Isaiah 18:1 says, Woe to the land shadowing with wings, which is beyond the rivers of Ethiopia: Isaiah then pronounced woe to the land of the shadowing wings, which it is not specified as to which country it is, but God knew. We may not always know what specific country God has pronounced His judgment against, but we can be certain that He knows, and this judgment will be because they have refused to obey Him. This does not make God vindictive because people don’t obey Him, but only states that He will judge those, whether nations or individuals, who do not accept the gift of forgiveness He has provided through the sacrifice of His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, by His death, burial and resurrection. Those who do not will one day live in everlasting woe.
Verse two adds, That sendeth ambassadors by the sea, even in vessels of bulrushes upon the waters, saying, Go, ye swift messengers, to a nation scattered and peeled, to a people terrible from their beginning hitherto; a nation meted out and trodden down, whose land the rivers have spoiled! The people of this nation would be coming by ship to get the people of Isreal to depend on them instead of God. We may be in distress today and someone offer us a way out that is not done under the leadership and power of God, but this will always ultimately fail.
Verse three continues All ye inhabitants of the world, and dwellers on the earth, see ye, when he lifteth up an ensign on the mountains; and when he bloweth a trumpet, hear ye. All the nations were summoned to take heed of what God was about to do. We as followers of Jesus Christ today need to be sounding the alarm about the destruction that awaits everyone who refuses to come to God through putting their faith in Jesus Christ, but our main message should still be the gospel and the fact that it shows us the love of God even when we stand in defiance against Him.
Verse four states, For so the Lord said unto me, I will take my rest, and I will consider in my dwelling place like a clear heat upon herbs, and like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest. Isaiah was to give the people of Israel assurance that even if they didn't see it that God was still at work protecting them. We may at times feel that God has abandoned us if things in life get too bad, but we as Christians can rest assured that He never will.
Verse five states, For afore the harvest, when the bud is perfect, and the sour grape is ripening in the flower, he shall both cut off the sprigs with pruning hooks, and take away and cut down the branches. Isaiah said that even while the harvest was first blossoming, and while the sour grape was still ripening it would be cut off with pruning forks. This was a prophesy of what God was going to do to the army of Assyria even while they were bitter about Judah and thinking they would be easy to pluck militarily. We may never know the number of times God has defeated our enemies when they are ready to attack us because we seem weak in the eyes of the world.
Verse six adds, They shall be left together unto the fowls of the mountains, and to the beasts of the earth: and the fowls shall summer upon them, and all the beasts of the earth shall winter upon them. Isaiah stated further that the Assyrian army would be left for the vultures and wild animals to feast off of. Matthew Henry says these two verses seem to refer to the avenging angel destroying the Assyrian army. I do know that as followers of Christ, He has already destroyed all our spiritual enemies and all we need to do is follow the leadership of the Holy Spirit and the victory will always be ours.
Verse seven continues, In that time shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts of a people scattered and peeled, and from a people terrible from their beginning hitherto; a nation meted out and trodden under foot, whose land the rivers have spoiled, to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts, the mount Zion. This may refer to the praise given to God by the people of Judah as they were gathered from where they had been scattered or to the spreading of the gospel to the gentiles, or the whole world later on. Either way, we know that God does gather and protect those who believe in Jesus Christ and He will one day gather us all to our heavenly home. At that time, all our enemies will be sent away to everlasting punishment, and those who are God’s people by faith will rejoice with Him.