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First Reading: Isaiah Chapter 23 and 24

Isaiah 23

1 The burden of Tyre. Howl, ye ships of Tarshish; for it is laid waste, so that there is no house, no entering in: from the land of Kittim it is revealed to them.

2 Be still, ye inhabitants of the coast, thou whom the merchants of Sidon, that pass over the sea, have replenished.

3 And on great waters the seed of the Shihor, the harvest of the Nile, was her revenue; and she was the mart of nations.

4 Be thou ashamed, O Sidon; for the sea hath spoken, the stronghold of the sea, saying, I have not travailed, nor brought forth, neither have I nourished young men, nor brought up virgins.

5 When the report cometh to Egypt, they shall be sorely pained at the report of Tyre.

6 Pass ye over to Tarshish; wail, ye inhabitants of the coast.

7 Is this your joyous `city', whose antiquity is of ancient days, whose feet carried her afar off to sojourn?

8 Who hath purposed this against Tyre, the bestower of crowns, whose merchants are princes, whose traffickers are the honorable of the earth?

9 Jehovah of hosts hath purposed it, to stain the pride of all glory, to bring into contempt all the honorable of the earth.

10 Pass through thy land as the Nile, O daughter of Tarshish; there is no restraint any more.

11 He hath stretched out his hand over the sea, he hath shaken the kingdoms: Jehovah hath given commandment concerning Canaan, to destroy the strongholds thereof.

12 And he said, Thou shalt no more rejoice, O thou oppressed virgin daughter of Sidon: arise, pass over to Kittim; even there shalt thou have no rest.

13 Behold, the land of the Chaldeans: this people was not; the Assyrian founded it for them that dwell in the wilderness; they set up their towers; they overthrew the palaces thereof; they made it a ruin.

14 Howl, ye ships of Tarshish; for your stronghold is laid waste.

15 And it shall come to pass in that day, that Tyre shall be forgotten seventy years, according to the days of one king: after the end of seventy years it shall be unto Tyre as in the song of the harlot.

16 Take a harp, go about the city, thou harlot that hast been forgotten; make sweet melody, sing many songs, that thou mayest be remembered.

17 And it shall come to pass after the end of seventy years, that Jehovah will visit Tyre, and she shall return to her hire, and shall play the harlot with all the kingdoms of the world upon the face of the earth.

18 And her merchandise and her hire shall be holiness to Jehovah: it shall not be treasured nor laid up; for her merchandise shall be for them that dwell before Jehovah, to eat sufficiently, and for durable clothing.

Isaiah 24

1 Behold, Jehovah maketh the earth empty, and maketh it waste, and turneth it upside down, and scattereth abroad the inhabitants thereof.

2 And it shall be, as with the people, so with the priest; as with the servant, so with his master; as with the maid, so with her mistress; as with the buyer, so with the seller; as with the creditor, so with the debtor; as with the taker of interest, so with the giver of interest to him.

3 The earth shall be utterly emptied, and utterly laid waste; for Jehovah hath spoken this word.

4 The earth mourneth and fadeth away, the world languisheth and fadeth away, the lofty people of the earth do languish.

5 The earth also is polluted under the inhabitants thereof; because they have transgressed the laws, violated the statutes, broken the everlasting covenant.

6 Therefore hath the curse devoured the earth, and they that dwell therein are found guilty: therefore the inhabitants of the earth are burned, and few men left.

7 The new wine mourneth, the vine languisheth, all the merry-hearted do sigh.

8 The mirth of tabrets ceaseth, the noise of them that rejoice endeth, the joy of the harp ceaseth.

9 They shall not drink wine with a song; strong drink shall be bitter to them that drink it.

10 The waste city is broken down; every house is shut up, that no man may come in.

11 There is a crying in the streets because of the wine; all joy is darkened, the mirth of the land is gone.

12 In the city is left desolation, and the gate is smitten with destruction.

13 For thus shall it be in the midst of the earth among the peoples, as the shaking of an olive-tree, as the gleanings when the vintage is done.

14 These shall lift up their voice, they shall shout; for the majesty of Jehovah they cry aloud from the sea.

15 Wherefore glorify ye Jehovah in the east, even the name of Jehovah, the God of Israel, in the isles of the sea.

16 From the uttermost part of the earth have we heard songs: Glory to the righteous. But I said, I pine away, I pine away, woe is me! the treacherous have dealt treacherously; yea, the treacherous have dealt very treacherously.

17 Fear, and the pit, and the snare, are upon thee, O inhabitant of the earth.

18 And it shall come to pass, that he who fleeth from the noise of the fear shall fall into the pit; and he that cometh up out of the midst of the pit shall be taken in the snare: for the windows on high are opened, and the foundations of the earth tremble.

19 The earth is utterly broken, the earth is rent asunder, the earth is shaken violently.

20 The earth shall stagger like a drunken man, and shall sway to and fro like a hammock; and the transgression thereof shall be heavy upon it, and it shall fall, and not rise again.

21 And it shall come to pass in that day, that Jehovah will punish the host of the high ones on high, and the kings of the earth upon the earth.

22 And they shall be gathered together, as prisoners are gathered in the pit, and shall be shut up in the prison; and after many days shall they be visited.

23 Then the moon shall be confounded, and the sun ashamed; for Jehovah of hosts will reign in mount Zion, and in Jerusalem; and before his elders shall be glory.

Second Reading: Psalms Chapter 79

Psalms 79

1 O God, the nations are come into thine inheritance; Thy holy temple have they defiled; They have laid Jerusalem in heaps.

2 The dead bodies of thy servants have they given to be food unto the birds of the heavens, The flesh of thy saints unto the beasts of the earth.

3 Their blood have they shed like water round about Jerusalem; And there was none to bury them.

4 We are become a reproach to our neighbors, A scoffing and derision to them that are round about us.

5 How long, O Jehovah? wilt thou be angry for ever? Shall thy jealousy burn like fire?

6 Pour out thy wrath upon the nations that know thee not, And upon the kingdoms that call not upon thy name.

7 For they have devoured Jacob, And laid waste his habitation.

8 Remember not against us the iniquities of our forefathers: Let thy tender mercies speedily meet us; For we are brought very low.

9 Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of thy name; And deliver us, and forgive our sins, for thy name's sake.

10 Wherefore should the nations say, Where is their God? Let the avenging of the blood of thy servants which is shed Be known among the nations in our sight.

11 Let the sighing of the prisoner come before thee: According to the greatness of thy power preserve thou those that are appointed to death;

12 And render unto our neighbors sevenfold into their bosom Their reproach, wherewith they have reproached thee, O Lord.

13 So we thy people and sheep of thy pasture Will give thee thanks for ever: We will show forth thy praise to all generations. Psalm 80 For the Chief Musician, set to Shoshanim Eduth.. A Psalm of Asaph.

Bible Background

THE ROLE OF PROPHECY

Part 3 of 6

Understanding prophecy is not always easy. There are some principles that should be applied:

 

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