Isaiah The Book of Burdens The Fall of Babylon ~ Part 1 Isaiah 13:

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1 Isaiah The Book of Burdens The Fall of Babylon ~ Part 1 Isaiah 13: Whether you like it or not, history is on our side. We will bury you! The Premier of the Soviet Union, Nikita Khrushchev, made that statement to a group of Western diplomats on November 18, But Khrushchev is dead, and the Soviet Union no longer exists. Khrushchev s boastful prophecy was not fulfilled. Is there a pattern to history? Is anyone in charge? The British historian Edward Gibbon called history little more than the register of crimes, follies, and misfortunes of mankind. But the American missionary leader Arthur T. Pierson said that history is His story. Which one is right? The Prophet Isaiah would stand with Pierson, for these eleven chapters (11-23) are certainly evidence that God is at work in the nations of the world. In these chapters, the prophet reveals God s plan not only for Judah, but also for ten Gentile nations. President James Garfield called history the unrolled scroll of prophecy, and Isaiah unrolls the scroll for us to read. World leaders need to learn the lesson that Nebuchadnezzar learned the hard way, that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, and gives it to whomever He chooses (Dan. 4:25, NKJV). Paul made the same declaration to the Greek philosophers in Athens: [God] determined the times set for [the nations] and the exact places where they should live (Acts 17:26 NIV). Indeed, history is His story. 1 I Introduction II God s Warriors Verses 1-5 III The Day of the Lord Verses 6-16 IV God s Agents The Medes Verses V Compassion for Israel Verses 1-2 VI Relief for Israel Verses 3-8 VII The King of Babylon Verses 9-15 VIII The Fall of King and Kingdom Verses IX Conclusion Introduction: This morning we enter a new section of the Book of Isaiah. A general title might be either the Oracles of Judgment, or The Book of Burdens. This morning I intend to take a few minutes to introduce the entire section and discuss what is meant by Oracles/Burdens. Next, we will touch on the arguments for and against the specific section related to Babylon. As with the book as a whole, this section has come under critical attack. Finally, included in this study, although not this morning, we will take the time to discuss the complexities of the passage related to the King of Babylon in terms of its applications to both a human king and to the fall of Satan. 1 Wiersbe, Warren W., The Bible Exposition Commentary, Old Testament The Prophets, Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, MI, 1971, p. 23.

2 In one sense I haven t look forward to dealing with this section of Isaiah. The problem is finding applications and avoiding turning the series into a seminary-level study analyzing the text. Alfred Martin expresses this conundrum when he states: There are some parts of the Book of Isaiah which have more direct bearing upon our lives than other parts. 2 But he also identifies the general themes which can be taken from these chapters. There are general principles which we can learn even from the most cursory acquaintance with chapters such as these. One such principle is God s absolute justice, the fact that He will hold every nation accountable for its actions. Another precious truth which can be gleaned from such a study is the place of prophecy as a confirmation of God s Word. The fact that these nations of ancient times met their individual destinies as prophesied in the Bible shows that this Bible is in very truth the Word of God. 3 Definitions: Now, let s talk about the general focus on these chapters, the concept of oracles or burdens. Criswell defines burdens this way: We notice in this book of burdens that the address of God is to all the nations of the earth. Notice the reiterated use of that word burden. The burden of Tyre, the burden of Egypt, the burden of Arabia, and the burden of Jerusalem what is meant by the word burden? There is a good definition of it in Isaiah 22: In that day, declares the LORD Almighty, the peg driven into the firm place will give way; it will be sheared off and will fall, and the load hanging on it will be cut down. The LORD has spoken. (v. 25) The word burden used here is the same word that is used to refer to the oracle of God delivered to each one of these nations. The Hebrew word nasa means to lift up a heavy load. Out of that Hebrew verb came a noun, nasa. Nasa means a load that is lifted up. From that imagery came the ideal that the delivery of the message of God was judgmental, weighty, and heavy. It is a burden which you see in the message of God to the nations. A message of terrible visitation. The word also describes the heavy heart of the messenger of God as he delivered his message. Jeremiah cried aloud under the message God gave him saying: Oh, that my head were a spring of water and my eyes a fountain of tears! I would weep day and night for the slain of my people (Jeremiah 9:1). But if I say, I will not mention him or speak any more in his name, his word is in my heart like a fire, a fire shut up in my bones. I am weary of holding it in; indeed, I cannot. (Jeremiah 20:9). The word of the prophet was one that burned and seared. It was a burden from the Lord. The same experience is found in the life of the prophet of Ezekiel. God said to Ezekiel: And he said to me, Son of man, eat what is before you, eat this scroll; then go and speak to the house of Israel. So I opened my mouth, and he gave me the scroll to eat. 2 Martin, John A, The Bible Knowledge Commentary, Volume 1, Isaiah, Victor Books, Colorado Springs, CO, 1986, p Ibid, p. 47. ) 148 (

