Daily Devotions
Isaiah
"As when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah"
Text: Isaiah 13:19
THE DESOLATION OF BABYLON
The Chaldeans belonged to the ancient nation of Chaldea. It became part of Babylonia. Sometimes, the term “Chaldeans” was used to describe the Babylonians.
“And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms,
The beauty of the Chaldeans’ pride,
Will be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah.
It will never be inhabited,
Nor will it be settled from generation to generation;
Nor will the Arabian pitch tents there,
Nor will the shepherds make their sheepfolds there.
But wild beasts of the desert will lie there,
And their houses will be full of owls;
Ostriches will dwell there,
And wild goats will caper there.
The hyenas will howl in their citadels,
And jackals in their pleasant palaces.
Her time is near to come,
And her days will not be prolonged.”
Isaiah 13:19-22
1. The Chaldeans/ Babylonians
a) They would be overthrown by the Medes-Persians.
b) Their destruction was likened to annihilation of Sodom and Gomorrah.
c) Babylon’s fame:
i) Its beauty.
ii) Its majestic walls.
All would be destroyed.
2. Bleak and candid description of the aftermath of war with the Medes and Persians.
a) The land would not be inhabited.
b) The land would not be able to sustain its inhabitants like the shepherds.
c) Not even nomadic traders would come to Babylon (Arabians).
3. Only the wild animals would be found in the devastated land.
a) The ostrich
b) The hyena
c) The jackal
4. The time of Babylon’s destruction.
a) It would be in the near future.
b) That day of destruction would not be prolonged.