Isaiah 47:1-15

Isaiah: God controls the nations

God promises comfort to his people

Isaiah Chapter s 40 to 48

Norman Hillyer

Chapter 47

This short chapter is severe in the manner that it warns the proud *Babylonians. Isaiah probably does not expect that the inhabitants of Babylon will actually hear this list of *Babylonian crimes.

• But Isaiah also knows that God created every *human being. And he gave a conscience to each one. A person can refuse to listen to God’s voice in his conscience. As time goes on, it becomes harder to hear God’s voice. For example, to take some little thing that is not yours seems not to matter. But you are stealing. And it can soon become a bad habit.

• The *Lord has told Isaiah what his intentions are about the wicked lives of the *Babylonians.

*Woe to Babylon!

v1 The *Lord declares to Babylon: ‘For so long you never suffered defeat. But now you must leave your throne (royal seat) and sit in the dust. You sat like a queen. Now you must sit in the dirt. Nobody will ever again think of you as a beautiful young woman. Your face was once soft and gentle. v2 Now you will have to work as a slave. You will have to turn heavy *millstones. You will have to reduce grain to flour. You will have to strip the veil (cover) from your face. You will have to lift your skirt. You will have to make your legs bare to cross streams. v3 You inhabitants of Babylon will be ashamed when other people see you naked.

My special people will have *satisfaction for the times when enemies were so cruel to them. I will make sure of that. And nobody will stop me.’

v4 The *Lord is the Commander of Heaven’s Forces. He will free us! He is the Holy God of Israel!