I
S A I A H
CHAP. XXI.
In
this chapter we have a prophecy of sad times coming, and heavy burdens, I.
Upon
Babylon, here called "the desert of the
sea," that it should be destroyed by the Medes and Persians with a
terrible destruction, which yet God's people should have advantage by, ver.
1-10. II. Upon Dumah, or Idumea, ver. 11, 12. III. Upon Arabia, or Kedar, the
desolation of which country was very near, ver. 13-17. These and other nations
which the princes and people of
Israel had so much to do with the prophets of Israel
could not but have something to say to.
Foreign affairs must be taken notice of as well as domestic ones, and news
from abroad enquired after as well as news at home.
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The
Doom of Babylon.
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B.
C. 714.
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1 The burden of the desert of the sea. As
whirlwinds in the south pass through; so it cometh from the desert,
from a terrible land. 2 A grievous vision is declared unto me; the
treacherous dealer dealeth treacherously, and the spoiler spoileth. Go up, O
Elam: besiege, O Media; all the sighing thereof have I made to cease.
3 Therefore are my loins filled with pain: pangs have taken hold upon me, as
the pangs of a woman that travaileth: I was bowed down at the hearing of
it; I was dismayed at the seeing of it. 4 My heart
panted, fearfulness affrighted me: the night of my pleasure hath he turned
into fear unto me. 5 Prepare the table, watch in the watchtower,
eat, drink: arise, ye princes, and anoint the shield. 6 For
thus hath the Lord said unto me, Go, set a watchman, let him declare what he
seeth. 7 And he saw a chariot with a couple of horsemen, a
chariot of asses, and a chariot of camels; and he hearkened diligently
with much heed: 8 And he cried, A lion: My lord, I stand
continually upon the watchtower in the daytime, and I am set in my ward whole
nights: 9 And, behold, here cometh a chariot of men, with a
couple of horsemen. And he answered and said, Babylon is fallen, is fallen;
and all the graven images of her gods he hath broken unto the ground.
10 O my threshing, and the corn of my floor: that which I have heard of the LORD
of hosts, the God of Israel, have I declared unto you.
We had one burden of Babylon before (ch. xiii.); here we have another
prediction of its fall. God saw fit thus to possess his people with the belief
of this event by line upon line, because Babylon sometimes pretended to be a
friend to them (as ch. xxxix. 1), and God would hereby warn them not to
trust to that friendship, and sometimes was really an enemy to them, and God
would hereby warn them not to be afraid of that enmity. Babylon is marked for
ruin; and all that believe God's prophets can, through that glass, see it
tottering, see it tumbling, even when with an eye of sense they see it
flourishing and sitting as a queen. Babylon is here called the desert
or plain of the sea; for it was a flat country, and full of lakes, or
loughs (as they call them in Ireland), like little seas, and was abundantly
watered with the many streams of the river Euphrates. Babylon did but lately
begin to be famous, Nineveh having outshone it while the monarchy was in the
Assyrian hands; but in a little time it became the lady of kingdoms; and,
before it arrived at that pitch of eminency which it was at in
Nebuchadnezzar's time, God by this prophet plainly foretold its fall, again
and again, that his people might not be terrified at its rise, nor despair of
relief in due time when they were its prisoners, Job v. 3; Ps. xxxvii. 35, 36.
Some think it is here called a desert because, though it was now a
populous city, it should in time be made a desert. And therefore the
destruction of Babylon is so often prophesied of by this evangelical prophet,
because it was typical of the destruction of the man of sin, the great enemy
of the New-Testament church, which is foretold in the Revelation in
many expressions borrowed from these prophecies, which therefore must be
consulted and collated by those who would understand the prophecy of that
book. Here is,
I. The powerful irruption and descent which the Medes and Persians should make
upon Babylon (v. 1, 2): They will come from the desert, from a
terrible land. The northern parts of Media and Persia, where their
soldiers were mostly bred, was waste and mountainous, terrible to strangers
that were to pass through it and producing soldiers that were very formidable.
