“This message came to me concerning Edom: Someone from Edom keeps calling to me, “Watchman, how much longer until morning? When will the night be over?” The watchman replies, “Morning is coming, but night will soon return. If you wish to ask again, then come back and ask.””
Isaiah 21:10-11 NLT
We continue in Isaiah’s prophecy that we find in Isaiah 21, and this time it moves on to Edom. In those days, the Kingdom of Edom was located in the southern Transjordan region of the Middle East, spanning modern-day southwestern Jordan and parts of the southern Negev Desert. It was bordered by the Dead Sea to the north, the Arabah Valley to the west, and the Gulf of Aqaba to the south. The Edomites were a people who were descendants of Esau, the twin brother of Jacob. They eventually died out as a separate people, being absorbed into the populations of the nations around them. But here in Isaiah 21, they are still a distinct people, and they appear to be in distress in Isaiah’s vision.
There is once again a reference to the watchman, and in his vision, Isaiah sees them repeatedly asking the watchman when the night will end. A strange question until we realise that the “night” they refer to is probably a time of oppression from a foreign nation, or some other continually-distressing event affecting them as a people. And they don’t receive a very cheery reply. It went something like, “Yes, the morning is coming, but don’t get too excited because night will soon return”. A rather bleak situation, but one that might resonate with us pilgrims at times. Perhaps we’re going through a tough time with an illness, and our prayers seem to be going no further than the ceiling above our sickbed. Or perhaps that applies to a loved one, a family member, or a friend. Or perhaps we are living in a war zone, such as in Ukraine, and every night we hear the drones coming, the desperate attempts to shoot them down, and then the sounds of explosions. We will get some peace during the day, but then the night will soon return, bringing with it more drones.
A depressing time for the Edomites, with the people finding themselves on a merry ground of day and night, sadness and joy, bad and good. They eventually ask, “How long will this suffering last?” “When will the grief end?” and, finally, “Is there any hope?” As true then as now, life in this world remains a mixture of joy and sorrow until Christ returns. The ultimate morning has not yet arrived. But we pilgrims turn to the Word of God, and we open our Bibles to an encouraging Scripture, such as Lamentations 3:22-24, “The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning. I say to myself, “The Lord is my inheritance; therefore, I will hope in him!”” Or we might turn to Psalm 121:1-6, “I will lift up my eyes to the hills— From whence comes my help? My help comes from the Lord, Who made heaven and earth. He will not allow your foot to be moved; He who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, He who keeps Israel Shall neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord is your keeper; The Lord is your shade at your right hand. The sun shall not strike you by day, Nor the moon by night.”
God knows that at times we go through terrible times of distress. David knew that when he wrote Psalm 23:4, “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me”. This “shadow of death” isn’t just for him because we all experience it at times. It is part of human life. But with God with us, we have no need to fear, because regardless of what happens in the valley, one day we will be in His presence. And then one day there will be no more night. Revelation 22:5, “There shall be no night there: They need no lamp nor light of the sun, for the Lord God gives them light. And they shall reign forever and ever.” In the previous chapter we find, “And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away”. And so we pilgrims look forward to a time when we don’t dread the return of the night, a time when the Lord himself will be with us. We pilgrims keep looking up, regardless of our circumstances. We take the long view, as Peter wrote, “But we are looking forward to the new heavens and new earth he has promised, a world filled with God’s righteousness” (2 Peter 3:13).
Dear Father God. In our earthly circumstances, we remember that You are sovereign, and You are the One who holds the key to our futures. Please help us to keep on keeping on in this life so that one day we will have no need to ask when the night will end. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Being a Pilgrim 