Isaiah 21:1-10 – Be watchful and discerning

Although here Isaiah prophesied against Babylon, he did not name it directly but called it the wilderness of the sea. It was not until verse 9 that Babylon was mentioned when her fall was pronounced. Why Babylon was referred to as the wilderness of the sea? Ancient Babylon was just a plain, filled with lakes and marshes. The two great Rivers Tigris and Euphrates flowed through the plain before emptying its water into the Persian Gulf. It was designated wilderness in the light of what God, using the Elam and Media, was about to do to it. When God’s judgment with them was through, they would be a wasteland.

In verse 2 Isaiah was describing the harsh vision he saw of Elam and Mede’s invasion of Babylon. He called them treacherous destroyers because they were once allies of Babylon. The alliance of Mede and Elam (Medo-Persian empire) finally defeated Babylon in 538 B.C. What Isaiah saw would happen to Babylon troubled him deeply and emotionally. Verses 3-5 describe how the prophet felt when he saw the vision. He described himself as a woman going through the pains of child labor. However, despite the impending invasion and suffering that were coming, Isaiah saw the Babylonians still embroiled and caught up in their banquet.

God then told Isaiah to send a lookout to watch out for the news of what would happen to Babylon. In verse 9, the lookout came announcing, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon.” All the images of their gods were threshed and shattered on the ground. This once again clearly demonstrates the inability of nations to avert God’s judgment. Seeing the Babylonians having to subject themselves to God’s judgment, was a signal that Judah should not seek their help. The concluding lines of verse 10 speak of God’s people being caught in the center of it. They would suffer some threshing in the rise and fall of these world powers.  

Like Isaiah we are called to be God’s watchmen. And like him, we must also learn to listen carefully to God’s Word and discern the sign of the time.  How can we adequately warn the people if we are not attentive to what God is saying as He shapes world events? Watchmen of God, let us rise up to our call!