As we look this week into the study on Isiah 21, the fall of Babylon, I want you to be praying towards what we should learn from this study. As we read what is prophesied to happen to this great city, let us be praying about how we ought to see our own cities. We talk so often about these cities facing judgement without much connection to our own cities being judged. Surely each town, each city, each state and country will be judged and the people that make up those places. Are we a people who are secure in the coverings of our Savior Jesus Christ? And how many of your neighbors can say the same? What are we doing to reach out to our neighbors? Not in a sense of panic, but in obedience to the love of God, let us reach out to the world around us in love. May we pray that kindness pour out of us; that the words of our mouths impact people’s lives. Pray that we are not a stagnant pool but a rushing river. May our abundance in the Spirit overflow onto the lives of those thirsting for the life that Christ provides. May we find our foundation in the Lord and become a building block to which others can be a part and find strength. To the God who has power over our circumstances, Amen. 

Tonight we look into the fall of Babylon, which is an impressive feat for many reasons. The first being that, at the time of Isaiah, the main threat to Israel was Assyria, not Babylon. Assyria would go on to defeat the Northern Kingdom of Israel in 722 B.C. Babylon would come later to defeat both Assyria and the Southern Kingdom of Judah in 586 B.C. So Isaiah speaking of the defeat of Babylon was seeing well into the future. But, as we will see, Isaiah not only predicts their downfall but also by whom and the circumstances surrounding their defeat! Babylon, of course, is a kingdom of extravagant beauty and great wealth. They were certainly an arrogant people and felt second to none. Yet God is declaring that they will find their judgement. Let us look to our text to find what the prophecy is saying:

• V. 1 “Wilderness of the Sea” is a nickname for Babylon. Babylon will not become a power until much later and yet, remarkably, Isaiah is able to see their rise and fall. Wilderness is often associated with a wandering and lost nature. The sea is an all-consuming chaos. What a nickname!

• V. 2 Elam, which is Persia, and Media, the Medes, who are once allies of Babylon then conquered by Babylon, will come together to defeat the Babylonians. 

• Vv. 3-4 Perspective of Isaiah. Isaiah is seeing a vision of the destruction of Babylon and he feels pain for those coming under the judgement of God. It is good for us to have compassion towards those who are under bondage of sin and will face the Lord’s righteousness without a Savior. 

• V. 5 You need to know a little about what will happen to Babylon when the Medes and Persians invaded. The Babylonians had constructed a massive wall to fortify their city. According to one study I read, it was 76 feet thick and over 300 feet high! The princes in charge of protecting the city were without fear, thinking no one could penetrate such a fortress. So they would eat and drink. But Isaiah says, be ready for war and oil the shields!The Medes knew that the only weak point was where the Euphrates river entered under the walls. So, the Medes diverted the river so they were able to enter under the walls and attack a drunken, unprepared city! This account can be seen in Daniel 5 as well. 

• Vv. 6-10 Isaiah is giving us a perspective of the soldiers marching under the walls and into the unsuspecting city. God has enacted his righteous judgement on the city full of false gods and arrogant people. 

• V. 10 Isaiah is saying I have told you what God needs you to hear. Many of us refuse to accept the discipline of God but Isaiah once again shows us that it is very much an important characteristic of the movement of God. 

• Vv. 11-15 Dumah and Arabia, allies to Babylon, receive those fleeing the destroyed Babylon. 

• Vv. 16-17 The glory of Babylon, this magnificent city, will be destroyed in short order by the hand of God. 

Let us make some concluding points:

Isaiah grieves Judgement of the lost: Once again we get to see the love and compassion of God seen through his vessel, Isaiah. Isaiah does not feel pain for those judged by God out of his own power. Compassion itself is granted by God. To be able to see others as God does and have love towards even the worst of men is a gift. Who among us without God could die for a friend, let alone an enemy, just as Christ did on the cross. And who invites sinners, those who despise us, to a feast without having the vision of the Father? I certainly would not want those who despise me at my own wedding! Yet Christ shows the Father’s love in dying in the place of sinners so they may live and have a seat at the table. God shows the truth of judgement through the compassion seen displayed by Isaiah: that judgement is done for righteousness sake with hope that some may come to know him. We too ought to pray for that compassion. That we respond to others not out of fear or hate, but rather with the recognition that all men are created in the image of God. That all people, no matter how despicable, are desired by the Lord and can find redeeming life in him! May we pray for hearts such as these. 

Destroyed at the height of power: Babylon certainly seemed to have a good thing going. They had power over the comings and going of the known world. They set the pace and was the envy and fear of most. They were wealthy beyond measure and seemingly invincible. Yet, by God’s hand they were destroyed by the coming Medo-Persian empire.  Many times we chase one accomplishment after another. We think if we get to this point in life we will be happy. If we get to this amount saved we will be secure. I can be comfortable when I get a nicer car or newer home. Much of the world chases human comfort. God declares that there will come moments when the kingdoms we build for ourselves will be shaken or destroyed. When you are stripped of your crutches and you are forced to face the mirror, what will you find of eternal value? We as Christians are called to find our value, our satisfaction, our power, in the person of Jesus Christ. We are brought into relationship with or Creator God and empowered by the resurrected Christ through the Spirit. Our strength will not come from what we do with our hands but rather the connection to the One who is able to do immeasurably more. 

Who are your allies?: At one point, the Medes and the Persians are allies with Babylon. Babylon eventually becomes power hungry and oppresses it’s own allies and will lead to it’s own destruction. Who is it that you are placing your trust in? Much of the world gives us empty promises of hope. It has little regard for people and leads each of us to look out for ourselves. When we depend so much on others, surely they will fail us from time to time. Surely our jobs, our money, and the worldly things we put our trust in will all fail to provide the long-term satisfaction we crave. Only an alliance with God, a relationship with Christ through the Good News of his ministry can grant us the secure future we long for. And when the day of trouble comes and we experience heartache, do not turn to things of this world to hold you together. Run into his arms, to a God who promises to be a place of refuge for those who have been overrun by the brokenness of the world.