Isaiah 23 (HCSB)
An Oracle against Tyre
1 An oracle against Tyre:
Wail, ships of Tarshish, for your haven has been destroyed. Word has reached them from the land of Cyprus. 2 Mourn, inhabitants of the coastland, you merchants of Sidon; your agents have crossed the sea 3 on many waters. Tyre’s revenue was the grain from Shihor—the harvest of the Nile. She was the merchant among the nations. 4 Be ashamed Sidon, the stronghold of the sea, for the sea has spoken: “I have not been in labor or given birth. I have not raised young men or brought up young women.” 5 When the news reaches Egypt, they will be in anguish over the news about Tyre. 6 Cross over to Tarshish; wail, inhabitants of the coastland! 7 Is this your jubilant city, whose origin was in ancient times, whose feet have taken her to settle far away? 8 Who planned this against Tyre, the bestower of crowns, whose traders are princes, whose merchants are the honored ones of the earth? 9 The Lord of Hosts planned it, to desecrate all its glorious beauty, to disgrace all the honored ones of the earth. 10 Overflow your land like the Nile, daughter of Tarshish; there is no longer anything to restrain you. 11 He stretched out His hand over the sea; He made kingdoms tremble. The Lord has commanded that the Canaanite fortresses be destroyed. 12 He said, “You will not rejoice anymore, ravished young woman, daughter of Sidon. Get up and cross over to Cyprus—even there you will have no rest!” 13 Look at the land of the Chaldeans—a people who no longer exist. Assyria destined it for desert creatures. They set up their siege towers and stripped its palaces. They made it a ruin. 14 Wail, ships of Tarshish, because your fortress is destroyed!
15 On that day Tyre will be forgotten for 70 years—the life span of one king. At the end of 70 years, what the song says about the prostitute will happen to Tyre:
16 Pick up your lyre, stroll through the city, prostitute forgotten by men. Play skillfully, sing many a song, and you will be thought of again.
17 And at the end of the 70 years, the Lord will restore Tyre and she will go back into business, prostituting herself with all the kingdoms of the world on the face of the earth. 18 But her profits and wages will be dedicated to the Lord. They will not be stored or saved, for her profit will go to those who live in the Lord’s presence, to provide them with ample food and sacred clothing.
PERSONAL JOURNAL:
SIN (verse 9): Father, just like those of Tyre, I far too often exude selfish pride. Please forgive me for my selfish pride because it does not glorify You. Help me to continue to build my relationship with You so that all I am and all I do glorifies You, Lord.
PROMISE (verses 17-18): Just like with Tyre, You assure us that any suffering we go through due to our sin is only temporary. That when we are ready to commit to You, again, Your grace and mercy over us will be restored.
ATTITUDE (verse 9): This verse is my sin confession, but also the attitude I must change. Father, help me to change my attitude of selfish pride so that my pride in You and our relationship overflows. Help me to always bring praise and glory to You and not myself.
COMMAND (verse 18): When You restored Tyre after 70 years of turmoil and destruction, You gave one condition on that restoral--that Tyre's profits and wages will be dedicated to the Lord and the Lord's people. Help me to follow this command better than I have been, Father. Help me to know and recognize the difference.
EXAMPLE (ALL verses): Lord, this entire chapter is such a great example of Your discipline, mercy, and grace. Father, help me to embrace that there are times when You must discipline us, but if we are faithful then we will eventually see and feel Your grace and mercy. Thank You, Jesus!
*DAILY NOTE: My selfish prideful ways have often gotten in the way of me truly walking in Your way, Your truth, and Your will for my life, Father. This chapter serves as a reminder to me that no matter how screwed up I am, You are ALWAYS faithful to Your promises, Father. Even when You discipline me for my mistakes at times, You do it out of love for me and in hopes that I learn from those mistakes and Your discipline to become a better follower of Jesus and to glorify Your kingdom. Thank You, Father!
*GENERAL NOTE: I always "sandwich" my quiet time with God in prayer and do it in a location that I will not have any distractions so that I can be focused on my quiet time with God. Do not worry about how short or long your journal entries are for that day's quiet time. Just focus on the actual quiet time and relational conversation with God through the Holy Spirit and His Word. The journaling is an enhancement to your quiet time conversation with God, but also to allow you to reflect on things later as you can look back on your journal entries later when you do the chapters again in the future to see how you have grown. See the FAQ for more detail on how I do my quiet time.
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