Isaiah Chapter 21

In Isaiah 21, God pronounces judgment on 3 groups of people – Babylon, Edom and Arabia. Initially while reading this chapter, I wondered how I would be able to relate these proclamations of God to myself or to our present situation. Among these 3 nations, Babylon we know the best; their idolatry and pride are talked about many times in the Bible, as is God’s judgment on them. In fact, Babylon is used to represent the entire sinful world under the evil one today. 

Edom were the descendants of Esau, dwelling next to Israel and Judah around Mount Seir. While they were allied with Judah at times (2 Kings 3:9), in Obadiah, God condemns Edom for their pride and their violence against Israel, his brother.

The last nation, Arabia, is the one we have least information about. We only see them mentioned in passing at various times in the Old Testament. They were but another of the nations in Israel and Judah’s vicinity who had some interactions with God’s people and did not worship God.

One reflection I had while thinking that it was odd to see God instructing Isaiah to speak so much regarding other nations in the Old Testament. My impression was that the prophets were mostly sent to God’s people of Israel and Judah, with rare exceptions like Jonah. I realized that this was not strange at all, since God is the Judge of the whole earth. God is not only concerned with His people, but His realm extends to every nation under heaven, from the most antagonistic (Babylon) to the relatively unheard of (Arabia). In fact Isaiah was playing a role much like ours today – proclaiming God’s impending judgment on the sinful nations was to let them know the righteousness of God, and looking at the incident of Jonah and Nineveh, was also likely God’s mercy in giving these nations a chance to hear His judgment and repent. 

In the prophecy against Babylon, there is a familiar phrase – “Babylon is fallen, is fallen”. This is the proclamation against Babylon in Revelations 14:8 and Revelations 18:2. This parallel makes me reflect on the fall of Babylon in history as a warning for us today as well. Although we may have come out of Babylon today, let us take heed lest we fall.

In particular, the mention of Media besieging Babylon (Isaiah 21:2) and repeated mentions of the watchman/watch tower reminds me of the fall of Babylon recorded in Daniel. On the night Babylon fell to King Darius of Persia and Medes, King Belshazzar was not watching as a watchman, but rather threw a great feast and put his trust in idols – “gods of gold and silver, bronze and iron, wood and stone.” (Dan 5:4). Today, as God’s judgment draws near, the world also grows in its revelry and rebellion against God. Let us not be swept away by the world, but like Daniel, let us continue to speak the word of God until He comes.

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