Isaiah 15

Isaiah 15:1

Four With a Stately March

To keep us from thinking that the small of the previous verses is always better than the big, Agur gives four illustrations of stately creatures. They are all leaders (Proverbs 30:29). The contrast with the previous four is clear. They are not powerless beings with whom you can do whatever you want, but they impress. They possess leadership qualities. There is something majestic about the way they move around. They “are stately in [their] march” and “are stately when they walk”. First we are given three examples from the animal world. They are the prelude to the fourth, the king who has his army with him. The army enhances the impression of his majesty.

The first animal with a royal appearance is “the lion”, the king among beasts (Proverbs 30:30). He “does not retreat before any”. On the contrary, everyone avoids him and gives him wide latitude. His way of moving around commands awe. Power radiates from it. He will not quicken his pace to flee, for he knows no fear of anyone. By his strength and majesty he illustrates Christ, “the ruler of the kings of the earth”, “the Lion from the tribe of Judah” (Revelation 1:5; Revelation 5:5).

We also see in “a strutting rooster” (Proverbs 30:31) a royal appearance as he parades among the chickens. We find something of this in the Dutch saying “his rooster crows king” (= he achieves victory). The rooster crows when the sun rises, at the beginning of a new day. It is a sign of a new beginning. We see this in Peter’s denial of the Lord Jesus. When the rooster crowed, Peter woke up, as it were, and repented of what he had done (Matthew 26:75). That was the beginning of the way back.

We can therefore see the rooster as a symbol of the announcement of the coming of the King. Christ will appear in majesty as Judge to judge the world and establish His kingdom of peace.

The walk of “the male goat” is also stately. With his head proudly raised, he walks before the flock (Jeremiah 50:8), he goes at the head of it. The male goat is pre-eminently the animal that was used as a sin offering. It recalls the Lord Jesus Who went with royal dignity to Jerusalem to die as the sin offering. He had purposed to go that way and do that work and no one could stop Him in that (Luke 9:51). That work is the basis for His return to earth, for by that work He regained the right to creation.

Christ comes back to earth as “a king” and his “army is with Him”. A king with an army with him makes a great impression. No one dares oppose him and no one can stand against him. That will happen when Christ returns as King with all His people with Him (Revelation 19:11-21). It is the people He has sanctified for Himself, for whom He has offered the sacrifice. That people may reign with Him.

Isaiah 15:2

Four With a Stately March

To keep us from thinking that the small of the previous verses is always better than the big, Agur gives four illustrations of stately creatures. They are all leaders (Proverbs 30:29). The contrast with the previous four is clear. They are not powerless beings with whom you can do whatever you want, but they impress. They possess leadership qualities. There is something majestic about the way they move around. They “are stately in [their] march” and “are stately when they walk”. First we are given three examples from the animal world. They are the prelude to the fourth, the king who has his army with him. The army enhances the impression of his majesty.

The first animal with a royal appearance is “the lion”, the king among beasts (Proverbs 30:30). He “does not retreat before any”. On the contrary, everyone avoids him and gives him wide latitude. His way of moving around commands awe. Power radiates from it. He will not quicken his pace to flee, for he knows no fear of anyone. By his strength and majesty he illustrates Christ, “the ruler of the kings of the earth”, “the Lion from the tribe of Judah” (Revelation 1:5; Revelation 5:5).

We also see in “a strutting rooster” (Proverbs 30:31) a royal appearance as he parades among the chickens. We find something of this in the Dutch saying “his rooster crows king” (= he achieves victory). The rooster crows when the sun rises, at the beginning of a new day. It is a sign of a new beginning. We see this in Peter’s denial of the Lord Jesus. When the rooster crowed, Peter woke up, as it were, and repented of what he had done (Matthew 26:75). That was the beginning of the way back.

We can therefore see the rooster as a symbol of the announcement of the coming of the King. Christ will appear in majesty as Judge to judge the world and establish His kingdom of peace.

The walk of “the male goat” is also stately. With his head proudly raised, he walks before the flock (Jeremiah 50:8), he goes at the head of it. The male goat is pre-eminently the animal that was used as a sin offering. It recalls the Lord Jesus Who went with royal dignity to Jerusalem to die as the sin offering. He had purposed to go that way and do that work and no one could stop Him in that (Luke 9:51). That work is the basis for His return to earth, for by that work He regained the right to creation.

Christ comes back to earth as “a king” and his “army is with Him”. A king with an army with him makes a great impression. No one dares oppose him and no one can stand against him. That will happen when Christ returns as King with all His people with Him (Revelation 19:11-21). It is the people He has sanctified for Himself, for whom He has offered the sacrifice. That people may reign with Him.

Isaiah 15:3

Pressing Produces Something

Agur does not end with the dignity suggested in the previous verses. That would have been a nice ending. Instead, he ends with a warning that is a final call to humility (Proverbs 30:32-33). The examples in Proverbs 30:30-31 are about leaders. A fool may take the wrong lesson from them and assume to be a leader (Proverbs 30:32). Therefore, the warning sounds against pride in the heart (“exalting”) and against evil thoughts (“plotted”).

