Any Oppressor of God’s People Will Ultimately be Defeated.

“O Babylon, the unconquered, come sit in the dust; for your days of glory, pomp, and honor are ended. O daughter of Chaldea, never again will you be the lovely princess, tender and delicate. ²Take heavy millstones and grind the corn; remove your veil;^a strip off your robe; expose yourself to public view. ³You shall be in nakedness and shame. I will take vengeance upon you and will not repent.”

⁴So speaks our Redeemer, who will save Israel from Babylon’s mighty power; the Lord Almighty is his name, the Holy One of Israel.

⁵Sit in darkness and silence, O Babylon; never again will you be called “The Queen of Kingdoms.” ⁶For I was angry with my people Israel and began to punish them a little by letting them fall into your hands, O Babylon. But you showed them no mercy. You have made even the old folks carry heavy burdens. ⁷You thought your reign would never end, Queen Kingdom of the world. You didn’t care a whit about my people or think about the fate of those who do them harm.

⁸O pleasure-mad kingdom, living at ease, bragging as the greatest in the world—listen to the sentence of my court upon your sins. You say, “I alone am God! I’ll never be a widow; I’ll never lose my children.” ⁹Well, those two things shall come upon you in one moment, in full measure in one day: widowhood and the loss of your children, despite all your witchcraft and magic.

¹⁰You felt secure in all your wickedness. “No one sees me,” you said. Your “wisdom” and “knowledge” have caused you to turn away from me and claim that you yourself are Jehovah. ¹¹That is why disaster shall overtake you suddenly—so suddenly that you won’t know where it comes from. And there will be no atonement then to cleanse away your sins.

¹²Call out the demon hordes you’ve worshiped all these years. Call on them to help you strike deep terror into many hearts again. ¹³You have advisors by the ton—your astrologers and stargazers, who try to tell you what the future holds. ¹⁴But they are as useless as dried grass burning in the fire. They cannot even deliver themselves! You’ll get no help from them at all. Theirs is no fire to sit beside to make you warm! ¹⁵And all your friends of childhood days shall slip away and disappear, unable to help.^[1] (Isaiah47:1-15)

 Set Free by God’s Judgment of the Oppressor, Babylon:

A Warning to All Who Oppress Others, 47:1–15

(47:1–15) Introduction: Throughout the world, people are being oppressed. Oppressive behavior is a common problem, one that exists within many families as well as in businesses, organizations, religions, and governments of this world. Oppression can exist even between two people when one person is overbearing or too demanding. Husbands and wives can be oppressive when they dominate each other. Children can be oppressive when they are too demanding of their parents or abusive toward other children. Governments can be oppressive by passing preferential laws that discriminate among various classes or races of citizens. Leaders can be oppressive by abusing dictatorial powers. Much of the suffering throughout the world is due to the oppressive and greedy behavior of governments and leaders against their own people, of one race against another, one social class against another, and one religion against another.

In the ancient world, the Babylonians were one of the most oppressive people ever to come on the scene of world history. They were ambitious people who set their sights on building a worldwide empire. An attempt was made to make Babylon the mightiest and most glorious capital of the world. But in pursuing this ambition for world power, the Babylonians became a vicious and ruthless people, tyrannizing and conquering one nation after another. After defeating a people, the Babylonians enslaved and then deported the entire population to other nations. Their purpose in this was to break the population’s allegiance to their own nation by forcing them to become citizens of other nations. But loyalty to any nation other than Babylon was not tolerated. The world was to become a Babylonian world. Every nation was to be subjected under the rule and law of Babylon. To achieve its ends, all forms of cruelty and savagery were used against the people of other nations. Individuals either subjected themselves under the thumb of Babylon or else faced harsh punishment or even death.

Because of Babylon’s vicious tyranny, in particular their mistreatment of God’s people, God pronounced judgment upon the cruel oppressor. However, this prophecy was pronounced more than 150 years before the hand of God’s judgment would fall. God was determined to set His people free. Through the destruction of Babylon, they would be set free to return to the promised land. This is Set Free by God’s Judgment of the Oppressor, Babylon: A Warning to All Who Oppress Others, 47:1–15.  

1.      The Defeat of the Oppressor: A Picture of God’s Vengeance (Vv. 1–5).

2.      The sins of the oppressor: wicked acts that provoked God (vv. 6–8).

3.      The sudden, catastrophic end of the oppressor (vv. 9–11).

4.      The powerlessness of false religion—the world of the occult—to deliver the oppressor (vv. 12–15). 

The Defeat of the Oppressor: A Picture of God’s Vengeance 

“O Babylon, the unconquered, come sit in the dust; for your days of glory, pomp, and honor are ended. O daughter of Chaldea, never again will you be the lovely princess, tender and delicate. ²Take heavy millstones and grind the corn; remove your veil;^a strip off your robe; expose yourself to public view. ³You shall be in nakedness and shame. I will take vengeance upon you and will not repent.”

⁴So speaks our Redeemer, who will save Israel from Babylon’s mighty power; the Lord Almighty is his name, the Holy One of Israel. 

