Opressing

“Come down, virgin daughter of Babylon, and sit in the dust.
For your days of sitting on a throne have ended.
O daughter of Babylonia, never again will you be
the lovely princess, tender and delicate.
Take heavy millstones and grind flour.
Remove your veil, and strip off your robe.
Expose yourself to public view.
You will be naked and burdened with shame.
I will take vengeance against you without pity.”
Our Redeemer, whose name is the LORD of Heaven’s Armies,
is the Holy One of Israel.
“O beautiful Babylon, sit now in darkness and silence.
Never again will you be known as the queen of kingdoms.
For I was angry with my chosen people
and punished them by letting them fall into your hands.
But you, Babylon, showed them no mercy.
You oppressed even the elderly.
You said, ‘I will reign forever as queen of the world!’
You did not reflect on your actions
or think about their consequences.
“Listen to this, you pleasure-loving kingdom,
living at ease and feeling secure.
You say, ‘I am the only one, and there is no other.
I will never be a widow or lose my children.’
Well, both these things will come upon you in a moment:
widowhood and the loss of your children.
Yes, these calamities will come upon you,
despite all your witchcraft and magic. (Isaiah 47:1-9)

Arrogance is not a good look for anyone. God disciplined his people using other people. The Babylonians attacked and decimated the Promised Land and took captive many of its people. They destroyed Jerusalem and burned down God’s Temple. They acted as God’s instruments in his hands.

Nevertheless, they behaved arrogantly and cruelly. As a consequence, God pronounced his judgment against them. Although Nebuchadnezzar, the great king of Babylon who was responsible for the destruction of Jerusalem and the burning of the temple, turned to God, his nation and his descendents on his throne did not. And so, God’s judgment came upon the Babylonians. The Persians invaded and took it over completely, slaughtering Nebuchadnezzar’s grandson and destroying his army and his power. Never again would Babylon matter to the world. Following the Persian conquest, the city fell into decline and was ultimately swallowed by the desert. A few stone ruins are all that remain of what was once the most powerful and important city on the planet. God promised that those who oppressed or harmed his people would in turn be harmed. The city Babylon destroyed—Jerusalem—was rebuilt and prospers till this day, while Babylon, the mighty conqueror of the world, remains deserted and in ruins. Only God’s kingdom endures.

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About R.P. Nettelhorst

I'm married with three daughters. I live in southern California and I'm the interim pastor at Quartz Hill Community Church. I have written several books. I spent a couple of summers while I was in college working on a kibbutz in Israel. In 2004, I was a volunteer with the Ansari X-Prize at the winning launches of SpaceShipOne. Member of Society of Biblical Literature, American Academy of Religion, and The Authors Guild
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