The Prophecy of Isaiah - Lesson 37: "The Fall of Babylon" (Isaiah 46-47)

The Prophecy of Isaiah: A Bible Study
Lesson 37: "The Fall of Babylon" (Isaiah 46-47)*

1. God vs. Babylon’s Idols (Isaiah 46)

a. Babylon’s Idols Are Humiliated (Isaiah 46:1-2)

Isaiah 46:1–2 NIV
¹ Bel bows down, Nebo stoops low; their idols are borne by beasts of burden. The images that are carried about are burdensome, a burden for the weary. ² They stoop and bow down together; unable to rescue the burden, they themselves go off into captivity.

b. God’s Assurance to Israel (Isaiah 46:3-4)

Isaiah 46:3–4 NIV
³ “Listen to me, you descendants of Jacob, all the remnant of the people of Israel, you whom I have upheld since your birth, and have carried since you were born. ⁴ Even to your old age and gray hairs I am he, I am he who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you.

c. The Futility of All Idols Anywhere (Isaiah 46:5-7)

Isaiah 46:5–7 NIV
⁵ “With whom will you compare me or count me equal? To whom will you liken me that we may be compared? ⁶ Some pour out gold from their bags and weigh out silver on the scales; they hire a goldsmith to make it into a god, and they bow down and worship it. ⁷ They lift it to their shoulders and carry it; they set it up in its place, and there it stands. From that spot it cannot move. Even though someone cries out to it, it cannot answer; it cannot save them from their troubles.

d. God’s Uniqueness (Isaiah 46:8-13)

Isaiah 46:8–13 NIV
⁸ “Remember this, keep it in mind, take it to heart, you rebels. ⁹ Remember the former things, those of long ago; I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me. ¹⁰ I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say, ‘My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.’ ¹¹ From the east I summon a bird of prey; from a far-off land, a man to fulfill my purpose. What I have said, that I will bring about; what I have planned, that I will do. ¹² Listen to me, you stubborn-hearted, you who are now far from my righteousness. ¹³ I am bringing my righteousness near, it is not far away; and my salvation will not be delayed. I will grant salvation to Zion, my splendor to Israel.

2. Taunt Against Babylon (Isaiah 47)

a. Babylon’s Shame Exposed (Isaiah 47:1-4)

Isaiah 47:1–4 NIV
¹ “Go down, sit in the dust, Virgin Daughter Babylon; sit on the ground without a throne, queen city of the Babylonians. No more will you be called tender or delicate. ² Take millstones and grind flour; take off your veil. Lift up your skirts, bare your legs, and wade through the streams. ³ Your nakedness will be exposed and your shame uncovered. I will take vengeance; I will spare no one.” ⁴ Our Redeemer—the Lord Almighty is his name— is the Holy One of Israel.

b. Babylon’s Royalty Deposed (Isaiah 47:5-7)

Isaiah 47:5–7 NIV
⁵ “Sit in silence, go into darkness, queen city of the Babylonians; no more will you be called queen of kingdoms. ⁶ I was angry with my people and desecrated my inheritance; I gave them into your hand, and you showed them no mercy. Even on the aged you laid a very heavy yoke. ⁷ You said, ‘I am forever— the eternal queen!’ But you did not consider these things or reflect on what might happen.

c. Babylon’s Bereavement and Judgment Disclosed (Isaiah 47:8-15)

Isaiah 47:8–15 NIV
⁸ “Now then, listen, you lover of pleasure, lounging in your security and saying to yourself, ‘I am, and there is none besides me. I will never be a widow or suffer the loss of children.’ ⁹ Both of these will overtake you in a moment, on a single day: loss of children and widowhood. They will come upon you in full measure, in spite of your many sorceries and all your potent spells. ¹⁰ You have trusted in your wickedness and have said, ‘No one sees me.’ Your wisdom and knowledge mislead you when you say to yourself, ‘I am, and there is none besides me.’ ¹¹ Disaster will come upon you, and you will not know how to conjure it away. A calamity will fall upon you that you cannot ward off with a ransom; a catastrophe you cannot foresee will suddenly come upon you. ¹² “Keep on, then, with your magic spells and with your many sorceries, which you have labored at since childhood. Perhaps you will succeed, perhaps you will cause terror. ¹³ All the counsel you have received has only worn you out! Let your astrologers come forward, those stargazers who make predictions month by month, let them save you from what is coming upon you. ¹⁴ Surely they are like stubble; the fire will burn them up. They cannot even save themselves from the power of the flame. These are not coals for warmth; this is not a fire to sit by. ¹⁵ That is all they are to you— these you have dealt with and labored with since childhood. All of them go on in their error; there is not one that can save you.

*The outline for this lesson is drawn from Bryan E. Beyer, Encountering the Book of Isaiah: A Historical and Theological Survey, Encountering Biblical Studies (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 2007).