The Oracle About Arabia
Isaiah 21:13-17
August 20, 2023
Well tonight we come to what I think is the most difficult oracle
To understand and interpret and preach among all of Isaiah’s oracles.
It is “The oracle about Arabia”.
We know where Arabia is
• It is southeast of Judah.
• It is modern day Saudi Arabia.
• And we know that Assyria defeated them in 715 B.C.
• But that’s about all we really know as far as making a connection with Israel and why Isaiah gave this oracle.
You see mentioned here three Arabian cities or regions.
• You have Dedan (13) (“Dedanites”)
• You have “Tema” (14)
• You have “Kedar” (16-17)
What I found quite humorous this week in studying this chapter
Is that commentaries are quite literally all over the map
Regarding where these cities actually were.
I’ve seen them placed south, north, on the coast
And pretty much everywhere in between.
And perhaps that is the most accurate way to look at them
Because the Arabians were a NOMADIC PEOPLE
Who dwelled in tents and sort of remained on the move.
We also know that the “Dedanites” were traders.
They show up in Ezekiel 27:15-20 as God pronounced judgment on Tyre.
Ezekiel 27:15-21 “The sons of Dedan were your traders. Many coastlands were your market; ivory tusks and ebony they brought as your payment. “Aram was your customer because of the abundance of your goods; they paid for your wares with emeralds, purple, embroidered work, fine linen, coral and rubies. “Judah and the land of Israel, they were your traders; with the wheat of Minnith, cakes, honey, oil and balm they paid for your merchandise. “Damascus was your customer because of the abundance of your goods, because of the abundance of all kinds of wealth, because of the wine of Helbon and white wool. “Vedan and Javan paid for your wares from Uzal; wrought iron, cassia and sweet cane were among your merchandise. “Dedan traded with you in saddlecloths for riding. Arabia and all the princes of Kedar, they were your customers for lambs, rams and goats; for these they were your customers.”
So from that prophecy we know that Dedan
• Carried “ivory tusks and ebony”
• Traded in “saddlecloths for riding”
• In return they bought “lambs, rams, and goats”
So there was a sort of MERCHANT aspect to them.
We can perhaps learn a little more about them in general from Jeremiah
As he spoke of their judgment to Babylon 150 years later.
Jeremiah 49:28-33 “Concerning Kedar and the kingdoms of Hazor, which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon defeated. Thus says the LORD, “Arise, go up to Kedar And devastate the men of the east. “They will take away their tents and their flocks; They will carry off for themselves Their tent curtains, all their goods and their camels, And they will call out to one another, ‘Terror on every side!’ “Run away, flee! Dwell in the depths, O inhabitants of Hazor,” declares the LORD; “For Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon has formed a plan against you And devised a scheme against you. “Arise, go up against a nation which is at ease, Which lives securely,” declares the LORD. “It has no gates or bars; They dwell alone. “Their camels will become plunder, And their many cattle for booty, And I will scatter to all the winds those who cut the corners of their hair; And I will bring their disaster from every side,” declares the LORD. “Hazor will become a haunt of jackals, A desolation forever; No one will live there, Nor will a son of man reside in it.”
As I said, that speaks of a judgment which will occur 150 years later
So it’s not necessarily perfectly relevant to Isaiah’s prophecy.
But we do learn again that they dwelled in tents and cared for flocks
And that they were nomadic without cities or gates or walls.
Jeremiah called them “a nation which is at ease, which lives securely”
And so maybe we learn a little about them from that.
The only other thing we know about them is that
God is pouring out wrath and judgment on them through Assyria.
We struggle to understand how they relate to Judah.
• Where they a potential ally?
• Where they an escape route?
• Where they a source of supplies?
It’s really hard to SPECULATE
And so it becomes next to impossible to really understand
WHAT IMPACT Isaiah’s announcement would have had on his people.
Certainly the fact that Isaiah predicts a judgment in one year
And the fact that the judgment occurred
• Would have lent credibility to Isaiah’s preaching
• But as accurate as Isaiah has been he hardly needed more proof.
I think the best way for us to study this particular oracle
Is as a simple reminder that God’s judgment
Reaches everywhere and no one can stop it.
We just studied this morning how repentance is required,
Perhaps we can remind ourselves tonight what happens when repentance does not occur.
But let’s take a look at this “oracle about Arabia”
Two main points.
#1 THE PICTURE
Isaiah 21:13-15
Isaiah here gives his people a picture of A REALITY
That will soon be occurring to their south.
It focuses on a traveling caravan.
Now “caravans of Dedanites” is not an unusual thing.
• They were merchants and so carrying goods back and forth in caravans was not peculiar.
But this is a PECULIAR caravan.
