Prophetic People in Dark Days

Isaiah 16:9

Introduction
So I weep, as Jazer weeps, for the vines of Sibmah. O Heshbon, O Elealeh, I drench
you with tears!

So – refers back to the prophecy:

NIV – An Oracle
NLT – A Message
Afrikaans - Godspraak oor Moab
KJV – A Burden
It’s not enough to get a word from God; what counts is what you do with that word!
Table illustration
Being a prophetic people is not about foretelling the future.
It is about speaking forth God’s word effectively – it is the process of delivering God’s word to
your generation.
 Moabites were not God’s people.
 They were boastful and proud
 They were prosperous
 They worshipped idols
 They practised human sacrifice, particularly of children

God wanted to have a word with Moab about their behaviour – he did it through his people.
God has entrusted us with a message for this nation.

Care
The first step, therefore, is to care.
If you read through the prophecy you will see that it is not a very encouraging word.
 Moab is ruined, destroyed in a night
 Moab wails over Nebo and Medeba
 Every head is shaved and every beard cut off
 In the streets they wear sackcloth
 They all wail
 Moab’s fugitives flee and lament their destruction
 Moab’s rivers are dried up and the grass is withered

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  The vegetation is gone and nothing green is left
 Dimon’s waters are full of blood

If we ever feel like we have a word for someone, we want it to be a great encouragement. The
words that we like to bring are things like:
 God has a great future for you;
 God has a fantastic plan for your life;
 God really wants to bless you;
 Your future is going to be far better than your past.

We all like to give those kinds of messages. But the problem is that it’s not always like that. God
has a message for South Africa, and it’s not always going to be an easy message.
God is not about to give a message of encouragement to those that blatantly disregarding his
standards. Whilst God always loves the sinner, he also always hates the sin.
 God is not going to send a message of encouragement to corrupt politicians
 God is never going to reward those in adultery
 God is never going to anoint the drunkard
 God is never going to bless the thief or the cheat

Not unless they repent and change their ways. God’s message to these people is a warning – a
warning of impending judgement.
So I weep
This message was a burden for Moab, It was not simply a message, but was something that
influenced Isaiah; it was a burden for him, so much so that he wept.
Isaiah exercised sensitivity towards Moab

Share
The next thing that we need to do is to share; share in the burden.
Empathy is more than sympathy. It is a getting alongside, a sharing of the burden; an association
with the other party. And this is what Isaiah practiced, because he did not just weep, but he said :
So I weep, as Jazer weeps.
Let me translate this verse in a way that you can understand:
So I weep, as Asla weeps, for the vines of Stellenbosch. O Heiderand, O Dalmeida,
I drench you with tears!
Jazer was a town in Moab. When Isaiah heard this message it was not simply something that
moved him like we might be moved when we watch a sad movie – he did simply cry for a
moment and then quickly move on to other things; no he wept like Jazer weeps; he wept exactly
in the same way that the people of Moab wept.
He shared their grief. Sharing is more than caring:
Boy with cancer..........

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That is love of another kind.

You can’t learn it

You can’t fake it
You can’t hype it up
It’s the love and the power of God living in me.

Repair
Finally, we need to embrace responsibility; responsibility for helping the people move from
where they currently are, to where God wants them to be: Isaiah said.
So I weep, as Jazer weeps, for the vines of Sibmah. O Heshbon, O Elealeh, I drench
you with tears!

Sibmah – The best wines came from there.

If we want to be prophetic people, we need to move past the simple role of bearing a message,
and we need to start to take responsibility for helping the people to move from where they
currently are to that place where God wants them to be.

Mothers praying for the school

 concerned because school was poor, education, poor discipline, poor results.
 walked around the school 2 or 3 times per week praying
 after 3 years headmistress asked what they were doing
 after explanation, headmistress invited them in
 pray in the corridors, lay hands on the desks
 provided a room for them to pray, and allowed kids and/or parents to go there for prayer
 OSTED inspector came - could not believe the change since the previous inspection
 OSTED inspector asked “what has happened, there is such a spiritual atmosphere here”
 Told about the mothers praying - wanted to meet them
 taken to the prayer room, introduced - he knelt down, recommitted his life to Christ, and
then turned to the headmistress “would you like me to pray for you now?”

Boy looking for God

We are not just a message boy – we are the answer to the problem.

Conclusion
I can’t stop the rain, but I will hold you till it goes away.
 Care

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 Share
 Repair