At the start of many movies and TV shows, there's a disclaimer. Portions of this program may be offensive. They bother particular kinds of viewers. And this program isn't necessarily in line with the network which hosts it.
This is the kind of sermon that probably needs lots of disclaimers. Six, in fact. I could do more, but six is almost enough to keep me out of trouble, hopefully.
(1) Today's passage assumes a very traditional understanding of men and women, husbands and wives. At a certain point in studying it, I realized I was just going to have to repeatedly risk offending people if I was going to explain it correctly. And so I've just decided to embrace that, and be pretty transparent about it.
(2) In today's message, I'm NOT saying anything about the complicated questions of headship and authority within the marriage. I will talk about roles, and responsibilities, but I'm not addressing the question of whether wives are equal partners to their husbands, or if they are more like assistants, or helpers, or sidekicks. Everything I say is compatible with what's called "complementarian" and with "egalitarian" understandings of marriage.
(3) Some of you will find that your own situation isn't reflected here. Some of you are single, either voluntarily or not. Some of you have chosen to give up marriage and children for the sake of Jesus, and God's kingdom (Matthew 19:29). This is a sermon that explores some of what you've given up, and it does so in a way that might bother you, but it's not a criticism of your choice. There is often a true loss that comes with being single, but Jesus promises that you will be generously repaid for your sacrifice.
(4) Some of you have a non-traditional marriage, where common roles of husbands and wives are to some degree reversed. No criticism is meant of your choice.
(5) Some of you are divorced, either of your choice, or your ex's. I imagine that every marriage falls apart for slightly different reasons, and no criticism is meant.
(6) This is a sermon that men might like more than women. Women might not be quite sure how to respond. But this is a message where men and women will both feel its bite, at different points.
Fair enough? Maybe?
Part of what it means to be a man, or, at least a man's man, and not a soy latte drinking man, is to protect your woman. Your goal, as a man, is to provide a world for your woman, where she has a safe place to live, and where she is shielded from some of the ugly things in life. Many men know that the best way to do this-- the easiest way-- is to take on a job that very few women would ever do. Men seek out the jobs that are gross, and hard, and scary, and stressful, with long days. They seek out the ones that they know do harm to them physically, that potentially take years off their lives. A coal miner is like the classic example. The poor people hand-mining cobalt for electric cars are another. The guys who clean out septic systems would be a third.
When I worked at Davey Tree, morning safety meetings were about things like staying clear of power lines so you don't get killed. They were about always being tied in so you don't fall out of a tree (and get killed). We had to learn how to avoid badly cutting yourself on a chainsaw or handsaw, and maybe most importantly, choosing the right work glove. It's easy for the open end of gloves to catch on things, and you had to pick a glove that came off easily, so that if the glove gets caught on a branch while you're feeding the wood chipper, the glove comes off before you feed yourself into it (and get horribly killed). A supervisor would check your gloves, and make sure they were okay.
Would I want my wife or daughters doing tree trimming, or working with toxic chemicals, or driving a truck in a ND winter? Absolutely not. There are lots of jobs that are 95% men-done, because men are willing to take on the gross, and nasty, and scary, and stressful, for one simple reason: it pays better. Those are the jobs that pay an extra 10 or 20 or 30 bucks/hour. Those are the jobs that make it possible to protect your woman from some of the ugly stuff in life. If she wants to work, your manly job lets her pick a job that she finds rewarding, and interesting, and flexible. Your job protects her health and beauty, and it will be part of why she outlives you by 10 or 20 or 40 years. It's also part of how you're able to buy her nice things.
All of that, I think, is built into a man's DNA. Men work hard to build a nice life for their wives. That's what Paul says, in 1 Corinthians 7:33: "The married man is concerned about the affairs of this world, how he can please his wife." And what men want in return, largely, is three things. Men are simple creatures, really. They want to be appreciated, to be treated with respect, and they want their wife to fulfill her wifely duty when he's in the mood, even if she's not.
If a man provides, and protects, and does so in a way that's loving, and kind, and without developing a martyr complex (and appreciates his wife for what she adds to their marriage, as an equal partner), the man will be at least an okay husband. If the woman appreciates, respects, and does her wifely duty, she will be at least an okay wife. And their marriage will be at least a 5/10-- and many people would kill to have a 5/10 marriage.
