My brother-in-law has given us his Sky code so we can watch on the iPad and Sky TV. It's a remarkable thing and a wonderful thing.
What it means is that you can get up on a Saturday morning and you can watch three international rugby test matches. And then in the afternoon you can watch three international football games. It's a great recipe for family harmony.
But one of the things that you notice is as you watch rugby and football there's many, many differences. But one of the big differences is the managers or the coaches.
And you notice in football they stand in a little box by the side of the pitch and they shout and they gesticulate and they scream at their players.
But in rugby the coaches or managers don't stand at the side of the pitch. They now sit in the stands and they sit in the box.
And the reason for that is it gives them a better perspective. They can see the whole of the pitch. They can see the whole of the team.
And in Isaiah 13 we begin a new section of the book of Isaiah that we're working through.
And you can say it's as if Isaiah takes his audience up the steps of the stadium of the world.
So that you can get a better vantage point of what is going on. So that you can see the whole game.
And so from verses 13 to 23 you will see that there are ten oracles or ten burdens, ten messages that are delivered by Isaiah to ten nations.
On one level you could say that it's Isaiah's state of the nations address.
But what we're going to see is that Isaiah doesn't deliver these oracles to the respective nations.
He doesn't go to them. No, the audience for each oracle is actually the people of Judah.
And particularly the remnant.
That group of people within the people of Judah that were actually holding on to God.
They were trusting in God.
And not forsaking God.
And Isaiah speaks to them, these ten oracles.
So the question is why would it be important for these people,
to this small little group of God's people,
to hear about what is going to happen amongst the world?
What is going to happen to these other super nations?
These other nations?
And here's the reason.
Paraphrase Bob Dylan.
You've got to trust somebody.
And Isaiah wants his audience to understand,
whatever you do,
you don't want to trust the nations.
Whatever you do,
you don't want to trust the nations.
And Judah, little tiny Judah,
is going to be tempted to seek alliances with other nations,
to deliver them,
to protect them from their enemies.
And Isaiah says,
don't put your trust in them.
And the question is,
well, if you're going to trust somebody,
who are you going to trust?
And over and over and over again,
Isaiah wants them to understand,
that they've got to trust the Lord.
They've got to trust God,
because he is sovereign over all the nations.
And through these chapters,
we are going to find that God is not just in the coach's box,
watching the action,
seeing what the opposition is doing,
and then acting and reacting accordingly.
No, God is in absolute control
of everything that is going on below.
that his game plan is being executed sovereignly,
with all the twists and all the turns.
But as we're going to see,
God has got his eye
on the final play of the game.
And the reason Isaiah gives us a glimpse
into the playbook of God here,
is because Isaiah's role here as the prophet
is to be a faith builder.
He wants to encourage the faith of the people of Judah.
He wants to encourage you and I
to not give up as God's people,
to not give up trusting God.
It is to encourage you and I
not to look for our security
and our identity in other things,
in other places,
but to keep trusting in the Holy One of Israel.
You've got to trust somebody,
says Isaiah.
And here is why that somebody needs to be God.
And the first oracle, Isaiah,
gives us specific reasons
why we are to trust God.
And the specific reason comes in five words.
Five words.
Why you need to trust God.
Why is it that he needs to be
your only and ultimate security?
Five words.
It's the day of the Lord.
The day of the Lord.
That's the reason.
The day of the Lord.
For what ultimate purpose?
So we're going to ask.
Four questions.
We're going to ask what, why, who,
and for what ultimate purpose?
What, why, who,
and for what ultimate purpose?
Number one.
What is the day of the Lord?
Look at verses one to eight.
What is the day of the Lord?
Verse one.
The oracle concerning Babylon,
which Isaiah, the son of Amor,
saw on a bare hill,
raised a signal,
cry aloud to them,
wave the hand for them
to enter the gates of the nobles.
I myself have commanded
my consecrated ones,
my set apart ones,
and have summoned my mighty men
to execute my anger,
my proudly exulting ones.
The sound of a tumult is on the mountain,
as of a great multitude.
The sound of an uproar of kingdoms,
of nations gathering together.
The Lord of hosts is mustering
a host for battle.
