Growing with God: A daily devotional with Tonia Slimm.
Isaiah 47:2-3 (NIV)
“Take millstones and grind flour; take off your veil. Lift up your skirts, bare your legs, and wade through the streams. Your nakedness will be exposed and your shame uncovered. I will take vengeance; I will spare no one.”
Isaiah 47:2-3 (MSG)
“Get a job, any old job: clean gutters, scrub toilets. Pawn your gowns and scarves, put on your working pants—the party’s over. Your nude body will be on public display, exposed to vulgar taunts. It’s vengeance time, and I’m taking vengeance. No one gets let off the hook.”
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“Take millstones [as a female slave does] and grind meal; remove your veil, strip off the skirt, uncover the leg, cross the rivers [at the command of your captors]. Your nakedness will be uncovered, your shame will also be exposed; I will take vengeance and will spare no man.” -AMPLIFIED
“Pride is the reason for Babylon’s downfall. God’s desire was to use Babylon to punish Israel, but Babylon has gone beyond the limits God set and has acted with unnecessary cruelty. Proud of the place of honor she has gained among the nations, she acts as if she is God. Therefore, God will punish her. She thinks she is unconquerable, but God will suddenly destroy her.” ~Donald Flemming (Bridgeway Bible Commentary)
Yesterday we learned Adonai–Tzva’ot, God Almighty, was going to bring His judgement against Babylon, because of its pride. We learned that this once great queenly nation would be reduced to the role of a slave. God’s Message to her:
“Get down from your throne and sit in the dust, O Miss Babylon! Sit on the ground where you belong,
not on a throne, O Miss Chaldea! For you will never be described again as ‘delicate and dainty.’” -Isaiah 47:1 (The Passion Translation)
God’s Message of judgement against Babylon continues in our text today. Remember, pride was the reason for Babylon’s downfall.
“And with those delicate fingers grab the heavy millstones and grind the grain. Take off your lacy veil, lift your skirt, bare your legs, and cross the mud and muck of the river on foot like any other slave.
Everyone will see you naked; your humiliation will be most public. I intend to make you pay, and no one will interfere.” -(VOICE)
This once delicate and dainty queen will be humbled and humiliated, reduced from her high station, to the role of a slave. We find this once dignified and illustrious leader, who had been waited on hand and foot, never doing menial jobs, now down on her knees grinding grain between two heavy millstones. (Her once flawless hands will now become calloused and rough. Her fingernails, which were once beautiful, will be broken and damaged.)
The next directive given, is for the queen to remover her veil. The Babylonian culture ideas for women were much like Middle Eastern cultures today. A woman kept her face covered, unless she was a loose woman, or a harlot. The following instructions give further evidence of how low Babylon will fall, for she is ordered to strip off her robes. Naked, she will be exposed for what she truly is, and she will be publicly humiliated and shamed.
The final words in this text, spoken by Adonai–Tzva’ot, God Almighty, deliver His judgement against Babylon. “I will take vengeance and let no one intercede for you.” Babylon will pay for its proud, haughty spirit. Remember:
“Pride ·leads to destruction [comes before a disaster];
·a proud attitude brings ruin [pride comes before a fall].” -Proverbs 16:18 (Expanded Bible)
God has a problem with man’s pride. If man chooses to walk in pride, not in humility, he will be humbled.
“Take heavy millstones and grind the corn; remove your veil; strip off your robe; expose yourself to public view. You shall be in nakedness and shame. I will take vengeance upon you and will not repent.” -(TLB)
“In the ancient world, people regarded nakedness as a shame because it left them open to the gaze of others, and so rendered them defenseless. People seen naked were often taken advantage of. Thus to be uncovered was to be shamefully exposed. Babylon had regarded herself as someone special and superior, but now it would become clear that she was just like every other nation. God promised to take vengeance on Babylon for exalting herself to a place that He alone deserves. He would not spare anyone deserving humiliation.” ~Thomas Constable
We have already addressed another prophecy against Babylon that Isaiah had given. Isaiah had this word from the Lord:
“For I will stir up the Medes against Babylon, and no amount of silver or gold will buy them off. The attacking armies will have no mercy on the young people of Babylon or the babies or the children. And so Babylon, the most glorious of kingdoms, the flower of Chaldean culture, will be as utterly destroyed as Sodom and Gomorrah were when God sent fire from heaven; Babylon will never rise again. Generation after generation will come and go, but the land will never again be lived in. The nomads will not even camp there. The shepherds won’t let their sheep stay overnight. The wild animals of the desert will make it their home. The houses will be haunted by howling creatures. Ostriches will live there, and the demons will come there to dance. Hyenas and jackals will den within the palaces. Babylon’s days are numbered; her time of doom will soon be here.” -Isaiah 13:17-22 (TLB)
Jeremiah also records a prophecy that was given to him from God. This prophecy foretold what would happen to Babylon, and all because of its pride. Judgement was certainly coming:
“The Lord says: I will stir up a destroyer against Babylon, against that whole land of the Chaldeans, and destroy it. Winnowers shall come and winnow her and blow her away; they shall come from every side to rise against her in her day of trouble. The arrows of the enemy shall strike down the bowmen of Babylon and pierce her warriors in their coats of mail. No one shall be spared; both young and old alike shall be destroyed. They shall fall down slain in the land of the Chaldeans, slashed to death in her streets. For the Lord Almighty has not forsaken Israel and Judah. He is still their God, but the land of the Chaldeans is filled with sin against the Holy One of Israel. Flee from Babylon! Save yourselves! Don’t get trapped! If you stay, you will be destroyed when God takes his vengeance on all of Babylon’s sins. Babylon has been as a gold cup in the Lord’s hands, a cup from which he made the whole earth drink and go mad. But now, suddenly Babylon too has fallen. Weep for her; give her medicine; perhaps she can yet be healed.” -Jeremiah 51:1-8 (TLB)
Solomon taught us that if we were wise, we would hate evil, including pride. Take note:
“If you respect the Lord, you also will hate evil.
It is wise to hate pride and bragging, evil ways and lies.” -Proverbs 8:13 (ICB)
“In our proud love affair with ourselves we pour contempt, whether we know it or not, on the worth of God’s glory. As our pride pours contempt upon God’s glory, His righteousness obliges Him to pour wrath upon our pride.” ~John Piper
My friend, let us be careful that we too do not fall into the sin of pride. It is an easy thing to do, thinking we have done great things in our own strength and power. Once we start down that road, we are headed towards disaster, and humiliation. Respect God. Give all glory, honor and praise to Him. For without Him, we would be nothing.
“Pride is a barrier to all spiritual progress.” ~Harry Ironside
My Prayer:
Adonai–Tzva’ot, God Almighty, I lay down my pride. I realize that I am nothing without you. I see that my foolish pride is a barrier in our relationship, and in any spiritual growth that want to see in me. I am sorry, Lord, please forgive me. I desire to live humbly before you, my Lord. May I learn to have the same attitude of Jesus, who lived in humility before you. He gave up His rights, to live in obedience to His Father. I too, give up all my rights, my aspirations, so that you will be glorified in my life. I must decrease, so that you can increase. Have your way in me, dear Lord.
Growing with God 