Isaiah 21:11 - Meaning and Application

This prophecy about Dumah is very short, and also dark and hard to understand. Some think Dumah was part of Arabia, and that its people came from Dumah, the sixth son of Ishmael, just as the people of Kedar came from Ishmael’s second son (Isaiah 21:16, Isaiah 21:17; Genesis 25:13, Genesis 25:14). Others think that because Mount Seir is named here, Dumah means Edom, the land of the Edomites.

Some of Israel’s neighbors are certainly meant, and their trouble is foretold. This was meant to warn them to get ready for what was coming. It also warned Israel not to depend on those nations, or any other human help, when danger came, but to depend on God alone. We need to see every human support fail us, and feel it give way under us, so we do not lean on it more than it can bear. Even if the exact fulfillment is hard to trace in history, the lesson is clear.

Here we have a question asked of the watchman. Someone out of Seir, someone more concerned for public safety than the rest, calls out. Most of the people were careless and comfortable, but this man was troubled and wanted to know the truth. In the same way that the man of Macedonia, in a vision, asked Paul to come and help him (Acts 16:9), this man from Mount Seir asks the prophet to teach them and tell them what is happening.

He asks only one or a few, and that is still something to be thankful for, because not everyone was unconcerned about peace and safety. Some people from Seir ask advice from God’s prophets and are willing to learn, while many in Israel pay no attention at all. The question is serious: What of the night? He asks the proper person, the watchman, because that is the watchman’s work. He asks again, showing concern and eagerness for an answer.

God’s prophets and ministers are appointed as watchmen, and we should think of them that way. They are like watchmen in a city during peace, making sure all is safe, checking on people, giving directions to those who are lost, and correcting those who are out of order (Song of Solomon 3:3; Song of Solomon 5:7). They are also like watchmen in a camp during war (Ezekiel 33:7). They must notice the enemy’s movements, give warning, and make discoveries for the good of others, even when it costs them personally.

It is also our duty to ask the watchmen, especially to ask again and again, What of the night? Watchmen stay awake while others sleep. We may ask, What time is it in the night? After a long sleep in sin and carelessness, is it not time to rise, yes, high time to wake up from sleep (Romans 13:11)? We have much work to do and a long journey ahead. Or we may ask, What news comes in the night? What has the prophet seen tonight? We are ready to hear it. Or, what is happening now? What weather is it? What news is there? We should expect danger and never feel safe in ourselves. The day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night, so we must be ready for the alarm, stand our ground, and take up our spiritual weapons at once.

The watchman’s answer shows that he was neither asleep nor silent. Even though it was a man from Mount Seir who called to him, he was ready to answer. He says, The morning comes. He answers in two ways. First, he gives a prediction: there will be a morning of light, peace, and opportunity. You will have one more day of comfort, but after that will come a night of trouble and disaster. In God’s providence, morning and night often follow one another. If it is night, morning will come, and the dawn knows where to go (Psalm 30:5). If it is day, night will also come.

So if there is a morning of youth and health, a night of sickness and old age will follow. If there is a morning of prosperity in a family or in public life, we still must expect changes. But God usually gives a morning of opportunity before he sends a night of trouble. He does this so his own people can prepare for the storm, and so others are left without excuse.

Second, the watchman gives an urgent call: If you will enquire, enquire. It is wise to make the most of the present morning and prepare for the night that will follow. Ask, return, come. Be willing to learn, be sorry for sin, and be ready to obey. The wording matters, because we are being shown that we have a choice. If you will enquire, then enquire. If not, it will be at your own risk. No one can say they were not given a fair offer.

We are also pressed to decide at once. If you will, then say so, and do not keep hesitating. Do what you mean to do, and do it quickly, because it is no time to waste. Those who return to God and come to him will find that they have much to do and very little time to do it in. That is why they need to be busy.