Year 9, Day 5: Isaiah 21

Theological Commentary: Click Here

Much of Isaiah 21 carries the same theme that we have heard throughout the last dozen or so chapters.  Here is another nation that is going to come under judgment.  We’re familiar with the name of this one, too.  It is Babylon.  God is going to bring Babylon to its knees.

To get the most out of this chapter, though, we need to make sure that we understand which fall of Babylon.  Babylon falls twice.  Babylon is conquered by Assyria in the beginning.  It then gains power, rises up against Assyria, and conquers Assyria prior to coming over and conquering the Promised Land.  It is then conquered by the Persians.

This is an important discussion because of how the fall of Babylon is spoken in this chapter.  Isaiah speaks of this fall as a troubling day.  It is a day of terror.  It is a day to set watchman and fear its coming.  This is not a good day, it is a painful day of judgment.

The second fall of Babylon, the fall where Persian conquers Babylon, is not a day of terror for the Hebrew people but a day of restoration.  The Persians come into the region, destroy the Babylonian rule, and release the Hebrew people back to the Promised Land.  The Persians allow Jerusalem to be rebuilt.  Therefore, it seems reasonable to see this chapter as a chapter about the fall of Babylon to the Assyrians.

This makes sense.  If this chapter is telling about the fall of Babylon to the Assyrians, then it is a warning chapter to the Hebrew people.  The Assyrians will take out Babylon and then come for them.  That’s why the Hebrew people need to set a watch.  That’s why they need to fear.  After the Assyrians come for Babylon, the time for Israel grows short.  There is great foreboding in this chapter.

What does this mean for us?  We can learn from the people around us.  When turmoil and danger comes upon them, we can look and learn from their mistakes.  When judgment comes to those near us, we can ask what they did to deserve judgment and perhaps repent in time to avoid judgment!  We should set a watchman in our life so that we are aware of those around us and how their actions are viewed by God.

<><