Isaiah 18 - Message to Ethiopia

At that time gifts will be brought to the Lord who rules over all. The people who are tall and have smooth skin will bring them…They will bring their gifts to Mount Zion. That’s where the Lord who rules over all has put his Name.

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This is an interesting chapter… not a "judgment", but...a "message".

Ethiopians were fierce warriors and instilled fear in the hearts of neighboring people. They were a major power, adventurous and traveled far and wide. And, it sounds like Isaiah is telling them to “go home”.

Ethiopia…the cradle of civilization. Archaeology informs us skeletal remains of Homo sapiens sapiens (immediate ancestors of modern human beings) have been unearthed on this spot that date as far back as 160,000 years ago.

By the 15^th century BC the country was believed to have been named for Ityoppis, son of Cush, son of Ham. For this reason, Ethiopia is considered a combination of African and Sabaean (Sheba, or modern day Yemen) cultures. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethiopia

In  2^nd Chronicles 14, we’re told Ethiopia came out against the army of Judah (about 900BC) with an army of a million men and 300 chariots. King Asa cried…”O Lord, you are our God; let not man prevail against you.”  So the Lord defeated the Ethiopians and the Ethiopians fled. Asa pursued them and the Ethiopians fell until none remained alive.

But, Ethiopia was not like a lot of other nations. The Psalmist (68:31) says when God “scatters His enemies” Ethiopia will be one of those nations that “shall hasten to stretch out her hands to God”.

200 years later, Isaiah penned his warning… Messengers, hurry back home! Go back to your people. Isaiah explained, a farmer cuts off new growth with pruning knives. He cuts down spreading branches and takes them away. He does it before the grapes are harvested. That’s when the blooms are gone and the grapes are ripe. In the same way, the Lord will cut off the nations that are gathered against his people.

100 years after Isaiah, Jeremiah wrote these words concerning the King of Ethiopia. “Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: I will deliver you on that day…and you shall not be given into the hand of the men of whom you are afraid. I will surely save you, and you shall not fall by the sword, but you shall have your life as a prize of war, because you have put your trust in me, declares the Lord.’”

A coin dated to 324 shows that Ethiopia was the second country to officially adopt Christianity (after Armenia). It was the first major power to do so.

I can’t escape the thought that God was willing to warn the Ethiopians of impending trouble because they were willing to listen. Could we make an application today?

Live boldly out there today…