BODY SCORE
Opening Prayer
Mighty King, you rule with righteousness, power, and love. Thank you for the gift that is mine to serve you.
Read ISAIAH 20, 21
A Prophecy Against Egypt and Cush
20 In the year that the supreme commander, sent by Sargon king of Assyria, came to Ashdod and attacked and captured it— 2 at that time the Lord spoke through Isaiah son of Amoz. He said to him, “Take off the sackcloth from your body and the sandals from your feet.” And he did so, going around stripped and barefoot.
3 Then the Lord said, “Just as my servant Isaiah has gone stripped and barefoot for three years, as a sign and portent against Egypt and Cush,[a] 4 so the king of Assyria will lead away stripped and barefoot the Egyptian captives and Cushite exiles, young and old, with buttocks bared—to Egypt’s shame. 5 Those who trusted in Cush and boasted in Egypt will be dismayed and put to shame. 6 In that day the people who live on this coast will say, ‘See what has happened to those we relied on, those we fled to for help and deliverance from the king of Assyria! How then can we escape?’”
Footnotes
- Isaiah 20:3 That is, the upper Nile region; also in verse 5
A Prophecy Against Babylon
21 A prophecy against the Desert by the Sea:
Like whirlwinds sweeping through the southland,
an invader comes from the desert,
from a land of terror.
2 A dire vision has been shown to me:
The traitor betrays, the looter takes loot.
Elam, attack! Media, lay siege!
I will bring to an end all the groaning she caused.
3 At this my body is racked with pain,
pangs seize me, like those of a woman in labor;
I am staggered by what I hear,
I am bewildered by what I see.
4 My heart falters,
fear makes me tremble;
the twilight I longed for
has become a horror to me.
5 They set the tables,
they spread the rugs,
they eat, they drink!
Get up, you officers,
oil the shields!
6 This is what the Lord says to me:
“Go, post a lookout
and have him report what he sees.
7 When he sees chariots
with teams of horses,
riders on donkeys
or riders on camels,
let him be alert,
fully alert.”
8 And the lookout[a] shouted,
“Day after day, my lord, I stand on the watchtower;
every night I stay at my post.
9 Look, here comes a man in a chariot
with a team of horses.
And he gives back the answer:
‘Babylon has fallen, has fallen!
All the images of its gods
lie shattered on the ground!’”
10 My people who are crushed on the threshing floor,
I tell you what I have heard
from the Lord Almighty,
from the God of Israel.
A Prophecy Against Edom
11 A prophecy against Dumah[b]:
Someone calls to me from Seir,
“Watchman, what is left of the night?
Watchman, what is left of the night?”
12 The watchman replies,
“Morning is coming, but also the night.
If you would ask, then ask;
and come back yet again.”
A Prophecy Against Arabia
13 A prophecy against Arabia:
You caravans of Dedanites,
who camp in the thickets of Arabia,
14 bring water for the thirsty;
you who live in Tema,
bring food for the fugitives.
15 They flee from the sword,
from the drawn sword,
from the bent bow
and from the heat of battle.
16 This is what the Lord says to me: “Within one year, as a servant bound by contract would count it, all the splendor of Kedar will come to an end. 17 The survivors of the archers, the warriors of Kedar, will be few.” The Lord, the God of Israel, has spoken.
Footnotes
- Isaiah 21:8 Dead Sea Scrolls and Syriac; Masoretic Text A lion
- Isaiah 21:11 Dumah, a wordplay on Edom, means silence or stillness.
New International Version (NIV)Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect
Take note of how you are feeling today. What do you want to thank him for…to ask him for?In his book Body Keeps the Score, Bessel van der Kolk writes about the impact of trauma on the body. Traumatic events often leave a trail of physical and mental pain in our lives, and he speaks movingly of his therapeutic work among those afflicted. Isaiah, in chapter 20, was asked by the Lord to use his body prophetically. Not by way of speech, or even actions, but in the removal of certain clothing (20:2).
Taking away his sackcloth may have been a sign of vulnerability. John Goldingay suggests that sackcloth was normally worn at home, a kind of comfort wear not appropriate in public spaces. As a sign of poverty, Isaiah was making a point about the spiritual state of the nation. In its removal, this became a sign of Israel’s weakness against Assyrian might. For three years, Isaiah wore only his underwear and walked barefoot among the people. God’s judgment was coming on Egypt and Ethiopia; Israel would be exposed to the great superpower of Assyria. Isaiah’s body told the story of his nation’s perilous state.
In chapter 21, Isaiah reflected on the bigger context of the international situation. There were warnings here for God’s people, yet also assurances of God’s knowledge and vigilance.
Apply
Give thanks for the ministry of reconciliation: in Christ ‘God was reconciling the world to himself … not counting people’s sins against them’ (2 Corinthians 5:19).
Closing prayer
Father in heaven, thank you for the forgiveness I receive in Christ. Help me to be willing to extend forgiveness to others and restore relationships wherever you call me to.
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