68. Watchman, What of the Night?

Hymns: RHC 151 O Come, O Come Emmanuel 147 Away In the Manger 146 Silent Night! Holy Night!

Isaiah 21:11-17

¹¹ The burden of Dumah. He calleth to me out of Seir, Watchman, what of the night? Watchman, what of the night? ¹² The watchman said, The morning cometh, and also the night: if ye will enquire, enquire ye: return, come. ¹³ The burden upon Arabia. In the forest in Arabia shall ye lodge, O ye travelling companies of Dedanim. ¹⁴ The inhabitants of the land of Tema brought water to him that was thirsty, they prevented with their bread him that fled. ¹⁵ For they fled from the swords, from the drawn sword, and from the bent bow, and from the grievousness of war. ¹⁶ For thus hath the Lord said unto me, Within a year, according to the years of an hireling, and all the glory of Kedar shall fail: ¹⁷ And the residue of the number of archers, the mighty men of the children of Kedar, shall be diminished: for the LORD God of Israel hath spoken it.

Watchman, What of the Night?

OUTLINE

• Return (v11-12)
• Reject (v13-17)

INTRODUCTION

That the dawn of salvation will come is certain. Before the day breaks, however, there will be a long night of encroaching gloom. To show how all-embracing this gloom is, the prophet takes one example, and points out that even Edom will be affected.

• Return (v11-12)

¹¹ The burden of Dumah. He calleth to me out of Seir, Watchman, what of the night? Watchman, what of the night?

In the designation of his oracle, he uses a more or less cryptic word, Dumah, by means of which he calls attention both to Edom (for the similarity in sound cannot be overlooked), and also to the stillness of death.

A night like the night of death has come over the land; the name is symbolical, for Dumah means “stillness,” and the allusion is to the deep utter silence of the dead.

Edom, therefore, is the land of stillness, the land of the dead, the land where the stillness of death either has come or is about to come.

By removing the a sound from the beginning of the word (A-dom) and placing it at the end (dum-A), Isaiah makes the very name Edom become a sign of Edom’s future fate.

In vision, Isaiah hears voices which cry unto him from Seir. He alone can give information concerning the outcome of terrifying invasion; and in this call to him there is a tacit acknowledgement that he is a representative of the true God, who alone knows the actual state of world affairs.

The voice cry from Seir, and this fact supports the view that in the name Dumah we have a reflection upon Edom. As in a city that sleeps, the watcher of the night would be the only one awake and informed, so in the night of death that was creeping over the earth, Isaiah stood alone as a watchman.

¹² The watchman said, The morning cometh, and also the night: if ye will enquire, enquire ye: return, come.

The ordinary translation, “Watchman, what of the night?” does not bring out the full force of the original. We may more accurately render the question, “Watchman, what part of the night is it?”

Underlying the question is the thought, “How much of the night has passed, how much more must we endure before the light of the morning comes?”

As a sick person lying awake through the long, agonizing hours of night cries out to know what the time is and how much of the night has passed, so Edom, felling the oppression of Assyria, will call out to the prophet to ask him how much longer the oppression must endure.

Only Isaiah can answer that question. It is an importunate question, and the importunateness is seen in that the question is repeated.

It is the cry of a suffering people. How far spent is the night? In other words, how long more will be have to endure?

In the preceding verse Isaiah himself had been addressed as the watchman. In this verse, the watchman objectifies himself and speaks in the third person, for attention must not be drawn to the speaker but to the message itself, which is one of wondrous significance.

The answer is crisp and direct and yet is shrouded with a certain veil of obscurity.

“There comes morning and also night,” cries the prophet. He puts the verb in the perfect in order to set forth the certainty with which the action it expresses will be accomplished.

Isaiah’s language is also poetic, for he does not use the definite article either with words morning or night.

What, however, is the meaning of the answer? As Isaiah spoke it would seem that darkness or night covered the earth. The shadow of the oppressing Mesopotamian power was spreading over the world, and that shadow shut out the light, bringing with it the oppressing darkness of night.

Could there be a morning coming and also a night. But a night is already with Edom.

What then does Isaiah mean? Probably he means that there will be a morning with its saving light to those who to those who have refuge in the Lord, but that a night of destruction will fall upon all others. For them it will be an enduring eternal night, from which there is no deliverance. There is nothing in this mysterious language to suggest that there will be morning and light for all men.

We are reminded of the account of the rich man and the beggar recorded in Luke 16:19-31 (KJV) There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day: And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores, And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame. But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented.

And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence. Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father’s house: For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment. Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them. And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent. And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.

In support of the interpretation just given we must note the remainder of the verse. The Edomites are told what they are to do, earnestly. In fact, they are actually commanded so to do.

One is reminded of the passage in Deuteronomy 4:29 (KJV) But if from thence thou shalt seek the LORD thy God, thou shalt find him, if thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul.

God alone is a sure basis for the deliverance, and the Edomites must look for such a sure basis.

The last two words of the verse are abrupt: “Return, come.”

It is as simple as that. “Return” or simply, “turn.”

In their present condition there is no answer for the Edomites; they must come again in repentance to the Lord, and then they will be heard. [EJ Young]

At the present time they have no announcement of salvation. The time of deliverance has not yet come; Edom must again inquire and must come again.

If she would receive the light of the morning she must return, else for her there awaits only the coming of the night.

In reality the answer amounts to a rejection. For years the Edomites had been oppressors of Judah and hostile to her. If now at this time they come it will merely be to escape the might of Assyria and the consequences of oppression; it will not be coming with a pure heart.

• Reject (v13-17)

¹³ The burden upon Arabia. In the forest in Arabia shall ye lodge, O ye travelling companies of Dedanim.