This is NOT TYPICAL of what you usually see.
This caravan is in HIDING
“In the thickets of Arabia you must spend the night, O caravans of Dedanites.”
• There aren’t really any trees or forests in the northern parts of Arabia.
• About all the cover that is offered are just shrub bushes that grow in the desert,
• but here the caravan is told to try and hide among them.
Beyond that, this caravan is HELPLESS
• For Isaiah cries out to the “land of Tema”
• Which is also a region in Arabia where apparently there are springs of water.
And Isaiah says:
(14) “Bring water for the thirsty, O inhabitants of the land of Tema, Meet the fugitive with bread.”
This gets even more peculiar.
Now we have a caravan, which was normal.
• But they are hiding, which is not normal.
• And they don’t have any water or bread, which is also not normal.
Anyone who makes a living traveling through Arabia
Certainly understands the importance of carrying water with you.
These people didn’t bring any.
They have no food, no water, and they are hiding out.
They are in a pretty drastic condition.
Finally we catch a glimpse as to why.
This caravan is HORRIFIED
(15) “For they have fled from the swords, From the drawn sword, and from the bent bow And from the press of battle.”
This caravan wasn’t on a business trip or on a money-making venture.
They weren’t buying or selling,
THEY WERE RUNNING FOR THEIR LIVES.
Assyria has attacked and they had to leave so fast
That they didn’t even have time to gather water or food.
It is some kind of a major fear that will cause a man to run with his family
Out into the desert without taking any water for the journey.
So very simply we just see that Isaiah is painting
A very drastic picture for the parts of northern Arabia.
Well, what does it mean?
#2 THE PROPHECY
Isaiah 21:16-17
Here comes the sermon.
“For thus the Lord said to me, “In a year, as a hired man would count it, all the splendor of Kedar will terminate; and the remainder of the number of bowmen, the mighty men of the sons of Kedar, will be few; for the LORD God of Israel has spoken.”
Isaiah says that the picture he just revealed to his people will be fulfilled in one year.
• There will be an attack from the Assyrians
• Most of the soldiers will be killed
• And a surviving caravan will be driven out into the desert with nothing.
GOD WILL JUDGE ARABIA.
But as I told you, we have A DIFFICULT TIME understanding
THE EFFECT that this would have on Judah.
• We don’t see them as an ally.
• Perhaps they were seen as a supplier of goods, but that seems even a little bit
of a stretch.
For my part, I’m going to venture out and
Focus on a couple of words which Isaiah focuses on.
The only explanation of the judgment which Isaiah gives
Comes in the form of 2 things which Isaiah says God will remove.
Isaiah specifically points out 2 things that were not able to save Arabia.
We read:
• “the splendor of Kedar will terminate”
• “the mighty men of the sons of Kedar, will be few”
“splendor” and “might”
God removed them both.
Neither were able to save Assyria in the day of her judgment.
WHAT ARE THESE THINGS?
Let’s start with “splendor”.
It is the Hebrew word (KAW-BODE)
• It is used 200 times in the O.T.
• Most of the time it is translated “glory”
• 72 times it is referred to as “the glory of the LORD”
It is defined simply as “heaviness” because it comes from a root word which means “heavy” and yet it is never used in a negative sense.
It would be to call a man heavy or weighty in a good sense.
We might understand it when we talk about
• “The stuff a man is made of, he’s no flighty man, he’s got a weighty presence”
• Or we might say, “He’s a solid man” in a character sense.
• Or we mighty say, “There’s nothing phony about him”
• He’s weighty as opposed to flighty
Clearly it is a word that speaks of
Ones value and nature and what they are made of.
This is why it is the word used to describe “the glory of the LORD”
It speaks of all that He is, the fullness of His presence.
And we might just understand it as “THE BEST OF A MAN”
• It’s what you might be prone to brag about regarding a man.
• It’s what you might call honorable in a man.
• It’s the good stuff you remember and that which gives him value on earth.
One Jewish website speaks of it as:
“Kavod is a term with both social and moral implications, and stems from the root word for weight. It can mean glory, honor, respect, distinction, and importance…Kavod indicates worth and value.”
That is the word “splendor”.
We also speak of “mighty”
It is the Hebrew word (GHIBOR)
It is used 160 times and 99% of the time it speaks of a warrior or soldier.
• You’ve read about David’s “mighty men of valor”
• Goliath was referred to as the Philistine “Champion”
It’s a word that speaks of strength to fight and win.
AND HERE WE SEE THAT GOD IS REMOVING BOTH.
He says “the splendor of Kedar will terminate”
• It will cease…
• It will fail…
• It will be no more…
And “the mighty men of the sons of Kedar, will be few;”
AND HERE WE ARE REMINDED THAT
• Regardless of how much “splendor” Kedar had, they obviously
didn’t have enough to save them from God’s wrath.
