SCRIPTURE:
A MESSAGE ABOUT BABYLON (vs. 1-46)
- Babylon will be captured. Her image will be put to shame and her idols filled with terror. A nation from the north will attack her and lay waster her land. Both men and animals will flew away and not live in it. (vs. 23)
- An alliance of great nation will come with skilled warriors to attack them with arrows. (v. 8)
- Babylon will be plundered. (v. 10)
- Babylon will not be inhabited but will be completely desolate. (v. 13)
- Babylon surrenders, her towers fall and her walls torn down. (15)
- Babylon will be completely destroyed leaving her no remnants nor young bulls. (vs. 26-27)
- Her young men will fall in the streets and be silenced. (v. 30)
- The arrogant will stumble and fall and no one will help her. A fire will consume all her towns and her surroundings. (v. 32)
- A sword will be against Babylon – her officials and wise men, her false prophets, her warriors, her house and chariots, all the foreigners in her ranks. They will become fools and filled with terror. And all her treasures will be plundered.(vs. 35-37)
- A drought on her waters will dry up the land of idols. (v. 38_
- The desert creatures, hyenas and owl will live there. It will never again be inhabited or lived in from generation to generation. (v. 39)
- No one will live there and no man will dwell in it. (v. 40)
- Cruel and merciless army armed with bows and spears is coming from the north riding on horses to attack them. (v. 41-42)
- The hands of the king of Babylon hang limps with anguish and pain like that of a woman in labor. (v. 43)
- The young of the flock will be dragged away, their pastures completely destroyed. (v. 45)
- Babylon will be captured with cry and trembling earth. (vs. 46)
THOUGHTS:
The nation from the north was Mede-Persia, an alliance of Medea and Persia. They came out to defeat Babylon and leave it desolate. Babylon’s brutal treatment of Israelites was being judged. King Cyrus took the city of Babylon by surprise and the complete destruction was accomplished by later Persian kings,
Assyria ruled Israel with cruelty. So God enabled Babylon to crush Assyria. Then Babylon would in turn be crushed by Mide-Persian because they also mistreated the Israelites.
Pride was Babylonia’s characteristic sins. Pride arises when one feels he is self-sufficient believing that he does not need God. Proud nations or person will eventually fail because they refuse to recognize God as the ultimate power. Let us ask God to help us get rid of our pride and focus our attention on the greatness and goodness of God.