Elam (that is, Persia) is summoned to go up against Babylon, and, in
conjunction with the forces of Media, to besiege it. When God has work of this
kind to do he will find, though it be in a desert, in a terrible land, proper
instruments to be employed in it. These forces come as whirlwinds from the
south, so suddenly, so strongly, so terribly, such a mighty noise shall
they make, and throw down every thing that stands in their way. As is usual in
such a case, some deserters will go over to them: The treacherous dealers
will deal treacherously. Historians tell us of Gadatas and Gobryas, two
great officers of the king of Babylon, that went over to Cyrus, and, being
well acquainted with all the avenues of the city, led a party directly to the
palace, where Belshazzar was slain. Thus with the help of the treacherous
dealers the spoilers spoiled. Some read it thus: There shall be a
deceiver of that deceiver, Babylon, and a spoiler of that spoiler, or,
which comes all to one, The treacherous dealer has found one that deals
treacherously, and the spoiler one that spoils, as it is expounded, ch.
xxxiii. 1. The Persians shall pay the Babylonians in their own coin; those
that by fraud and violence, cheating and plundering, unrighteous wars and
deceitful treaties, have made a prey of their neighbours, shall meet with
their match, and by the same methods shall themselves be made a prey of.
II. The different impressions made hereby upon those concerned in Babylon. 1.
To the poor oppressed captives it would be welcome news; for they had been
told long ago that Babylon's destroyer would be their deliverer, and
therefore, "when they hear that Elam and Media are coming up to besiege
Babylon, all their sighing will be made to cease; they shall no longer
mingle their tears with Euphrates' streams, but resume their harps, and smile
when they remember Zion, which, before, they wept at the thought of." For
the sighing of the needy the God of pity will arise in due time (Ps. xii. 5);
he will break the yoke from all their neck, will remove the rod of the wicked
from off their lot, and so make their sighing to cease. 2. To the proud
oppressors it would be a grievous vision (v. 2), particularly to the
king of Babylon for the time being, and it should seem that he it is who is
here brought in sadly lamenting his inevitable fate (v. 3, 4): Therefore
are my loins filled with pain; pangs have taken hold upon me, &c.,
which was literally fulfilled in Belshazzar, for that very night in which his
city was taken, and himself slain, upon the sight of a hand writing mystic
characters upon the wall his countenance was changed and his thoughts
troubled him, so that the joints of his loins were loosed and his knees smote
one against another, Dan. v. 6. And yet that was but the beginning of
sorrows. Daniel's deciphering the writing could not but increase his terror,
and the alarm which immediately followed of the executioners at the door would
be the completing of it. And those words, The night of my pleasure has he
turned into fear to me, plainly refer to that aggravating circumstance of
Belshazzar's fall that he was slain on that night when he was in the height of
his mirth and jollity, with his cups and concubines about him and a thousand
of his lords revelling with him; that night of his pleasure, when he promised
himself an undisturbed unallayed enjoyment of the most exquisite
gratifications of sense, with a particular defiance of God and religion in the
profanation of the temple vessels, was the night that was turned into all this
fear. Let this give an effectual check to vain mirth and sensual pleasures,
and forbid us ever to lay the reins on the neck of them--that we know not what
heaviness the mirth may end in, nor how soon laughter may be turned into
mourning; but this we know that for all these things God shall bring us into
judgment; let us therefore mix trembling always with our joys.
III. A representation of the posture in which Babylon should be found when the
enemy should surprise it--all in festival gaiety (v. 5): "Prepare
the table with all manner of dainties. Set the guards; let them watch in the
watch-tower while we eat and drink securely and make merry; and, if any alarm
should be given, the princes shall arise and anoint the shield, and be in
readiness to give the enemy a warm reception." Thus secure are they, and
thus do they gird on the harness with as much joy as if they were putting it
off.
IV. A description of the alarm which should be given to Babylon upon its being
forced by Cyrus and Darius. The Lord, in vision, showed the prophet the
watchman set in his watch-tower, near the watch-tower, near the palace, as is
usual in times of danger; the king ordered those about him to post a sentinel
in the most advantageous place for discovery, and, according to the duty of a
watchman, let him declare what he sees, v. 6. We read of
watchmen thus set to receive intelligence in the story of David (2 Sam. xviii.
24), and in the story of Jehu, 2 Kings ix. 17. This watchman here discovered a
chariot with a couple of horsemen attending it, in which we may suppose the
commander-in-chief to ride. He then saw another chariot drawn by asses or
mules, which were much in use among the Persians, and a chariot drawn by
camels, which were likewise much in use among the Medes; so that (as Grotius
thinks) these two chariots signify the two nations combined against Babylon,
or rather these chariots come to bring tidings to the palace; compare Jer. li.