They come from a distant land,
from the end of the heavens.
The Lord and the weapons
of his indignation
to destroy the whole land.
Wail, for the day of the Lord is near.
As destruction from the almighty
it will come.
Therefore all hands will be feeble,
and every heart will melt,
and they will be dismayed.
Pangs and agony will seize them.
There will be an anguish
like a woman in labour.
They will look aghast at one another.
Their faces will be aflame.
The language is very unnerving.
And yet, as the reader and the listener,
we are drawn into this.
As we hear the various commands
that are being uttered,
raise a banner,
listen,
wail,
and other commands
as you go through the chapter,
it doesn't take too much investigation
to realise why all these commands
are being given.
They are being given
because the day of the Lord,
the day of the Lord
is actually a day of judgment.
It will, says Isaiah,
come like destruction
from the almighty,
and it is God
who is the one
who is in charge.
God is not watching
from a distance.
He is in charge,
he is directing,
he is controlling,
and yet the judgment
that is to come on Babylon,
we read off here,
is to come at the hands
of other nations.
God is gathering an army
from the other nations
around to defeat Babylon.
It's probably worth pointing out,
isn't it,
that in verse 3,
it says consecrated ones,
it might even say holy ones
in your translation of the Bible.
That doesn't mean holy
in the sense of
holy, holy, holy
is the Lord God almighty.
They're not holy in themselves,
but they are holy
in the sense of the word
is set apart.
They've been set apart,
they've been consecrated
by God
for the task
that he's called them to do.
And at the end of verse 3,
we see that they are
proudly exalted ones.
They are full of themselves,
aren't they,
the psalmist?
They think they're chocker,
they're full of themselves.
These warriors,
they are full of arrogance
and boasting.
But unknown to them,
God has claimed them
to achieve
his ultimate purposes.
And his purpose
is to bring wrath
and judgment to Babylon.
And the result of this day,
verse 7,
is
feeble hands
and melting hearts.
What a picture of helplessness.
Demoralization.
Total personal paralysis.
Feeble hands
and melting hearts.
The day of the Lord,
we see,
is a fearful day.
It's a day of divine judgment.
And at the same time
as we read on,
we discover, however,
that this day of the Lord
seems to point
beyond this particular judgment
that is coming
on the nation of Babylon.
Look at verse 9.
Behold,
the day of the Lord
comes cruel
with wrath
and fierce anger
to make the land
a desolation
and to destroy
its sinners from it.
For the stars
of the heavens
and their constellations
will not give their light.
The sun will be dark
on its rising
and the moon
will not shed its light.
I will punish
the world
for its evil
and the wicked
for their iniquity.
I will put an end
to the pomp
and the arrogant
and lay low
the pompous pride
and the ruthless.
Verse 13.
Therefore I will make
the heavens tremble
and the earth
will be shaken
and misplaced.
Can you see
the day of the Lord
that Isaiah is talking about here
is cosmic in its effect.
And that is the unison chorus
of the prophets
throughout the Old Testament.
The day of the Lord
is cosmic.
But this day of the Lord
is not only coming later
but it is also coming
much later.
And that is one
of the challenging parts
of reading
the Old Testament
prophets, isn't it?
Because the prophets
seem to occupy
they seem to operate
in three different
time zones.
You know,
you go into those
buildings sometimes
and there are
those offices
and there are
three clocks
on the wall.
There's a clock
at the time of the UK
GMT
Greenwich Mean Time
and then there's
a clock about Tokyo
and then one about
New York say
and there's three
different time zones.
And the prophets
of the Lord
they operate
in three different
time zones.
They operate
in the now
and the later
and the much later.
Have you got that?
The now
and the later
and the much later.
And we've already
seen them in the
first twelve chapters
how the prophet
in a sense
is speaking
in the now time zone.
He's contending
the people of Judah
for their abandonment
of God.
But here in chapter 13
we've been an example
of the later
time zone
and the much
later time zone.
But the difficulty
is that sometimes
the prophets
don't delineate
very quickly
very clearly today
entirely well
between the two
time zones
together.
But it's clear
he's not just
talking about
a later period
a time that's to come
but a much later
period.
