Exposition by Max A Forsythe
Today, we begin the second major portion of Isaiah's prophecy. This entire section from chapter thirteen through chapter thirty-nine considers the turmoil among the nations. Turn by turn, the natural and material strength of the nations are considered and found wanting. Isaiah would have us know that all the worldly powers will be brought to defeat and ruin. The first nation to be considered in depth is Babylon, a nation that is at least a hundred years away from its primacy when Isaiah penned this oracle. For this reason very many liberal commentators believe that Isaiah could not have penned the accuracy of this chapter. Conservative authors have penned many pages challenging the liberal view.
Derek Thomas deals with the supposed problem by quoting from 2 Kings 24: 2-3a: "The Lord sent Babylonian, Aramean, Moabite and Ammonite raiders against him. He sent them to destroy Judah, in accordance with the word of the Lord proclaimed by his servants the prophets. Surely these things happened to Judah according to the Lord's command".
Almost two hundred years ago a Frenchman by the name of Alexis de Tocqueville traveled extensively in America and Russia. Upon his return home, he penned several volumes describing his travels. His penetrating analysis of the social moorings of both states led him to predict the rise of two great powers who would one day challenge each other for world supremacy. His vigorous text of the early nineteenth century is carefully dated and multiple copies abound. Who would dare discredit the genius of his work? Two other ideas that he committed to writing were these: Firstly, "America is great because America is good, when America ceases to be good, America will cease to be great." Secondly, he observed that the American Republic will remain strong until the American people realize that they can vote themselves money and programs. You know, I have not read any charges that those observations were obviously credited to his texts in our day and age. I wonder why the same people who doubt the revelation given to Isaiah do not attack the premonitions of de Tocqueville with the same venom? In a similar vein, another French writer by the name of Helene Carrere d'Encausse predicted the imminent collapse of the Soviet Union in 1978!
Now, by no means do I intend to limit the supernatural ability of the Holy Spirit to inspire Isaiah in giving these two very limited human observations. Most intelligent people can make somewhat vague general predictions. A couple years ago, one of my classes was amazed at Jeane Dixon's annual attempt at predictions. She is only accurate ten per cent of the time in a good year. I told the class I could do better than she could. They laughed, so I closed my eyes and stretched out my hands and proclaimed that at least one person in the room would be a parent before a year passed by and another would fail to graduate in the spring! One of the girls burst out and said, "How did you know I was pregnant, I haven't even told my boy friend yet!" Three other people, whose grades were rather low looked at each other, worried that they might be the least one who wouldn't graduate!
Why is it so difficult for reasonable people to accept the full authorship of all of Isaiah by Isaiah himself? We certainly do, and in that spirit, let us turn to our text in chapter thirteen today. In verse one, Isaiah is careful to indicate the nation to be prophesied about: Babylon. In verse two, we see that the Lord will cause a banner to be lifted up for the purpose of rallying the Medes far away in their mountain fortresses to travel to Babylon and destroy it in the distant future. They Median warriors in verse three are even called God's holy ones; we should understand that description to mean ones who are set apart for the divine purpose. One of my commentators wondered about the aptness of the last phrase in verse three: "those who rejoice in my triumph". No further comments or information is given. I wonder if the scholarly guesses of a Median source for wise men at the time of Christ might possibly be indicated here? If that is at all possible, we must barely note it and hurry on to consider the impending destruction of the ungodly Babylonians.
Verses four through five indicate the mountainous sources where the invading Persian nations would gather. In verse six, Isaiah likens their coming to Babylon as a day of the Lord. Wail Babylon, wail, your doom is assured in that terrible day. Now, if we consider the gates of the nobles in verse three along with the description of their reaction in verses seven through eight, we can better understand the report of Daniel in his prophecy, chapter five. Turn there with me briefly. We see here that there was a great banquet for a thousand of Belshazzar's nobles. "Suddenly the fingers of a human hand appeared and wrote on the plaster of the wall," Look at verse six: the king's "face turned pale and he was so frightened that his knees knocked together and his legs gave way." At the end of chapter five we read of Belshazzar's death with the taking over of Babylon by Darius the Mede.
Now let us return to Isaiah thirteen. We begin this second portion with verse nine. Isaiah urges his readers and hearers there present, in light of the final day of the Lord. That day is assuredly coming, he tells us - "a cruel day, with wrath and fierce anger." Almost thirty years ago when Dr Edward J Young penned his brilliant commentary on Isaiah, he made this observation: "Apparently Isaiah is unaware of what some would teach today, when they say that it is poor psychology to appeal to the motive of fear." Since 1965 when he wrote those words, the psychological school has become more firmly entrenched. In some places, even telling a child about the realities of hell is considered a new form of child abuse! Well, that is not the attitude of the Holy Spirit, as Dr Young informs us. In the last two phrases of verse nine we are to know well that just as the place of Babylon is to be made waste land, so too will all sinners be destroyed. If we think the destruction of the Medes will be terrible indeed upon the Babylonians, the final day of judgment will be even worse. Look at verse twelve at the scarcity of man. Look also at the trembling heavens and the shaken earth in verse thirteen when God's wrath and burning anger are finally turned loose.
Verse nineteen tells us that "Babylon, the jewel of kingdoms, the glory of the Babylonians' pride will be overthrown by God" Himself. And just like Sodom and Gomorrah, Babylon would never be inhabited again. Since that time, the former glorious city of Babylon has remained a field of ruins. Even Saddam Hussein's plans to rebuild and refurbish the city have had to be set aside. Just as God's word given to Isaiah so many centuries ago is faithful and true, so has it happened that the desert creatures have found a home. Isaiah closes this chapter with the promise that these terrible events will not be delayed, that the days of Babylon will not be prolonged. Babylon will indeed be destroyed, and so it came about almost 150 years later. This is the proof of a prophet of God, every word and prediction will be one hundred per cent accomplished.
That day when my students and I joked about the prophetic mists of Jeane Dixon, I showed them how Daniel and Isaiah and others in the Old Testament were and must be held to the high standard of perfect fulfillment of what was given to them by the Holy Spirit. What does this fact mean then? Very simply, if we can demonstrate from history the details of Isaiah's advance knowledge, then we must also take very seriously his promise that one day, there will be a terrible day of the Lord. Even as we await that final judgment, may we learn the necessary fear to tremble before our awesome God, and may we put our hearts in the necessary order under the final authority of King Jesus. A little fear experienced now as we tremble before the awesome holiness of our God in heaven will certainly prepare us for eternal glory with Christ in heaven eternally. May we so be prepared, even today.
Resources Used:
Allis, Oswald.
The Unity of Isaiah.
Ellis, Charles..
The Wells of Salvation.
Smith, George..
The Expositor's Bible: The Book of Isaiah.
Thomas, Derek..
Welwyn Commentary Series: God Delivers.
Young, Edward J.
The Book of Isaiah.
Youngblood, Ronald F. The Book of Isaiah: An
Introductory Commentary.
The Holy Bible.
New International Version (1984 Edition)
NOTE: I am not able to automatically
recommend any future editions.
Christ Covenant Reformed (Presbyterian Church in America) -
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(c) 2001
11 September 93
Permission granted to redistribute unedited versions with this notice.