Reflection B.6 / Does God Have A Purpose In Coronavirus? Isaiah’s Oracles Or ‘burdens’, Fulfilled Or Could Be Fulfilled

In chapters 13-23 Isaiah pronounces a series of ‘oracles’ regarding eleven neighbouring nations. This part of Isaiah is often referred to as ‘the oracles against the nations.’ But Isaiah doesn’t introduce his oracles as ‘against’; he uses the phrase ‘an oracle concerning…’ Oracles don’t have to be curses or condemnation. Balaam blessed Israel in his oracles. And the word ‘oracle’ may not help us. What is an oracle, exactly?! Many versions of the Bible use the word ‘burden’ instead of ‘oracle’. The word translated ‘oracle’ is the word that the Bible uses for burdens that camels, mules or people carry. Isaiah is expressing a burden he feels.

These chapters are important for at least three reasons.

First, although the primary purpose of these oracles isn’t to pass judgement, Isaiah makes a number of comments which reveal why these things will happen. Isaiah mentions some things we would see as terrible sins – such as Babylon’s oppression and cruelty. But the most frequent reason Isaiah gives for the events he foresees is human arrogance and pride. So, he says:

The Lord of hosts has purposed it,

to defile the pompous pride of all glory,

to dishonour all the honoured of the earth (23:9).

We may imagine that God only gets angry at terrible atrocities: the holocaust, the Nanjing massacre, the behaviour of Russian soldiers in Berlin in 1945, the carpet bombing of Cambodia, ‘crimes against humanity’ in Rwanda and Yugoslavia, the atrocities perpetrated by ISIL. I am certain that God is absolutely furious at such things. We may feel that arrogance and pride are simply not in the same league. But here, these are the things Isaiah speaks of most frequently as the causes for what he foresees.

A second reason these oracles are important is that Isaiah tells us what he foresees. Some things have been fulfilled. Speaking of Assyria, i.e. modern-day Iraq, Isaiah writes, ‘The glory of his forest and of his fruitful land the Lord will destroy … The remnant of the trees of his forest will be so few that a child can write them down’ (10:18-19). We know from news coverage of the Iraq war what Iraq looks like now. It didn’t use to be that way. It was once well-forested. The hanging gardens of Babylon were one of the seven wonders of the ancient world and there were also world-famous hanging gardens in Nineveh. Both places are now in treeless, desolate plains. Isaiah foresees that Babylon would become uninhabited, a home for owls, jackals and desert creatures (13:8-9, 20-22). That has been the case for millennia. The fact that these prophecies have come to pass builds our confidence in Isaiah.

Some other things Isaiah foresaw haven’t yet come to pass. Speaking of Syria, Isaiah writes, ‘Behold, Damascus will cease to be a city and will become a heap of ruins’ (17:1). Damascus is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, but it has never been destroyed. The conflict between Syrian forces and IS resulted in massive destruction (Google ‘Damascus drone video’). Six months ago, Damascus was named the world's least liveable city. And yet today, life is returning to normal. It hasn’t ceased to be a city.

Speaking of Egypt, Isaiah writes, ‘The waters of the river (i.e. the Nile) will dry up and the riverbed will be parched and dry’ (19:5-7). Such a thing would probably have been unimaginable even twenty or thirty years ago, but it is clearly happening now (Google ‘Nile drying up’).

Should we take such events – as and when they happen – as indicative of ‘End Times’? Immediately following the prophecies concerning Damascus and the Nile Isaiah makes prophecies which seem to me to relate to ‘End Times’ (see 17:7-8 and the five ‘In that day’ prophecies in the second half of chapter 19). So, I would say, ‘I think so’. But the two commentators I’ve looked at are irritatingly non-committal.

For our third reason as to why these chapters are so important, we will have to wait to tomorrow.

Have a good day!

Simon