Isaiah 47:1-48:22 A Tale of Two Cities

 

Conceptually, chapters 47 and 48 form one large unit dealing with the fulfillment of the Lord’s purpose to use Cyrus to free His people from captivity in Babylon. The captives are portrayed here as residents of one city but citizens of another, a tension between place and citizenship that can be resolved only by returning to where they belong. The logic of the whole unit is that Babylon is doomed (chapter 47); leave it, and set out for Jerusalem, your true home (chapter 48).

Babylon: defiant but doomed (47:1-15): The portrait of Babylon is a classic study in worldly power and arrogance. She is the queen of kingdoms (v. 5) and believes that she will remain so forever (v. 7). She has an utterly false sense of security, which leads her into self-indulgence and complete indifference to the needs of the weak and vulnerable in her midst (vv. 6, 8). She considers herself so self-sufficient that all notions of accountability are excluded. She is proud of her wisdom and knowledge (v. 10), and has perfected a form of religion (astrology) which enhances her sense of power over her own destiny without making any moral demands upon her (vv. 9b, 12-13). She is the complete symbol of worldly success. However, the virgin city will be violated (vv. 1-3, 8b-9, 12-15). In short, her sense of impregnability is a complete illusion. She is like the man who built his house on the sand, or the rich man who did not reckon on what the night would bring. Babylon is the city of destruction.

We must note two things carefully before we move on. First, Babylon here is not merely the ancient city of that name, and the poem does not simply look forward to what was to happen to it in 539 BC when Cyrus conquered it. Like Jerusalem, with which it is contrasted, it is both a concrete historical reality and a symbol, and it is the symbolic significance of Babylon which is primary here. Secondly, the sin of Babylon is not simply its pride and self-absorption, but its self-deification. Twice uttered I am, and there is none besides me (vv. 8, 10), is a direct challenge to the Lord’s identical claim in 45:5. Babylon represents humankind organized in defiance of God – the kingdom of mere mortals, in contrast to the kingdom of God. In this sense “Babylon” is still with us, and still stands under judgment of God. The historical Babylon of the sixth century BC was merely on manifestation of it.

“Leave Babylon!” (48:1-22): Now we are in better position to understand the challenge of chapter 48, where the contrast between Babylon and Jerusalem is developed. The reference to Jerusalem as the holy city in verse 2 has symbolism associated with it also, because by the sixth century it was to be little more than a forsaken ruin with most of its citizens in exile. But for all that, it would continue to be the place God had chosen as the center of His kingdom on earth, and the announcement concerning Cyrus in the previous chapters have made clear His intention to raise it up again. It would once again be “the holy city”, not just in the sense that no evil will be found in it, but that God Himself would return to it and rule from it. The holy city was to become the symbol of their future hope – the coming of God’s kingdom. The challenge of chapter 48 is that they should live constantly in the light of that hope, expecting its realization at any moment.

The people certainly profess to be citizens of the kingdom, but their lives give little evidence of it; the old sins live on, it is as though their suffering taught them nothing (vv. 4-6). The Lord is tempted to discard altogether what is left (vv. 9-10), but there is more at stake here than their own betterment; there is the honor of the Lord’s name (v. 11). The world must know it is He, and not Babylon, Bel and Nebo, who rules the world and for that reason He will press on, regardless of how His people respond.

There is anger but also sadness in this chapter and this brings us to the heart of Israel’s sinfulness (vv. 1, 12, 16-18). God has opened His heart to them. He has given them His Law; He has spoken to them through His prophets, but they have not listened, and they are still not listening! Verse 22 is a tragic note on which to end, but it underlines powerfully the serious nature of failure to listen to God; it shuts us out from the peace of God. Isaiah has been speaking here of a situation that was to emerge after his own lifetime. The basic sins and failures he describes may just as well have been looking at himself, or even speaking directly to the church in our own day and age. We need no great imagination to recognize ourselves in his stinging rebukes. Sadly, the sins of the people of God do not alter.

Isaiah 47:1-48:22 Reflection Questions:

How does the symbolism of Babylon touch your life (now and/or in the past)?

Are you living constantly in the light of the hope of expecting Christ to return at any moment? What does that mean to you?

God has opened His heart to you, are you listening?

Hebrews 11:4-40 The Demonstration of Faith

 

Abel – faith worshiping (v. 4): Abel was a righteous man because of faith (Matt. 23:35). God had revealed to Adam and his descendants the true way of worship, and Abel obeyed God by faith. In fact, his obedience cost him his life. Abel speaks to us today as the first martyr of the faith.

Enoch – faith walking (vv. 5-6): Our faith in God grows as we fellowship with God. We must have both the desire to please Him and the diligence to seek Him. Prayer, meditating on the Word, worship, and discipline; all these help us in our walk with God. Enoch walked with God in the wicked world, before the Flood came; he was able to keep his life pure.

