God is faithful to God’s promises. Before you die, you will find the acceptance and love you crave. It will not come in the way you expect. It will not follow your needs and wishes. But it will fill your heart and satisfy your deepest desire. There nothing to hold onto but this promise. Henri Nouwen
# 32 2025 Dev.Isa.23:11. The hand of God! Read all of chapter twenty-three first. We invite you into God’s space, to read His Word, to think on and interact with. This is God’s Story. Do you believe that this may also be part of our story, in our time? All passages are taken from the NIV.
Isa.23:11 “The Lord has stretched out his hand over the sea and made its kingdoms tremble.”
Isaiah 23 “A prophecy against Tyre” This is the last prophecy concerning the nations. Again, it is the hand of God, allowing this to happen. God speaks: “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isa 55:9)
Vs.1-3 “Tyre, in Lebanon, is one of the oldest cities in the world, having been continuously inhabited for over 4,700 years. Situated in the Levant on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, Tyre became the leading city of the Phoenician civilization in 969 BC…”(Wikipedia)
Vs.4-5 Sidon was 20 miles north of Tyre, both were importers of Egyptian grain. Nebuchadnezzar destroyed these cities at the same time he destroyed Jerusalem and sent people to Babylon from the whole area.
Vs.6-9 Tyre and Sidon were in competition in trade, the prophecy covered both of these cities. This affected Egypt as well.
Vs.10-16 Concerning Tarshish, “He (God) has given an order concerning Phoenicia that her fortresses be destroyed. He said, ‘No more of your reveling…’”
“The Jewish historian, Josephus, recounts that Cyrus was shown these specific prophecies from Isaiah, which motivated him to issue his decree and fulfill God’s word.”
Vs.17-18 “At the end of seventy years, the Lord will deal with Tyre. She will return to her lucrative prostitution and will ply her trade with all the kingdoms on the face of the earth. 18 Yet her profit and her earnings will be set apart for the Lord…” The return of the people of Judah we have recorded. It makes sense that Cyrus would also do that for Tyre and others. “Yet her profit will be set apart for the Lord.” Acts 21:3-6 confirms it; “We landed at Tyre, where our ship was to unload its cargo. We sought out the disciples there and stayed with them seven days. Through the Spirit they urged Paul not to go on to Jerusalem. When it was time to leave, we left and continued on our way. All of them, including wives and children, accompanied us out of the city, and there on the beach we knelt to pray. After saying goodbye to each other, we went aboard the ship, and they returned home.” (God’s ways are not our ways) Praise Him!
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