The Burden Of Dumah

"The burden of Dumah.

One calleth unto me out of Seir, Watchman, what of the night? Watchman, what of the night? The watchman saith, the morning cometh, and also the night: if ye will inquire, inquire ye turn ye, come."Isaiah 21. 11, 12.

The prophets of Jehovah were remarkable men with arduous duties to fulfil. Raised up, called, and fitted of God, their service was weighty and many-sided. Among the responsibilities of their office, was that indicated in the term Watchman ; and in this respect their position called for ceaseless vigilance-" 0 Lord, I stand continually on the watch-tower in the day-time, and am set in my ward whole nights." Faithfulness of speech was demanded no less than clearness of vision, and unshrinking courage withal to declare the message.

Among Jehovah's watchmen of old, Isaiah held a notable place. He is seen as watchman inn tine passage before us--" One calleth unto me out of Seir, Watchman, what of the night?"

Ah, even in Seir there was inquiring voice-and in Israel there was a watchman to answer the inquiry. Was it not remarkable that from Seir an enquiring cry should arise? Seir, stands for Edom (" The land of Seir. the country of Edom" Genesis 32. 3, A.V.) whose people were a haughty, ungodly race: no friends were they to Israel---nay their attitude was one of continuous enmity. Hostile alike toward Jehovah and His people, they had incurred His displeasure and were subject to His righteous judgement-yet, even so--even out of Seir, the land of Edom, an anxious cry arose- One calleth unto me out of Seir, Watchman, what of the night?

That the caller was the spokesman for others is evident from the prophet's reply-" If ye (plural) will inquire, inquire ye; turn ye, come." We may marvel at an inquiry from such a quarter, and at a reply which threw the door of mercy open- "Inquire ye, turn ye, come, yet our wonder vanishes quickly as we remember that "The Lord is full of compassion and gracious, Slow to anger and plenteous in mercy."

If the sovereignty of God's grace shines in the message-- inquire ye, turn ye, come, it is rendered all the more conspicuous by reason of the dark background of a haughty, independent, godless Edom, whose disdainful silence Godward is broken only by the cry of a remnant few voiced by-" one calleth unto me out of Seir."

We have used the word silence, advisedly, in the light of the fact that this is the "Burden of Dumah "-which means silence. Time and space do not permit us to dwell on the deep significance of time word Dumah in this particular passage, we merely point out that the word has not been translated, but (as in the case of some other words) transferred from the Hebrew into our English Bible. Elsewhere the word has been translated, being rendered silence-Psalm 94. 17, and 115. 17, while the cognate form is rendered silent, in various passages (perhaps the word in our tongue which most nearly resembles the Hebrew dumahm, both in form and meaning, is the word dumb: this, indeed, is the root meaning of dumah). We have said barely enough to indicate that, in our understanding, together with the ordinary and obvious reference to Edom, there is a deeper and suggestive significance attaching to Dumah in the prophetic oracle of Isaiah 21. 11, 12; but our space is very limited this month, and we wish to utilize it to a practical end; so we return to the point that the cry out of Seir to Jehovah's watchman Isaiah, stands in marked contrast with the silence in general of haughty, self-sufficient Edom in its independency and indifference to Jehovah. What then-does the cry out of Seir, "Watchman, what of the night," fall upon dull ears ? No, far from that indeed, for the response is quick and ready-word from Jehovah is upon the watchman's lips-"The watchman saith, The morning cometh, and also the night."

THE MORNING COMETH!

"There shall be One ... He shall be as the light of the morning ... a morning without clouds."

"Light is sown for the righteous, and gladness for

the upright in heart."

"The morning cometh "-AND ALSO THE NIGHT!

"The way of the wicked is as darkness."

"Behold, distress and darkness, the gloom of anguish,

and into thick darkness shall they be driven away."

The morning cometh, and also the night: if ye will inquire (inquire further), inquire ye turn ye, come." Thus

Warning with accents of mercy doth blend

TURN YE, COME!

"Wisdom crieth aloud ... turn you at my reproof:

Behold I will pour out My Spirit unto you, I will make known My words unto you."

"Let the wicked forsake his way . . . arid let him return unto the Lord, and He will have mercy on him; and to our God for He will abundantly pardon."

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What of things to-day ? Is there no counterpart all around us of Edom in its pride, self-sufficiency, and independency of God ? Is it not a fact ? that while there is a veritable babel of voices in regard to everything under the sun, the silence God-ward is appalling! "Dumah" is writ large on this present evil world to-day. Yet, hark! Is there not a "cry out of Seir"? Even out of this godless Edom-like scene do not some voices arise like those of the inquiring "ye of Isaiah 21. 12? And

THE WATCHMAN!

Is the watchman of to-day at his post? Is the child of God, Isaiah-like, on the watch-tower? Are we looking, listening, on the alert, and ready with the Word of the Lord upon our lips?

Happy, thrice happy the child of God who, watchman-like, serves his Heavenly Master in the spirit that animated the faithful watchman of old.

As we, in the closing days of the present year meditate on these things (in which we have tried to avoid travelling on any beaten path may our hearts burn within us, while the voice of the Master rings in our ears- "Let your loins be girded about,

and your lamps burning;

and be yourselves like unto men

looking for their lord."

unknown | Dec 1933
General