That turned into a little rabbit trail at the end, but our passage today is about a woman who has been privileged to lived a blessed life. She's got a husband, and kids. She's protected; she's wealthy; she's in a position of authority. She's a Lady; she's a queen (the key Hebrew word can have both senses). She's living the life that every man tries to build for his woman. She's living the life of royalty.
Now, we Americans tend to find the life of a royal at least a little bit interesting. In general, men do their best to give their women a good life. But what does it look like for a woman, when she marries into royalty, and finds a husband who can give her everything? What's it like to be a Princess Diana, or Kate? That's the kind of woman our passage describes-- the wife who has everything.
Now the wrinkle our passage will give us, is that our woman today, isn't a literal woman. It's Babylon-- the capital of the Babylonian empire. One of the most common ways that capital cities are described in the OT, and in OT times (it's not just a biblical thing; it's a Ancient Near Eastern thing), is through using female imagery. Capital cities are virgin daughters. They are mothers. They are queens. The metaphors mix together in ways that don't make perfect literal sense. But the force of the imagery isn't that complicated. Babylon is like a virgin daughter-- it's pure, and desirable, and shielded from the sordidness of the world. Babylon is like a Lady, with a husband who protects her, and many children. Babylon is a Queen, with a throne, who lives a life of luxury and ease. She has a royal court, with many advisors.
But the bad news for Lady Babylon, is that all of that's about to end. And what's bad news for Lady Babylon, is great news for God's people stuck in Babylonian exile. Lady Babylon has to be toppled for God's people to get to leave exile. And, at the risk of giving spoilers, where they will get to go, is back to home to Lady Zion. God humbles one Lady, so that He can raise up another-- Lady Zion, Jerusalem.
Our passage begins, in verse 1, with the prophet addressing Lady Babylon. At the surface level, that's what going. But really, the prophet's true audience is you-- God's people stuck in exile. We get to eavesdrop.
Verses 1-3b:
(1) Come down (feminine singular)!,
and sit/dwell upon the dust, O virgin daughter of Babel (=Babylon); [Isa. 23:12; 37:22; Jer. 46:11; Lam. 1:15; 2:10, 13]
Sit/dwell on the ground, without throne, O daughter of the Chaldeans, [Jer. 13:18; contrast Isa. 52:2]
Surely you will no longer be called tender and pampered/delicate (Deut. 28:54, 56).
(2) Take the pair of millstones,
and grind flour [Exodus 11:5; Judges 16:21];
Uncover your veil;
strip off the skirt/train;
Uncover the leg; [compare Isaiah 20:4]
pass through rivers [compare Isaiah 20:4; 43:2].
(3) It will be uncovered-- your nakedness. ["It will be uncovered" is focused, probably].
What's more/worse, your shameful condition (Gen. 30:23; 2 Sam. 13:13; Ezek. 16:57) will be seen.
In essence, Lady Babylon is told that her time as royalty is over. The days of sitting on a throne, of being tender, and protected, and pampered, are over.
Instead, verse 2, she will become a working class woman. She will have to grind her own flour. [Many commentators note that this is often the job of a slave in the OT, but Goldingay rightly notes that this is simply an ordinary, slightly unpleasant, time-consuming job. Most people didn't have slaves, and everyone made bread. So the idea isn't that she will become a slave; the idea is that she's lost her royal life]. She will have to take off her royal clothing because she'll have to work. Babylon was surrounded by a complicated series of irrigation ditches. And the idea is that Lady Babylon will be out working in the countryside. You can't maintain your status, and keep wearing fancy clothing, if you're wading through Babylonian irrigation ditches (that's maybe the idea. At the same time, "passing through waters" is a metaphor for undergoing hard times; Isaiah 20:4; Isaiah 43:2). You have to humble yourself by showing some leg, so that you don't get soaked. It's like when you're cleaning around the house-- you put on your ratty, slightly immodest clothing, when you're doing spring cleaning, and you hope no one shows up and catches you.
And, in fact, in verse 3 we hear that the humiliation goes way beyond showing some leg. Lady Babylon will be stripped naked. She will be exposed for everyone to see. We are still dealing with metaphor, but the idea is that a Lady wears modest clothing, and is able to protect the secrets of her beauty from the world. Everyone may know what a plumber looks like from behind, but a Lady's body is a closely-guarded mystery.
