Isaiah 47
Notes
Transcript
God’s Judgment of Babylon
God’s Judgment of Babylon
Recap a little with the nation. how sin led them to captivity.
But God promised them a future, hope in the days to come.
He would use Cyrus as his own instrument to return them to their own and God would judge Babylon.
And this is what our topic is, God’s judgement of Babylon.
Think of this, is God fair in judging a nation that does not worship Him? Yes.
Special revelation and general revelation.... What is the difference between the two?
So lets begin.... Isa 47:1
1 Come down and sit in the dust,
O virgin daughter of Babylon;
sit on the ground without a throne,
O daughter of the Chaldeans!
For you shall no more be called
tender and delicate.
So what is going to happen to Babylon is described by using the imagery of a daughter or special woman like a Queen.
So look there the invitation is for her the virgin daughter to come and sit in the dust of the ground. So from a courtyard of royalty to the common ground, the dirt and dust of the earth. A place really where a queen or someone special in the Kings family would never come down to sit.
The dust itself might refer to the rubble of the city, when Babylon is destroyed and nothing is left standing.
The one who was once called tender and delicate would no longer be described by such a term. In light of the circumstances of the cities downfall the once special lady would now be forced to live like a common person, or work like a slave girl in their circumstances.
Verses 2-3 Isa 47:2-3
2 Take the millstones and grind flour,
put off your veil,
strip off your robe, uncover your legs,
pass through the rivers.
3 Your nakedness shall be uncovered,
and your disgrace shall be seen.
I will take vengeance,
and I will spare no one.
Here the daughter of Babylon is called to take the millstones and grind the grain used to make their bread.
So instead of once enjoying elaborate meals prepared for them, in the time of their downfall they would be faced with having to provide for themselves, working in hopes of eating.
She will not have cook and provide meals for herself and others now, instead being served like a queen...
The command to take off the veil, to shorten the dress and uncover your legs. seems to be in an effort for them to prepare themselves for hard labor.
So instead of fine clothes they are to dress like the everyday person to work and labor in the fields.
One thing is clear here, she does not determine what we she will or will not do, it is dictated by others now… Her position and place are stripped from her. There is nothing she can do about it.
Suddenly God speaks though....speaking about his plans for Babylon. In regard to the city, she will be exposed, defeated and the world will see her judgment, her nakedness is that the city will be exposed and turned upside down.
God says He will spare no one.... and no one can stop it.
Look at verse 4 and we finish this one thought here Isa 47:4
4 Our Redeemer—the Lord of hosts is his name—
is the Holy One of Israel.
The Lord himself will bring all this to pass, This is the God who judges the nations and brings salvation to his people. He is the Savior of the world and he is separate from the ungodliness of the world.
He will bring all this to pass....
Verse 5 Isa 47:5
5 Sit in silence, and go into darkness,
O daughter of the Chaldeans;
for you shall no more be called
the mistress of kingdoms.
The are instructed to not just sit down they are told, commanded to sit down in silence here. They will go into darkness for the night life, the night life, the busy life of the capital city will end.
Babylon will have no one to help, they will have no hope. This will indeed be the darkest time in her history. The people of the city will no longer address royalty by those titles (Mistress of Kingdoms), they are just like the rest of the population.
Verse 6 Isa 47:6
6 I was angry with my people;
I profaned my heritage;
I gave them into your hand;
you showed them no mercy;
on the aged you made your yoke exceedingly heavy.
Here God is really speaking in the first person, he is going to explain why they are faced with defeat, he will tell them why they will be humiliated.
A. He tells them that he was upset with his people, Israel. They had broken in commandments and did not treat others with respect. As such the Lord God sent them into captivity and placed them in the hands of the Babylonians.
B. They (His people) were defenseless, they should have received mercy and some level of compassion. But His people were faced with the opposite.
Think about Daniel, .... how the people treated Daniel. They treated him with wickedness and contempt. They lied and plotted against him.
C. Israel was placed with heavy burdens upon them. Think of how Israel was treated in land of their captivity in Egypt long ago, but here there is similar story again.
There was no mercy, the absence of a moral sense of how to treat the people. Babylon had no pity on them.
Verse 7… Isa 47:7
7 You said, “I shall be mistress forever,”
so that you did not lay these things to heart
or remember their end.
The second reason God stands to judge Babylon is the fact they they boasted of her past and say they will endure forever as the kingdom of the world.
They believe they ( Babylon) are beying the scope of God hand or power. They think they are bigger than all, including God.
Verse 8 Isa 47:8
8 Now therefore hear this, you lover of pleasures,
who sit securely,
who say in your heart,
“I am, and there is no one besides me;
I shall not sit as a widow
or know the loss of children”:
Now we come to a third part of what God is saying to them, it will contrast Babylon’s arrogant and self-confident view of reality with God’s plan to turn this proud nation into a widow.