31, 32. One post shall run to meet another, and one messenger to meet
another, to show the king of Babylon that his city is taken at one end
while he is revelling at the other end and knows nothing of the matter. The
watchman, seeing these chariots at some distance, hearkened diligently with
much heed, to receive the first tidings. And (v. 8) he cried, A
lion; this word, coming out of a watchman's mouth, no doubt gave them a
certain sound, and everybody knew the meaning of it, though we do not know it
now. It is likely that it was intended to raise attention: he that has an ear
to hear, let him hear, as when a lion roars. Or he cried as a lion,
very loud and in good earnest, the occasion being very urgent. And what has he
to say? 1. He professes his constancy to the post assigned him: "I
stand, my lord, continually upon the watch-tower, and have never
discovered any thing material till just now; all seemed safe and quiet."
Some make it to be a complaint of the people of God that they had long
expected the downfall of Babylon, according to the prophecy, and it had not
yet come; but withal a resolution to continue waiting; as Hab. ii. 1, I
will stand upon my watch, and set me upon the tower, to see what will be
the issue of the present providences. 2. He gives notice of the discoveries he
had made (v. 9): Here comes a chariot of men with a couple of
horsemen, a vision representing the enemy's entry into the city with all
their force or the tidings brought to the royal palace of it.
V. A certain account is at length given of the overthrow of Babylon. He in the
chariot answered and said (when he heard the watchman speak), Babylon
has fallen, has fallen; or God answered thus to the prophet enquiring
concerning the issue of these affairs: "It has now come to this, Babylon
has surely and irrecoverably fallen. Babylon's business is done now. All
the graven images of her gods he has broken unto the ground." Babylon
was the mother of harlots (that is, of idolatry), which was one of the grounds
of God's quarrel with her; but her idols should now be so far from protecting
her that some of them should be broken down to the ground, and others of them,
that were worth carrying way, should go into captivity, and be a burden to the
beasts that carried them, ch. xlvi. 1, 2.
VI. Notice is given to the people of God, who were then captives in Babylon,
that this prophecy of the downfall of Babylon was particularly intended for
their comfort and encouragement, and they might depend upon it that it should
be accomplished in due season, v. 10. Observe,
1. The title the prophet gives them in God's name: O my threshing, and the
corn of my floor! The prophet calls them his, because they were his
countrymen, and such as he had a particular interest in and concern for; but
he speaks it as from God, and directs his speech to those that were Israelites
indeed, the faithful in the land. Note, (1.) The church is God's floor, in
which the most valuable fruits and products of this earth are, as it were,
gathered together and laid up. (2.) True believers are the corn of God's
floor. Hypocrites are but as the chaff and straw, which take up a great deal
of room, but are of small value, with which the wheat is now mixed, but from
which it shall be shortly and for ever separated. (3.) The corn of God's floor
must expect to be threshed by afflictions and persecutions. God's Israel of
old was afflicted from her youth, often under the plougher's plough (Ps. cxxix.
3) and the thresher's flail. (4.) Even then God owns it for his threshing; it
is his still; nay, the threshing of it is by his appointment, and under his
restraint and direction. The threshers could have no power against it but
what was given them from above.
2. The assurance he gives them of the truth of what he had delivered to them,
which therefore they might build their hopes upon: That which I have heard
of the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel--that, and nothing else, that, and
no fiction or fancy of my own--have I declared unto you. Note, In all
events concerning the church, past, present, and to come, we must have an eye
to God both as the Lord of hosts and as the God of Israel, who has power
enough to do any thing for his church and grace enough to do every thing that
is for her good, and to the words of his prophets, as words received from the
Lord. As they dare not smother any thing which he has entrusted them to
declare, so they dare not declare any thing as from him which he has not made
known to them, 1 Cor. xi. 23.
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The
Watchman Interrogated.
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B.
C. 714.
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11 The burden of Dumah. He calleth to me out of
Seir, Watchman, what of the night? Watchman, what of the night? 12
The watchman said, The morning cometh, and also the night: if ye will enquire,
enquire ye: return, come.
This prophecy concerning Dumah is very short, and withal dark and hard to be
understood. Some think that Dumah is a part of Arabia, and that the
inhabitants descended from Dumah the sixth son of Ishmael, as those of Kedar (v.