What does all of this mean, literally? Two possibilities, maybe. The first is that when a capital is destroyed, it loses all of its beauty and status, and becomes an object of horror (Jeremiah 18:16). A capital is humiliated, when it's conquered. The second is that when an ancient city was captured, prisoners were often taken from that city after being stripped of their clothing. You'd leave the city naked, and totally humiliated (quote Isaiah 20:3-4 maybe). Nakedness and defeat go hand in hand.
Picking back up again in verse 3, line 3:
Vengeance I will take, ["vengeance" is focused; Isaiah 1:24]
and I won't spare humanity/anyone.
What God is planning for Lady Babylon isn't what we today would call (mislabel as) a "surgical strike." God is going to kill lots of people. He will take vengeance. Lady Babylon has done something wrong, and God (who is quoted here directly; He is the "I") is going to bring the payback. What she's done wrong, we don't yet know. But the payback is coming.
In verse 4, the prophet kind of pauses for a second, to talk about God. Who is it, who will topple Lady Babylon?
(4) Our Redeemer: Yahweh of Armies, His name is ["Yahweh of Armies" is focused];
The Holy One of Israel.
English Bibles translate this title for God here as "LORD of Hosts." But the idea here is that Yahweh is a Warrior. He's a general, with armies under Him. That's who is coming to free "us" (the prophet, and God's people in exile) from exile.
Verse 5:
(5) Sit/dwell silently, [compare verse 1]
and go into the darkness, O daughter of the Chaldeans, [Isaiah 42:7]
Surely you will no longer be called Lady/Queen of the Kingdoms.
In verse 1, all of this started by God/the prophet commanding Lady Babylon to sit in the dust, a place of mourning and loss. Here, God/the prophet commands Lady Babylon to sit a second time, but what's new is this idea of silence.
One of the perks of having power and authority is that you're free to speak. Everyone has to listen to you, and care about what you think, because you run the show. Those days are over for Lady Babylon. She will be forced to sit in silence, stripped of her authority, stripped of her voice.
Darkness, in light 2, is a symbol for hopelessness, and slavery. That's where she's going.
And the other thing Lady Babylon will lose is her title. No longer will she be called Lady of the Kingdoms. There are few things more painful than losing your status in society. Lady Babylon used to rub shoulders with the elites, the 1%, and now she's losing everything connected to royalty.
In verses 6-7, God explains to Lady Babylon (and to us, who given the privilege of eavesdropping) why He's bringing this terrible vengeance on her:
(6) I was angry with/upon my people;
I profaned my heritage/possession,
and I gave them into your hand.
You didn't give to them compassion.
With/upon the elderly, you laid a very heavy yoke, ["upon the elderly" is probably focused; Lam. 4:16; 5:12],
(7) and you said,
"For forever/a really long time, I will be Lady/Queen.
You never once set these things upon your heart. You didn't call to mind its end/future [Lam. 1:9],
When God wants to bring judgment on his own people in the OT, one of the most common ways He does this is through using outsiders-- foreign nations. That's basically the entire book of Judges. In Isaiah 10, God says that He used Assyria as the rod of his anger. And here we learn that Lady Babylon was also used this way.
So God uses foreign nations to bring judgment, but God doesn't micromanage how this is done. He gives the nations this responsibility, and He expects them to use their God-given power rightly, by self-limiting the hard edges of their power. God is okay with you putting a yoke on his people. He will tolerate that, because He wants his people punished. But the yoke can only be so heavy. There need to be limits on taxes, on forced labor, on conscription. And there needs to be mercy shown to certain groups of people, like the elderly.
So that's half of what Lady Babylon did horribly wrong-- they showed no compassion, at all.
The second half of what Lady Babylon did, that set herself up for God's judgment, is that she failed to understand her relationship with God. She only remained Lady of the Kingdoms as long as God willed it. She didn't understand that her elevated position was given to her by God, and that her story wouldn't end with being seated on a throne.
Every superpower has a tendency to do what Lady Babylon did. You look at yourself, and you say, "I will reign forever. I'm the Queen Bee." That's the kind of thing that God tends to hear as a challenge, especially when it's combined with oppressing, and exploiting, the peoples and kingdoms under you. And that's the kind of thing that God tends to judge sooner than later (Revelation 18:7). Superpowers throughout human history consistently set themselves up for a day of judgment, that comes much sooner than later. This is not the kind of judgment that necessarily waits for Jesus' return. It happens now.
