Constant Inquiry

“The burden of Dumah. He calleth to me out of Seir, Watchman, what of the night? Watchman, what of the night? The watchman said, The morning cometh, and also the night: if ye will enquire, enquire ye: return, come.” (Isa 21:11-12 AV)

Dumah is a tribe and region of Ishmael in the Arabian desert.  Some believe it is another name for Idumea. These are not Hebrews.  These are Gentile nomads who were experiencing prosperity at the time of the Babylonian invasion of Palestine.  The idea here is they observe the coming trouble in Israel and rightly assume the same will happen to them.  The prophet encourages all to consult him as to the will of God.  If they will, then come and enquire.  If one is in night time, or a time of trouble, come and consult the prophet of God.  The morning, or better times will come, but then trouble will follow.  The point is very simple.  Regardless of circumstances of life, we should be consulting the man of God who preaches the word of God to learn the will of God.

What motivates Dumah to inquire of the prophet is the night.  The prophet says the morning is coming.  But, if you wish to inquire, then inquire.  This is typical of all of us.  In times of distress, we are more prone to seek the face of God.  We are in the Bible more.  We are at church more faithfully.  We seek advice from those who seem to walk with God or know a lot of Bible.  Yet, when things are not so bad, we forget the God who gave us comfort in time of trouble.  The Prophet says, come no matter what time it is.  Come when things are good.  Come when things are bad.  Just come.

I think that is really sound advice.  For many reasons.  When we come when times are good, we are challenged.  When we come when times are bad, we are comforted.  There is blessing to be had no matter our circumstances.  But one thing I have learned the older I get is that if we come to the LORD and listen to His word as a pattern of life, then life becomes far more even.  Or, far less dramatic.  The troublesome times are not nearly as troublesome as others may see.  The prosperous times are taken with a grain of salt and our faithfulness is not affected.  When we walk with God on a daily basis, no matter the circumstances, we may be pushed to our limit.  But it would be a whole lot harder if we were not walking with God.