January 8, 2019: Day 38 – Isaiah 34

So you blink and all of a sudden you start reading about the sword of the Lord which is consumed with blood and fat from the carnage that He has enacted.  The wrath of the Lord in this Scripture is especially focused on Edom who is a neighbor of Israel\.  If you look at the map that I included in chapter 13 you’ll see where Edom resides, just to the southeast of Israel.  Edom was an arch enemy of the Israelites and they were starting to lose their ferocity with the encroachment of nomadic tribes in the area during Isaiah’s time.  They were responsible for the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem so Isaiah saves some of his harshest words for Edom.  

Isaiah also has a number of examples from nature that are fascinating.  If you look at vs.11 you see the hawk, hedgehog and owl and raven present.  Unfortunately it is not the best kept Hebrew so this verse is a bit more of a guess than us actually knowing that these animals were originally mentioned by the author.  But then he does mention a whole variety of animals that will be present in the waste and wilderness that is created by the action of the Lord against Edom.  We find mentioned jackals, ostriches, wildcats, hyenas, goat-demons (?), owl, and buzzards.  A real Noah’s ark of unwanted animals.

If you look at vs.14 you will see Lilith mentioned.  She was a hostile goddess associated with the religion of the Edomities, which was Sumerian mythology.  Interestingly enough later on she becomes in Hebrew lore the first wife of Adam.  I never knew that Eve was Adam’s second wife…Again, none of this is Scriptural, but Lilith would have been known by the people of Israel and she would have been feared.

If you look at vs. 16 you will see a command to read from the book of the Lord because God has commanded us to and his spirit will draw us  closer to him.  I’m just listening to this song now, I’m really into it.  For some reason, it seems to fit here.  The Spirit of the Lord can and should be upon us.