No Nation is Indestructible

 

 

Isaiah 47:1 (NKJV)

¹           “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.

 

Isaiah 47:7 (NKJV)

⁷           And you said, ‘I shall be a lady forever,’

            So that you did not take these things to heart,

            Nor remember the latter end of them.

 

Isaiah 47:8 (NKJV)

⁸           “Therefore hear this now, you who are given to pleasures,

     Who dwell securely,

     Who say in your heart, ‘I am, and there is no one else besides me;

     I shall not sit as a widow,

     Nor shall I know the loss of children’

 

Isaiah 47:9 (NKJV)

⁹           But these two things shall come to you

            In a moment, in one day:

            The loss of children, and widowhood.

            They shall come upon you in their fullness

            Because of the multitude of your sorceries,

            For the great abundance of your enchantments.

 

(NKJV=New King James Version of the Bible)

Isaiah, in this part of his prophecies, has left behind any negative statements about Israel and spoken about the wonderful destiny still before her.  His negative statements now turn to Babylon, an ascending empire in Isaiah’s lifetime and one that would overthrow Israel and leave her desolate for seven decades.  The empire is symbolized as a lady, confident that her position as the dominant force in the region is permanently secure, she implies that she is divine, and will never suffer loss or defeat, that she will never be a “widow”.  History tells us that the empire of Babylon was overthrown in one night, and that her ruin came suddenly. 

 

In the back of the Bible, the restored Babylon of sorts led by the Antichrist, maintains the same attitude (Revelation 18:7) and will face the same sudden destruction.  Nations, and the forces behind them, can fall to the illusion of infallibility and divinity, but none are indestructible.  The same goes for modern as well as ancient empires, and I find it notable that Revelation, as I read it, mentions the governments of Asian countries, Europe and Russia as significant players in the events depicted in that prophecy, but I find no mention of the United States.  We shall see.

God is sufficient for the Christian throughout the stages of life and beyond.

 

Isaiah 46:4 (NKJV)  Even to your old age, I am He, And even to gray hairs I will carry you!  I have made, and I will bear; Even I will carry, and will deliver you.

 

God speaks to the nation of Israel, but I cannot help but take comfort that the promise, though Christ, comes to me as well.  God attended to me from birth and will attend in my elder years and when I approach death.  Consider  Psalm 48:14  "For this is God, our God forever and ever; He will be our guide even to death."  The study Bible I use, the “Spirit Filled Life Bible”, notes that the Septuagint reads "unto eternity" instead of “even to death."  The Hebrew is difficult to translate, but the idea of God being present in every transition in life, through birth, the chapters of life, death and beyond is a blessing.  In Christ we have a guide throughout eternity.

Note:  I am partial to “The Spirit Filled Life Study Bible” and the “NKJV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible.”  I tend to read from the King James Version, the New King James Version, and the New American Standard Version of the Bible.  There are many good translations and study Bibles in the English language.

 

The People God Named Before They Were Born

 

Isaiah 44:28  who says of Cyrus, ‘He is my shepherd and will accomplish all that I please; he will say of Jerusalem, “Let it be rebuilt,” and of the temple, “Let its foundations be laid.”’

 

Some theologians suspect that the Book of Isaiah had two authors because of the change in tone starting with chapter 40, and also because of others like it in chapter 45.  The prophet mentions a person by name, Cyrus who will order the reconstruction of Jerusalem.  This was Cyrus the Great, Ruler of Persia who ascended his throne 150 years this prophecy was written.  Thus, the Lord reveals the political ruler who will release Israel from captivity over a century before he gains his throne, and He does so by name.

 

This wasn’t the first time something like this happened.  An unknown prophet in 1 Kings spoke of Josiah, a king that would put a stop to idolatry in Israel.  He did, three hundred years later. (1 Kings 13:1-2; 2 Kings 23:15-16)

 

There may be more to this than two rare instances of prophecy using a specific name.  Revelation speaks of the Lamb’s Book of Life, in which everyone saved by grace is named.  (Revelation 20:12-15).  It is a great comfort to know a God who names people years before they are born, and who has a book with the names of everyone who loves Christ, which, I trust, includes ours as well.