NOTES for Isa 20:1-21:17
It is possible to understand that the prophet's nakedness became a sign of the coming military defeat of Egypt and Ethiopia. There can be no hope in such allies; the strength of their weapons is not supported by the strength of the Lord and therefore will not withstand their enemies. But why did the prophet need to reinforce his warnings in such an extravagant way? Was verbal preaching not enough for him?
It must not have been, for the reaction to what is heard too often fails to match the importance of what is heard. After all, people say all kinds of things. And anyway, how does he know? He is not an expert; where did this know-it-all come from? But here before us is not just a speaker, but a man staking his own reputation and ready to engage in the most extravagant behavior, if only he can reinforce what he has said vividly and emotionally and break through the indifference of his hearers.
By revealing his visions to his hearers, the prophet gives us a chance to touch, at least a little, the way he sees the world around him. Images of distant nations appear before us, nations that are destined to play a role in Israel's history, and these nations come closer and closer. The prophet does not hide from us that he is afraid, for he is an ordinary person, not without weaknesses. But he overcomes his weaknesses and continues to gaze into what the Lord reveals to him. However difficult it is for the prophet, he courageously continues to proclaim to the people what he sees.