Isaiah 18:2,7

Today's chapter I couldn't pick a particular verse out of. It's a fairly short chapter, and reads like a poem. You might just have to read it yourself! It is a proclamation of judgment against Ethiopia this time. It starts out saying

'Woe [to Ethiopia]...Which sends ambassadors by the sea,
Even in vessels of reed on the waters, saying,
"Go, swift messengers, to a nation tall and smooth of skin,
To a people terrible from their beginning onward,
A nation powerful and treading down,
Whose land the rivers divide." (Isaiah 18:2)

Apparently, according to Macarthur, he is talking here about Egypt i gather, although it seemed to me initially that it was Assyria he was talking about. Nevertheless, for our own application the nation does not matter. Ethiopia had thought that an alliance would be necessary to survive in the fragile world they then existed in. This was not unlike other nations at the time, including northern Israel. But God's reaction was the same to each desired alliance - destruction would follow it. We have already gathered from previous chapters that God wanted people to rely only on Him rather than earthly methods of security.

This time, God trumpets the impending destruction through Isaiah and specifically calls the world to listen out for what He is going to do. He says He will wait his time, until the time is perfectly right and then destroy both of the nations in the alliance. Macarthur thinks this will be in the millennial kingdom. To me it doesn't make it obvious, but it definitely could be.

The interesting part is that the last verse (verse 7) is nearly exactly the same as the first:

'In that time a present will be brought to the LORD of hosts
From a people tall and smooth of skin,
And from a people terrible from their beginning onward,
A nation powerful and treading down,
Whose land the rivers divide --
To the place of the name of the LORD of hosts
To Mount Zion.' (Isaiah 18:7)

The impact is immediate. Although the Ethiopians originally said this in hopes of doing things their own way, the same people they were referring to will bring the LORD gifts in future times to His holy mountain. Everything comes back to God. God will always have the last laugh. Remember that today. Do God's will and live a righteous life.