What we see in these verses is a lot like Amos 1-2, where God has expectations for how the nations live.
So Lady Babylon has been told what she's done wrong, and that God is about to bring vengeance. And now, she's told to listen, and hear her fate:
(8) and so then, hear this, O luxury-loving one--
the one sitting/dwelling securely/confidently;
the one saying in her heart,
"I [am],
and [there is] no one besides me; [Isaiah 45:6; 46:9]
I won't sit/dwell [as] a widow,
and I won't know/experience loss of children [Jeremiah 18:21]--
(9) these two will come to you in a moment-- in one day: loss of children, and widowhood.
Let's pause here for just a second, because I apparently want to risk offending people. For many women, the thing that gives them the most joy in their life, is their children. [It's like the story of Hannah, with her husband Elkanah, in 1 Samuel 1. Having a husband, and no children, left Hannah in a place of deep anguish and weeping, especially because the dude married a second wife who rubbed it in).] Your children bring you happiness. And they are also your security when you get old, and when people try to prey on you (Psalm 127:5). So children are your joy, and your security when you get old.
And your husband? Your husband is the one who gives you security now. Lady Babylon can't picture a world where she loses either her husband, or her children, but disaster is going to come upon her quickly.
Now, if we stop to ask what's literally being described here, what's the answer?
Probably, Lady Babylon's husband is the Babylonian god Bel, who we learned about in Isaiah 46:1 last week. Just as Yahweh is often described as Israel's husband, and we are often described as Christ's bride, so Lady Babylon would be described as the wife of Bel. Bel is going to be defeated. His image is going to get hauled away, and because Bel is tied to his image in some way, he's going to go off into exile. So Lady Babylon will lose her husband.
Who are her children? The people who live in the city. Her babies, are the residents. And anyone who has gone to a really big city in the U.S. over the past three years knows there are few things more tragic looking, than an empty, unsafe, abandoned downtown.
Let's start up again at verse 9, and push forward to verse 11:
(9) these two will come to you in a moment-- in one day: loss of children, and widowhood.
In fullness, they have come upon you-- ["have come" is a prophetic perfect, possibly]
despite the multitude of your sorceries;
despite the power of your many spells,
and you were confident despite your evil.
You said,
"There is no one seeing me!" [Exodus 22:9; Ezekiel 8:12]
Your wisdom and your knowledge-- they have turned you astray,
and you said in your heart/mind,
"I [am],
and there is no one besides me,"
(11) and it will come upon you-- evil/disaster (same word as verse 10).
You won't know to look out for it,
and it will fall upon you-- disaster.
You won't be able to make amends (Genesis 32:21; 2 Samuel 21:3; often means "atone" but not always formal sacrificial language)
and it will come upon you suddenly-- ruin. [is "ruin" focused, by delaying it to the end?]
You won't know.
Lady Babylon is a really smart person, and really smart people are vulnerable to drawing really dumb, dangerous conclusions. Their wisdom and knowledge steers them into stupid stuff. What does she do that's so stupid?
She looks at her situation, and she draws conclusions about who she is, based on her current status. It's like when you own a stock like NVIDIA, or GMC, and it's quadrupled in price, you inevitably think it will keep going up forever. No correction could ever possibly come.
She looks at her life, and she decides that no one sees her. She can do whatever she wants without consequence. She knows she's doing really terrible things, but she thought her sorceries would be able to keep her safe from everyone. We see here the prophet acknowledge that there is power in magic. And you can study magic, and witchcraft, and whatever, and learn different protective spells. You can seek security in that. But there is a hard cap on what's possible with magic, because Yahweh is the One who says, "I am, and There is no one besides me." And, as an aside, there are few things that make God more angry than seeing his people dabble in magic and sorcery. You will never see God's blessings, so long as you dabble in those things. Those things defile you (Leviticus 19:31), pollute you, so that you can't be close to God. Those things will turn God's face against you (Leviticus 20:6).
So Lady Babylon is doomed. She's made her decisions. She's relied on the wrong things for strength and support. And her downfall is inevitable.
In verse 12, this oracle of judgment turns into something mocking-- it becomes a politely expressed taunt:
(12) Stand, please, in your spells, and in your many sorceries with which you have labored from your youth.
