Satisfied by the spring of Living Water
Come down, virgin daughter of Babylon, and sit in the dust. For your days of sitting on a throne have ended. O daughter of Babylonia, never again will you be the lovely princess, tender and delicate. Take heavy millstones and grind flour. Remove your veil, and strip off your robe. Expose yourself to public view. You will be naked and burdened with shame. I will take vengeance against you without pity.” Our Redeemer, whose name is the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, is the Holy One of Israel. Isaiah 47:1-4 NLT
From the text, Isaiah provides a vivid description of Babylon as a coddled, indulgent, and spoiled girl who has always insisted her own way. But it will not last for she will be humiliated as a result of the judgment initiated by Cyrus. The once proud nation will be brought low and will be exiled. She has to exert effort doing menial tasks in order for her to survive. Such judgment will be brought upon by God. The image once admired because of success, ease and cool will now be turned into desolation and despair. The judgment of God is not theoretical for it will come to pass. “Babylon is fallen—that great city is fallen! She has become a home for demons. She is a hideout for every foul spirit, a hideout for every foul vulture” (Revelation 18:2). The fall of Babylon and every other social collapse along the way will be before our eyes for she had ignored God. In her pride, she declared her claim for her throne that led to wanton disregard of God’s moral values. “The nations have fallen because of the wine of her passionate immorality. The kings of the world have committed adultery with her” (Isaiah 47:3). To claim and attribute to success to one’s own abilities will not go unnoticed by God. The god that they created and served will be to no avail when the judgment of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies comes. God’s call is for people to descend from their claim that they are gods and in their humility recognize the One true God. In humility know that it is God alone could satisfy thirst that leads to spring of living water. As the Lord Jesus Christ told the Samaritan woman at the well, “Those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life” (John 4:14).
Blessings,