3 Then he said to me, Son of man, eat this scroll I am giving you and fill your stomach with it. So I ate it, and it tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth (Ezekiel 3:1-3). The words of God were sweet like honey, but the delivery of the message was bitter like gall. In Revelation 10 a mighty angel descends from heaven with a book in his hand. He plants one foot on the land and the other foot on the sea, raises his hand toward almighty God, and swears by Him who lives forever that time shall be no longer; that is, these great prophetic events will now happen quickly. When the great consummation of the age arrives, everything will happen fast and furious one event after another. God may delay for a long time, but when the great hour comes, it will happen swiftly. As the angel held up his hand, swearing that these things would come quickly, the apostle took the book from the hand of the great angel and ate it: This is the burden of the prophecy, the oracle of God that is weighty and judgmental. 4 Higher Criticism: The most obvious problem with this passage for the contemporary theologian is, if it was written when it was purported to have been, it would have had to be given supernaturally. Since obviously this couldn t be the case, it had to have been written after the prophesized events. If not then, clearly it was written just prior, but close enough so it would have been relatively easy to have made an accurate guess. This being the case, the author would have simply passed himself off as Isaiah. Of course this is nonsense. Grogan notes: This oracle, the Burden of Babylon as it is called, has been the focus of much scholarly attention. Many modern scholars have been reluctant to accept it as an authentic utterance of Isaiah, assigning it to the sixth century B.C., shortly before the taking of Babylon by Cyrus the Great of Persia. The whole basis of this scholarly judgment has been called into question. In a masterly study of the passage, Erlandsson argues for the authenticity of the whole series of prophecies against the nations (chs ) and for the special place of this passage as standing after chapters dealing with Judah s relationship to Assyria and before a series of oracles against nations that were seeking freedom from Assyria s yoke. He demonstrates that it appears not as an isolated entry in relation to its present context, but from the standpoint of both content and diction, is united to the texts which preceded and follow it (p. 141). He contends persuasively in his final chapter that the only historical context that is fully appropriate for it is 701 B.C., when the various peoples mentioned in chapters were all involved in anti-assyrian coalitions. The at tempt of Babylon to get Judah involved in such a coalition almost certainly lies behind the account in chapter Of course we don t question the authenticity of the section, because it is consistent with other prophecies of both the Old and New Testaments, Ezekiel, Jeremiah, and Revelation. We will touching on these cross references as we go through this section. Now, let me remind us again of the two general themes adapted from Martin 6. Keep them in mind throughout the study of these ten chapters. 1. God s absolute justice, the fact He will hold every nation accountable for its actions. 2. Prophecy serves as a confirmation of God s Word. 4 Criswell, W. A., Isaiah, Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, MI, 1977, p Grogan, Geoffrey W., The Expositor s Bible Commentary, Isaiah, Zondervan Interactive Publishing House, Grand Rapids, MI, Ibid. ) 149 (

