The Good News of Destruction
July 17, 2022
Reading Isaiah 47 about the destruction of Babylon is strange. Why does the prophet write it? It’s not written to Babylon, who is largely the subject of the chapter (I guess it’s the direct object, if you want to get technical). It’s written to the people of Judah, about the destruction of Babylon. Why? Perhaps more concerning is the tone. The chapter isn’t too concerned about how Babylon feels about it’s destruction. It’s a violent chapter, and the writer seems to revel in the violence God promises to work against Babylon.
Isaiah 47 isn’t written so that Babylon will repent, nor is it written to encourage the exiles to rebel. God’s judgment is sure, and the instrument is Cyrus, not the exiles. Isaiah 47 is written in part to warn, but mostly to comfort.
For many reasons, I am inclined to focus on the warning. The warning is more immediate for us, with more clear application—if you’re living like the Babylonians (proud, greedy, reveling in lazy luxury), stop before it’s too late. We do live in a country that illustrates those characteristics, making the warning for the exiles particularly relevant for us as people living in America.
But I think the warning is also an implication of the major point—comfort for the people of Judah. Judah has been terribly mistreated by the Babylonians, who can hardly be considered more righteous than the people of Judah (hence the book of Habakkuk). Habakkuk is a good conversation partner for Isaiah 47. The prophet is concerned for God’s righteousness—how can he allow the violence and bloodshed in Jerusalem to continue? God’s responds by pointing to the Chaldeans, the Babylonians—they are going to destroy the wicked. This doesn’t answer the prophet’s problem—after all, the Babylonians are as bad as the people of Judah!
In response, God says there is an appointed time for the judgment of the proud and greedy. With regards to Babylon in particular, the message of Isaiah 47 is that their day of judgment has arrived. God promised Habakkuk he would do it, and God is going to bring it about. Thanks be to God!
If you fast forward, very similar themes are found proclaimed by none other than Mary—“His mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts. He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly…” (Lk. 1.50-52). God’s judgment on the wicked is very good news for all those who have suffered at their hands. I suggest that this is a real judgment, but also that it is happening right now. “God has,” Mary says. When we follow the radical way of peace, humility, and generosity of Jesus, we show to the world that God is at work, and that their ways of living are not God’s ways. We serve as a mirror, showing them the true effects of their deeds. This way of life is hard, but the promise of our vindication brings some comfort.
—John Coffey
