Observation: As Isaiah pronounces the Lord's decisions about all the people of the region, he provides this specific phrasing about the timing, which is that the decree will occur within one year "as a hired worker counts years." This begs the question, how does a hired worker count years?
The answer is ... very accurately! I hired worker - someone who is truly paid based on the time they work, or (as often in ancient times) bound by a contract in almost a slave-like manner to a job - keeps exacting track of time. They work their day, but they don't start and end 'whenever' but begin and end at prescribed time, and they absolutely do not begin one minute early or end one minute late. Likewise, if employed for a year, they begin on a specific date and end on a specific date, not some vague time in the future. In modern context, if they work for 'a year', they would not begin on some date here in the late summer of 2024 and work until around the end of 2025 ... they would begin on September 9, 2024, and end September 8, 2025. At 5:00pm PDT!
Others may be more general in their measures. A day may mean any timeframe (like from the time we get up to the time we go to bed, whenever those may be). A year may be rounded up or down based on the needs of the work, or in ancient times may have been measured by harvest seasons which could naturally vary depending on weather. Without a doubt the Lord is capable of giving prophets such vague messages and timings, to the point that it can be unclear if something will happen immediately or centuries later. However, the Lord is also the Lord of precision and clarity when he chooses.
Application: So often we hear the word of the Lord, be it in a sermon or a modern prophet, and there arises an issue of timing. Some will declare a word of the Lord, then clarify that there is no timeframe to it and thus their words cannot be judged as to if they have or have not yet occurred. Others will declare a word of the Lord, with specific dates, then provide reasons when such events do not occur by the dates.
When Moses said Israel would wander for 40 years, he didn't mince about with timing. When Elijah said there would be no rain from that very second for three years, he didn't mince about with timing. When Jeremiah said the exile would last 70 years, he didn't mince about with timing. When Isaiah said Kedar would fall precisely within one year, he didn't mince about with timing. When Jesus said he would resurrect on the third day, he didn't mince about with timing.
And lest you say that Jesus was vague in the timing of the end times and his return ... he wasn't! He actually said the timing was a certainty, but only the father knew the timing. He wasn't vague, but rather he was truthful in the fact it was secret.
I believe our Lord is precise and clear. I believe his timing is known and in his control. Therefore, I believe we have many false prophets today, using social media to pronounce "ideas" they call a word from the Lord, but they are at best ideas informed by the Holy Spirit ... and at worst, they are false prophets fed by satan for deception and division. With the U.S. elections right around the corner, I expect many of them to be vocal and in full force again, as they were four years ago, and I pray we will be able to discern the truth properly.
Prayer: Lord, you know my thoughts about politics, that I abhor our current situation, and see how the evil one has truly used our human process against us as a means of deception. However, I also believe in your true word, that you are in full control of the issues on earth, that you manage the rise and fall of leaders and nations, and that we are to pray for leaders regardless of our opinions of them. May our prayers to you, and our understanding of your authority, be at the forefront of your Church throughout our nation, and not the words of false prophets. They will appear, and may we be wise in our disregard of them. In the name of Jesus I pray, Amen.
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