Here is an explanation of the answer given to Edom in v12. The land would be in such a state that caravans that were able to travel undisturbed in normal conditions and times would now have to leave the main road and life in hiding among the bushes.

The night would creep upon Edom and extend even to Arabia.

The word Arabia, however, does not refer to the entire land, but merely to a part of Arabia; and insofar as the title refers to Arabian tribes, a suitable one.

In the title and the following two words the combination occurs three times. It is strange that the prophet should describe the caravans as spending the night in the forest, for forests are rare in Arabia, if they occur at all.

Probably what the prophet makes reference to it simply the shrub and thicket. In these it would be possible even for a caravan to make its camp and to remain unnoticed and hidden. Such a camp would not be near the main routes of travel, but far removed from them at a safe distance, so that any spies of the enemy, who would probably not know the land well, could not find the fugitives.

The caravans are said to belong to the Dedaim, who are mentioned elsewhere also in connection with Edom and Teima.

Jeremiah 49:8 (KJV) Flee ye, turn back, dwell deep, O inhabitants of Dedan; for I will bring the calamity of Esau upon him, the time that I will visit him.

Ezekiel 25:13 (KJV) Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; I will also stretch out mine hand upon Edom, and will cut off man and beast from it; and I will make it desolate from Teman; and they of Dedan shall fall by the sword.

Dedan was a region of Arabia, and its caravans were probably simply ordinary travelling caravans, such as characterized the Arabian desert. [EJ Young]

The Assyrians first made an invasion into Arabia in 732 and then again under Sargon II in 725. It is interesting to note that Sargon also brought Arabian troops in Samaria.

When an invading army was occupying the land, it would be necessary for the caravans which belonged to the Dedanim to travel away from the regular routes, should they wish to proceed to safety.

Armed merely with bows, the desert Arabians would be no match against the Assyrians with their long swords, javelins, and shields, and composite bows. Not would their fleet camels serve against well-armed Assyrian cavalry.

¹⁴ The inhabitants of the land of Tema brought water to him that was thirsty, they prevented with their bread him that fled.

There is a true protection in the desert, for the inhabitants of Teima bring water to the thirsty travellers. Teima is to be identified with the present oasis Teima, southeast Maan.

Insomuch as it was an oasis, Teima would be able to supply that most needed blessings, namely, water. The language suggests that there was some kind of fixed arrangement, as though caravans travelling in the desert might count on help from the inhabitants of Teima.

The subject of the first verb is probably general, and we may render “To meet the thirsty one water is brought.”

The mention of Teima shows how far into the desert the courage of Assyria had reached.

Not only is water brought, but also bread, even bread that belongs to the fugitive. In an unknown wild land the caravans might wander about in uncertainty. Yet the people of Teima will provide for them, bringing the food that they need.

¹⁵ For they fled from the swords, from the drawn sword, and from the bent bow, and from the grievousness of war.

These people who wandered about have actually fled, and are even in process of fleeing from before swords. War has come to the land of Arabia, and its black shwdows are cast over the country.

It is the hour of the powers of darkness, when men were trying to erect a universal kingdom, and the results of their efforts were to inflict misery and suffering.

In Arabia, for example, men were dispersed and were fleeing for their lives. The enemy was ready to strike, and the inhabitants of the land to fear. It is a strong contrast.

Those who once trusted only in their weapons now fear before swords. Four times in this verse the prophet introduces the phrase from before. [EJ Young]

There was much that the people had to fear. It is no mere imagining, but actual war and its dreadful consequences that inspire fear in the people’s hearts. Nor is it merely warfare in general of which Isaiah speaks, but a sword, that is extended, given up, abandoned to itself, and allowed to do its worse. Together with the extended sword was a drawn bow, and the entire burden and heaviness that war brings.

¹⁶ For thus hath the Lord said unto me, Within a year, according to the years of an hireling, and all the glory of Kedar shall fail:

What is to be the outcome of this flight? Will the caravans escape the ravages of war? The Lord, who is the Sovereign One, has spoken to Isaia; and what He has said to Isaiah now relates.

A time has been fixed for the destruction of Arabia. This time is one year, a period reckoned as labourers and employers reckon.

The employer sets a definite time for the labourers to work and such a definite period of time will elapse before the military strength of Kedar is taken away.

The word Kedar designates the people who are fleeing, for, as we learn from Genesis 25:13, Kedar was a tribe of Ishmaelite descent.

Genesis 25:13 (KJV) And these are the names of the sons of Ishmael, by their names, according to their generations: the firstborn of Ishmael, Nebajoth; and Kedar, and Adbeel, and Mibsam,

The catastrophe in Arabia would be widespread.

¹⁷ And the residue of the number of archers, the mighty men of the children of Kedar, shall be diminished: for the LORD God of Israel hath spoken it.

The message is one of sadness. For Kedar there is no hope. The night is to overshadow the land, and light will not appear. By means of contrast and this glance at the strength of the weapons of the Arabs Isaiah places emphasis upon the contrast with v15.

More and more the power of Assyria grew, and more and more Edom ad Arabia eclipsed. With the downfall of Babylon, Edom and Arabia eclipsed. With the downfall of Babylon, Edom and Arabia sank deeper into the background.

Light came to Judah when the Son of God appeared on earth. Then indeed, there would have been a morning for Edom; but the morning was not recognized, for an Edomite (Herod the Idumean), rather than seeing the morning, sought to slay all the children of Bethlehem of two years old and under. [EJ Young]

CONCLUSION

Thus, Edom and Arabia were cast aside, and finally the darkness of Islam covered the Arabian Peninsula. It could not have turned out otherwise, for the God of Israel had spoken.