Isaiah 16:1 - Meaning and Application

God has made it clear that he does not delight in sinners’ ruin by warning them how they may avoid it. He does this here for Moab. He first advises them to deal fairly with the house of David and pay the tribute they had once agreed to give the kings in David’s line (Isaiah 16:1). “Send the lamb to the ruler of the land” means that they should send the tribute they owed. David had made the Moabites subject to him (2 Samuel 8:2), and they later paid tribute to the kings of Israel (2 Kings 3:4), often in lambs.

Now the prophet tells them to pay it to Hezekiah, king of Judah. It should be collected from all parts of the country, from Selah, a border city of Moab, to the wilderness at the other edge, and sent to Mount Zion, the city of David. Some take this as a call to send a lamb as an offering to God, the ruler of the earth, the Lord over all lands, including Moab as well as Israel. In that reading, the message is, “Send it to the temple on Mount Zion.” Others think the words are spoken with irony, rebuking the Moabites for delaying repentance and peace with God. “You would like to send a lamb to Mount Zion now, to make the God of Israel your friend, but it is too late. The judgment has been decided, and the daughters of Moab will be driven out like wandering birds” (Isaiah 16:2).

I take it instead as earnest advice, like Daniel’s warning to Nebuchadnezzar, “Break off your sins by doing right, if perhaps your peace may be lengthened” (Daniel 4:27). It also fits the gospel duty of submitting to Christ, the ruler of the land and our ruler. “Send him the lamb,” the best you have, yourselves as living sacrifices. When you come to God, the great ruler, come in the name of the Lamb, the Lamb of God. Otherwise, “as a wandering bird cast out of the nest, so shall the daughters of Moab be.” If they would not pay their rightful tribute to the king of Judah, they would be driven from their homes. The daughters of Moab, meaning the country villages or the women of the land, would flutter near the fords of Arnon, trying to escape to another country like a young bird thrown out of its nest before it can fly.

Those who will not submit to Christ, or gather under his protection, become like a bird that wanders from its nest. Such a bird may be seized by a predator, or it may roam in constant fear. Those who will not yield to the fear of God will be made to fear everything else.

Second, he tells them to show kindness to the people of Israel (Isaiah 16:3). “Take counsel, call a meeting, and consider what should be done in this crisis. You will find that your best course is to do what is right, undo your unjust decrees, and stop harming God’s people. In repentance, learn now how to help them, and God will accept that more than burnt offerings and sacrifices.”

The prophet saw danger coming on God’s people, perhaps the faithful among the ten tribes, or among the two and a half tribes east of the Jordan. Their land bordered Moab, and by God’s mercy they escaped the worst of the Assyrian army. Their lives were spared, though they were brought to great distress and had to find a way to survive. Their trouble was like the burning heat at noon. The oppressor was fierce, and the extortioner was ready to strip them and swallow them up.

He asks Moab to give them shelter when their own land became too dangerous. This was the right judgment for Moab to make, and the wise thing for their own safety. If they wanted to keep their own homes, they should open their doors to God’s afflicted people, like a cool shade for those who bear the heat of the day. They must not expose those hiding among them, or hand them over to the pursuers, as the Edomites did (Obadiah 1:13-14). Instead, “hide the outcasts.” That was the good work that showed Rahab’s faith was real (Hebrews 11:31). They should not only hide them for a little while, but, if needed, give them a settled home: “Let my outcasts live with you, Moab” (Isaiah 16:4). Give them lodging and be a shelter to them. Let them come under the protection of the government, even though they are poor and may seem to be a burden.

It is often the lot of true Israelites, God’s real people, to be outcasts, driven from home by persecution or war (Hebrews 11:37). Yet God still claims them when people reject them. They are outcasts, but they are my outcasts. The Lord knows those who belong to him, wherever he finds them, even when no one else recognizes them. God will also provide rest and shelter for his outcasts. Though they are persecuted, they are not forsaken. If they have nowhere else to dwell, he himself will be their dwelling place, and they will be at home in him.

God can also, when he chooses, raise up friends for his people even among Moabites, when they cannot find any in Israel who can or dare to shelter them. The earth often helps the woman (Revelation 12:16). And those who hope for kindness when they are in trouble must show kindness to others in trouble. Whatever is done for God’s outcasts will certainly be repaid in one way or another.

He also assures them of the mercy God had prepared for his people. First, they would not need Moab’s help for long, and they would not be a burden for long. “The oppressor will soon be gone, and destruction will end.” God’s people will not remain outcasts forever. Their trial will be brief, like “tribulation for ten days” (Revelation 2:10). The spoiler would keep spoiling only if God let him, but God holds him in check. He may go this far, but no farther.

Second, before long they would be able to repay such kindness (Isaiah 16:5). “Though the throne of the ten tribes has fallen, the throne of David will stand firm in mercy, by the mercy they receive from God and show to others. And your throne may be established in the same way if you choose.” It would move great rulers to be kind to God’s people if they noticed how often such conduct brings God’s blessing on kingdoms and families. “Make Hezekiah your friend, for it will be to your advantage, both because of God’s grace in him and because God is with him.”

He will sit on the throne in truth, and then he will truly sit in honor and hold his place firmly. He will sit as a judge, and he will be a protector to those who have been a shelter for God’s people.

This shows the character of a good ruler. First, he will seek justice. That is, he will look for chances to do right by people who are wronged, and he will punish those who harm others even before they are formally accused. Or, he will carefully examine every case brought before him, so he can find where the truth lies.

Second, he will hasten righteousness, and he will not put justice off. He will not keep people waiting a long time when they come to him for help with their troubles. He does seek justice, and he thinks carefully about it, but he does not use careful thought as an excuse to slow down the flow of justice. Let the Moabites learn from this, and then they may be sure that their state will be established.