before Moab’s judgment. They were to show their faith by helping any Jews that would come their way. Why is that? This would be a way to show that they were looking forward to the promises of Christ. There would come a time when all this war would cease—“ the extortioner is at an end, the spoiler ceaseth, the oppressors are consumed out of the land”(verse 4). At that time something amazing is going to happen.
Here it is. Look at verse 5, “And 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.”
“The tabernacle of David” is referring to David’s dynasty. It had fallen down because of the idolatry and wicked hearts of the people. The word mercy here is translated “love” in many other places. In mercy and love He will set up His kingdom. One day we will go through the Kingdom parables which tell us all about the spiritual aspect of Christ’s Kingdom. Much of Christ’s parables deal with the spiritual nature of Christ’s kingdom. The point is, there would come a day when the Messiah would be ruling a people that would not only be the Jews, but the Moabites, and people of all nations. In referring to the “tabernacle of David being re-established” Peter, James and Paul at the Jerusalem counsel apply this to the Gentiles coming into the church.
Look at Acts 15, “And the apostles and elders came together for to consider of this matter. 7 And when there had been much disputing, Peter rose up, and said unto them, Men and brethren, ye know how that a good while ago God made choice among us, that the Gentiles by my mouth should hear the word of the gospel, and believe. 8 And God, which knoweth the hearts, bare them witness, giving them the Holy Ghost, even as he did unto us; 9 And put no difference between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith. 10 Now therefore why tempt ye God, to put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear? 11 But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved, even as they. 12 Then all the multitude kept silence, and gave audience to Barnabas and Paul, declaring what miracles and wonders God had wrought among the Gentiles by them. 13 And after they had held their peace, James answered, saying, Men and brethren, hearken unto me: 14 Simeon hath declared how God at the first did visit the Gentiles, to take out of them a people for his name. 15 And to this agree the words of the prophets; as it is written, 16 After this I will return, and will build again the tabernacle of David, which is fallen down; and I will build again the ruins thereof, and I will set it up: 17 That the residue of men might seek after the Lord, and all the Gentiles, upon whom my name is called, saith the Lord, who doeth all these things. 18 Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world.”
But in love His throne would be established. “God so loved the world, that he gave…” In love the Lord would draw a few of the Moabites to Himself, but there would come a day when a remnant from all the Gentiles would be brought into Messiah’s kingdom.
Let’s go briefly through the rest of the chapter and close. We come in verse 6 to Moab’s sins, and what Moab needed to turn from in order to turn to the Lord:
Verse 6, “We have heard of the pride of Moab; he is very proud: even of his haughtiness, and his pride, and his wrath: but his lies shall not be so.”
Pride, arrogance, anger, and lies! They all go together.
Verse 7-8, “Therefore shall Moab howl for Moab, every one shall howl: for the foundations of Kirhareseth [CAPITAL CITY OF MOAB] shall ye mourn; surely they are stricken. 8 For the fields of Heshbon languish, and the vine of Sibmah: the lords of the heathen have broken down the principal plants thereof, they are come even unto Jazer, they wandered through the wilderness: her branches are stretched out, they are gone over the sea.” The Assyrians would beat down the beautiful grape vines that extended all the way up and down Moab and all the way west to the Dead Sea!
Here we have in verse 9-11 Isaiah’s compassion on Moab: “Therefore I will bewail with the weeping of Jazer the vine of Sibmah: I will water thee with my tears, O Heshbon, and Elealeh: for the shouting for thy summer fruits and for thy harvest is fallen. 10 And gladness is taken away, and joy out of the plentiful field; and in the vineyards there shall be no singing, neither shall there be shouting: the treaders shall tread out no wine in their presses; I have made their vintage shouting to cease. 11 Wherefore my bowels shall sound like an harp for Moab, and mine inward parts for Kirharesh.”
Verse 12 tells us, “And it shall come to pass, when it is seen that Moab is weary on the high place, that he shall come to his sanctuary to pray; but he shall not prevail.” All Moab’s sacrifices to Molech and Chemosh would not do a thing. Idol worship only makes people weary. It wears them out. There is no humanity in idol worship. Idol worship is the worship of things that cannot do anything for you.
Look at verse 13, “This is the word that the LORD hath spoken concerning Moab since that time.” God had been pleading with Moab since ancient times, beginning with Lot! He gave him refuge in Zoar. Still, Lot’s descendents for the most part followed the way of Sodom and Gomorrah instead of the God of Abraham.
Let’s close with verse 14, “But now the LORD hath spoken, saying, Within three years, as the years of an hireling, and the glory of Moab shall be contemned, with all that great multitude; and the remnant shall be very small and feeble.” There was a deadline set. God gives them “space to repent”. But all the glory of Moab would be erased and the great majority who thought they were safe would lose their lives, and since they had rejected the Lord’s invitation, they would also lose their soul! But even out of this God saves a remnant. But “the remnant shall be very small and feeble.” Listen, “God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; 28 And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: 29 That no flesh should glory in his presence” (1 Cornithians 1:27ff).
Conclusion: The safest place to be this morning is in God’s will. No matter how well things are going, you are not safe if you are not obeying God. But if you are saved, no matter how bad things are going, you are safe! God will provide you safety and care—even if you are cast off and wandering this earth as the Israelites were, God can raise up a Moab to care for “His outcasts”. Whether you are an outcast or not, doesn’t matter. Things may be going well. You may feel forsaken. But listen, the Lord knoweth them that are His. He has given us His promise, “I will never leave thee nor forsake thee.” If you are walking in obedience to God, you are the safest place in the world!
[1] Today the Fords of the Arnon River no longer exist—in fact the Arnon River is no longer a river today, it is dry and is now called the Arnon Valley—a 2 mile wide valley.