Isaiah 1:8 The Daughter of Zion is left like a shelter in a vineyard, like a hut in a field of melons, like a city under siege. [New International translation.]
And the daughter of Zion is left like a booth in a vineyard, like a lodge in a cucumber field, like a besieged city. [Revised Standard translation.]
Summary: The prophet Isaiah lived in the 8th century before the birth of JESUS CHRIST. Isaiah’s name signifies “the salvation of GOD,” or “Yah is salvation.” He was called to prophesy to the Kingdom of Judah, [i.e., the daughters of Zion] about God’s judgment of the people for their rebellion and sin against God and about God’s future plan for salvation through the Messiah, Jesus Christ. Like many prophetic scriptures, there is a lot of imagery in the words of the message.
In Isaiah 1:8, the “Daughter of Zion” refers to the city of Jerusalem. Jerusalem, the city of David, was built on a hill called Zion and is given a “feminine” reference—“daughter,” probably because of it’s great “beauty.” The “field of cucumbers” and the “field of melons” refer to the same kind of fruit—fruit that were in great demand in this region because of their cooling qualities, especially in this hot ancient time climate. Melon and cucumbers were planted around the city. To protect the fruit, a shelter was often erected in the field so that a watchman could guard the field from birds, animals thieves or anything else that might damage, destroy or steal the crop. This shelter was a lonely place. The fact that the booth or shelter had been abandoned, suggests that the fields around the precious fruit had been taken and the city of Jerusalem was surrounded or “besieged.”
The fact that such an essential regional fruit was abandoned and that the city fields were surrounded by the enemy were indications of the hopelessness of the situation that Jerusalem would soon find itself because of the people’s sinful ways. Despite Isaiah’s prophetic warning from God, and Isaiah’s plea that the people “Heed the word of the Lord” and that the people “listen,” the Israelites refused and instead chose to continue down the path of self-destruction, which eventually resulted into the people being led into Babylonian captivity.
Melon Facts
Today, we have a large variety of melons we can enjoy. They include:
Cantaloupe (sometimes they are called muskmelons)
Muskmelon (e.g. Persian melons)
Casaba Melons
Crenshaw Melons
Honeydew Melon
Watermelon – including red, white, orange, yellow, pink, seedless, organic, miniature varieties
Melons are a good source of vitamin C and Potassium. They tend to be high in water content (often about 90%) and low in calories. A typical melon contains: 1 mg of sodium, 0.5 mg of copper, 100 mg of magnesium, 0.6 mg of manganese, 200 mg of phosphorus, 195 mg of potassium and 17 mcg of selenium. In addition:
Melon contains an amino acid, called arginine, which enhances the impact of insulin on blood sugar…Melon contains vitamin C, which reduces cholesterol and keeps your heart safe. It ensures protection of your eyes from macular degeneration and other ailments related to aging such as glaucoma,drying up of eyes and optical nerves, etc. Melon help normalize hematocrit levels, which is described as the percentage of red blood cells per volume of blood. It helps prevent constipation and stone formation. It aids in bringing down body temperature raised due to colds and flu.
Anyone who is diabetic or has a serious health problem should always consult their own personal physician about the benefits or health consequences of eating any particular food, as well as recommendations regarding amounts to eat.
Melons make a wonderful addition to salads including:
- Three melon salad
- Melon strawberry salad
- Tomato and melon salad
- Cucumber melon salad
- Mint melon salad
- Summer greens and melon salad
- Arugula, watermelon and feta salad
For example, see: http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/watermelon-salad-0.
Choices
GOD does not force us to be healthy. Nor does GOD force us to eat unhealthy foods. We are blessed to live in a country where good food and healthy food are generally abundant and available. And, we also live in a country where unhealthy food is also generally available and abundant. It is our choice to make: healthy food or unhealthy food.
Like the children of Israel, we must face the fact that there are consequences when we make the wrong choice. Most of us have heard the warnings.
Wednesday is a day to listen, to meditate, evaluate and pray about the food choices we make and the spiritual choices we make. It is a day of “heeding” the WORD of the LORD. It is a day of stewardship. It is a day of enjoying GOD’s harvest. It is a day to enjoy a spiritual message or goals with friends. It is a day of giving thanks for the friends who are a part of our fellowship, in church, on the job, in various cities and around the world. It is a day we stand watch and become the “watchmen” and “watchwomen” over our own health, as we pray for the physical and spiritual health of others.
So, enjoy the day! Stand watch! Continue to pray.
And remember, others are praying for you.
Make the right choices today and Be Blessed!
