WORD STUDY: SWORD
Isaiah 1:20; “But if you refuse and rebel you shall be devoured by the sword for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”
Sword – Hebrew: charav – sword, destruction, lay to waste, ruin, make desolate.
Why does this say that we will be “devoured” by the sword and not killed by the sword? What does it mean to be devoured by the sword? The word “devoured” in Hebrew is akal which is the same word used in the prior verse which says that if you are willing and obedient you will “eat” of the good of the land. The word “eat” and “devour” are the same word. You will either eat the good of the land or be eaten by the sword. Following this eating motif we see that the “mouth” of the Lord has spoken. It is interesting the writer does not just say” “The Lord has spoken.” But says it is the “mouth” of the Lord has spoken. God is a spirit; He does not have a mouth. This prophecy, like so many other prophecies in the Bible appears to be poetic in nature and they do not speak literally but figuratively. Yet, there is more here than just “mouth.” The word used is “Pei,” like in the letter “Pei.” Pei represents
speaking from the heart. The Lord is not just declaring that those who rebel will be devoured by the sword; He is speaking this from His heart.
Note carefully that the text does not say that God will destroy those who refuse and rebel. You almost get that impression when reading the English text like God is saying: “If you do not obey me, I will destroy you.” If you read this closely it is clear that the destruction will come by the sword and not by God. So God is giving a warning. Yet this is not a warning like a sign post, or an alert. It is a warning like one coming from a parent; it is coming from the heart, like a parent warning their child about drugs or alcohol. It is not a warning coming from an uncaring governmental bureaucrat who is looking to say some clever words so he can keep his job and earn a pension, but this is a warning coming from the very heart, in this case from the heart of God, birthed out of concern and fear for a beloved one’s safety.
The word “sword” is “charav.” Every translation I read will translate this as sword. That is because this is your standard word for sword. Yet, this word is also used for destruction, to lie to waste, ruin, make desolate. This is a desolation that is caused by conflict not by nature such as storms or plague. This a desolation caused by warring and conflict with other people. It is not only desolation of land and possessions but of emotions and feelings. It can be a desolation of the soul.
The prior verse tells us that one who is willing and obedient will eat of the land. That word “willing” is to’vu which is a picture of two oxen yoked together. A farmer would yoke an aggressive ox with one who is not aggressive such that the aggressive ox will lead the non-aggressive ox around. If both oxen were aggressive they would go in opposite directions and the plowing would never get done. Thus God is saying that if you will yoke yourself to Me and be the non-aggressive one, I will lead you to a place where you will devour good things. But if you are the aggressive one you will suffer the “charav” or sword and your soul will become desolate. But being yoked to God means that He too will also suffer if you do not follow His lead. God will experience the broken heart of watching the one He loves suffer and not be able to lead that one to a place of being able to devour the good things or the things in harmony with Him.
It seems the picture that is being drawn in this prophecy is the picture of the process of growing food and eating it. The very first thing a farmer did when he started the process of growing his food was to yoke two oxen together to plow the field so he could plant the seed. The very first step to our journey in life is to yoke ourselves together with God. Jesus tells us in Matthew to take His yoke upon us and learn of him for He is gentle and meek. His yoke is easy. We yoke ourselves to God and become the “dumb ox.” The ox that is the non aggressive ox and we let the aggressive ox, Jesus lead the way, while we just go with the flow. If he moves to prosperity or to poverty, we will follow. If He moves us to a relationship or away from a relationship, we just follow. No matter where He leads, we will eat of the good of the land, in other words we will devoured what in harmony with God. But if we get it into our heads that we want
something not in harmony with God and we become the aggressive ox, then we will go one way while God goes the other. Because we are yoked with Him, there will be a conflict and the field will not get plowed.
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