The Butcher of Babylon

Today's Daily Soap {Scripture | Observation | Application | Prayer}

• S: Isaiah 13-14
• O: "Babylon is doomed. It won't be long now." But not so with Jacob. God will have compassion on Jacob. Once again he'll choose Israel. He'll establish them in their own country.... When God has given you time to recover from the abuse and trouble and harsh servitude that you had to endure, you can amuse yourselves by taking up this satire, a taunt against the king of Babylon: "Can you believe it? The tyrant is gone! The tyranny is over! God has broken the rule of the wicked, the power of the bully-rulers That crushed many people. A relentless rain of cruel outrage Established a violent rule of anger rife with torture and persecution. And now it's over, the whole earth quietly at rest.... Now you are as nothing as we are! Make yourselves at home with us dead folks!" This is where your pomp and fine music led you, Babylon, to your underworld private chambers, A king-size mattress of maggots for repose and a quilt of crawling worms for warmth.... People will stare and muse: "Can this be the one Who terrorized earth and its kingdoms, turned earth to a moonscape, Wasted its cities, shut up his prisoners to a living death?" Other kings get a decent burial, honored with eulogies and placed in a tomb. But you're dumped in a ditch unburied, like a stray dog or cat, Covered with rotting bodies, murdered and indigent corpses. Your dead body desecrated, mutilated — no state funeral for you! You've left your land in ruins, left a legacy of massacre. The progeny of your evil life will never be named. Oblivion!... "I will confront them"—Decree of God-of-the-Angel-Armies—"and strip Babylon of name and survivors, children and grandchildren." God's Decree. "I'll make it a worthless swamp and give it as a prize to the hedgehog. And then I'll bulldoze it out of existence." Decree of God-of-the-Angel-Armies.... What does one say to outsiders who ask questions? Tell them, "God has established Zion. Those in need and in trouble find refuge in her." (MSG)
• A: I am no Bible scholar. I'm just an Average Joe trying to make a little sense for myself of what God is trying tell us through His Word. But when I first read through this passage (Isaiah Chapters 13 and 14), I was floored. This passage is foretelling the destruction of Babylon. Now, I'm sure that we're talking about the destruction of ancient Babylon, but bear with me for a second. As Wikipedia explains, Babylon was a city of ancient Mesopotamia, the ruins of which can be found in present-day Al Hillah, Babil Province, Iraq, about 85 kilometers (55 mi) south of Baghdad. The ruins of ancient Babylon lie within an hour of Baghdad! And the description of the tyrant ruler in these two chapters could easily have been applied to Saddam Hussein. Again, I'm no Bible scholar, but WOW!
• P: Lord, as American fighting men and women risk their lives daily overseas in and around Iraq to put an end to the type of tryanny that has always run rampant in that part of the world, be with them. And be with us at home as we should lend our support to our brave troops abroad.

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