• Regardless of how “mighty” Kedar was, they obviously weren’t
strong enough to stop God.
And this is worth contemplating for us tonight.
Certainly it was worth Israel contemplating in Isaiah’s day.
What is it that makes men think they will be safe during the coming judgment?
Is it their intrinsic worth; their weighty value, their glory or honor?
• Do they suppose that their splendor or glory is so great that it exempts them from the judgment of God?
• Do men really count on their own goodness?
• Do men really boast in their own value or worth or merit?
Every time a man contemplates judgment
And begins to talk about all the good stuff he has done
That is precisely what he is banking on.
He is trusting that his splendor is enough.
For some this splendor is bound up in religious works,
Which Isaiah will tell us later or nothing but filthy garments.
Certainly the Pharisees boasted in this.
“I fast twice a week, I pay tithes of all that I get”
Other men just boast in their importance in the world.
Since Arabia was a pagan nation we’ll examine this in their regard.
Can a man assume that he is worth so much on earth,
Or so good on earth that he can escape the coming wrath of God?
• I’m talking about the Ghandhi’s of this world.
• I’m talking about the rich and powerful.
• I’m talking about the Nobel prize winners, etc.
• The really good and “honorable” people who have done great things in life.
Psalms 49:16-20 “Do not be afraid when a man becomes rich, When the glory of his house is increased; For when he dies he will carry nothing away; His glory will not descend after him. Though while he lives he congratulates himself— And though men praise you when you do well for yourself— He shall go to the generation of his fathers; They will never see the light. Man in his pomp, yet without understanding, Is like the beasts that perish.”
Psalms 52:5-7 “But God will break you down forever; He will snatch you up and tear you away from your tent, And uproot you from the land of the living. Selah. The righteous will see and fear, And will laugh at him, saying, “Behold, the man who would not make God his refuge, But trusted in the abundance of his riches And was strong in his evil desire.”
Proverbs 11:4 “Riches do not profit in the day of wrath, But righteousness delivers from death.”
Do we need examples?
Acts 12:21-23 “On an appointed day Herod, having put on his royal apparel, took his seat on the rostrum and began delivering an address to them. The people kept crying out, “The voice of a god and not of a man!” And immediately an angel of the Lord struck him because he did not give God the glory, and he was eaten by worms and died.”
How much splendor does a man need
To exempt him from the judgment of God?
Apparently more than that.
We could talk about the rich man who found himself in Hades begging for Lazarus to dip his finger in water and touch his tongue.
Certainly you are all aware that
No amount of human splendor or glory
Is enough to exempt a man from the judgment of God.
For no matter how great your glory,
It does not compare to the glory of God.
And we read it clearly in the gospel:
Romans 3:23 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”
The splendor of men…
The glory of men…
Even the best of them…
Does not compare to the glory of God
And therefore is not acceptable to God.
I love the story of the Centurian with the sick servant.
He had that paralyzed servant and he wanted him healed.
TURN TO: MATTHEW 8:5-13
I think it is important to note the reputation that this man had among his peers.
This man apparently sent some Jewish elders to Jesus
To see about healing his servant.
When they approached Jesus they said:
Luke 7:4 “When they came to Jesus, they earnestly implored Him, saying, “He is worthy for You to grant this to him;”
By man’s estimation this man’s splendor and glory and worth
Should warrant Jesus removing negative consequences from his life.
He is a worthy guy they said.
But that’s NOT what this man said about himself.
Jesus agreed to come and heal him, but the Centurian said “No”.
Matthew 8:8 “But the centurion said, “Lord, I am not worthy for You to come under my roof, but just say the word, and my servant will be healed.”
Now here is what is interesting about that.
The elders called him “worthy”
He said “I am not worthy”
But they used two different words when they said it.
THE ELDERS used the Greek word AXIOS which is commonly translated “worthy”
But it always speaks of “worth based on merit, function, or action.”
Matthew 10:37-38 “He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. “And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me.”
It is your action evaluated.
So these elders say about this man that he has done enough.
His resume of good works and his honor and character
Make him worthy of his request.
And many people bank on such a mentality when approaching God.
I’ve done enough…
I’m good enough…
But when this Centurion says that he is not worthy he uses a different word.
He uses the word HIKANOS
It means “sufficient”
It has nothing to do with performance.
It is used in:
Matthew 3:11 “As for me, I baptize you with water for repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, and I am not fit to remove His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.”
There it is translated “fit” where John says that
He is also not sufficient to remove Jesus’ sandals.
So when this Centurion evaluates himself he says that in his innermost being, “I am not enough”.