That this judgment
on Babylon
is pointed
to a cosmic
judgment.
A cataclysmic
judgment
when God
will pour out
his wrath
in judgment
on the world
and we're told
here on the
whole earth.
The heavens
will tremble.
He will pour out
his wrath
and judgment
on the day
of the Lord
on which day
on which the day
that Babylon
will fall.
Well on the day
that Babylon
will fall
is just actually
a pale shadow
of that great
and terrible day.
The day of the
Lord is a day
of judgment.
But it's ultimate
manifestation
the ultimate
day of the Lord
still lies in the
future.
So that in a sense
is the what
of the day of the
Lord
a day of divine
judgment.
The second question
is why?
Why?
What is God's
reason for the
day of the Lord?
Look at verse 11
I will punish
the world
for its evil
and the wicked
for their
iniquity.
I will put
an end to
the pomp
of the arrogant
and lay low
the pompous
pride of the
ruthless.
Now the
danger here
is that we
read a verse
like this
and we begin
to think to
ourselves
well finally
God is going
to sort
this world
out.
He's going
to get rid
of all the
evils.
He's going
to get rid
of all the
wickedness.
He's going
to get rid
of the terrorists
and the rapists
and the murderers
and then he's
going to give
the rest of us
a much better
world to live
in.
And when we
go down that
route we
find ourselves
we give
ourselves far
too much
credit.
Listen to this
quote by the
Russian writer
Solzhenitsyn.
He says
if only there
were evil
people somewhere
insidiously
committing evil
deeds and it
were necessary
only to separate
them from the
rest of us and
destroy them.
But the line
dividing good and
evil cuts through
the heart of
every human
being and who
is willing to
destroy a piece
of his own
heart.
You see the
why of the
day of the
Lord is sin
and evil
but all of
us, every
single one of
us stand
condemned.
All of us
have missed
the mark
for how God
intends us to
live.
We do that
by sense of
commission
when we lie
or steal
or covet
what other
people have.
We do it by
sense of
omission
too when we
fail to love
other people
as we are
called to do.
When we
fail to
forgive
when we
refuse to
be content
with what we
have in
life and
we're always
wanting more.
All of us,
think about it
another way,
all of us
may have
built our
identity on
something other
than God.
And so by
this account
we are guilty.
We've looked
at other
things other
than God
and thought
if only I
had that.
If only I
had that I'd
be condemned.
If I just
had that dress
or if I
could just
live in that
house or
if I could
just have
that job
or if I
could just
have that
husband,
we've looked
at those
things and
we've thought
if only I
had those
things then I
feel valuable.
Then I feel
significant.
I feel I
have meaning
if I get
those results,
if I achieve
this.
And as such
we've made
those things
more fundamental
to our security
and our worth
than God.
And we've
enslaved
ourselves to
idols.
idols of
money,
possessions,
reputation,
job or
possessions.
And thereby
we've condemned
ourselves and
that is why
the day of
the Lord,
the why of
the day of
the Lord is
sin and
evil.
And the
reality is
therefore all
of us,
every single
human being
stands
condemned.
judgment.
So the
what of
the day of
the Lord is
judgment and
the why of
the Lord is
the day of
the Lord is
sin.
But what
does Isaiah
say here about
who?
The who of
the day of
the Lord?
It's very
specific here.
The who of
the day of
the Lord.
Again in
chapter 13
and verse 1.
The oracle
concerning
Babylon.
Like I said
at the beginning
of the sermon,
the ten oracles
here form something
of a state of
the nations
for Israel.
For Isaiah's.
But for the
reader, we've
been reading
through, haven't
we?
I hope we
have.
And the first
12 chapters
of Isaiah.
Particularly for
Isaiah's audience,
the first one
would be a
massive surprise.
Who would
they have
expected it
to be about?
Who is the
nation that
they would
have expected
the first
oracle to
be about?
They would
have expected
it to be
about Assyria.
Assyria.
Up to this
point, Isaiah
has been
warning Judah
of the imminent
threat of
Assyria.
Assyria at
that point was
the superpower
nation to
the east.
But Isaiah
in the first
12 chapters
has learned
that Judah
is going to
be overthrown.
