The
burden against Damascus. “Behold, Damascus will cease from being a city, And it
will be a ruinous heap. The cities of Aroer are forsaken; They will be for
flocks Which lie down, and no one will make them afraid. Isaiah 17:1-2 NKJV
As I said last week, the importance of the missile attack by Israel's enemies as it relates to the prophecy of Isaiah 17, may likely be found in the locations where they took place. We have looked at the possibility that Tel Aviv is one of the cities mentioned in this prophecy, and today I want to look at the targeting of Beersheba as an indicator that it's fulfillment could well be on the immediate horizon. Many have already begun to speculate that this missile attack may well lead to the event in Isaiah 17 concerning the destruction of Damascus. While this might be the beginning of the process which brings these things about, one question many have asked over the years is just what occurs that provokes Israel to do what it does?
That too, was a question I considered at length when I first began my studies of the Isaiah prophecy and the conclusion I came to was the result of searching for the location of the “cities of Aroer” mentioned in the passage above. Although some might disagree, I believe it is a very strong possibility that, as you can see from the two maps above, what Isaiah may be telling us is that Israel responds to an attack by Syria, or Iran's proxies based there, on the nuclear research facility at Dimona. While this is certainly speculation on my part, considering Israel's enemies have just demonstrated the range of their missiles with the targeting of Beersheba, I personally find it hard to believe it is coincidence that the location of Aroer and Dimona appear to be one in the same.
The area mentioned in the Isaiah 17 prophecy is described as "the cities of Aroer". Unlike Damascus, Aroer no longer exists, so we are left to try to identify its location by studying past references, and looking for archeological evidence that might support a conclusion as to its whereabouts. Aroer is mentioned three times in the Bible, and all occur in the Old Testament. Unfortunately for us, however, each describes a different location, so we are left to examine what the Bible says about each and see if we can decide which location Isaiah is attempting to describe. The first mention of Aroer is found in the book of Deuteronomy where it says;
“From Aroer, which is on the bank of the River Arnon, and from the city that is in the ravine, as far as Gilead, there was not one city too strong for us; the LORD our God delivered all to us.” Deuteronomy 2:36 NKJV
This site has been identified as being on the northern bank of the Arnon ravine located in the modern country of Jordan, just east of the Dead Sea. The second mention of Aroer we find is in the book of Joshua, where Moses is allotting land to the twelve tribes and describing their boundaries. In this verse he describes;
“Their territory was Jazer, and all the cities of Gilead, and half the land of the Ammonites as far as Aroer, which is before Rabbah,” Joshua 13:25 NKJV
Joshua describes Aroer as being "before Rabbah". This city or any ruins of it have never been located, but by the description we know it would need to be situated be some twenty miles or so north of Jerusalem. The final time Aroer is mentioned before Isaiah’s prophecy is in the book of Samuel, where we find it listed among a group of cities that David is sharing spoil with from his defeat of the Amalekites. We find when we read that;
“those who were in Aroer, those who were in Siphmoth, those who were in Eshtemoa,” 1 Samuel 30:28 NKJV
This location has been identified as being in the Negev, twelve miles southeast of Beer-sheba. We also see from reading this passage that it was one of many cities located in the same area which helped and supported David in his battle with the Amalekites. Ruins of this city have been found, and you can even locate it on a map if your Bible has maps in the back. Simply look for a map of Israel in the time of David, and you should be able to see Aroer located in the south of Israel, southwest of Beersheba. So we have three different locations to choose from, and no help from the Isaiah passage to identify which one he is referring to. Is it possible to find a way to know for sure exactly which one of these locations is the one that Isaiah describes as being "forsaken"?
First of all, I think it may be logical to assume that Isaiah is referring to the location southeast of Beersheba for several reasons. The first is that if you compare the dates that these three books were written, you find that the Samuel passage was written closest to the time of Isaiah, as opposed to the others which were written much earlier in Israel’s history. Also, if you look closely at these three locations, you see one of them is in Jordan, not Israel. Since Isaiah is describing a conflict between Syria and Israel, I think we can dismiss the Jordan location as a possibility.
So we are left to choose between two locations, one which has never been positively located, and one which not only has been located, but may have some military significance as well. If we look at a map of Israel during the time of the twelve tribes, we can easily see where Aroer is located. Now compare that map with a map of Israel today and you may be surprised to find that a very significant complex has been constructed in the same approximate location of ancient Aroer, and that is the nuclear research facility known as Dimona. Since Isaiah is describing a future conflict between Israel and Syria, obviously there must be a good reason that Israel chooses to completely destroy Damascus. Is it possible that it is in response to an attack of some sort on Dimona?
“The cities of Aroer are forsaken;”
The word "forsaken" in the Hebrew is "azab" which means "to depart, abandon, loose, relinquish, leave." The first thing that crossed my mind when I read this was not what it does say, but what it doesn't say. It doesn't say that Aroer is destroyed; only abandoned. It also says “cities” which gives the impression of a very large area being affected. Does this scenario seem so far fetched considering a missile attack on Dimona might well produce a release of radiation which will require the evacuation of the surrounding countryside leaving nothing but animals to wander there? As the world already has seen, we only need to look at the event which happened at Chernobyl in 1986 to see how this exact situation could occur.
Only time will tell if this is what Isaiah is telling us, but what we do know is that God has prophesied that Damascus “will cease from being a city” as a result of this attack by Israel's enemies. If the thought of what is to come makes you uneasy, however, understand that God has provided a way of escape for those who choose to believe that He sent His Son to die for our sins. If you have never accepted that gift, I encourage you to do that today. Simply confess to Jesus you are a sinner in need of salvation, and ask Him to forgive you of your sins. Tell Him you believe that He died for your sins and that He has the power to give you eternal life because you believe.
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9 NKJV
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