And Jesus marveled at that man’s faith.
AND OF COURSE YOU SEE THE DIFFERENCE.
There is no amount of splendor or glory or honor or worth
That you possess which can exempt you from the judgment of God
Whatever you possess, it is not enough.
Arabia found that out and Israel learned it through them.
“the splendor of Kedar will terminate”
Their splendor could not exempt them from judgment.
But we also learn that their might could not rescue them from it.
Isaiah 30:15-17 “For thus the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel, has said, “In repentance and rest you will be saved, In quietness and trust is your strength.” But you were not willing, And you said, “No, for we will flee on horses,” Therefore you shall flee! “And we will ride on swift horses,” Therefore those who pursue you shall be swift. One thousand will flee at the threat of one man; You will flee at the threat of five, Until you are left as a flag on a mountain top And as a signal on a hill.”
Goliath was mighty too, and God made short work of him.
There is no strength which can succeed against the LORD.
You may be the most mighty man who ever lived,
But have you forgotten who He is?
Isaiah 9:6 “For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.”
You may be a mighty man, but He is “Mighty God”.
He is EL GHIBOR
And none can stop Him, not even “the mighty men of the sons of Kedar”
God’s judgment handled them all.
So, I’m not sure precisely what Isaiah’s point to Israel was
In telling them of the coming judgment of Arabia,
BUT I KNOW WHAT WE CAN LEARN FROM IT.
No one escapes the judgment of God based on his own glory.
No one defies the judgment of God based on his own strength.
Salvation from the judgment of God
Must come from outside of you.
It must come from another source.
Your salvation must come from one with acceptable “splendor”
• Your salvation must come from One who is worthy.
• Your salvation must come from One whose glory does not fall short of God’s glory.
• Your salvation must come from One whose honor can exempt Him from God’s judgment.
And this of course is only Jesus Christ.
That is the point God made to Peter on the mountain.
Matthew 17:1-5 “Six days later Jesus took with Him Peter and James and John his brother, and led them up on a high mountain by themselves. And He was transfigured before them; and His face shone like the sun, and His garments became as white as light. And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him. Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here; if You wish, I will make three tabernacles here, one for You, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” While he was still speaking, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and behold, a voice out of the cloud said, “This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased; listen to Him!”
Peter only had ONE SHOT at salvation
And it wasn’t through the Law or the prophets,
As if Peter could ever keep them.
His only shot at salvation was Jesus,
Whose glory matched that of the Father.
In fact:
Hebrews 1:3 “And He [Jesus] is the radiance of His [God’s] glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,”
If you want glory that will exempt you from judgment, it is not yours.
Your heaviness; your weight; your splendor is too light.
ONLY JESUS MEASURES UP.
• He is the only One with enough substance to be acceptable to the Father.
• He is the only One weighty enough to be approved.
• He is the only One with glory that God accepts.
And our only shot of escaping judgment is to be wrapped in His glory.
Our only shot is to be clothed in His righteousness.
If you approach God with your own “splendor” it will not work.
Your “splendor”, like that of Kedar “will terminate”
• It will cease to be…
• It will come to an end…
• It will vanish…
And if you want MIGHT to allow you to hold off God’s judgment,
It won’t come from you either.
That strength is only found in Jesus Christ
Who took the full fury of the wrath of the judgment of God
And arose victorious 3 days later.
HE BORE IT ALL AND SURVIVED.
TURN TO: HEBREWS 2:5-18
• This Jesus did what man can not do.
• He tasted death for everyone.
• Through death He rendered powerless him who had the power of death.
• He frees us
ONLY JESUS WAS STRONG ENOUGH
To take the fury of God’s punishment for sin
AND SURVIVE IT.
Revelation 1:17-18 “When I saw Him, I fell at His feet like a dead man. And He placed His right hand on me, saying, “Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last, and the living One; and I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and of Hades.”
That’s the kind of One to entrust yourself to during the judgment of God.
ARE YOU UNDERSTANDING THE ORACLES?
1. Isaiah has shown us the judgment of God.
2. He has shown us that it is a judgment on sinners.
3. He has shown us that there are no other Saviors from it.
4. He has also shown us that repentance is required.
5. And now he has shown us that trusting in ourselves to escape it is a foolish notion.
Run to Christ, He’s the only hope.
• He’s the ark Noah escaped in.
• He’s that rock that will survive the storm.
Jeremiah 9:23-24 “Thus says the LORD, “Let not a wise man boast of his wisdom, and let not the mighty man boast of his might, let not a rich man boast of his riches; but let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the LORD who exercises lovingkindness, justice and righteousness on earth; for I delight in these things,” declares the LORD.”