So it starts off with God calling them to hear the accusations He has against them.
Babylon is called a lover of pleasures, this woman who was once pampered, who had all the wealth of the nations they had plundered in times of war. The queen of Babylon sits in wealth, a very secure position, and thinks only of herself.
Babylon is arrogant in their political and powerful status. They believe they will not suffer loss...
Think of the book of Daniel when Nebuchadnezzar son through a big banquet, praising all they had even the items of God’s temple. They thought they were above all and safe.
The wording they she will not be a widow or know the loss of children is the idea again that they will not be overcome by others. They wlll be the strongest military in the world and will not suffer loss.
They just did not know God’s plans..
Verse 9 Isa 47:9
9 These two things shall come to you
in a moment, in one day;
the loss of children and widowhood
shall come upon you in full measure,
in spite of your many sorceries
and the great power of your enchantments.
Here God speaks to their punishment, He declares two things will take place.
One, they will mourn as a nation, they will be overcome, their sons killed in battle, the taxes of their people sent to another
To be childless was a great shame in the world in that day. So for the people sons killed and or carried off left it barren as well.
God says the loss of Babylon would be a full measure of loss. IN spite of the people casting spells, using witchcraft in hopes of saving the city… but they were powerless against God.
Verse 10 Isa 47:10
10 You felt secure in your wickedness;
you said, “No one sees me”;
your wisdom and your knowledge led you astray,
and you said in your heart,
“I am, and there is no one besides me.”
Babylon had a false sense of security, even while doing a great evil they felt like they could get away with it, no one sees me...
We are not told what kind of evil it is, it might have been their magical arts, that is what some speculate here. They had a great deal of knowledge. But God sees the hearts and minds of all of the world and knows their intentions.
But sadly they made themselves like they were God, but were not of course… but they stand judged
Verse 11 Isa 47:11
11 But evil shall come upon you,
which you will not know how to charm away;
disaster shall fall upon you,
for which you will not be able to atone;
and ruin shall come upon you suddenly,
of which you know nothing.
God says that because of their sin, they will experience judgment , God will repay their actions with disaster and evil.
Even though Babylon has great knowledge that we talked about in the last verse, she will not know how to deal with this .....
God says they cannot charm it away, they cannot atone for it and it will be sudden and for all these things you really do not have an answer to the Lord’s judgment.
Now verses 12-13 Isa 47:12-13
12 Stand fast in your enchantments
and your many sorceries,
with which you have labored from your youth;
perhaps you may be able to succeed;
perhaps you may inspire terror.
13 You are wearied with your many counsels;
let them stand forth and save you,
those who divide the heavens,
who gaze at the stars,
who at the new moons make known
what shall come upon you.
Stand by your actions, The nation’s (Babylon) sorcerers think they can work a charm, as if they are up to the challenge, but they are not.... but go ahead and keep thinking that you knuckleheads.
The Babylonians worked hard, they have wearied themselves with useless spells and they have confidence in their actions… They think they will profit by what they have done...
In fact Isaiah says let these practitioners stand forth and save you.... you think they can and they are positive that they can...
Isaiah knows that only God could save them, but they must answer for their actions and they will...
They will keep looking to the heavens, to the stars to predict their ways… but they will be blind concerning what God plans to do to them.
Now verses 14-15 Isa 47:14-15
14 Behold, they are like stubble;
the fire consumes them;
they cannot deliver themselves
from the power of the flame.
No coal for warming oneself is this,
no fire to sit before!
15 Such to you are those with whom you have labored,
who have done business with you from your youth;
they wander about, each in his own direction;
there is no one to save you.
The consequences of trusting in these sooth-sayers and looking to astrology and magic will only result in these officials being like dry stubble that fire will quickly consume.
They will not be able to deliver their people from God’s judgement.
The wood that was left over from idol making is of more use than these soothsayers who look to the heavens for help and to their magic.
The wood would provide heat and fire or light for considerable amount of time. I
These officals who are the ones called stubble, they will burn and quickly die out and as such we are reminded they are useless.
Their great so called knowledge and will only ensure they will share in God’s judgment
Verse 15 concludes this message with the reminder that in spite of the daughter of Babylon wearing herself out, doing all that they religious officials wanted her to do… still yet they will not be delivered.
These so called wise men will each do off in thier own direction, each one thinking their way is best but they cannot stop His Judgement and they is the message we keep hearing over and over again.
God’s judgment is certain…
They have sinned, they have done wrong and they enjoyed that time, they loved this sin and what is associated with it. They have received their reward in this life and will pay for it in destruction.
The hearts who are evil, they will always receive what they deserve.