Today, we start a new section of Isaiah. The last section, chapters 7-12, focused on Jesus’ dealings with His people, His Church. This new section is almost completely about His dealings with the Gentile nations, places like Assyria, Tyre and Sidon and Moab. The section begins with a look at Babylon. Now, I understand that there are those who find the study of the history of ancient nations quite interesting – and then are those who would rather have a tooth pulled. Not everyone really cares about history. So, why should any of you care about Babylon of old? Well, if it’s in the Bible then, in some way or other, it gives us some insight into who Jesus is. Everything in the Bible is about Jesus; who He is, what He’s about, how He makes a difference in the world as a whole and in the lives of individuals. So, you may not care about the history of Babylon, and I’m not sure that I blame you for that, but I do think that you will want to see what it has to do with Jesus and your ability to follow Him well. So, I come to this text with an assumption. There are things here that will affect my life and yours too. There are things here that will help us to be better disciples. And that’s why it’s good for us to work at understanding what’s going on here.
Before I read what Isaiah has written, let me give you a quick overview. Our text has three sections. The first is Isaiah’s description of the coming destruction of Babylon. This is the longest section of our text. As I read it to you don’t try to grasp all the details. There is just too much. Just let it make an impression on you. As you do that you’ll find that Isaiah’s description is quite vivid. In fact, you might even be a little disturbed by what you hear. Isaiah writes about slaughter, anguish, fear. He describes the uproar of fighting and its cruel violence. He wants all of that to make an impression on you. Listen for that. The second section is actually just a few sentences. Here, Isaiah writes about Jesus and His people, His Church. Then, in the last section, Jesus commands His saints to ‘take up this taunt’. The last section is a mocking story about how the once powerful and glorious king of Babylon meets other kings in Sheol, the place of the dead. Jesus wants us to mock the king of Babylon – and to learn from his errors.
First, a little history. Babylon had been ruled by Assyria for a long time. But in the year 612 BC it revolted against its Assyrian overlords and gained more than just its independence. It eventually replaced Assyria as the superpower of its day in and around what we now call the Middle East. It ruled with great power and its capital became one of the wonders of the ancient world. Then in the year 539 BC it all came crashing down when the Medes and the Persians conquered Babylon and replaced it as the superpower of the region. And all of that happened because Jesus wanted it to happen. That’s what Isaiah is writing about in our text. Jesus called to the Medes to come and destroy Babylon. ‘I myself have commanded my consecrated ones, and have summoned my mighty men to execute my anger…’ Jesus rules the nations. As Daniel wrote, ‘He removes kings and sets up kings.’ Babylon’s rise to glory and fall into shame was because of Jesus. So, when you read about the rise of the Soviet Union under Lenin and its fall under Gorbachev, Jesus did that. And whatever you read in tomorrow’s headlines about Al-Qaeda, remember Jesus is doing that too. Nations rise, flourish for a time and then disappear because of Jesus. Babylon had served its purpose in Jesus’ plan, and the time came for it to fade away. And so it did. Jesus rules the nations.
I want you to notice something else. Consider the violence. ‘Behold, the day of the Lord comes, cruel, with wrath and fierce anger, to make the land a desolation and to destroy its sinners from it. … Their infants will be dashed in pieces before their eyes; their houses will be plundered and their wives ravished. Behold, I am stirring up the Medes against them, who have no regard for silver and do not delight in gold. Their bows will slaughter the young men; they will have no mercy on the fruit of the womb; their eyes will not pity children.’ Jesus did that, too.
So, as you listen to the news and hear about all that is going on as nations rise and fall, it would be right to ask yourself, ‘I wonder what Jesus is up to in that situation.’ Jesus rules the nations. He blesses, He curses, He rules. And that covers those who lead whether they are called kings, prime ministers and presidents, as well as all the rest who follow. Jesus rules.
That’s the big point of the text and something to bear in mind as you think about the world you live in. Now, I want to make that a little less distant, a little less abstract. So, first I’m going to relate it to the Gospels. Then I’m going to relate it to the other two sections of our text.
You need to take the images of this text and join them to the images that you find in the Gospels. So, remember the violence of Isaiah 13 when you read about Jesus blessing the children or defending the adulterous woman or any of the other expressions of His tender care that you find in the Gospels. The one who, out of great compassion, fed thousands also, out of just anger, slaughtered thousands. Beware of the danger of believing in a one-dimensional Jesus. That is a distortion of the truth. What you want is a full-orbed picture of Jesus; both the tenderness and the violence. And you want that because understanding who Jesus really is makes a huge difference when you come to the question, ‘How do I follow Him well?’ So, let me give one example of the difference this makes. Any wimp can be bullied, mocked, tortured and then crucified. And when we see that we feel a certain sympathy. But when someone who has great power and authority allows Himself to be tortured and murdered then there is no sympathy – only awe. And when you put that together with the thought that this powerful person allowed such shame and suffering to be thrust upon Himself for your sake, then there are no words to describe the response. Who is this Jesus? How you answer that question will dramatically affect your life. So, include all that the Bible gives as an answer to that question. Work to get to know the complete Jesus, and then work at following Him. Our goal is to make the real Jesus look good.
