Not only was he naked, but he was that way for three years! The story is in Isaiah chapter 20. Okay, it’s possible (and probable) that the Lord let him keep on his underwear, depending on which translation you read. The Lord also told him to be barefoot. Barefoot and naked…in Jerusalem where the paths were rocky. Ouch! At least it was not too cold.
Here is the reason: Isaiah’s object lesson was a warning sign to Egypt and Ethiopia. The King of Assyria was coming to take them captive. He would lead those Africans away from their country, traveling to the south of Israel, and the Africans would be naked and barefoot. Israel trusted in the mighty Africans to defend them from Assyria, but their trust was misplaced.
I want to trust in God this year – not income from our jobs, our excellent health, the twenty years we’ve been married, or our government. These things could be marched away “with buttocks uncovered” and leave me miserable that I was foolish enough to trust in them. No, God is my refuge and strength. He is a very present help in time of trouble.
