Sermon - Trinity XXIV 2023 - Isaiah 51:9-16

The Fall of Babylon; Cyrus the Great defeating the Chaldean army, John Martin, 1831

Babylon shall fall, and the ransomed of the Lord shall return.

1. Brief explanation of Judah’s history / Isaiah / Babylon / Persia

2. God’s people were to look ahead to the Lord who saves, namely Jesus

3. We continue to look ahead to Jesus, and not be frightened by the evils of this age.

I would guess that Isaiah’s contemporary people thought he was nuts. Here he is calling Judah and Jerusalem to repent of their idolatry and wickedness, foretelling that they would be conquered by Babylon, the temple destroyed, and they’d go away into captivity. When asked when this would happen, he said it wasn’t going to take place for a number of years. So when king Hezekiah, the king of Judah, heard that, he thought it was good news, since that meant there would still be peace and security in his own days, even if it meant much sorrow for his descendents.

But in 587 BC, Babylon under king Nebuchadnezzar conquered Judah and Jerusalem, taking captive the young nobles and deporting them to Babylon. It all went just as God had spoken through the prophet Isaiah. But Isaiah didn’t just prophecy destruction and sadness, but also restoration. “And the ransomed of the LORD shall return and come to Zion with singing; everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.” So after a few decades of the Babylonian captivity, in 539, the Persian empire under king Cyrus defeated Babylon, gave the Israelites the opportunity to return to Jerusalem and rebuild their temple, even providing the resources to do so. 

Thus, Isaiah’s prophecy wasn’t just to call his present generation to repentance, but it was also to comfort the small faithful remnant of God’s people who would live under Babylonian occupation. They were promised that Babylon would fall. They would not be left forsaken forever, but God would restore them once again. God sent them an earthly savior in the Persian king Cyrus. Just as God rescued His people earlier in history, so would He rescue them again.

But Isaiah’s prophecy isn’t just about that particular historical situation. Isaiah doesn’t just prophecy that king Cyrus will defeat Babylon, but that an eternal Savior would arise to rescue God’s people and bring them to an everlasting home. “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.” Thus, Isaiah was pointing God’s people ahead, not only to Cyrus to rescue them immediately from their earthly oppressors, but to Jesus who would rescue them from their sin and unrighteousness.

In the same way, Isaiah wrote not only for Judah 2,500 years ago, but He wrote for all Christians so that we might look ahead for Jesus to come and rescue us. The God of the Israelites, the God of David, the God of Moses, the God of Noah, is our God. He who has stretched out His mighty arm to save His people of old, also stretches out His arm to rescue us now. The same message of repentance, forgiveness, and hope is as much true today as it was 2500 years ago.

So we are not unlike God’s people who lived as sojourners in the land of Babylon. We live in Babylon today. Not that the US is Babylon, or any other specific country, but this whole unbelieving pagan world is Babylon now. You are exiles living in Babylon. You who love the Lord your God, who don’t want to be shaped by Babylon, are the remnant of believers.

Living in Babylon isn’t necessarily uncomfortable. During the Babylonian captivity many of the Israelites who lived in Babylon were wealthy. They were allowed to farm the land, sell it, make a profit, and so they often lived nice lives. Sure, maintaining their faith in God wasn’t easy and practicing their religion was difficult and they were strongly influenced by the surrounding pagan culture and religious practices, but they were usually comfortable. Thus, Babylonian captivity wasn’t necessarily bad for the checkbook, but it was bad for the faith.

The same is true for us today. Life in Babylon isn’t necessarily uncomfortable. I know we complain about our economy, but we still have houses and plenty of food and entertainment and toys and all sorts of things. But maintaining our faith in God is not easy. It’s not convenient to practice our religion. There is a very strong influence upon us Christians by the surrounding pagan culture and various non-christian religious practices. Christians are falling away in droves these days. But, we’re generally still comfortable and entertained, however it’s not good for the faith.

It is not easy for Christians to remain Christian today living here in Babylon. I know even very active Christians, pastors and professors, whose children are identifying as transgender or homosexual, leaving the faith behind them. Even if it’s not that extreme, I know many faithful Christians whose children have simply left the faith, no longer attend church. It’s happening across the country, across denominations, right in our own parish. It’s so close to home, in our own homes even, that it’s very easy to worry.

The Lord knows your worries. Will my children and grandchildren be saved? How will my church be able to last the next ten years? Our country has changed so much in the last five years, what will the next five bring? Will I have to move if I want to remain a Christian? Will my faith be legal in the future?

But remember who God is and what He does. He cut down Egypt into pieces, dried up the red sea, so that the Israelites could pass over on dry land. God brought the Israelites out of Egypt and into the promised land, and again out of Babylon and back home, so Jesus will come again and take us out of this Babylon and home to paradise. “The ransomed of the Lord shall come to Zion with singing, everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.” That’s a promise of what God will do for us.

He declares to you, “I, I am He who comforts you… have you forgotten the Lord, your Maker, who stretched out the heavens and laid the foundations of the earth, and you fear continually all the day because of the wrath of the oppressor, when he sets himself to destroy?” Jesus has pierced the ancient dragon, the devil, with the blood-stained cross. Jesus’ death destroyed the devil’s power.

The devil’s strength is death and his treasure chest is an open grave. But Jesus plunders the tomb and gives life to the dead and healing to the sick. With His blood we are healed of every sin which clings to us, and new life is given in its place. Death, sickness, tragedy, and worry finds hope in the resurrected Christ. Those who trust in Christ “shall not die and go down to the pit.”

God says, “I am the Lord your God… you are My people.” God doesn’t let His people fall. He is the Lord of His church. Your children belong to Him. Your life is held in His hand. He is God who has laid the foundations of the earth, who covers you in the shadow of His hand, and He will provide for you. His church will not fall. He will always maintain a remnant of faithful people who shall endure. Of course we don’t know how things are going to be, we don’t know the specifics of God’s plan, but in faith we know that God will see us through.

What’s more, you know that Babylon falls! We hear it in both Isaiah and Revelation: Babylon is fallen and will rise no more! God will not be beaten by His enemies. Jesus doesn’t lose. Our King reigns supreme. This is why it’s so important we read the Old Testament again and again: because it’s a litany of bad things happening to God’s people, and God rescuing them every single time. No matter how much the people worry, God is faithful to them and saves them from the hands of their enemies. Even if you have a discharge of blood for 13 years, or your little daughter dies, Jesus will still win, and if you’re with Him you will win too! “He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”