Noah – faith working (v. 7): Noah’s faith involved the whole person: his mind was warned of God; his heart was moved with fear; and his will acted on what God told him. Noah’s faith influenced his whole family and they were saved. It also condemned the whole world, for his faith revealed their unbelief. Events proved that Noah was right!

The patriarchs – faith waiting (vv. 8-22): The emphasis in these verses is on the promise of God and His plans for the nation of Israel. God promised Abraham and Sarah a son, but they had to wait twenty-five years for the fulfillment of the promise. Their son Isaac became the father of Jacob and Esau, and it was Jacob who really built the nation through the birth of his twelve sons. Joseph saved the nation in the land of Egypt, and Moses would later deliver them from Egypt. We have to admire the faith of the patriarchs. They did not have a complete Bible and yet their faith was strong. They handed God’s promises down from one generation to another. In spite of their failures and testing’s, these men and women believed God and He bore witness to their faith. How much more faith you and I should have!

Moses – faith warring (vv. 23-29): Three great themes relating to faith are seen in the life of Moses. First, the refusal of faith (vv. 24-25); Moses could have led an easy life in the palace, but his faith moved him to refuse that kind of life. He chose to identify with God’s suffering people. True faith causes a believer to hold the right values and make right decisions. Moses’ refusal of faith led to the reproach of faith (v. 26a). Moses left the palace life and never went back to that life. He identified with Jewish slaves. Men and women of faith often have to bear reproach and suffering. Finally, there is the reward of faith (vv. 26b-29). God always rewards true faith, if not immediately, at least ultimately. The faith of Moses was rewarded with deliverance for him and his people. Faith brings us out (v. 28), take us through (v. 29), and brings us in (v. 30). When we trust God, we get what God can do; but when we trust ourselves, we get only what weak people do. The experience of Moses is proof that true biblical faith means obeying God in spite of circumstances and in spite of consequences.

Joshua and Rahab – faith winning (vv. 30-31): The account of the conquest of Jericho is found in Joshua 2-6. From a human point of view, Jericho was an impossible city to conquer. Joshua’s first act of faith was not the defeat of the city, but the crossing of the Jordan River. By faith, the nation crossed the river just as the previous generation had crossed the Red Sea. This was a witness and a warning to the Canaanite nations that Israel was marching forward by the power of God. Rahab was a harlot, an unlikely person to put faith in the true God of Israel. She was saved by grace, because the other inhabitants of the city were marked of death. God in His mercy and grace permitted Rahab to live. But she was saved by faith. She was saved unto good works. True faith must always show itself in good works (James 2:20-26).

Not only was Rahab delivered from judgment, but she became a part of the nation of Israel. She married Salmon and gave birth to Boaz who was an ancestor of King David. Imagine a pagan harlot becoming a part of the ancestry of Jesus Christ! That is what faith can do! Rahab is certainly a rebuke to unsaved people who give excuses for not trusting Christ. “I don’t understand very much of the Bible; I’m too bad to be saved; what will my family think?” are some of the excuses I often hear. Rahab knew very little spiritual truth, but she acted on what she did know. Rahab was a condemned heathen harlot! Rahab’s first concern was saving her family, not opposing them. She stands as one of the great women of faith in the Bible.

Various heroes of faith (vv. 32-40): Faith can operate in the life of any person who will dare to listen to God’s Word and surrender to God’s will. Gideon was a frightened farmer whose faith did not grow strong right away (Jud. 6:11-7:25). Barak was a resounding victory over Sisera, but he needed Deborah the prophetess as his helper to assure him (Jud. 4:1-5:31). Both Gideon and Barak are encouragements to us who falter in our faith. It’s not possible for us to examine each example of faith, and even the writer of Hebrews stopped citing names after he mentioned David and Samuel, who were great men of faith.

Man’s estimate of these heroes of faith was a low one; so men persecuted them, arrested them, tortured them, and in some cases killed them. But God’s estimate is entirely different. He said that the world was not worthy of these people. Faith enables us to turn from the approval of the world and seek only the approval of God. If God is glorified by delivering His people, He will do it. If He sees fit to be glorified by not delivering His people, then He will do that. But we must never conclude that the absence of deliverance means a lack of faith on part of God’s children. Faith looks to the future, for that is where the greatest rewards are found. “Without faith it is impossible to please God” (v. 6). But this kind of faith grows as we listen to His Word (Rom. 10:17) and fellowship in worship and prayer. Faith is possible to all kinds of believers in all kinds of situations. It is not a luxury for a few “elite saints.” It is a necessity for all of God’s people. Lord, increase our faith!

Hebrews 11:4-40 Reflection Questions:

Where in the gospels does Jesus use Noah’s experience to warn people to be ready for His return?

Which of the patriarch’s faith do you admire the most?

How much do you trust in God versus trusting in yourself?

What are some of your excuses for not trusting Christ fully?