Moab's refugees

ISAIAH CHAPTER 16

Refugees from Moab at Sela sent lambs to Jerusalem as a token of alliance with the king of Judah. They cried out for help; the women were homeless and wished to stay among the people of Judah. They said that even in Moab, they had heard that a faithful King would reign from David's line.

Now Isaiah asks, is this the proud land of Moab? The pride and insolence are gone now and it weeps and the people mourn. Moab was once like her vineyards, spreading with tendrils out as far as Jazer and into the desert; even as far as the Dead Sea. Now she is destroyed and so Isaiah wails for Jazer and tears will flow for Heshbon and Elealeh. Gone is the gladness of harvest and happy singing. The Lord has ended all the harvest joys. The Moabites will pray in anguish to their idols, but it will do them no good. The Lord says in three years, all of Moab will end and few of its people shall live.

BIBLE NOTES SHOW: Isaiah advised Judah to accept the refugees who made it to Sela, which lay in the county of Edom to the south. He wanted to show compassion during the enemy's time of devastation.
Three years would go by before Tiglath-pileser III invaded Moab, the same year he invaded Judah. Thus the prediction and prophecy came true.

HOW DOES THIS CHAPTER RELATE TO US TODAY? When the people of Moab saw their country being devastated, they did not run to God. They ran instead to their idols. So no one was there to save them. In our times, we often seek our own way of escaping daily troubles. Sometimes we take refuge in our idols, which might be dollars, or liquor or some man-made religious idea. But our only hope is in God, and he is the only one who can hear and help us.

Yours in Christ,
Mary

Prayer Requests are needed for:
HEALTH: Pray for Gabe.
Pray for Janice Long’s parents, especially her mother who faces another round of chemotherapy and her father with Alzheimer’s and now her mother in law also with Alzheimer’s. Their family is feeling the strain both emotionally and financially. Pray for them. Update on this family: Her mother-in-law is being taken to Oklahoma to live with an aunt who will care for her.
Pray for Arlene’s nephew David and for my neighbor Al who is nearing the end of his life.
Pray for Carolyn’s brother Ronald who has cancer and for her sister Wanda’s soul which went to heaven.
Pray for our friend Michelle who was diagnosed with MS.
UPDATE on Barb who went in for back surgery and had a heart attack and stroke, she has her speech back and is home , but continues to have a problem with one arm and hand. Thanks to your prayers, she is able to hobble without a cane and has been granted disability. She still has surgery scheduled on her hand, but I saw her recently and her attitude is fantastic.
Pray for Robert Sargent who is quite ill with lung cancer.
Pray for Gary Summers, my friend from church, who has cancer.
Pray for Judy’s husband who was recently diagnosed with prostate cancer. Pray for her too, that she can deal with the side effects of his illness.
Pray too for Charly’s husband Robert who is undergoing chemo for his prostate cancer. Update on Robert: he has one more treatment and then three months of waiting for his psat test to come back clean.
Pray for John’s recovery from a heart attack and for the doctors who have difficulty diagnosing his other symptoms.
Pray for James’s sister Cynthia whose chemo has lost its effect as the cancer grows powerful.
Pray for another friend named Carolyn whose faith remains strong, but is lost and confused about where and how to spend her elder years.
SPIRITUAL UPLIFTING: Gail, Mary
RESTORATION OF FAITH: Al, John
LOVE AND SUPPORT: Claire, Hunter, Brian
SUPPORT: Haiti, Chile, survivors of Japan’s earthquake, survivors of the devastating tornadoes in our southernmost states and Joplin, Missouri. Pray too, for our country’s leaders and our military people who die each day for our freedom.