The song of the prostitute: Take up a harp, walk through
the city, you forgotten prostitute; play the harp well, sing many a song, so
that you will be remembered (Isaiah 23:15,16).
In this final installment of Isaiah’s oracles against
the nations, the focus turns to
Phoenicia, home of two of the Mediterranean’s greatest seaports, Tyre and
Sidon. Phoenicia was best known for its trade with other nations: its sailing
ships traveled around the Mediterranean, visiting seaports from Egypt to Spain.
Rather than compete for military control of the region, Phoenicia was content
to sit back and take profits wherever it could.
In that respect, Isaiah refers to Tyre and Sidon as
prostitutes, plying their wares, luring in business. But Phoenicia’s political
neutrality would not protect its economic ventures forever. Isaiah forecasts
the coastal nation’s defeat at the hands of Assyria, for the Assyrian Empire
wanted control over those port cities and their corresponding trade routes with
other nations.
But there would come a time, after Assyria’s strength ran
its course, that Tyre and Sidon would once again be back in business, like old prostitutes
singing their seductive songs trying to entice back customers from yesterday.
Isaiah teaches us that the strongest economy will never be
strong enough to serve as a foundation on which to build. Only faith in God
stands the test of time and trouble.
TODAY’S MEDITATION
How can you make sure
you’re building your future on the strongest foundation?
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