Let him in whom this is found quickly realize that this is folly, and let him not express his prideful thoughts (Proverbs 30:32). Therefore, the “hand on your mouth” (cf. Job 40:4-5). With Job, it is the hand on the mouth toward God. With Agur, it is the hand on the mouth in mutual intercourse. It is worse to think bad; it is even worse to also speak out that bad. When the latter happens, one gives in to the bad thought and others are affected by it.

Exalting oneself and plotting something is not yet the act. Yet Agur says that a person “has been foolish” when pride and bad thoughts are present. Indeed, thoughts are equated with deeds. The Lord Jesus confirms that: “But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart” (Matthew 5:28). Therefore, not only wrong deeds must be judged and confessed, but also evil motives and thoughts.

In Proverbs 30:33, three comparisons present what the result is if the hand is not put on the mouth. We see this from the word “for” with which the verse begins. If he continues to carry out his prideful thoughts, he will only cause discord. In his presumed leadership, he puts pressure on others. Putting pressure on something has a consequence.

When pressure is put on milk, when it is stirred vigorously, butter is produced. The original healthy drink is no longer drinkable. If pressure is applied to the nose, if someone gets a blow to the nose, blood comes out of the nose. The original function of the nose, to take in odors, is disabled. On the contrary, blood loss takes place. The last example of pressure is what it is actually about. A person can be so pressured that he becomes angry and then strife ensues.

The examples make the point of this concluding advice clear. Agur urges us to strive for peace and harmony through an attitude of humility and justice. He ends his proverbs with the same thought he began with.

Isaiah 15:4

Pressing Produces Something

Agur does not end with the dignity suggested in the previous verses. That would have been a nice ending. Instead, he ends with a warning that is a final call to humility (Proverbs 30:32-33). The examples in Proverbs 30:30-31 are about leaders. A fool may take the wrong lesson from them and assume to be a leader (Proverbs 30:32). Therefore, the warning sounds against pride in the heart (“exalting”) and against evil thoughts (“plotted”).

Let him in whom this is found quickly realize that this is folly, and let him not express his prideful thoughts (Proverbs 30:32). Therefore, the “hand on your mouth” (cf. Job 40:4-5). With Job, it is the hand on the mouth toward God. With Agur, it is the hand on the mouth in mutual intercourse. It is worse to think bad; it is even worse to also speak out that bad. When the latter happens, one gives in to the bad thought and others are affected by it.

Exalting oneself and plotting something is not yet the act. Yet Agur says that a person “has been foolish” when pride and bad thoughts are present. Indeed, thoughts are equated with deeds. The Lord Jesus confirms that: “But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart” (Matthew 5:28). Therefore, not only wrong deeds must be judged and confessed, but also evil motives and thoughts.

In Proverbs 30:33, three comparisons present what the result is if the hand is not put on the mouth. We see this from the word “for” with which the verse begins. If he continues to carry out his prideful thoughts, he will only cause discord. In his presumed leadership, he puts pressure on others. Putting pressure on something has a consequence.

When pressure is put on milk, when it is stirred vigorously, butter is produced. The original healthy drink is no longer drinkable. If pressure is applied to the nose, if someone gets a blow to the nose, blood comes out of the nose. The original function of the nose, to take in odors, is disabled. On the contrary, blood loss takes place. The last example of pressure is what it is actually about. A person can be so pressured that he becomes angry and then strife ensues.

The examples make the point of this concluding advice clear. Agur urges us to strive for peace and harmony through an attitude of humility and justice. He ends his proverbs with the same thought he began with.

Isaiah 15:6

The Words to Lemuel

This section is the only one in this book where a king is directly addressed. It is also an entire chapter that comes from a woman filled with Divine wisdom. The teaching in the first section includes two warnings (Proverbs 31:2-7) and an advice (Proverbs 31:8-9). The mother warns her son, the king, about the dangers of sexuality and drinking. She takes her time and is frank about it. Even today, it is important for parents to speak frankly and clearly with their children about these topics. If we warn children in their youth, they will heed it when they get older (Proverbs 22:6).

Lemuel means ‘devoted to God’ or ‘belonging to God’. His name occurs only here. Lemuel was taught by his mother. It was “the oracle” or “the burden” she had on her heart. This fits with the way teaching is passed on in the book of Proverbs. The book began with the words of a father to his son: “Hear, my son, your father’s instruction” (Proverbs 1:8a). There the father also says to him: “And do not forsake your mother’s teaching” (Proverbs 1:8b). This teaching is given in detail in this last chapter.