Perhaps you will be able to benefit/succeed;
perhaps you will cause terror.
(13) You're tired by the multitude of your consultations.
May they stand, please,
and may they save you-- the ones dividing the heavens,
the ones gazing at the stars,
the ones making known at the new month the things coming upon you.
Lady Babylon is invited to keep doing what she's doing. Maybe she'll get lucky, and if she says "boo" to Cyrus loud enough, he will run away. Maybe she can frighten him. Maybe her spells will be successful. Maybe her astrologers, and the horoscopes, will save her. It's worth a shot, right?
Verse 14:
(14) LOOK! They are like stubble!
Fire has burnt them.
They won't rescue themselves from the hand of the flame.
These are no burning coals to grow warm [by]-- no fire to sit/dwell before it. [Isaiah 44:19]
(15) Thus they are to you, [with] whom you labored--
your sorcerers from your youth.
Each one, to his own direction, he wanders.
There is no one saving you.
All mocking aside, the truth, at the end of the day, is that every sorcerer and astrologer is going to leave you. They can't handle God's heat, and they will scatter in a million directions, leaving you alone.
So at the end of the day, what will Lady Babylon have left?
Nothing. No throne, no status, no privilege, no clothes, no dignity, no voice, no husband, no children, no advisor. She will be left empty, in the dust. Taken as a whole, this is a brutal message.
At that same time, all of this is fabulous news for God's people in exile, if they choose to believe it. All of them understand that God can do nothing to help them, until Lady Babylon is dealt with. The evil superpowers always have to go, because salvation is never just a spiritual thing. Full salvation includes freedom from every oppressor.
But what makes it hard to accept this message, probably, probably, is that Lady Babylon appears to see herself, and her situation, correctly. It looks like she "is, and there is no one besides her." It looks like she will be queen over all the kingdoms forever. it looks like no one sees her. It looks like well-protected, both by soldiers, and by sorcery and magic. Lady Babylon is the wife who has it all.
And so everyone still has to make a decision that they've faced throughout this series-- will you trust this prophet? Or will you trust your eyes?
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I'm not sure how to wrap up today's message, honestly. But let me leave you with just two thoughts.
The first, is that God encourages his people to not make too big of a deal out of superpowers. We look at a Lady Babylon, and we tend to view her the way she views herself. She seems powerful. Her reign seems like it will go on forever. She seems like someone who can stand up to God, and win. Superpowers look huge. We seem small. And God seems small. But our God, Yahweh of Armies, is no small God. He will purchase our freedom; He will bring us home.
The second, related, is that God takes vengeance on everyone who harms his people. The day will always come, sooner or later, when God brings judgment on everyone who touches us. Every Babylon (Revelation 18) gets taken down hard. When we look at the world, we tend to be impressed by superpowers. And we tend to feel very vulnerable. We know that behind the scenes, deep within the swamp, there are lots of rich, powerful people who would like to do terrible things to us. And we know that many of these people are working hand in hand with satan to attack us.
God doesn't promise that we will be protected from these people. God doesn't micromanage the global elites, and the ruling class, to make sure that we are treated okay. In fact, if I was right in how I read about the two witnesses in Revelation, the church can be expected to be mistreated for the entire length of its ministry (we, the church, are the two witnesses).
But what God does promise, is that if we bend our knee to Him (and don't take vengeance into our own hands), that the payback is coming.
This, perhaps, doesn't sound like a very Christian thing to say. It's not very nice. But let's turn to Romans 12:16-21 (and apparently, English Bibles don't quite catch the sense of verse 17 right-- interesting; I'll probably start near the end of verse 16, English Bibles mess up here because they follow the versification. "Don't be wise" is the main command, and then all the participles/"ing" verbs following explain what exactly this looks like):
(16)
Don't be wise in your own sight/measure,
(17) no one, evil in place of evil, repaying, ["evil in place of evil" is focused]
taking into consideration what is good in the sight of all people,
if possible, as much as it depends on you, with all people living in peace,
not yourselves taking revenge, beloved,
but give/entrust a place for [God's] wrath.
For it is written,
"Mine, vengeance [is].
I will repay, says the Lord."
(20) but if your enemy hungers, feed him.
If he thirsts, give him something to drink.