16, 17) from Ishmael's second son, Gen. xxv. 13, 14. Others, because Mount
Seir is here mentioned, by Dumah understand Idumea, the country of the
Edomites. Some of Israel's neighbours are certainly meant, and their distress
is foretold, not only for warning to them to prepare them for it, but for
warning to Israel not to depend upon them, or any of the nations about them,
for relief in a time of danger, but upon God only. We must see all creature
confidences failing us, and feel them breaking under us, that we may not lay
more weight upon them than they will bear. But though the explication of this
prophecy be difficult, because we have no history in which we find the
accomplishment of it, yet the application will be easy. We have here,
1. A question put by an Edomite to the watchman. Some one or other called
out of Seir, somebody that was more concerned for the public safety and
welfare than the rest, who were generally careless and secure. As the man of
Macedonia, in a vision, desired Paul to come over and help them (Acts xvi. 9),
so this man of Mount Seir, in a vision, desired the prophet to inform and
instruct them. He calls not many; it is well there are any, that all are not
alike unconcerned about the things that belong to the public peace. Some out
of Seir ask advice of God's prophets, and are willing to be taught, when many
of God's Israel heed nothing. The question is serious: What of the night?
It is put to a proper person, the watchman, whose office it is to
answer such enquiries. He repeats the question, as one in care, as one in
earnest, and desirous to have an answer. Note, (1.) God's prophets and
ministers are appointed to be watchmen, and we are to look upon them as such.
They are as watchmen in the city in a time of peace, to see that all be safe,
to knock at every door by personal enquiries ("Is it locked? Is the fire
safe?"), to direct those that are at a loss, and check those that are
disorderly, Cant. iii. 3; v. 7. They are as watchmen in the camp in time of
war, Ezek. xxxiii. 7. They are to take notice of the motions of the enemy and
to give notice of them, to make discoveries and then give warning; and in this
they must deny themselves. (2.) It is our duty to enquire of the watchmen,
especially to ask again and again, What of the night? for watchmen wake
when other sleep. [1.] What time of the night? After a long sleep in sin and
security, is it not time to rise, high time to awake out of sleep? Rom. xiii.
11. We have a great deal of work to do, a long journey to go; is it not time
to be stirring? "Watchman, what o'clock is it? After a long dark night is
there any hope of the day dawning?" [2.] What tidings of the night? What
from the night? (so some); "what vision has the prophet had to-night?
We are ready to receive it." Or, rather, "What occurs to night? What
weather is it? What news?" We must expect an alarm, and never be secure.
The day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; we must prepare
to receive the alarm, and resolve to keep our ground, and then take the first
hint of danger, and to our arms presently, to our spiritual weapons.
2. The watchman's answer to this question. The watchman was neither asleep nor
dumb; though it was a man of Mount Seir that called to him, he was ready to
give him an answer: The morning comes. He answers, (1.) By way of
prediction: "There comes first a morning of light, and peace, and
opportunity; you will enjoy one day of comfort more; but afterwards comes a
night of trouble and calamity." Note, In the course of God's providence
it is usual that morning and night are counterchanged and succeed each other.
Is it night? Yet the morning comes, and the day-spring knows his place, Ps.
xxx. 5. Is it day? Yet the night comes also. If there be a morning of youth
and health, there will come a night of sickness and old age; if a morning of
prosperity in the family, in the public, yet we must look for changes. But God
usually gives a morning of opportunity before he sends a night of calamity,
that his own people may be prepared for the storm and others left inexcusable.
(2.) By way of excitement: If you will enquire, enquire. Note, It is
our wisdom to improve the present morning in preparation for the night that is
coming after it. "Enquire, return, come. Be inquisitive, be
penitent, be willing and obedient." The manner of expression is very
observable, for we are put to our choice what we will do: "If you will
enquire, enquire; if not, it is at your peril; you cannot say but you have
a fair offer made you." We are also urged to be at a point: "If you
will, say so, and do not stand pausing; what you will do do quickly, for it is
no time to trifle." Those that return and come to God will find they have
a great deal of work to do and but a little time to do it in, and therefore
they have need to be busy.
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The
Doom of Arabia.
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B.
C. 714.
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13 The burden upon Arabia. In the forest in
Arabia shall ye lodge, O ye travelling companies of Dedanim. 14
The inhabitants of the land of Tema brought water to him that was thirsty,
they prevented with their bread him that fled. 15 For they fled
from the swords, from the drawn sword, and from the bent bow, and from the
grievousness of war. 16 For thus hath the Lord said unto me,
Within a year, according to the years of a hireling, and all the glory of
Kedar shall fail: 17 And the residue of the number of archers, the
mighty men of the children of Kedar, shall be diminished: for the LORD
God of Israel hath spoken it.