That was relating the first section to the Gospels. Now, I’d like to take this first section and relate it to the third section. If the first section is the big picture, looking at the nation of Babylon as a whole, then the third is the small picture of what Jesus’ rule meant for one person, the king. Here, Jesus commands His people to do what you might not expect. They were to mock the king. ‘…you will take up this taunt against the king of Babylon.’ What follows is a little story. You might even call it a parable. The king of Babylon has died and he enters the place of the dead. ‘Sheol [the place of the dead] beneath is stirred up to meet you when you come; it rouses the shades [the spirits of the dead] to greet you, all who were leaders of the earth; it raises from their thrones all who were kings of the nations. All of them will answer and say to you: “You too have become as weak as we! You have become like us!” Your pomp is brought down to Sheol, the sound of your harps; maggots are laid as a bed beneath you, and worms are your covers.’
Isaiah puts two things side by side: the great majesty and pomp of the king during his life and his foul fate after his death. And it’s not just a matter of contrast. The two parts are related. (Listen for how often he says, ‘I will…’) ‘You said in your heart, “I will ascend to heaven; above the stars of God I will set my throne on high; I will sit on the mount of assembly in the far reaches of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.” But you are brought down to Sheol, to the far reaches of the pit.’ Here’s one point from Jesus’ mocking parable. The king’s lust for the heights of heaven and its glory gained him the depths of the grave. His choices in life affected his experiences in death.
Let me point to one thing to take away from this. And it’s simply this: Live your life in light of your death. If you would live wisely as you establish goals and strive to accomplish them, and as you invest yourself in this or that, remember that the day of your death is coming. Remember that you, like the king of Babylon, will be evaluated. Live your life in light of your death. Had the king known this, maybe he would have made different choices.
The Bible is clear: ‘For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.’ The good that Jesus will be looking for is the good of following Him well. Good is defined in terms of discipleship. Here are the kinds of things that He will be looking for:
+ a devotion to Him that understands that He is the absolute Lord of all of your life
+ a willingness to try something different in the hope of doing a better job of following Him
+ loving others because you love Him
+ being ready to suffer as you obey Him
+ repenting quickly when the Spirit points out some sin
And we do these things as disciples which means we do them as students who are in the process of learning. There will be parts of your working at this that won’t look pretty. But remember that you’re a student who’s still learning and that means making mistakes. And every decent teacher understands that. Jesus understands that. So, He will not be looking for perfect people. He will be looking for students. He will be looking for hearts that are working at getting to know Him. Don’t be like the king of Babylon. Live in light of your death. A disciple who lives his life in this way will have a death that is filled with reward. There will be no taunt. No one will mock. Instead, there will be cheers.
Here’s a little something I got from John Piper who learned it growing up. It gets at some of what I’ve been saying here.
Only one life
‘Twill soon be past
Only what’s done
For Christ will last.
That has been misused by some and maligned by others but if you understand it in the right way it holds an important truth that is worth remembering.
This leaves the second section of our text. This is a particularly important application of the first section. Remember what’s going on there. Isaiah describes Jesus as the Lord of nations, ruling in history. He calls the Medes to remove the Babylonians who had previously removed the Assyrians. Jesus made that happen. This second section tells us why Jesus did that. And it all hangs on the first word of the section. It’s the word ‘for’. After laying out the destruction of Babylon, Isaiah writes this: ‘For the Lord will have compassion on Jacob and will again choose Israel, and will set them in their own land…’ Why did Jesus crush Babylon? He did it because of His plans for His Church. The events of history, the rise and fall of nations, are tied to Jesus’ plans for His Church. And that makes sense if you remember that the history of the world can be summarized in one sentence. ‘I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.’ Human history is the drama of the war between Satan and Jesus. It’s the world against the Church. So, whatever Jesus does as He rules, He does so that His Church will win. And does winning look like? How does the book of Revelation picture it? Once Satan is disposed of we see the Church coming as a bride to Jesus. History is all about the war between the world and the Church. The focus of Jesus as ruler of nations is the victory of His Church. The Church is precious to Him.
Two quick thoughts here. First, as a part of the Church you are locked in a life and death struggle with Satan. As you fight remember that Jesus is for you. He is committed to seeing you win. So, you will win. And while the war has to do with kingdoms and nations like Babylon and America, it also includes your dealing with Monday mornings, unreasonable supervisors, sick kids, gray days and the lack of deep friendships. In the midst of all of that cling to the fact that Jesus, the one who rules nations, is working to see you win. So, trust your Commander, listen for His instructions, and fight on. It will be hard, but you’re going to win.
The other thought is this. If the Church is that important to Jesus how important should it be to you? On a doctrinal level, the teaching of the Bible on the Church is greatly neglected by far too many Evangelicals. On a practical level, the role of the Church in the modern Christian’s life is all too often pushed to the side. Jesus loves the Church. He directs nations for the sake of His Church. He died for His Church. What do you think about the Church? How important is it to you?
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