He's going
to be scattered.
But it's not
going to be
in the hands
of Assyria.
Assyria is
going to attack
Judah, but it's
not going to
overpower Judah.
No, the power
that was biding
his time in the
shadows, who is
going to
overthrow
Judah, was
indeed
first one,
Babylon.
Babylon held
the title
among the
nations of
the kind of
rising superpower.
The up and
coming nation.
And as such,
Babylon was
probably the
nation that
was most
tempting to
Judah.
It was most
tempting for
Judah to run
to them, to
the Babylonians,
and say, if
we do what
you tell us
to do, will
you protect
us?
Will you
guard us
against our
enemies?
And then in
this opening
oracle, God
chose through
Isaiah to
reveal what
was going to
happen to
them.
What is going
to happen to
Babylon?
After their
defeat of Judah,
they themselves
are going to
be destroyed.
You've got to
trust somebody,
Isaiah says,
but whatever
you do, don't
trust Babylon.
Because look
what God is
going to do
to her.
You've got to
trust in the
Lord.
Now there's
another reason,
isn't there,
why Babylon is
the head of
this list, of
these nations
and oracles.
But I want to
make one quick
application.
I think all of
us probably have
felt a little bit
concerned about
the political
rhetoric of the
last few days,
no matter what
side you're on.
Our country is
at something
of a crossroads.
And I don't
want to encourage
patriotism or a
love for this
country.
Nor am I
suggesting that
a Christian
should abandon
the political
process.
This country is
a great country
to live in.
And this country
is so much
to serve the
rest of the
world.
But the UK,
like any
country, can
become an
idol.
And God
would view
any attempt
to find our
security in
this nation
in which we
live, he
would find any
attempt to do
that with the
same contempt
that he had
for those to
find their
security in the
superpower nation
of Isaiah's
day, namely
Babylon.
Isaiah says
to you and I
this morning,
the one that
you are to
trust in is
the Lord.
There is no
guarantee that
God will delay
the day of
the Lord.
But this nation
will not go the
same way as
Assyria, or
Babylon, or
Rome, or
Greece.
But there is
one, isn't
there, who
outlasts the
nations.
because he
is sovereign
over all the
nations.
And Isaiah
says to you
and I, that
is who I
want you to
trust.
I want you
to trust in
God.
So Isaiah
puts Babylon
at the top
of the list
because they
are the
superpower nation.
But there is
another reason
why they are
at the height
of the list.
Which is
this, that
more than
any other
name in the
Bible, Babylon
personifies
something, doesn't
it?
What does
Babylon remind
you of?
It reminds
you of
Babel in
Genesis chapter
11.
Humankind's
desire to be
its own
saviour.
But Babylon is
the epitome of
human pride.
Look at verse
11 again.
I will put an
end to the
pomp of the
arrogant.
And I will
lay low the
pompous pride
of the ruthless.
And then look
at verse 19.
And Babylon
the glory of
kingdoms, the
splendour and
pomp of the
Coltians.
Well, it will
be like Sodom
and Gomorrah
when God
overthrew them.
And each time
when Babylon is
mentioned in
Isaiah chapter
11, the
actual Hebrew
word is
Babel.
It's
Babel.
And that
rings a bell,
does it?
And it's true
because in
Genesis 11, the
origin of the
city is in
fact the city
of Babel.
What happened
in Genesis 11?
There was a
bid to organise
life, to
create security
and stability
with our own
resources.
And without
reference to
God.
So the people
of Babel, do
you remember,
they said, let's
build a city for
ourselves and a
tower that reaches
up to the heavens
so that we can
make a name for
ourselves and not
be scattered over
the whole earth.
And it's pride.
And they said, we
will show God and
in the end God
shows them.
He confuses their
language.
And he scatters
them throughout
the earth.
But here we see
in Isaiah that
that city doesn't
go away.
It's back.
Babel is back
and rearing its
ugly head in the
time of Isaiah.
And it obviously
hasn't changed
its tune.
It's still known
for its pride.
And God says, now
I'm going to
destroy this city.
And God does
destroy the city
of Babylon.
