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Isaiah 21 Commentary
by Brad Boyles
A shared truth sticks out over the past few chapters of Isaiah. All the main players surrounding Judah (Babylon, Assyria, Egypt, and Ethiopia) are under the authority of God. The domino effect that occurred as nations rose and fell presented the temptation to align with the next greatest power. The temptation for Judah was to trust in the power of a nation over the promises of God.
Reality check. We do this all the time.
Each day we are bombarded by the next greatest gadget that will solve all of life’s problems. We flip on the TV and the same message is blasted in our faces – you can’t live without this! We are prone to adding things to our lives that make it easier and more comfortable, so naturally, we can’t help taking the bait. What makes it even more difficult is that we live in a world where the masses flock to the latest trends.
It is so hard to resist temporary comfort for eternal security. As Randy Alcorn would say, “We must give what we can’t keep in order to gain what we can’t lose.” Metaphorically speaking, Isaiah 21 really captures this idea. The central theme is not necessarily about Babylon – it’s about God. The only true security we can trust is Him, and for us, that means Jesus.
“For the Lord God of Israel has spoken. The audacity of such a statement is lost on us today. What does Israel’s God have to do with Babylon or Edom or Arabia? They have their own gods to whom their destiny is committed. Yet the Israelite prophet dares to say that it is his God alone who holds the nations in his hand. Dare we believe this today?
Is it true that the word of Yahweh alone shapes the course of the nations? Or was that just nationalistic bombast which we, a more enlightened people, may dismiss? In fact, we may not dismiss it, for only in God’s sovereignty is there any hope for a race of human beings that seems determined to destroy itself.”
New International Commentary – Old Testament