The Bible Breakdown

Isaiah 16: Moab's Crocodile Tears

Brandon Cannon Episode 592

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Ever wonder if tears can really be fake, or if they can actually work to your advantage? On today's Bible Breakdown podcast, we unravel the story of Moab in Isaiah, chapter 16, where crocodile tears fail to sway divine judgment. We liken Moab's futile attempts to win mercy to bedtime antics with children—where the waterworks flow more from wanting to dodge consequences than from genuine remorse. Despite their cries, Moab's reliance on pagan shrines and hollow lamentations seals their fate, yet within this dire scenario, Isaiah offers a glimpse of hope with a prophetic reference to a Messiah who will bring mercy and truth to the world.

Switching gears, we celebrate the powerful theme of trust in the Lord, driven by Isaiah 12:2. This segment is all about embracing faith as our source of strength and reassurance, enabling us to live courageously and without fear. We reflect on the unwavering support and comfort that comes from knowing God is always by our side, ready to guide us through life’s trials. Through a heartfelt prayer of gratitude, we emphasize the victory that faith brings, inviting you to join us in recognizing the transformative power of divine trust in our spiritual journeys today.

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Speaker 1:

Hello everybody, welcome back to the Bible Breakdown podcast with your host, pastor Brandon, today. Isaiah, chapter 16,. We're going to call today Moab's Crocodile Tears Moab's Crocodile Tears. This is going to be a continuation of what we read yesterday, which was that God's got Moab on his radar, he's got his name on the list. Well, moab is going to pretend that they are seeking mercy. They're going to attempt, but judgment's still coming and we're going to get into all that in just a moment. But, as always, if you like what we're doing here, make sure you like share, subscribe to the YouTube channel and the podcast, make sure you leave us a five-star review on the podcast, make sure you're commenting on the YouTube channel and, as always, make sure you're going to the Bible Breakdown Discussion on Facebook. Man, the more we dig, the more we find them. They're doing a great job there. Okay, all right, if you have your Bibles, wanna open up with me to Isaiah, chapter 16, reading out of the New Living Translation. I wanna remind you and catch you up on what's going on in the book of Isaiah, and that is that the people of Israel, at this time, are experiencing social, political, every kind of upheaval and unrest you can imagine, and they're turning to everything but God. And so Isaiah, in spite of the Holy Spirit, is just crying out to the nation of Israel and saying God is our salvation. We're turning to everything else. We got to turn to God, and if we will turn to God, god will save us. He's got a big idea for us, but he'll also deal with all of our enemies. And so, as you can see, these chapters are kind of going back and forth, where he's talking about the big idea that God has for all of us, but he's also talking about the big idea he's got for all his enemies as well, and he's been dealing with all these different ones. And yesterday he was talking about how God's got Moab on his list. Judgment is coming for Moab. Well, today we see the second half of that and that Moab is like ah, I don't really want to be on that list. So I want to pretend I'm going to seek after some help, but not really, because judgment's coming and it makes me think of crocodile tears.

Speaker 1:

I don't know if you've ever heard the phrase crocodile tears, but it's the idea when someone's crying. But it's not real. I saw this when my girls were little, how, whenever it was bedtime, my girls would just cry, and what would be funny is I would ask them why they were crying and they couldn't even tell me. They're just so upset and every once in a while I'd see one little tear, one little tear come down and I get so tickled because I knew they were fine, they were full, they'd been to the bathroom, we had read stories, we had sang songs, we'd done everything. They just didn't want to go and they were acting sad, but they weren't really. And as a dad I could see right through it with a lot of practice. And my wife was even better at it, because sometimes they'd fool me. They never fooled my wife, right.

Speaker 1:

Well, now we see Moab going. Oh God, I'm so sorry, you know, and God's like no, sir, it's coming All right. So let's read this together Isaiah 16, verse 1 says this to the ruler of the land Send them through the desert to the mountains of beautiful Zion. The women of Moab are left like homeless birds at the shallow crossing of the Arnon River. Help us, they cry. Defend us against our enemies. Protect us from our relentless attack or from their relentless attack. Do not betray us. Now that we have escaped, let our refugees stay among you, hide us, hide them from our enemies until the terror is passed, when oppression and destruction have ended, the enemy raiders have disappeared, then God will establish one of David's descendants as king. He will rule with mercy and truth. He will always do what is right and just, and he's eager to do what is right. By the way, that was a scripture about the coming Messiah, always on the treasure hunt. Right, that was another one, verse 6.

Speaker 1:

There's the crocodile tears. Moab weeps. Yes, everyone in Moab mourns For the cakes of raisins from Kiriath Hareseth. They are all gone now. The farms of Heshbon are abandoned and the vineyards of Sibma are deserted. The rulers of the nations are broken down.

Speaker 1:

Moab, that beautiful grapevine. Its tendrils spread north as far as the town of Jazir and trailed eastward into the wilderness. Its shoots reached so far west that they crossed over the Dead Sea. So now I weep for Jezar and the vineyards of Shibma. My tears will flow for Heshbon and Elilah. There are no more shouts of joy over your summer fruits and harvest. Gone. Now is the gladness gone, the joy of harvest, shabbat shalom, joys. My heart's cry for Moab is like a lament on a harp. I am filled with anguish for Kirith Haresseth. The people of Moab will worship at their pagan shrines, but it will do them no good. They will cry to the gods in their temples, but no one will be able to save them.

Speaker 1:

The Lord has already said these things about Moab in the past. But now the Lord says within three years. Wow. So he's saying they can have all the crocodile tears they want. Their judgment is on its way. You know why? Because they don't mean it. They just don't want to get in trouble, they don't want to turn, they don't want to repent. They're unhappy that they're in trouble, not unhappy that they have offended God, that they have sinned, and judgment is coming. You know why this blesses my heart? It's because God knows. God knows who's sincere and who's not.

Speaker 1:

Now we can look at this in multiple ways. Number one can I tell you, god knows you, god knows your heart, god knows that you're trying. God knows that you know what. You're not perfect, you have good days, you have bad days, but your heart is in the right place and you're moving in the right direction, god knows. So if you don't hear anything else, can I tell you God knows. But the other thing is, god knows. God knows when we're not trying. God knows when we're not making time for him. God knows when we are putting other things in front of him. God knows. You know what else God knows. He knows what we know. He knows when everybody else can't see what that person's doing.

Speaker 1:

We feel like we're the only one. We feel like we're getting further behind when we're doing all the right things. We feel like we're being forgotten, that everybody else seems so very blessed, but why not us? We feel like that God doesn't see us and God doesn't know. Can I tell you, god knows. God knows those who are his. God knows what's going on. God knows what's going on on the inside. That's why we have to be so very careful not to ever think we know what somebody else is going through, or why someone else is going through a season of success, or why it seems as though someone else is getting ahead of us or not. God truly knows, and so we can trust him. We can trust him number one, to know our heart, to know when we're doing the best we can with what we have and when we're not. And then God also knows what's going on in the lives of others. He knows, and so we can trust in him always.

Speaker 1:

I want to challenge you today to trust the Lord, because he knows. Let's pray together right now. God, thank you so much for today. Thank you that you know us, thank you that you're with us and thank you that you're for us in all things. In Jesus' name, we pray, amen, amen. Well, god's word says in Isaiah, chapter 12, verse 2, god has come to save me. I will trust in him and not be afraid. The Lord, god, is my strength and my song. He has given me the victory. No-transcript.

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