But the thing
is, the spirit
of Babylon, the
spirit of Babel
lives on.
That initial
day of the
laws brings
destruction for
the physical
city.
But the pride
from which
Babylon was
known continues.
And indeed
continues.
So Isaiah
here in verse
11 is saying
God is going to
put an end to
that arrogance
and that pride.
And he's going
to humble the
pride of the
ruthless.
And the
question is,
when is he
going to do
that and we
come back to
the day of
the Lord?
You see, what
is going to
happen on the
day of the
Lord isn't
just the focus
of the Old
Testament.
But it's also
the focus of
the New.
And when we
turn to the
end of the
Bible in
Revelation
chapter 18,
here is what
John tells
us of his
vision of
history.
Let me read
to you.
After this he
says, I saw
another angel
coming down
from heaven,
having great
authority, and
the earth was
made bright
with his
glory, and
he called
out with a
mighty voice,
Fallen!
Fallen is
Babylon the
great.
In her
heart, she
says, I
sit as a
queen.
I am no
widow, and
mourning I
will never
see.
For this
reason, her
claims will
come in a
single day.
Death, and
mourning, and
famine, and
she will be
burned up with
fire, for
mighty is the
Lord God who
has judged
her.
And you
read through
Revelation
chapter 18, and
as confusing as
Revelation can
be, but
Babylon in
Revelation 18
looks like a
place of
culture, and
of craft, and
home comfort, and
normal daily
pleasures.
Things that you
and I are very
very familiar
with in this
life, and
it's a good
life, but
Revelation says
it is inherently
corrupt.
And here's
what is
important to
see, that
in Revelation
18, that
Babylon is
not just one
nation, it's
not a state, but
it is anywhere
where a godless
world order
holds sway.
This is how
one commentator
puts it, Greg
Veal.
He says any
institution or
facet of
culture that
is characterized
by pride,
economic
abundance,
persecution, and
idolatry is
part of
Babylon.
So you see,
Babylon is all
those things that
seek to undermine
God and his
people.
All those things
that seek to
lure us away
from trusting
God.
All those things
that would say
we should spurn
God, ignore
God, pretend
to be God, or
mock God, and
God says, I am
not going to be
mocked.
So is
Babylon present
in the UK?
You bet it
is.
Is it present
in Ireland?
Yes.
Is it present
in Canada?
In Afghanistan?
In Mexico?
In Iraq?
In the
Americas?
Throughout
Europe?
And Australia?
And Africa?
Of course it
is.
And all
those who are
part of
Babylon, who
seek to find
their satisfaction
elsewhere,
elsewhere other
than in God,
who seek to
find their
satisfaction in
wealth and
power and
not in him,
who seek to
save themselves,
who are full
of pride,
will one day
come under the
fearful judgment
of the day of
the Lord.
One last
thing.
I mentioned
didn't I
earlier that
Isaiah serves
as a faith
builder.
you might
be wondering,
I haven't
seen that
yet,
in Isaiah
13, but
here it
comes.
How is
this meant
to build
up your
faith?
And I
think the
answer to
that lies
in the
final question
of the
day of
the Lord,
which is
what is
its ultimate
purpose?
What is
the day of
the Lord's
ultimate
purpose?
Look at
Isaiah
chapter 14
and verses
1 and 2.
13,
for the
Lord will
have
compassion
on
Jacob
and
will
again
choose
Israel
and
will
set
them
in
their
own
land
and
sojourners
will join
them
and attach
themselves to
the house
of
Jacob
and the
peoples
will take
them and bring
them to
their place
and the
house
of Israel
will possess
them in
the Lord's
land as
male and
female slaves
they will
take captive
those who
were their
captives and
rule over
those who
oppress
them.
Now there is a word
That is so vital
And it's the first word
It's a three letter word
Can you see it?
For
First one
For the Lord will have compassion
Do you see why that is so important?
