In Isaiah 47, the Lord moves from talking to Israel about Babylon (chapter 46), to addressing Babylon directly.  He announces a devastating judgment upon proud Babylon.  The Babylonians are pictured as a young, royal woman (“virgin daughter of Babylon”—1) experiencing an unexpected humbling: “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” (1).

Used to privilege and pleasure, the “daughter of Babylon” will find herself stripped of her dignity and honour.  She is pictured having to do the lowly work and hard labour of grinding flour with a millstone (2), wading through rivers, uncovered and disgraced (2-3).  The Lord pledges to “take vengeance” on Babylon, ominously declaring, “I will spare no one” (3).

In the midst of the pronouncement of judgment, Isaiah inserts a bold reminder of how and why this can be happening to the superpower of Babylon: “Our Redeemer—the Lord of hosts is his name—is the Holy One of Israel” (4).

As the Lord takes vengeance upon Babylon, it descends into “silence” and “darkness” (5).  No longer will the nation be known as the “mistress of kingdoms” (5).  On one level, Babylon is like a beautiful, young, “virgin” daughter (1); on another level she is a profligate “mistress of kingdoms” (5).  She entices and entraps other nations, doing business with them (15) and drawing them into her spiritual darkness (12).  After comparing Babylon to a virgin daughter and a tempting mistress, the Lord speaks of her as a wife and mother who loses both husband and children “in one day” (9).  These three images (daughter, mistress, mother) provide an evocative, vivid picture of Babylon’s coming demise.

Beginning in verse 6, the Lord begins to explain the reason He is bringing such shattering punishment (“vengeance”—3) upon the nation.  Not only have the Babylonians worshipped false gods (Bel, Nebo—46:1), they were cruel and inhumane to the exiles from Israel (6), filled with hubris about their exalted position among the nations (7,10), a lover of pleasures due to the wealth gained from wide-ranging business dealings (8, 15), and continually engaged in sorceries and divinations (12-13). The “Lord of hosts”, the “Redeemer”, the “Holy One of Israel” has had enough.  Judgment will come suddenly (9) and unstoppably (11).

The Lord acknowledges His own anger with His people Israel—the reason behind their exile (“I was angry with my people”—6).  But even though He gave them into the hands of the Babylonians, He still holds Babylon responsible for its excessively harsh treatment of the exiles: “you showed them no mercy; on the aged you made your yoke exceedingly heavy” (6).  Babylon’s victory was indeed part of God’s plan, but that did not excuse their sinful actions towards the Jews.

A further reason the Lord is judging Babylon centers on its self-exaltation.  The Lord cites Babylon’s blasphemous boasts: “I shall be mistress forever” (7); “I am, and there is no one beside me” (8, repeated in verse 10).  Here we have an echo of the offensive, overweening pride of the king of Babylon recorded in Isaiah 14:13-14.  The king and his people exalted themselves to the place of God.  Only the Lord holds the title of the self-existent “I am”; only He can legitimately make the claim: “there is no other beside me” (45:5).

Still another reason for Babylon’s destruction is its long-standing reliance on enchantments and sorceries (9, 12).  From its “youth” (12), Babylon combined idol worship (Bel, Nebo—46:1) with occult practices.  The Lord challenges them to “stand fast” in their enchantments and many sorceries in order to see how helpful they prove (12).  The astrologers who “divide the heavens” and “gaze at the stars” in order to “make known what shall come upon you” will prove unable to “save” the nation from the devastation God is sending (12-13).  In fact, these occultic counselors will prove to be “like stubble”, consumed by the fires of God’s vengeance (14).  The fiery judgment God is sending is no small campfire (“no fire to sit before”—14); it will be a raging inferno engulfing and devouring the nation.  Neither Babylon’s wise men nor its many business partners will be able to save them from the Lord’s judgment (15).

In the book of Revelation, the apostle John pictures the enemy of God and His people as “Babylon the great” (18:2).  Babylon is mankind’s rival to the heavenly city, Jerusalem (21:2). John draws upon many of the themes and motifs is Isaiah 47 to describe Babylon, even quoting from the wording of Isaiah 47:7-8 in Revelation 18:7: “since in her heart she says, ‘I sit as a queen, I am no widow, and mourning I shall never see.’”  This “city of man” is a “place for demons, a haunt for every unclean spirit” (18:2).  It has enticed “all nations” to commit “sexual immorality with her” and is known for her luxurious wealth (18:3, 7, 9).  Babylon is loved by the world’s merchants who find in her a market for all their exotic goods (18:11-13).  However, Babylon has been the cause of great suffering for God’s people: “in her was found the blood of prophets and of saints, and of all who have been slain on earth” (18:24).  Like the Babylon in Isaiah’s day, this Babylon will be destroyed suddenly (“in a single hour”—10, 17), violently (21), and irrevocably (“burned up with fire”—8).  The Lord will execute judgment on Babylon: “for mighty is the Lord God who has judged her” (8).

Behold Your God

The Lord sees and will avenge evil in the world.  Babylon sinned with impunity, thinking no one could see her (“No one sees me”—10) or stop her (“I am, and there is no one beside me”—10).  But Babylon was wrong. God heard her proud thoughts and words.  God saw her wicked, heartless deeds (6).  When He decided it was time, God brought swift, severe judgment on all evil doers: “I will spare no one” (3).  The Bible assures us, God is still watching and keeping a record; at the “great white throne” judgment, the Lord will “open” His books and everyone will be judged “according to what they had done” (Rev. 20:12).

The Lord brings down the mightiest of nations and cities.  Babylon felt completely secure due in its wickedness and wisdom (10).  It was confident that its sorceries success insured success and a prosperous future.  However, the “the Lord of hosts” (4) would bring Babylon down “in one day” (9; see Daniel 5:30-31).  Her pride and powers were unable to shield her from the fires of God’s judgment.  Here is a sobering reminder for all nations: there is no security outside of God’s protection.  Wealth, wisdom, or human alliances provide no safeguard when God brings judgment.  Ancient Babylon learned this the hard way (Isa 47); so will future Babylon (Rev 18).

The Lord is “Our Redeemer, the “Lord of hosts”, and the “Holy One of Israel.”  In the middle of God’s pronouncement against Babylon, Isaiah inserts a note of praise: “Our Redeemer—the Lord of hosts is his name—is the Holy One of Israel” (4). When we see God’s work in the world to bring down the mighty and bring help to His people, we have reason to erupt with praise to Him.  There is no one like Him (“Holy One of Israel).  His is mighty in power (“Lord of heavenly armies”).  Best of all, He redeems His people from the hand of the enemy (“Our Redeemer”).  This powerful redemption is seen most clearly when God’s Son, Jesus, purchased our redemption and defeated sin and death by dying on the cross.  Praise Him.

Here Am I

I must resist and reject the pull to self: self-exaltation, self-sufficiency and self-indulgence.  Under God’s providence, Babylon was blessed with wisdom and wealth.  Sadly, these blessings became the cause of its downfall as Babylon become conceited and callous.  I must guard against the insidious inward pull and not turn inward in focus.  Since God resists the proud (James 4:6), I want to reject pride and embrace humility, trust, and generosity.

I cannot put my hopes or pin my allegiance to America or Canada.  As a dual citizen, I have a natural allegiance to the USA and Canada.  Tragically, the US seems to be a modern-day version of Babylon the Great.  One day (perhaps sooner than we’d like), God will bring down the nations who flaunt His rule and authority.  My citizenship is now in heaven (Phil 3:20).  While I still should pray for and seek the welfare of my earthly homelands (Jeremiah 29:7), my heart must long for my true Home—the New Jerusalem (Revelation 21-22).