⁵Sit in darkness and silence, O Babylon; never again will you be called “The Queen of Kingdoms.” ^[2] (Isaiah47:1–5) 

Any oppressor of God’s people will ultimately be defeated. For that reason, Babylon, the cruel persecutors of God’s people in Biblical times, was doomed to fall. Remember that Babylon was the capital of a worldwide empire, probably the greatest empire to rule over the nations of ancient history. But Babylon had been a ruthless, bloodthirsty master as she conquered and ruled over the nations of the earth. Thus Isaiah predicted that Babylon would face the hand of God’s judgment. Babylon would be humiliated and conquered (vv. 1–3a). Although the conqueror is not named here, Isaiah did identify Persia elsewhere as the conqueror (44:28; 45:1–13). And history has proven the fulfillment of the prophecy, for Persia conquered Babylon in 539 b.c. Note that Babylon is referred to as a virgin daughter, a tender, delicate nation, which simply means that she was a young nation; she had never been sexually conquered, never raped by other nations up until that time. However, Isaiah was predicting that God would work through Persia to conquer or rape the nation of Babylon. In the vast world empire, the brutal persecutors of God’s people would sit in the dust. The acclaimed nation of Babylon would be dethroned, losing all her authority and honor throughout the world. The once legendary capital would be conquered and utterly humiliated. No longer would the Babylonian citizens be pampered, living lives of luxury and pleasure and possessing most of the wealth of the world. The oppressors themselves would now be enslaved and led into captivity. They would face the severe hardships of slaves, being forced to do the most menial and difficult tasks within society. Instead of using animals to turn the heavy millstones for grinding flour, the conquering nation would force the Babylonian people to do the work of the animals. Furthermore, the enslaved women would no longer be able to show concern for beautiful clothes or modesty. Rather, they would be treated as slaves, forced to lift up their skirts and bare their legs. They would be forced to expose themselves and be at the disposal of the conquerors. In other words, the Babylonian women would reap the same mistreatment that their own husbands and fathers had forced upon female citizens of other nations. They would be abused, raped, and shamed.

Note that the fall of Babylon was guaranteed by the Lord Himself (vv. 3b–5). He would personally take vengeance and execute his justice against Babylon. And all citizens of the cruel, oppressive nation would feel the weight of His hand against them. No citizen would be spared. Judgment is non-negotiable. It is a surety for two reasons: first, the Lord has determined to rescue His people. He is the Redeemer; therefore He is bound to deliver all who trust and follow Him. Moreover, He is the Lord of hosts, the Lord Almighty. He has the power to rule and control all beings and events throughout the universe. He is also the Holy One of Israel, the God who has a covenant relationship with His people, caring for and looking after them, demanding that they live holy and righteous lives. Due to this relationship, God is bound to rescue His people from their adversaries. His very Name—Our Redeemer, the Lord of hosts, the Holy One of Israel—shows that He will deliver His people from their oppressors.

Second, God’s purpose is to execute justice against any who represses or tyrannizes His people. The oppressor will be cast into darkness and removed forever. Hence, no longer would Babylon be the leader, the queen of nations and kingdoms. 

Thought 1. One of the most despised behaviors in the eyes of God is that of mistreating or oppressing other people. Why? Because God loves and cares for every human being. He hates and despises our sins, but He loves us, and He expects us to love our neighbors. For this reason, He will not tolerate the mistreatment or oppression of others. All forms of oppression and mistreatment are despised by God:

Ø  degrading or ignoring people

Ø  crushing or beating them down

Ø  disheartening or causing distress for them

Ø  harassing or hounding them

Ø  persecuting them sexually, emotionally, mentally, or spiritually

Ø  tormenting or torturing them

Ø  enslaving or trampling them under foot

No matter how we mistreat people, God despises it and He will hold us accountable. His hand of judgment will fall upon us, and He will repay with vengeance accordingly. Listen to God’s Holy Word: 

V  “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess” (Mt. 23:25).

V  “But unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation, and wrath, Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile” (Ro. 2:8–9).

V  “Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord” (Ro. 12:19).

V  “Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God” (1 Co. 6:9–10).

V  “Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God” (Ga. 5:19–21).

V  “Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience” (Ep. 5:6).

V  “And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power” (2 Th. 1:7–9).

V  “To me, belongeth vengeance, and recompense; their foot shall slide in due time: for the day of their calamity is at hand, and the things that shall come upon them make haste” (De. 32:35).

V  “O Lord God, to whom vengeance belongeth; O God, to whom vengeance belongeth, show thyself” (Ps. 94:1).

V  “He that oppresseth the poor reproacheth his Maker: but he that honoureth him hath mercy on the poor” (Pr. 14:31).

V  “If thou seest the oppression of the poor, and violent perverting of judgment and justice in a province, marvel not at the matter: for he that is higher than the highest regardeth; and there be higher than they” (Ecc. 5:8).

V  “And I will execute great vengeance upon them with furious rebukes, and they shall know that I am the Lord, when I shall lay my vengeance upon them” (Eze. 25:17).

V  “And I will execute vengeance in anger and fury upon the heathen, such as they have not heard” (Mi. 5:15).

V  “God is jealous, and the Lord revengeth; the Lord revengeth, and is furious; the Lord will take vengeance on his adversaries, and he reserveth wrath for his enemies” (Na. 1:2).^[3]

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^a 47:2  remove your veil. In ancient Babylonia (and in many Eastern lands today) only harlots were permitted to go without veils.

^[1] Taylor, Kenneth Nathaniel. 1997. The Living Bible, Paraphrased. Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House.

^a 47:2  remove your veil. In ancient Babylonia (and in many Eastern lands today) only harlots were permitted to go without veils.

^[2] Taylor, Kenneth Nathaniel. 1997. The Living Bible, Paraphrased. Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House.

^[3] Leadership Ministries Worldwide. 2005. Isaiah: Chapters 36–66. Vol. II. The Preacher’s Outline & Sermon Bible. Chattanooga, TN: Leadership Ministries Worldwide.