4 Verses 1-5: We start this book of burden with the burden of Babylon. It is fitting that the first nation designated for destruction is Babylon. The NIV Dictionary gives the following entry. BABYLON The Greek form of the Hebrew word bavel, which was closely allied to and probably derived from the Akkadian babilu or gate of God. The name referred not only to the city itself but also to the country of which it was the capital. It was situated in central Mesopotamia on the river Euphrates, some 50 miles (83 km.) south of modern Baghdad, capital of Iraq and was in contact with all the most important cultural centers of the ancient Near East. The date of its foundation is still disputed. The connection between Akkad, Calneh, Erech, and Babylon (Gen 10:10) indicates a period at least as early as 3000 B.C. The history of Babylon is complicated by the fact that it was governed by rulers from several lands who were successively engaged in struggles for its capture and retention. The political history of Babylon was bound up with that of Babylonia and Assyria. Under Hammurabi (c ), the last great king of the first dynasty, the Babylonian Empire stretched from the Persian Gulf to the middle Euphrates and upper Tigris regions. From the end of the tenth century Babylon became a vassal of Assyria, controlled by the kings of Nineveh. Nabopolassar founded an independent dynasty in 626, known as the neo-babylonian, or Chaldean, regime. Under Nabopolassar (c ) and his son Nebuchadnezzar II (c ), ancient Babylon attained the height of its splendor. It was probably the largest and most elaborate city in the ancient world, including the hanging gardens (one of the seven wonders of the world) and over 50 temples. In 616 the Babylonians began a military campaign against the middle Euphrates region that ended in the destruction of the Assyrian Empire. Cyrus conquered Babylon in 539 and set about building up his vast Persian Empire. When the Persian Empire fell to Alexander the Great in 330, Babylon was destroyed. Although remaining an inhabited site, Babylon declined still further in importance under the Parthians (c. 125 B.C.) and was last mentioned on a Babylonian clay tablet dated about 10 B.C. At present the Baghdad-to-Bassorah railway line passes within a few yards of the mound that was once the most splendid city of the world. Babylon is often mentioned in prophecy (e.g., Isa 13:1, 19; 14:22; 21; 46; 47; Jer 50; 51) and is a NT symbol of opposition to God (1 Peter 5:13; Rev 14:8). 7 The author identifies himself as Isaiah, who has received this passage from God. That is enough to substantiate the veracity of the passage, that is for those who really believe God and the Holy Spirit have protected His Word. Isaiah presents the message God has given with a vividness reflecting both the clarity of the message and the quality of his writing. Grogan puts it this way: Isaiah s prophetic greatness lies chiefly in the exalted character and vast range of the themes he declared; but allied to this was an outstanding gift for vivid, memorable communication. In these verses the reader or hearer is presented first with a sight for his eyes and then with a sound for his ears. So the imaginative faculty is pressed to carry more than inward sight, two senses combining to convey a reality so impressive as almost to be tangible. 8 God is calling together an army for His own purposes. While the army is described as holy, here the usage is not one related to their spiritual maturity, but also that they are set apart for God s purposes. In fact, as we know from history, and as we saw in our study of Daniel, this is the army of the Medes and Persians. In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, in order to fulfill the word of the LORD spoken by Jeremiah, the LORD moved the heart of Cyrus king of Persia to make a 7 Douglas, J. D. and Merrill C. Tenney, editors, NIV Bible Dictionary, Zondervan Interactive Publishing House, Grand Rapids, MI, Ibid ) 150 (

5 proclamation throughout his realm and to put it in writing: This is what Cyrus king of Persia says: The LORD, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth and he has appointed me to build a temple for him at Jerusalem in Judah. Anyone of his people among you may his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem in Judah and build the temple of the LORD, the God of Israel, the God who is in Jerusalem. And the people of any place where survivors may now be living are to provide him with silver and gold, with goods and livestock, and with freewill offerings for the temple of God in Jerusalem. (Ezra 1:1-4). God is going to gather this army from many geographic areas for a specific purpose, to carry out His wrath against His enemy. In this case, the enemy has been identified as Babylon. This presents an interesting pattern. While the most specific fulfillment of the passage relates to Babylon s holding of Judah in captivity, it has broader implications. Babylon is both a literal kingdom and a symbol of evil throughout scripture. It is first seen in Genesis 11 as the rallying point for a fallen humanity in rebellion against God following the flood. Keeping this in mind, the final destruction of Babylon in Revelation speaks to the fall of the idolatrous world system. A second angel followed and said, Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great, which made all the nations drink the maddening wine of her adulteries. The seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air, and out of the temple came a loud voice from the throne, saying, It is done! Then there came flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder and a severe earthquake. No earthquake like it has ever occurred since man has been on earth, so tremendous was the quake. The great city split into three parts, and the cities of the nations collapsed. God remembered Babylon the Great and gave her the cup filled with the wine of the fury of his wrath (Revelation 14:8, 17-19) The fact this information is presented here is in one sense similar to what has gone before. God will bring judgment on Judah. But at the same time, He provides a message of hope and comfort. And Babylon, a part of the Assyrian empire at this time, would be destroyed in the future. There is a day coming when the enemies of Judah will be defeated and the nation will be restored. There is a day coming when the enemies of Israel will be defeated and the entire nation will be restored. There is a day coming when the Messiah will rule and the world will see peace, leading up to our eternal hope. Even So Come Lord Jesus! Next time we will see another view of the Day of the Lord, and the believer s hope of God s absolute justice. ) 151 (

6 Isaiah The Book of Burdens The Fall of Babylon ~ Part 1 Isaiah 13: I Introduction II God s Warriors Verses 1-5 III The Day of the Lord Verses 6-16 IV God s Agents The Medes Verses V Compassion for Israel Verses 1-2 VI Relief for Israel Verses 3-8 VII The King of Babylon Verses 9-15 VIII The Fall of King and Kingdom Verses IX Conclusion I Introduction: Definitions: (Isaiah 22:25; Jeremiah 20:9; Ezekiel 1:1-3)

7 Higher Criticism: II God s Warriors: (Ezra 1:1-4; Revelation 14:8, 17-19) BABYLON