Isaiah 23

Question:

I'm thinking because he's trying to open a door.

Comment:

I don't see a door opening in this chapter, but it's a good example of the role of the prophet. The prophets were not so much predicting the future as they were focusing on the present, warning that choices have consequences, and the way out of a given situation was to make different choices. They were concerned with the future only to warn what would happen IF the leaders insisted on maintaining the same choices. 

Chapter 23 is somewhat confusing, since it was assembled from different fragments of the text. Basically, it is condemning the government of Tyre, which backed out of a treaty that would bring them to Israel's aid as they faced the Babylonians. Isaiah fulfilling his role as a prophet that 'what comes around goes around.' It's a warning we can find helpful in our own lives. Our treaty is with Jerusalem, the City of Peace within us. If we ignore a commitment to peace, and choose to confront rather than discuss, the consequences of that choice will be unavoidable.

Blessings!

Rev. Ed