A Gift of Homage to the LORD

Isaiah records prophecies for many different nations that Israel came into contact with. Even though Israel had yet to be exiled as far as Cush in Africa, Isaiah records that even from those distant lands, God would bring back His people from that land. And it would happen in the most interesting of ways - they would fly back on whirring wings.

’Alas, oh land of whirring wings Which lies beyond the rivers of Cush, Which sends envoys by the sea, Even in papyrus vessels on the surface of the waters. Go, swift messengers, to a nation tall and smooth, To a people feared far and wide, A powerful and oppressive nation Whose land the rivers divide.’ Isaiah had some experience with envoys from these African nations. He knew there were great rivers that divided them, and that they were tall and smooth skinned. He envisions them traversing the rivers in papyrus boats to send envoys to other nations.

He records that a standard will be raised for the nations to see. Once that flag is raised up, the nations will respond by helping the scattered children of Israel return to their land. The LORD Himself will look up from His dwelling place quietly. It will be like the dazzling heat in sunshine, like dew evaporating in the summer. Before the final harvest comes, this event would take place. God would rise up and prune His branches. He would prune the branches of the peoples and the pruning a would be left for the birds of prey and beasts of the earth. This may indicate a time of turmoil and war.

At that time, a gift of homage will be brought to the LORD from the land where these tall, smooth skinned men live. The gift would be brought from them to the place of the Name of the LORD of Hosts - to Mount Zion itself. The gift would be the portion of the remnant of Israel that dwelt in those lands. This is one prophecy that we can look back on and see an actual fulfillment.

Operation Moses airlifted Ethiopian Jews out of Sudan during a civil war that caused a famine in the 1980’s. Between November 1984 and January 1985, over 8000 Ethiopian Jews made Aliyah (Return) to Israel. Operation Joshua airlifted a further 600 Ethiopians Jews on March 22, 1985 out of Sudan. A third airlift occurred in 1991. On May 24-25, over 14000 Ethiopian Jews were airlifted on a Sabbath using the Israeli military 747’s and C130 Hercules planes. One 747 held over a thousand people and had 2 babies born during the flight. 

These Ethiopian Jews literally left everything and moved. Many had nothing when they left and were just happy to be removed from the civil war and Muslim conflicts. Since then, many more Ethiopian Jews have moved to Israel, with over 175000 of them currently living there, making up about 2% of the population. All of them have flown on ‘whirring wings’ to return to the land of Israel. And each new wave of immigrants is a gift of homage to the LORD who scattered His people to the nations because of their sins. This is a testimony to that truth. It also shows that God will fulfill His Word and bring His people back to the land He gave Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.