For this doing, fiery coals you will heap up upon his head.
(21) Don't be conquered/overcome by evil,
but conquer/overcome, with the good, evil. ["with the good" is focused]
It's very easy to be like Lady Babylon, and look at our current situation, and draw conclusions about what's smart and logical based on what we see. It's easy to be wise in our own measure, in our own sight. Specifically, it looks like a good idea to take vengeance on people when they harm us. When people gossip about you, or betray you, or turn against you, it looks like the smart thing to do is to get them back.
The thing that keeps us from doing this, is that God makes us a promise. If we trust Him to bring the vengeance, then we can choose to do what's good now. We can trust God to make things right. We can leave it up to God, knowing that one day, He will strip every Lady Babylon of everything dear to her.
Translation:
(1) Come down (feminine singular)!,
and sit/dwell upon the dust, O virgin daughter of Babel (=Babylon); [Isa. 23:12; 37:22; Jer. 46:11; Lam. 1:15; 2:10, 13]
Sit/dwell on the ground, without throne, O daughter of the Chaldeans, [Jer. 13:18; contrast Isa. 52:2]
Surely you will no longer be called tender and pampered/delicate (Deut. 28:54, 56).
Take the pair of millstones,
and grind flour [Exodus 11:5; Judges 16:21];
Uncover your veil;
strip off the skirt/train;
Uncover the leg; [compare Isaiah 20:4]
pass through rivers [compare Isaiah 20:4; 43:2].
(3) It will be uncovered-- your nakedness. ["It will be uncovered" is focused, probably].
What's more/worse, your shameful condition (Gen. 30:23; 2 Sam. 13:13; Ezek. 16:57) will be seen.
Vengeance I will take, ["vengeance" is focused; Isaiah 1:24]
and I won't spare humanity/anyone.
(4) Our Redeemer: Yahweh of Armies, His name is ["Yahweh of Armies" is focused];
The Holy One of Israel.
Sit/dwell silently,
and go into the darkness, O daughter of the Chaldeans,
because you will no longer be called Lady/Queen of the Kingdoms/Empires.
(6) I was angry with/upon my people;
I profaned my heritage/possession,
and I gave them into your hand.
You didn't give to them compassion.
With/upon the elderly, you laid a very heavy yoke, ["upon the elderly" is probably focused; Lam. 4:16; 5:12],
(7) and you said,
"For forever/a really long time, I will be Lady/Queen.
You never once set these things upon your heart.
You didn't call to mind its end/future [Lam. 1:9],
(8) and so then, hear this, O luxury-loving one--
the one sitting/dwelling securely/confidently;
the one saying in her heart,
"I [am],
and [there is] no one besides me; [Isaiah 45:6; 46:9]
I won't sit/dwell [as] a widow,
and I won't know/experience loss of children [Jeremiah 18:21]--
(9) these two will come to you in a moment-- in one day: loss of children, and widowhood.
In fullness, they have come upon you--
despite the multitude of your sorceries;
despite the power of your many spells,
and you were confident despite your evil.
You said,
"There is no one seeing me!" [Exodus 22:9; Ezekiel 8:12]
Your wisdom and your knowledge-- they have turned you astray,
and you said in your heart/mind,
"I [am],
and there is no one besides me,"
(11) and it will come upon you-- evil/disaster (same word as verse 10).
You won't know to look out for it,
and it will fall upon you-- disaster.
You won't be able to make amends (Genesis 32:21; 2 Samuel 21:3; often means "atone" but not always formal sacrificial language)
and it will come upon you suddenly-- ruin.
You won't know.
(12) Stand, please, in your spells, and in your many sorceries with which you have labored from your youth.
Perhaps you will be able to benefit/succeed;
perhaps you will cause terror.
(13) You're tired by the multitude of your consultations.
May they stand, please,
and may they save you-- the ones dividing the heavens,
the ones gazing at the stars,
the ones making known at the new month the things coming upon you.
(14) LOOK! They are like stubble!
Fire has burnt them.
They won't rescue themselves from the hand of the flame.
These are no burning coals to grow warm [by]-- no fire to sit/dwell before it. [Isaiah 44:19]
(15) Thus they are to you, [with] whom you labored--
your sorcerers from your youth.
Each one, to his own direction, he wanders.
There is no one saving you.