Arabia was a large country, that lay eastward and southward of the land of
Canaan. Much of it was possessed by the posterity of Abraham. The Dedanim,
here mentioned (v. 13), descended from Dedan, Abraham's son by Keturah;
the inhabitants of Tema and Kedar descended from Ishmael, Gen. xxv. 3, 13, 15.
The Arabians generally lived in tents, and kept cattle, were a hardy people,
inured to labour; probably the Jews depended upon them as a sort of a wall
between them and the more warlike eastern nations; and therefore, to alarm
them, they shall hear the burden of Arabia, and see it sinking under
its own burden.
I. A destroying army shall be brought upon them, with a sword, with a drawn
sword, with a bow ready bent, and with all the grievousness
of war, v. 15. It is probable that the king of Assyria, in some of
the marches of his formidable and victorious army, took Arabia in his way,
and, meeting with little resistance, made an easy prey of them. The
consideration of the grievousness of war should make us thankful for the
blessings of peace.
II. The poor country people will hereby be forced to flee for shelter wherever
they can find a place; so that the travelling companies of Dedanium,
which used to keep the high roads with their caravans, shall be obliged to
quit them and lodge in the forest in Arabia (v. 13), and shall
not have the wonted convenience of their own tents, poor and weather-beaten as
they are.
III. They shall stand in need of refreshment, being ready to perish for want
of it, in their flight from the invading army: "O you inhabitants of
the
land
of
Tema
!" (who probably were next neighbours to the companies of Dedanim)
"bring you water" (so the margin reads it) "to him
that is thirsty, and prevent with your bread those that flee, for
they are objects of your compassion; they do not wander for wandering sake,
nor are they reduced to straits by any extravagance of their own, but they
flee from the sword." Tema was a country where water was sometimes a
scarce commodity (as we find, Job vi. 19), and we may conclude it would be in
a particular manner acceptable to these poor distressed refugees. Let us learn
hence. 1. To look for distress ourselves. We know not what straits we may be
brought into before we die. Those that live in cities may be forced to lodge
in forests; and those may know the want of necessary food who now eat bread to
the full. Our mountain stands not so strong but that it may be moved, rises
not so high but that it may be scaled. These Arabians would the better bear
these calamities because in their way of living they had used themselves to
hardships. 2. To look with compassion upon those that are in distress, and
with all cheerfulness to relieve them, not knowing how soon their case may be
ours: "Bring water to those that are thirsty, and not only give
bread to those that need and ask it, but prevent those with it that have need;
give it to them unasked." Those that do so shall find it remembered to
their praise, as (according to our reading) it is here remembered to the
praise of the land of Tema that they did bring water to the thirsty and
relieved even those that were on the falling side.
IV. All that which is the glory of Kedar shall vanish away and fail. Did they
glory in their numerous herds and flocks? They shall all be driven away by the
enemy. It seems they were famous about other nations for the use of the bow in
battle; but their archers, instead of foiling the enemy, shall fall
themselves; and the residue of their number, when they are reduced to a
small number, shall be diminished (v. 17); their mighty
able-bodied men, and men of spirit too, shall become very few; for they, being
most forward in the defence of their country, were most exposed, and fell
first, either by the enemies' sword or into the enemies' hand. Note, Neither
the skill of archers (though they be ever so good marksmen) nor the courage of
mighty men can protect a people from the judgments of God, when they come with
commission; they rather expose the undertakers. That is poor glory which will
thus quickly come to nothing.
V. All this shall be done in a little time: "Within one year according
to the years of a hireling (within one year precisely reckoned) this
judgment shall come upon Kedar." If this fixing of the time be of no
great use to us now (because we find not either when the prophecy was
delivered or when it was accomplished), yet it might be of great use to the
Arabians then, to awaken them to repentance, that, like the men of Nineveh,
they might prevent the judgment when they were thus told it was just at the
door. Or, when it begins to be fulfilled, the business shall be done, be begun
and ended in one year's time. God, when he please, can do a great work in a
little time.
VI. It is all ratified by the truth of God (v. 16); "Thus hath
the Lord said to me; you may take my word for it that it is his
word;" and we may be sure no word of his shall fall to the ground. And
again (v. 17): The Lord God of Israel hath spoken it, as the God
of Israel, in pursuance of his gracious designs concerning them; and we may be
sure the strength of Israel will not lie.
Contents
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