Here is the reason
For everything that we've just read
On chapter 13
The reason for God's judgment
On Babylon
Is ultimately
God's compassion on his people
The reason that God is going to bring judgment
On all
That is against God
Is because God loves his people
He wants to give his people
A world that doesn't have to deal
With all this kind of stuff
And you see that points us to something
That we see all the way through
The teaching of the Bible
It's a pattern that is picked up
In the book of Isaiah
Which is how God seems to work
Over and over and over again
Which is that God
Is the God
Who brings salvation
Through
Judgment
You go back to the beginning of the Bible
You go to Noah
And the flood
And God judges those people
In Noah's day
Doesn't he
In the flood
But through the judgment
Of the flood
He saves Noah and his family
In the boat
Salvation through judgment
He went the clock
Forward a little bit
And God judges Pharaoh
And the Egyptians
And he brings the water
And the sea down
On the Egyptians
The same sea that he split
In order to save his people
Moses and the Israelites
Is salvation through judgment
And here we see that God
Is going to judge Babylon
But he's going to save Judah
By bringing her back from exile
Salvation through judgment
And in these verses
While God will bring his people
Back from exile in Babylon
And judge Babylon
The fulfillment of all
That is in these two verses
Doesn't happen in their return
And the reason for that is
The ultimate fulfillment
Of these promises
Will depend on the ultimate
Salvation through judgment
That all these were pointed to
Listen to Saul's in it again
The line dividing good and evil
Cuts through the heart
Of every human being
Remember back in the wise section
We saw that all of us
Found condemned
There is none righteous
No not one
None of us here can claim
To be without pride
And in that sense
All of us
Are condemned
But two thousand years ago
God in a sense
Brought the day of the Lord
Forward a bit
For some people
He brought the day of the Lord
And his wrath
And his judgment
Forward
And he pulled it out
On one person
The one person in human history
Who could never have been accused
Of being part of Babylon
Jesus Christ himself
You see what happened
On the cross
Two thousand years ago
Was that the wrath
The judgment of God
For sin
Was poured out
Upon the Lord Jesus
He took on
The role of Babylon
He took on the role
Of the consummate
Enemy of God
Such that on that day
As Isaiah prophesies here
The rising sun
Would be darkened
On that day as well
And for those who trust
In this Jesus
Who is being judged
There is salvation
Salvation through judgment
For those who trust
In Jesus
And nothing else
Nothing in themselves
For those who will move
From the boastful pride
That is characteristic
Of Babylon
To the humble repentance
That judgment
Means our salvation
God judges
His son
On the cross
But he saves
All who will trust
In him
But for those
Who will find
Their security
In God
Through Jesus
There is no fear
Of that fearful day
Because for us
The day of the Lord
Has come
And Jesus
Has taken the wrath
And judgment
Of that day
For us already
That all the wrath
That you and I
Deserve
If we trust
In Jesus
Has been paid for
It has been dealt with
And so in the book
Of Revelation
The chapter following
Chapter 18
Where Babylon
Falls
In chapter 19
We have
A string of
Hallelujah choruses
And here is what
John writes
Right in the midst of it
John 19
He writes
Then I heard
What seemed to be
The voice
Of a great multitude
Like the roar
Of many waters
And at the sound
Of mighty peals
Of thunder
Crying out
Hallelujah
For the Lord
Our God
The almighty
Reigns
Let us rejoice
Let us exalt
And give him
The glory
For the marriage
Of the Lamb
Has come
And his bride
Has made herself
Ready
It was granted
To her
To clothe herself
With fine linen
Bright and pure
John Oswald writes
He says
It is all too easy
To be blown away
By the glory
Of the world
So we think
Ah there is reality
But that is not
Where glory resides
Glory resides
In the Lord
God almighty
Who brought salvation
To us
Through judgment
Of his son
In our place
And he says
All who trust
In him
Have no fear
Of the day
Of the Lord
And on that day
Of the Lord
When Babylon
Falls
When Babylon
Is crushed
When every
Anti-God
Force is crushed
We will rejoice
He will usher us
Into a world
Where there is
No sin
And no rebellion
Where all the things
We read of
In chapter 13
Of Isaiah
Could not be further
From our experience
Or imagination
Because the world
Will be perfect
And Isaiah says to you
You've got to trust somebody
Trust in the one
In whom
The glory
Truly resides
Not in any nation
Not in anything
In this world
Trust in the Lord
God almighty
Let's pray