It confirms the great influence mothers have on their children. The books of 1 Kings and 2 Chronicles often mention the name of a king’s mother (1 Kings 11:26; 1 Kings 14:21; 1 Kings 15:2; 2 Chronicles 12:13; 2 Chronicles 13:2; 2 Chronicles 20:31). It is a great blessing to have a God-fearing mother (2 Timothy 1:5; 2 Timothy 3:15). Lemuel’s mother is honored by God because He reserves an entire chapter in His Word for her teaching. This proves the value of her words for every generation throughout the centuries up to today. After his mother, his own wife is the second woman who has a great influence on a man. About her value Lemuel’s mother speaks from Proverbs 31:10.

Her words also apply to us. After all, we are kings (Revelation 1:6). We do not yet exercise kingship, but we do possess its dignity and should therefore behave ‘kingly’. Therefore, we should take the warnings of the mother to heart.

Isaiah 15:7

Appeal to Listen to Advice

In the threefold use of the word “what” we hear the passionate desire of the mother that her son will respond to his high calling. She speaks as one who ponders what advice she will give her son, so full of concern is she for him. The question, which is at the same time a call, comes like a deep sigh from the heart of the mother who is concerned about the well-being of her son. She wants to tell him what is for his benefit and to do so in words, which strike him and linger: “The words of wise men are like goads, and masters of [these] collections are like well-driven nails; they are given by one Shepherd” (Ecclesiastes 12:11).

The mother speaks to her son penetratingly in a voice full of love. She wants his full attention. The triple repetition of “son” shows the seriousness of the warning. She first calls him “my son”. This indicates her direct relationship with him. Next, she addresses him as “the son of my womb”. By this she is saying that he is her own son; he is not adopted, but born of her. Finally, she calls him “son of my vows”. This indicates that she had consecrated him to the LORD. This recalls what Hannah did to Samuel (1 Samuel 1:11). Like Hannah, she will no doubt have prayed a lot for this child, both before and after his birth (1 Samuel 1:28).

Isaiah 15:8

Warning Against Women

The first danger she points out to him is that of women. She warns him not to give his “strength to women”. Her warning is that he should not spend his time satisfying his sexual desires. There are plenty of women around him, but he should not focus his attention on them. If he does, his strength will be consumed by it. He will no longer have strength to perform his actual task as king.

A lot of kings have been rendered powerless in the exercise of their kingship by giving in to their sexual lusts. Among them are David and especially Solomon. They experienced to their shame in their life the truth of what the mother says here (2 Samuel 12:9-10; 1 Kings 11:11; Nehemiah 13:26). It is not wrong to have a wife. He who has had a wife has received a great gift from God. What is wrong, sinful and pernicious is to have more than one.

Isaiah 15:9

Warning Against Wine

The other danger, often associated with the danger of women, is becoming dependent on drink (Proverbs 31:4; Hosea 4:11; Revelation 17:2). Wine in itself is not wrong (Judges 9:13; Psalms 104:15). It is wrong to drink too much of it. For a king this applies even more emphatically. He should neither drink it nor ask for it. It is about the excessive use of alcohol or the need for it because of the constant pressure on him. Anyone who wants to be able to rule a people well must first of all be able to rule himself. In this Noah failed when he was given the government over the cleansed earth (Genesis 9:1-7; 20-24).

The mother holds out to him the consequence of excessive drinking: then he “will … forget what is decreed” (Proverbs 31:5). He will forget the king’s law, in which God has told him how to behave to be a good king (Deuteronomy 17:17-20). Drink clouds the mind. Those who are drunk no longer see things clearly and cannot make just judgments in disputes.

A drunken king is repugnant (1 Kings 16:8-9; 1 Kings 20:16). As for speaking justice in a trial, he will do no more than “pervert the rights of all the afflicted”. None of the afflicted will receive his right because the king is clouded in his mind. In addition, the rich who exploit the afflicted can manipulate him (cf. Hosea 7:5). They will surely predict to him what judgment he should make.

Proverbs 31:6-7 are most likely meant to be sarcastic. It cannot be a serious advice that strong drink is better given to people who are in agony (“who is perishing”), who are severely depressed (“whose life is bitter”), or who are in “poverty” and “trouble”. The advice would then be: Just give them so much spirits and wine that they get drunk. Then they will forget their misery and stop thinking about it. This advice cannot be meant seriously because the problems have not disappeared, but are still very much alive when the intoxication is over. Then they just have to drink again. In this way it becomes an addiction. It is much more so, that people who are perishing or bitter sorrow need God’s Word, understanding and practical help.

For a king who is under high pressure, who is looked up to and from whom justice is expected, the use of alcohol is not an option. He must not shirk his responsibilities or seek relief from them by ‘drinking’. A king who knows that his task has been given to him by God will expect everything from God for the performance of that task. Then he will get what he needs.

The advice King Lemuel receives from his mother is also important for us. We are kings and may reign with the Lord Jesus (Revelation 1:6). We do not reign as kings yet, but we do have the dignity of a king. We forfeit that dignity through wrong dealing with sexuality and drink. When we give in to the lust for these, we lose the purity and simplicity of our devotion to the Lord (cf. Revelation 14:4-5) and become objects of contempt and manipulation.