In that day their strong cities will be like the deserted places of the wooded heights and the hilltops, which they deserted because of the children of Israel, and there will be desolation.
For you have forgotten the God of your salvation
and have not remembered the Rock of your refuge;
therefore, though you plant pleasant plants
and sow the vine-branch of a stranger,
though you make them grow on the day that you plant them,
and make them blossom in the morning that you sow,
yet the harvest will flee away
in a day of grief and incurable pain.
Forget God and God forgets you! In this section of Isaiah (12-17) we have Isaiah’s prophecy over the nations that have been used by God to punish Israel. Israel had disobeyed God, so God “allowed” the surrounding nations to persecute them. This seems odd, since the surrounding nations demonstrated the same, if not, more evil as Israel. But, Israel was God’s chosen people. In this section we see a pronouncement against Babylon, Assyria, Philitia, Moab and, above, Damascus. All were nations or cities that persecuted God’s people (allowed by God to do so) but showed no mercy to them. God, in turn, would show no mercy to these nations/cities. In the above passage we see why this is true. Damascus was the capital of Syria. Syria and the northern tribes of Israel formed and alliance to go up against the southern tribe of Judah. Notice why, however, God will destroy them. God says He will destroy them because they have “forgotten the God of their salvation.” They key here is that his foreign nation was going to be held to the same criteria as Israel and Judah. God will hold mankind accountable to His salvation. Even though they were not directly the people of God, they are still held to the same Word of God. All mankind are held to the same standard. No one is exempt. God declares who He is each day and no one can say they did not know. We are all held to the same standard of God’s character, will and salvation. Whether we agree with it and recognize it or not. Note:
The heavens declare the glory of God,
and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.
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