In Isaiah, chapter thirteen, verse twenty, “It shall never be inhabited, neither shall it be dwelt in from generation to generation: neither shall the Arabian pitch tent there; neither shall the shepherds make their fold there.” The verbs in this verse are active, not passive. “It shall never be inhabited, neither shall it be dwelt in from generation to generation.” This statement is connected with the last part of verse twenty-two of the same theme chapter, emphasizing that the destruction of that ungodly city is forthcoming. The destruction of the city, back in the Old Testament, was later rebuilt by Esarhaddon. Isaiah was emphasizing that no monument to human glory and achievement has any permanence in itself. One day, all things made by humans will rust or fade away, as in Matthew six, verse nineteen, “Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal, while God’s glory will fill the earth.
“It shall never be inhabited” is the theme title representing many things today. Inhabited may also mean “occupied.” For example, in Isaiah forty-five, verse eighteen, “For thus saith the LORD that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, he created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited: I am the LORD; and there is none else.” When God is in a believer’s life, and they are serving Him in spirit and in truth, they shall be inhabited. There are many successful people in our society. However, if God is not the source or the foundation of that person’s life, when the end comes, all that they have accomplished in their lives will eventually rust or fade away. Only in God will be inhabited.