March 18 - Alas, Babylon

March 18 - Alas, Babylon - Isaiah 21:1-17

Isaiah foresees actions that happen about 150-200 years into the future with this prophecy. Elam and Media are both part of Persia. Elam was actually much more prominent in the days of Isaiah than Persia was, but by the time they conquered Babylon, they were part of the empire.

Can you imagine seeing destruction the type of destruction that Isaiah sees whenever you shut your eyes, or for that matter, even when your eyes were open. This is painful for Isaiah. (Isaiah 21:3-4)

In Isaiah 5, he sees the banquets that Belshazzar held with the princes of Babylon. They were so confident in their power that they were careless. The shields that the officers used consisted of layers of leather, without regular oiling they would dry up and become useless. Isaiah warns that they should be prepared, have lookouts, be alert.

This is a strong reminder of the words that Jesus, Paul and John all used to tell us to continually be alert. This prophecy was spoken 150+ years before it came to be ... do you suppose that people ignored it much as we do?

Judah counted on the fact that Babylon would stand against the Assyrians, against the Persians. In fact, Hezekiah attempted to be their ally ... But, Babylon couldn't stand against invaders anymore than anyone else could.

In Isaiah 21:11-12, Dumah is a word play on the name Edom. The Edomites were from the line of Esau. Dumah then means silence, which the Psalmist used to describe the realm of the dead. (Psalm 94:17; 115:17) Isaiah is the watchman, though morning (deliverance) comes for Israel, darkness will be at hand for the Edomites.

The final prophecy in this chapter is delivered for Arabia. (Isaiah 21:13-17) The had aligned with the Philistines and had plundered Jerusalem in about 845 bc during the reign of Jehoram. Uzziah had finally defeated them. Here, they are warned of the coming destruction from Assyria and then later the Chaldeans who would make Tema (Isaiah 21:14) their capital.

The Lord, the God of Israel, has spoken.