For those who may wish to ‘study’ this chapter, the following simple resources are provided for you. Each passage has a four-Part approach to help you take in and think further about what you have read.

Passage: Isaiah 13:1-10

1  A prophecy against Babylon that Isaiah son of Amoz saw:

2 Raise a banner on a bare hilltop,
    shout to them;
beckon to them
    to enter the gates of the nobles.
3 I have commanded those I prepared for battle;
    I have summoned my warriors to carry out my wrath –
    those who rejoice in my triumph.

4 Listen, a noise on the mountains,
    like that of a great multitude!
Listen, an uproar among the kingdoms,
    like nations massing together!
The Lord Almighty is mustering
    an army for war.
5 They come from faraway lands,
    from the ends of the heavens –
the Lord and the weapons of his wrath –
    to destroy the whole country.

6 Wail, for the day of the Lord is near;
    it will come like destruction from the Almighty.[a]
7 Because of this, all hands will go limp,
    every heart will melt with fear.
8 Terror will seize them,
    pain and anguish will grip them;
    they will writhe like a woman in labour.
They will look aghast at each other,
    their faces aflame. 9 See, the day of the Lord is coming
    – a cruel day, with wrath and fierce anger –
to make the land desolate
    and destroy the sinners within it.
10 The stars of heaven and their constellations
    will not show their light.
The rising sun will be darkened
    and the moon will not give its light.

A. Find Out:    

1. What does Isaiah now speak about whom? v.1
2. God calls for someone to do what? v.2
3. Who does He then speak about? v.3
4. Who does he hear doing what, so achieve what? v.4,5
5. What is coming and with what effect? v.6-9
6. What will even happen in the sky? v.10

B. Think:

1. What people are NOT identified in this passage?
2. Yet who is?
3. Summarise it in your own words.

C. Comment:

The strange thing about this passage is that it is identified from the start as an oracle (v.1), or ‘message of concern to be declared’, directed towards Babylon , yet thereafter, in this part at least, the people mentioned are not identified. It’s as if the Lord is building up the suspense by making us speculate. It will become clear later.

In verse 2 there is a double reference to ‘them’, presumably God’s agents, possibly His angels, to go out and call to others to go to the place of the nobles or leaders. He then refers to a holy army (v.3), an army of angels or more likely of men, who He is calling out to bring judgement. He envisages their might (v.4), coming from afar (v.5).

It is ‘the day of the Lord’, a day of judgement called by God (v.6). It will be a day of great fear (v.7,8), a day of destruction to cleanse the land of sinners (v.9). It will be a day when the sky will be darkened, (v.10) whether by smoke from the fires of destruction or from supernatural manifestation is not clear.

What is clear is that this is a prophecy of coming judgement. The origin is the Lord who is raising an army to bring judgement on a land because of the sin that is there. Who or where is not clear yet but the general intent and purpose is!

D. Application:

1. Sometimes revelation is only gradually rolled out.
2. God judges sin. It is as simple as that.

Passage: Isaiah 13:11-22

11 I will punish the world for its evil,
    the wicked for their sins.
I will put an end to the arrogance of the haughty
    and will humble the pride of the ruthless.
12 I will make people scarcer than pure gold,
    more rare than the gold of Ophir.
13 Therefore I will make the heavens tremble;
    and the earth will shake from its place
at the wrath of the Lord Almighty,
    in the day of his burning anger.

14 Like a hunted gazelle,
    like sheep without a shepherd,
they will all return to their own people,
    they will flee to their native land.
15 Whoever is captured will be thrust through;
    all who are caught will fall by the sword.
16 Their infants will be dashed to pieces before their eyes;
    their houses will be looted and their wives violated.

17 See, I will stir up against them the Medes,
    who do not care for silver
    and have no delight in gold.
18 Their bows will strike down the young men;
    they will have no mercy on infants
    nor will they look with compassion on children.
19 Babylon, the jewel of kingdoms,
    the pride and glory of the Babylonians,[b]
will be overthrown by God
    like Sodom and Gomorrah.
20 She will never be inhabited
    or lived in through all generations;
there no nomads will pitch their tents,
    there no shepherds will rest their flocks.
21 But desert creatures will lie there,
    jackals will fill her houses;
there the owls will dwell,
    and there the wild goats will leap about.
22 Hyenas will inhabit her strongholds,
    jackals her luxurious palaces.
Her time is at hand,
    and her days will not be prolonged.

A. Find Out:

1. What 4 things will the Lord do to whom? v.11
2. What will be the result? v.12
3. On that day what will happen in the heavens & on the earth? v.13-16
4. Who will rise up and do what? v.17,18
5. Who will be overthrown for how long? v.19,20
6. What will be all that remain? v.21,22

B. Think:

1. What indications are there that this applies to all the world?
2. Yet what indication is there it is for one nation?
3. What is basically being talked about?

C. Comment:

The suspense continues. The prophecy continues on about the Lord’s intent to bring destructive judgement. Verse 11 speaks about “the world…the wicked…the haughty… the ruthless” and specifically their evil, their sins, their arrogance, and their pride. These ones the Lord will obviously remove in this judgement (v.12). People will be destroyed in large numbers in horrific warfare (v.15,16).

It is only when we come to verse 17 that we have any mention of specific agents bringing this about – the Medes and then finally in verse 19 it is revealed that it will be Babylon that is to be destroyed so thoroughly that no one will ever live there again, and the place will be just a haunt for wild animals (v.21,22).     

Now we would do well to consider who this applied to and when. First it seems to refer to a single location – the whole country, v.5 – the land, v.9 – Babylon v.19-22. But intermingled in this chapter seem far more general references – the world, v.11 – man, v.12 – own people, native land, v.14. Is it that Isaiah has a prophetic awareness of Babylon, but as he starts prophesying he steps out of local time into the bigger picture of history and speaks of that final time of judgement? In Revelation 18 John saw the downfall of ‘Babylon’ which represented every godless economic institution in the world. Did Isaiah too?

D. Application:

1. There is coming a time of final judgement. Be ready for it.
2. Pride & arrogance are at the heart of godlessness. Beware.